8 of Lewis Capaldi's biggest songs and the meanings behind them 🎶
Get to know what's going on behind the lyrics...
Lewis Capaldi has dominated the charts for the last few years - with huge hits like 'Someone You Loved', 'Forget Me' and 'Wish You The Best'. So, it's no wonder that Lewis has got seven Top 10 hits - with four Number 1s - and plenty of awards under his belt. But have you ever wondered what the meanings are behind some of his best songs?
After the monumental success of his 2019 debut album 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent', Lewis' fans were thrilled by his second album - 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent'. Read up on Lew's biggest hits so far and the meanings behind them... 🎵
Which are Lewis Capaldi's most successful songs?
So far, Lewis Capaldi's most successful single is 'Someone You Loved' - having spent seven weeks at Number 1 and being certified 7x Platinum in the UK. It also hit the Number 1 spot in the US.
His 2022 releases 'Forget Me' and 'Pointless' also soared to the Number 1 spot, with 'Forget Me' being certified Platinum within just six months.
His 2019 track 'Before You Go' also reached Number 1 in the UK, whilst his song 'Hold Me While You Wait' was also very successful. It reached Number 4 in the UK and Number 1 in the Scottish charts, as well as being certified 3x Platinum in the UK.
2018 single 'Grace' peaked at Number 9 in the UK, and is now certified 2x Platinum in the UK.
What is 'Bruises' about?
Lewis Capaldi originally released his song 'Bruises' back in March 2017, when it reached Number 16, later re-releasing the song as part of a remixed EP. It appeared on both his first EP 'Bloom' as well as being the lead single from his debut album, and was released once again in January 2020 as his third single in the US.
He spoke about the meaning behind the song in an interview with Genius, explaining that it's about the end of a significant relationship: "When talking about bruises I wasn’t necessarily saying bad things. Like memories and that. Kind of where it’s like people say emotional baggage and stuff. There’s not scars. Bruises seem like an altogether more repairable thing."
🚨 WARNING! Explicit language! 🚨
Lewis later released different versions of the song, telling fans on social media how much 'Bruises' means to him: 'This song has taken me from playing in empty pubs in Glasgow to selling out 2,000 capacity venues in less than year. This song has literally taken me round the world and I cannot thank everyone enough for listening, sharing, buying a ticket to a show or telling me you've been into the music since then honestly means the world!'
One version of 'Bruises' released by Lewis was recorded with a live orchestra, and their amazing performance has now been released on YouTube.
But Lewis released yet another video for the song in December 2019 - and this one was decidedly more light-hearted! Recruiting some of the biggest celebrities on earth, Lewis was able to create a celebrity singalong video for 'Bruises' with each of them miming along to a different part of the song.
What is 'Grace' about?
Most of the songs on Lewis' debut album, 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent', were about a break-up and being heartbroken after the end of a relationship. The lyrics in the chorus make it sound as though he's trying to win someone back after splitting up:
'I'm not ready to be just another of your mistakes / Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place / I was only just a breath removed from going to waste / 'Til I found salvation in the form of your / Your grace Your grace / Your grace Don't take it away.'
The music video is completely different, however, and shows Lewis frolicking at a gentleman's club. Talking about the video, Lewis said: "For the video I wanted to do something different to what I’d usually do or what I’ve seen from other artists who are doing songs that have a similar subject matter.
"There are some people who are really good at doing sincere videos, and that’s cool, but it’s just not me. Despite my songs being emotional, I’m not really the serious type, so I thought it would be funny to do the most ridiculous idea imaginable!"
Who is 'Someone You Loved' by Lewis Capaldi about?
'Someone You Loved' was thought to be about Lewis' ex-girlfriend, Paige Turley, who won Winter Love Island in January 2020. The former Britain's Got Talent star discussed her former relationship with Lewis, and said she thought she was the subject matter of the song.
Speaking in her VT before going into the villa, Paige said: "One of my ex boyfriends is Lewis Capaldi. According to the papers his song 'Some One You Loved' was about me. Lewis, I'm so sorry I must have been a b---- to you."
However, Lewis confirmed in an interview that the song was actually about his late grandmother - and even referenced the slightly awkward situation during his BRITs acceptance speech for Song of the Year which he won for the song.
But it turns out that the exes are good pals now, as Paige revealed that Lewis congratulated her on winning Love Island.
Despite his huge success, the singer revealed in 2020 that his parents weren't keen on his biggest hit, 'Someone You Loved'. Speaking to a US radio station, Lewis told how he played his parents two songs: "Maybe a year-and-a-half ago, and I played them two songs. One was a piano ballad and one was a summer song, it was a bit more upbeat.
"They said: 'The upbeat one is really good, the piano ballad we are not really into’. That piano ballad ended up being 'Someone You Loved'!"
'Someone You Loved' went on to be Number 1 in many countries around the world, as well as winning him a BRIT Award and getting him a Song of the Year nomination at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards.
In March 2024, the song was certified 9x Platinum by the BPI - meaning it's had over 5.4 MILLION sales since its release in 2018.
What about 'Hold Me While You Wait'?
Lewis' ninth single was released in May 2019 as a single from his album, debuting at Number 4 on the UK chart and Number 1 in Scotland. It has since been certified 3x Platinum in the UK.
Lewis released a statement alongside the single which read: "'Hold Me While You Wait' is a song I wrote about the uncertainty of being in a relationship when your partner isn’t sure what they want.
"There’s an impending hopelessness to the whole thing, on both sides, when they’re not sure whether they want to be in that relationship or not. For me it’s one of the most desperate places you can find yourself in."
What is 'Before You Go' by Lewis Capaldi about?
Lewis released 'Before You Go' in November 2019 as a single from the extended edition of his album, reaching the top spot on the UK and Scottish charts and has since been certified Platinum in the UK.
Before it dropped, Lewis said the song was one of the "most personal" songs he'd ever written, and while many wondered whether the song referenced a past relationship, Lewis confirmed it was actually about the impact of his aunt's devastating death by suicide when he was around five or six-years-old.
Lewis told Zane Lowe on Apple Music that it was written from his mum's perspective: "I spoke to my mum about… her feelings about going through that sort of rigmarole in your head of, ‘What could I have done here? Could I have done anything?' You’re obviously upset and then you kind of get angry at them, and then you get angry at yourself."
Mental health is obviously something very close to Lewis' heart, as he also campaigned for anxiety awareness at gigs. He told Good Morning America: "I didn’t want people to think I was exploiting it at all, but the reaction has been quite the opposite. People have been very supportive."
Lewis also offers fans an insight into his struggles with mental health in his documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now.
If you are struggling yourself or are worried about a friend, contact Samaritans (available 24/7), samaritans.org, phone 116 123 or online chat.
What's 'Forget Me' about?
After releasing his song 'Forget Me', Lewis revealed that the song had seen the most reaction from fans out of all his releases. It came as no surprise how excited they were as fans had been eagerly awaiting new music from the Scottish singer for three years.
He said in an Instagram Live: "Thank you so much for all the support on 'Forget Me' so far, it's been the best reaction we've had day one to a song ever, and it's genuinely blown me away."
Lewis wrote the song in summer 2021, and following its release described the heartbreaking inspiration behind the track. Describing it as a "sad and fast" pop song, he revealed it's about an ex who he watched moving on with her life, resulting in him feeling left behind.
The lyrics read: 'Two years and still you're not gone, guess I'm still holding on', before continuing: 'Cause I'm not ready to find out you know how to forget me. I'd rather hear how much you regret me, and pray to God that you never met me, than forget me. Oh I hate to know I made you cry, but love to know I cross your mind'.
The song relates to the post-breakup heartache that came with watching his ex move on, and potentially 'forget' about him.
Listen to 'Forget Me' by Lewis Capaldi:
What is his track 'Pointless' about?
2022 was the year of new music for Lewis, not only releasing the epic 'Forget Me', but also gifting us with 'Pointless' on 2nd December.
Since the song's release, Lewis has discussed the meaning behind the lyrics on YouTube, revealing they are about a girl he dated in the past. Due to being hurt before, he described her as 'tentative about going back into a relationship'. Although Lewis understood she was insecure, he described her as appearing 'guarded'.
He wont on to describe how she built walls up to protect herself, however: 'When the goings tough you're too hard on yourself, it was just that I found she kind of carried a lot with her, and she didn't have to', also saying: 'Don't put your cover up, you know, it's bad for your health'.
Describing the song in a nutshell, Lewis said: 'Basically, the song's about someone who's been badly jilted in the past and has had bad experiences before, and they're kind of reluctant to jump back into it'
Referring to the lyrics: 'I'll wait for you, I'll wait for you, you'll wait for me too', Lewis said: 'This verse is just saying I can't walk away from this without giving it a try. If we try and it doesn't work, I could accept it, but I can't f------ just walk away from this before we've even tried it when I think we could be this amazing thing and I think that we could really f------ have something special.'
Lewis also released some piano and guitar tutorials for the hit track - you can check them out here!
Listen to Lewis Capaldi's 'Pointless':
What is 'Wish You The Best' about?
Lewis' most recent release 'Wish You The Best' graced us on 14th April 2023, along with an emotional music video starring David Bradley (Harry Potter) and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack).
Lewis described the song as 'incredibly special' to him and took to social media to explain its meaning. He wrote: 'I've always been fascinated by the things left unsaid, whether that be in a relationship or a friendship. 'Wish You The Best' came from this idea of a person you've been close to at some stage in life...inevitably time passes and you're hearing and seeing the amazing things in their life that's continued without you, whether that's through friends, family, or more often through these days through social media.
'The battle between the struggle to want to know how that person is and everything they're up to in life but also the part of you that dies a bit inside hearing they've maybe moved on or about parts of their life where you no longer have a place.
'It's a song about what we don't say to those people, sometimes there's things we want to say but choose not to either because of fear of rejection or out of respect for the person who can no longer be in your life for whatever the reason may be.'
The lyrics of the chorus read: 'But, oh, my love, I wanna say "I miss the green in your eyes". And when I said we could be friends, guess I lied. I wanna say, "I wish that you never left", oh, but instead, I only wish you the best.
'I wanna say, "Without you, everything's wrong", and you were everything I need all along. I wanna say, "I wish that you never left", oh, but instead, I only wish you the best'.
Which other artists has Lewis Capaldi written songs for?
Rita Ora - 'How To Be Lonely'
So far, we know that he wrote 'How To Be Lonely' by Rita Ora - which rather coincidentally came out around the same time as the UK went into lockdown amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
In March 2020, Lewis opened up about writing the song for Rita on his Instagram Story, saying: "Sometimes you write songs and you sing them and you go, ‘I’m f------ s---- at this’. I said, ‘I don’t know, I’m not very good at singing this’. And they go, ‘How about you get someone who can sing it?'”
🚨 WARNING! Explicit language! 🚨
Sigala and James Arthur - 'Lasting Lover'
Sigala and James Arthur teamed up in September 2020 to release 'Lasting Lover', written by our Lew. Sigala said of the song: "It came to me as a ballad, with just guitar and his (Lewis Capaldi) voice on it, I worked on it a bit and I got in touch with James from there, to see if he wanted to sing it."
He added the meaning behind it: "It's about rekindling love with a past loved one, bringing them back into your life and realising that it was meant to be."
He told ABC Audio why Lewis hadn't recorded it himself: "I found out later that it was something that he had written initially for his album, but it sort of just sat on the pile...it wasn't right for him lyrically, or there was something about it that he didn't think fitted on his album. But he and his team thought it was worth sort of somebody else using it."
As James added: "I know from speaking to him, he really didn't want to let the song go. I think he heard what Sigala did with it and he thought, well, 'He's breathed the type of life into it that maybe he couldn't have'."
There are also a few videos of Lewis singing the song at various gigs in 2018 floating around the Internet - here's one from a gig in Dublin.
Scroll through to see Lewis Capaldi's biggest career moments so far:
Career beginnings
Lewis learned to play the drums and guitar when he was just two-years-old, and started off singing in pubs at the age of nine. At 17, he decided to pursue a full-time career in music, and was discovered by his manager through his SoundCloud account.
2017: 'Bloom EP'
Lewis released his first EP 'Bloom' in October 2017, having worked on it with producer Malay and released 'Bruises' in March that year. He was then signed to Universal Music Group, and was long-listed for BBC's Sound of Music 2018, later supporting Rag'n'Bone Man on his European tour in November 2017.
2018: Supporting Niall Horan
After supporting Rag'n'Bone Man, Lewis came to the attention of former One Direction star Niall Horan. The pair became friends and Lewis joined him as a support act for his 'Flicker World Tour' in March 2018, before going on tour as support for Sam Smith two months later.
May 2019: The toilet brush incident
We caught up with Lewis in May 2019, and he explained the story behind the toilet brush incident from his Snapchat Story... "I wouldn't lie about that! You should have seen me when I walked into the toilet and saw what I left myself in the night, it was like a dirty Santa Claus. There are some weird people on Hollywood Boulevard, people getting photos and stuff with me, a plunger in hand."
Summer 2018: Festival appearances
Lewis took to the stage at various music festivals in the summer of 2018, playing Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Reading & Leeds Festival and TRNSMT. He also supported Kodaline in August 2018.
November 2018: 'Breach' EP
Lewis released his second EP 'Breach' in November 2018, containing songs 'Grace' and 'Someone You Loved', which became Lewis' breakthrough single and was Number 1 in the UK for seven weeks.
2019: Debut album and BRIT Awards
Lewis released his debut album 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent' in May 2019, and it became the best-selling UK album in five years. He was nominated for the hugely coveted Critics' Choice Award at the BRITs 2019, which has now been renamed to the Rising Star Award, and was won in 2019 by Sam Fender.
August 2019: Elton John
Elton and Lewis became firm friends, and Lewis shared this super-cute photo of himself and Elton having lunch together.
2019: Headline tour
The album was certified Gold two weeks after the album was released. Lewis' tour was announced before the release of his album, and he became the first artist ever to sell out an arena tour before his debut album was released.
2019: 'Someone You Loved'
In October 2019, 'Someone You Loved' reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which made him the first Scottish solo artist to top the US chart since 1981. The video for the song was released two months beforehand, and starred actor Peter Capaldi - who is a distant cousin of Lewis'. The singer was also announced as the opening act for Niall Horan's 'Nice to Meet Ya Tour', which will start in April 2020. In December 2019, Lewis recruited celebrities all over the world to help make a hilarious video to his song 'Bruises'.
January 2020: Grammy Awards
He was nominated at the Grammy Awards 2020 for the category of Song of the Year for 'Someone You Loved', unfortunately losing out to Billie Eilish for 'Bad Guy'. Lewis also had a hilarious moment at the Grammys in January, taking to Twitter with the story that he'd been mistaken for a seat filler!
When his ex-girlfriend Paige Turley went into the Love Island villa, reports surfaced that his song 'Someone You Loved' was about her - but Lewis revealed it was about his late grandmother.
2020: Justin Bieber and Lewis become BFFs
Taking to Twitter in January, Lewis treated his fans to one of his classic selfies - something we all love him for - and wrote the caption, 'I've decided that I'm equally as handsome as Shawn Mendes and Bieber.'
Justin then actually replied, saying, 'You are', before Lewis retweeted it and wrote, 'Bieber approved'.
February 2020: BRIT Awards
Lewis was nominated for four awards at the BRITs 2020: Male Solo Artist, Best New Artist, Song of the Year for 'Someone You Loved' and Album of the Year for 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent'. He went on to win Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
January 2021: Social media break
In January 2021, Lewis announced he would be taking a break from social media to focus on creating his second album, the follow up to 2019's 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent'.
March 2021: Lewis gives second album update
Lewis broke his social media silence in March 2021 to reflect on the previous year. He also announced he would be rescheduling his tour to 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
2022: Lewis Capaldi returns to performing live
After a break from live performances for two years, Lewis got back on stage at Parklife in Manchester in June 2022. The following week, he headlined at Isle of Wight festival, which was his first time ever headlining a festival.
The Scottish singer also headlined TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow and Latitude festival.
August 2022: Lewis teases an upcoming announcement
Although he had previously disclaimed to fans that he was 'too lazy' to finish his second album, Lewis got us all talking when he teased some sort of announcement on his TikTok, happening on 2nd September 2022.
It turned out to be the announcement of his new single 'Forget Me' which he played for the first time to fans at his show at London's O2 Arena before revealing that the full song would come out on 9th September.
September 2022: Lewis Capaldi releases 'Forget Me'
Following his exciting song teaser, Lewis released his new track on 9th September. It was the first single to come from his second album and the first music he has released in three years.
He said of the song: 'This is it… My first new music in nearly 3 years. Couldn't be more nervous! This is... 'Forget Me' 🥀' before taking to his Instagram Stories to thank fans for their support.
On 12th September, he also released a music video for the song which he described as being his: "Favourite video that has ever been made by anybody ever". Fans of Wham! might think the music video looks familiar, as it is a recreation of their 'Club Tropicana' video.
October 2022: Lewis Capaldi announces album release date and tour
In the update we were all waiting for, Lewis Capaldi revealed that his second album is called 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' and will be released on 19th May 2023.
He went on to reveal that the album will include a love song with Ed Sheeran called 'Pointless'.
That's not all, as he also surprised fans with the announcement of a tour! He'll be playing several shows across the UK in January and February 2023.
October 2022: Lewis films documentary with Niall Horan
Lewis and Niall Horan are good friends and fans have been eagerly hoping for a collab between the two. While they haven't released a song together, they have created a documentary travelling around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Called Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar, the documentary was released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 21st October and follows their road-trip and visit Niall's hometown Mullingar.
December 2022: Reading and Leeds Festival headline announcement
Lewis took to Twitter in December 2022 to announce the incredible news that he would be taking a headline slot at Reading and Leeds Festival 2023! In classic Lewis style, the expletive-riddled post was equal parts self-deprecating and hilarious, with a smug selfie for good measure as he called it a "dream come true" to be a headliner at the festival.
December 2022: Lewis Capaldi performed on Strictly Come Dancing
On 12th December, Lewis Capaldi performed his song 'Pointless' on Strictly Come Dancing, during the Semi-Final of the show.
December 2022: Lewis Capaldi performed on Hogmanay 2022
Lewis saw in the New Year with a special performance on BBC Scotland's Hogmanay 2022, presented by Edith Bowman.
February 2023: Lewis Capaldi was announced to perform at The BRITs
On 1st February Lewis Capaldi was announced as the final performer for the 2023 BRIT Awards. He said of the announcement: "Last time I played The BRIT Awards I was so scared that I had a panic attack before I went on, and then got hammered afterwards. Looking forward to more of the same this year."
February 2023: Lewis Capaldi meets his waxwork
Lewis Capaldi came face-to-face with his waxwork at Madame Tussauds Blackpool. He joked fans could: "Come and touch my bum!"
February 2023: Lewis' breathtaking BRITs performance
As The BRIT Awards 2023 with Mastercard took place on 11th February, Lewis took to the stage to perform at the ceremony for the first time since 2020. Performing his hit track 'Forget Me' alongside House Gospel Choir, it's fair to say that his beautiful performance was unforgettable.
Lewis was also nominated for Song of The Year at the 2023 BRITs, for his song 'Forget Me', however lost out on the win to Harry Styles and his hit track 'As It Was'.
March 2023: Lewis Capaldi announced his Netflix documentary
Lewis Capaldi announced his Netflix documentary in March 2023. The programme is called Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now and was later released on Netflix on 5th April 2023.
March 2023: Lewis Capaldi entertained a flight to America
Lewis Capaldi was travelling to America to start the North American leg of his tour and he decided to help the cabin crew!
Lewis was spotted walking down the aisle of the plane offering the passengers drinks, before getting out his guitar and giving them a little performance. The passengers couldn't believe what was happening on their flight, with many of them getting out their photos to record the moment.
May 2023: Lewis releases his second album
Lewis released his highly anticipated second album 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' on 19th May 2023.
June 2023: Lewis cancels commitments in lead-up to Glastonbury
At the beginning of June 2023, Lewis shared a statement announcing that he would be cancelling his upcoming commitments in order to prepare for his performance at Glastonbury Festival. In the statement, he wrote that he needed time to 'rest and recover' before the performance that was three weeks away. In the difficult message, he also revealed: 'I haven't been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I'm struggling to get to grips with it all.'
June 2023: Lewis performs at Glastonbury Festival
On Saturday 24th June 2023, Lewis took to the stage at Glastonbury Festival! He performed a selection of his greatest songs, including 'Forget Me', 'Pointless' and 'Before You Go'.
Towards the end of Lewis' set, he began to struggle with his Tourette's Syndrome. Due to his tics, the singer struggled to sing his hit track 'Someone You Loved'. In an emotional moment, the adoring crowd began to sing the song at the top of their lungs, helping Lewis finish his set.
June 2023: He announces a break from touring
On 27th June, three days after his performance at Glastonbury, Lewis shared a statement to announce he would be 'taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.' In the emotional statement, he thanked the festival, as well as his fans for 'singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards'.
Lewis didn't reveal when he would return to touring, saying: 'The truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.'
September 2023: Lewis wins a National Television Award
In September 2023, Lewis won the National Television Award for Best Authored Documentary for Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now. In a video message following his win, Lewis said: "Thank you so, so much if you voted, or even if you just watched the documentary. Thank you so much for voting and thank you for everyone who made it. A massive shoutout to my fellow nominees. You're all incredible. Making a documentary is not easy in the slightest, from what I've learned. It's an honour to be nominated alongside you. I'll see you soon."
December 2023: Lewis shares an update on his health
Taking to Instagram, Lewis explained that he has been working with professionals to help manage his Tourette's and anxiety, adding that he has noticed a 'marked improvement' in his symptoms since taking a break. He also announced the release of 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' (Extended Edition)', which includes five extra songs.
Read more:
Everything you need to know about Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Capaldi reschedules tour and gives update on second album
9 fascinating facts about everyone's favourite Scotsman Lewis Capaldi