Conan Gray’s “Heather” Lyrics Meaning

This song is based on a scenario like a bisexual love triangle. According to Conan, the addressee is someone whom he was in love with. However, this individual did not have eyes for him but rather for the titular “Heather”. Now the gender of the addressee is never specified.

Thus if it is a lady, the logical insinuation would be that she is a lesbian. But if it is a male, that would mean that Gray is gay, as in admitting he has romantic feelings for another man.

Indeed such would be the general inference, as the singer states in the chorus that he wishes he were “half as pretty” as Heather. Also he lets it be known in his explanation of the tune that this is based on one of his own personal experiences, not him for instance singing from a female’s perspective.

That brings us to the true heart of the story. The singer has developed sort of a love/hate sentiment towards Heather due to her being the apple of the eye of the person he adores eyes. That is Gray wishes he actually “were Heather”, as in more like her, so that this person would likewise be attracted to him. But in realizing that he can’t be with her, he also wishes something bad would transpire to remove her from the scene.

In Conclusion

Conclusively, we can say that Conan is jealous of Heather since she possesses qualities which are causing the man he loves to be “mesmerized” by her.

And what it all boils down to is that the addressee’s infatuation with Heather basically means that the chances of him getting romantically involved with the singer are nil.

“Why would you ever kiss me?
I’m not even half as pretty
You gave her your sweater, it’s just polyester
But you like her better
(I wish I were Heather)”

Autobiographical Lyrics

Conan Gray has dubbed this song “the most honest recount of (his) love life at the moment”. In other words, it is based on a real-life story where “the person (he) really, really liked was in love with Heather”. This in turn caused him to ‘hate Heather with all his heart and soul’.

This was despite him understanding that it was not her fault that his friend had feelings for her, and Conan admits that she is “a wonderful person”. Thus in the aftermath of his outburst (i.e. this song) he feels a need to apologize her. But of course he no longer harbors any ill feelings towards Heather and instead recounts the whole transpiring somewhat comically.

And on Twitter, Conan has stated that “Heather” is a track that he is especially emotional about. Indeed he labeled it, from his own personal perspective, the “saddest” song on his “Kid Krow” album.

Facts about “Heather”

This track came out on 20 March 2020 as part of Conan Gray’s debut album, “Kid Krow”. Conan had teased its forthcoming a couple of months prior on Twitter. Also prior to its release, he seems to have implied that this is one of his favorite tracks on the album.

The label behind “Heather” is Republic Records.

“Heather was written entirely by Conan Gray. And the track was produced by Dan Nigro and Jam City.

According to Gray, he always cried whenever he listened to this song. This is because of how sad it made him feel. Below are Gray’s own words about what this song is about and how sad it always made him feel:

“Heather” was a hit song. However, it wasn’t just any ordinary hit song. It was a sleeper hit (i.e. a song that takes a while to become a hit after being released).

Chart Success

Prior to “Heather”, Gray’s biggest hit was his 2019 song titled “Maniac“. However, the success of “Maniac” was easily overtaken by that of “Heather”. Now, not only did “Heather” make it into the America’s renowned singles chart, the Hot 100, but it also was a top 50 hit in this chart. Outside of America, Gray saw even more success.

The song charted in so many European and Asian countries. It was actually the first song of Gray’s entire musical career to chart in the United Kingdom, where it was a top 20 hit.

Below are some of the countries where “Heather” enjoyed a top-10 hit status:

• Belgium (#2)
• Malaysia (#2)
• Singapore (#2)

Elton John talks about “Heather” and Conan Gray

“Heather” gained so much popularity that it even caught the attention of the one and only Elton John who heaped a lot of praises on the song. According to Elton, he was beyond impressed at Gray’s amazing songwriting ability.

Speaking to the BBC, Elton said he admired how Gray was able to write a very powerful and meaningful song like “Heather” all by himself. Elton referred to “Heather” as a “proper song” and talked about how rare it was these days for an artist to independently compose a song without any assistance.

Interesting to Note

Gray almost refused releasing this song. And why? He felt that the world would criticize him for its lyrics that showered hatred on an innocent person. He was therefore surprised when people embraced the song because they found its lyrics very relatable.

What’s Your Perspective on “Heather”?

“I love Conan but I hate listening to his ‘Heather’. It makes me feel terrible. See, I’ve been in love with my friend’s girlfriend for a long time now. It’s a tough situation I must say. On the one hand, I want to be happy for them because they seem to have something really special going on. But on the other hand, I can’t help the way I feel for her. I wish it was me, not him. I wish she would look my way, but instead, she’s talking to him.”

– Riley

“‘Heather’ basically talks about heartbreak, it reminds me of someone I really loved. The song takes me back to all those nights when we stayed up late, talking about everything and nothing. Those golden moments when our connection was so strong, it felt like nothing could ever break it. But in the end, he chose someone else.

And I was left with nothing but heartbreak, feeling all the pain alone, wondering why I wasn’t good enough. It felt like the end, like there was no coming back from it. But I learnt one thing; we can’t control other people’s actions or feelings. It’s not a reflection of our worth or our value as a person. I know that now. This song makes me feel it’s okay to feel the pain and to grieve the loss of that connection.”

– Drew

More Comments

“This song takes me back to my high school basketball days. It brings to mind the one and only ‘Heather’ I ever knew. He was my teammate and I looked up to him as someone who embodied all the qualities I wished I had: lightning-fast speed, expert ball control, and impeccable skills.”

– My Heather

“I don’t feel like the best-looking teenager out there. However the line in ‘Heather’ that says, ‘why would you ever kiss me I’m not even half as pretty’, is an inspiration to me because it makes me feel like even if I don’t fit society’s standards of beauty, someone out there may still find me attractive for who I am.”

– Elliot

“This song should serve as a reminder to everyone that we don’t need to strive to be like ‘Heather’, or anyone else for that matter. No matter how seemingly perfect someone may be, we have our own unique beauty and qualities that makes us who we are. The song inspires me to embrace my individuality and not compare myself to others.”

– Confident Jamie

Conan Gray’s “Kid Krow”

Starting his YouTube channel in 2013 and uploading content of his talent and gaining over 25 million views, Conan in his early twenties released his debut album “Kid Krow” on 20^th March, 2020.

The album was inspired by rough experiences from his childhood and teenage stages. TikTok, a vlogging social media app catapulted in making “Heather”, a single from the album gain popularity as it became a hit song, and the album at large.

The success of “Heather” and the entire album transformed Gray into an international superstar. Owing to this, he toured embarked on the famous “Kid Krow World Tour” that saw him perform in various countries, including:

• Norway
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• United States

The album comprises twelve tracks, spanning a total of 33 minutes, 33 seconds. The production of the album was done by the likes of Dan Nigro, Captain Cuts, Jam City and Gray himself.

Gray basically composed all the project’s songs. The album belongs to a number of music genres, including:

• Indie pop
• Pop rock
• Indie rock

A total of 6 singles (including “Heather”) were released to promote “Kid Krow”. The singles are listed below:

• “Checkmate”
• “Comfort Crowd”
• “Maniac”
• “The Story”
• “Wish You Were Sober”
• “Heather”