“Messy” is the ninth track of Fifth Harmony’s self-titled album. According to Lauren, it was written by Normani and Ally.
The girls first performed this song live at RockCorps 2017.
[Verse 1: Dinah]
I'll tell you straight how I feel with no filter
No touchin' up what you see, there's no filter
[Refrain: Dinah]
I can be cruel sometimes, out of my mind
Insecure and out the door
I am who I am and you won't have to wonder
[Pre-Chorus: Lauren & Ally]
I can be hard to handle
Dance around the house with nothin' but the radio on
I can be such a scandal
Runnin' at the mouth then crying on the bedroom floor
(I can be, be)
[Chorus: All & Ally]
I can be messy
I can be messy, yeah, I admit it
I can be messy
I can get crazy, yeah, I admit it
Oh, no changin' (Oh no)
Oh, no changin'
I can be messy
Yeah, I can be messy, yeah, I admit it (Nah)
[Verse 2: Normani]
No secrets here, it's just me with the lights on
Say what I'm feelin' 'cause I can't hold my tongue
[Refrain: Normani & Ally]
I can be cruel sometimes, out of my mind
Insecure and out the door
I am who I am and you don't have to wonder (Oh no, ah)
[Pre-Chorus: Ally]
I can be hard to handle
Dance around the house with nothin' but the radio on
I can be such scandal
Runnin at the mouth then crying on the bedroom floor
(I can be, be)
[Chorus: All, Normani, Ally & Dinah]
I can be messy (I can be messy)
I can be messy, yeah, I admit it
I can be messy
I can get crazy, yeah, I admit it
Oh, no changin' (Woah, oh no)
Oh, no changin' (Oh, yeah)
I can be messy
Yeah, I can be messy, yeah, I admit it (Yeah, I admit it)
[Bridge: Ally, Lauren, Dinah & Normani]
Oh (Oh, changin')
Ooh, I admit it, I admit it, I admit it (Oh)
No apologies, oh, yeah (Ooh, yeah)
Oh, no changin' (Oh)
Oh, no changin' (Ain't no changin')
Oh, no changin'
Yeah, I admit it (Oh)
[Chorus: All, Ally, Lauren & Dinah]
I can be messy
I can be messy, yeah, I admit it (Yeah)
I can be messy
I can get crazy, yeah, I admit it (Yeah, I admit it)
Oh, no changin' (No changin', oh no)
Oh, no changin' (No changin', oh)
I can be messy
Yeah, I can be messy, yeah, I admit it (Yeah, I admit it)
[Post-Chorus: All, Dinah, Normani, Ally & *Lauren*]
I can be messy
I can be, I can be, I can be (Yeah, ah, ooh)
I can be messy (Messy, *ooh, messy, baby*)
Yeah, I admit it (*Baby, babe, baby*)
Oh, no changin' (Oh no)
Oh, no changin' (Yeah)
I can be messy
Yeah, I can be messy, yeah, I admit it (Oh)
[Outro: Ally]
Oh no, no
Messy was written by Gerry Goldstein & Brian Gold & Howard Scott & Leah Jaqueline Pringle & Daniel James & Sting International & Charles Miller & Lauren Jauregui & Lee Oskar & Lonnie Jordan & Dinah Jane & Rikrok & B. B. Dickerson & Shaggy & Papa Dee Allen & Normani & Ally Brooke & Harold Brown.
Fifth Harmony released Messy on Fri Aug 25 2017.
In an interview with Official Charts, Normani described “Messy” as a song where they sound “really vulnerable”:
It kinda sounds like Pussycat Dolls’ “Stickwitu” – it has that throwback vibe. It’s the first time we have more than one song on the album where you can hear us be vulnerable.
We did that with Dreamlab. We heard the track, we got inspired and we just let everything out in that room. We had so many idea flowing for hours and hours and it was a beautiful process. And, you know, we made that song, which is one of our faves.
Ally, via Bizarre Life