Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
Brynn Cartelli
“Secondhand Smoke” is about a friendship breakup, its ending, and Cartelli coming to terms with it. Evidently, the friendship was quite toxic and seemingly only “thrived in negativity,” as Cartelli alluded to in an Instagram story on January 24, 2023.
The secondhand smoke metaphor is an apt one to...
[Verse 1]
I'll admit I had fun
Getting wrapped up in your misery
But look at what it's done to me
And I thought it was love
But you couldn't fill my missin' piece
Or take responsibility
[Pre-Chorus]
With every word you say
Like smokin' a pack a day
Set up the world you hate
For me to fix
I know you'll never change
You'll never take the blame
I shouldn't have to save
Every mess
[Chorus]
I have to let you go
Breathe out the secondhand smoke
I cannot let it show
I'm afraid that you've ruined my lungs
Now I'm on the run, I have to move on
What will I bеcome without you? I don't know
But I have to let you go
Brеathe out the secondhand smoke
[Verse 2]
What are the side effects
Of bein' held down for years
By complaints and fake fears?
Well, I guess I made my bed
And I'm leavin' it here
Hope I'm makin' that clear
[Pre-Chorus]
With every word you say
Like smokin' a pack a day
Set up the world you hate
For me to fix
I know you'll never change
You'll never take the blame
I shouldn't have to save
Every mess
[Chorus]
I have to let you go
Breathe out the secondhand smoke
I cannot let it show
I'm afraid that you've ruined my lungs
Now I'm on the run, I have to move on
What will I become without you? I don't know
But I have to let you go
Breathe out the secondhand smoke
[Bridge]
With all of this shit you're talkin'
I inhaled all of your toxins
Try buildin' a wall around this town
I can't be drowned, I'm movin' out
[Chorus]
I finally let you go
Exhaled the secondhand smoke
I stayed around too long
Still afraid that you've ruined my lungs
Now I'm on the run, I've almost moved on
What will I become without you? Now I know
But I have to let you go
Breathe out the secondhand smoke
Breathe out the secondhand smoke
Secondhand Smoke was written by Brynn Cartelli.
Secondhand Smoke was produced by Adam Argyle.
Brynn Cartelli released Secondhand Smoke on Thu Feb 23 2023.
I released three songs last year, each one telling a story that for me is fun to tell. Celebrations of love, friendship, crushes, witchery. I blushed. I danced. I drove with the windows down.
But beneath the surface, another song was growing … waiting for its chance to erupt. The calls could not be...
[“Secondhand Smoke”] is for those who have witnessed or experienced relationships/friendships/family that only thrive in negativity; have felt trapped in these relationships; worry about how they move on from these relationships.
—via Instagram Story on January 24, 2023
In an Instagram Story on February 24, 2023, Cartelli shared a screenshot of her iPhone Notes app which contained the lyrics and the date was May 20, 2021. She posted the first teaser on TikTok on September 27, 2021, and the caption read “wrote this not too long ago hehe 🚬”.
Actually, I changed my mind. I can’t wait any longer… so I’m releasing “Secondhand Smoke” at midnight. 🫁🫁🫁 This song began at my childhood piano, came alive in the midst of a New York snowstorm, and was finished in a London heatwave. Extreme weather to compliment extreme feelings… but, I’ll admit...
I wrote “Secondhand Smoke” during a challenging time in my life where I was trying to escape a certain situation; I was feeling anxious since I hadn’t moved past that period yet. The song came about in anticipation for the hopeful future of freedom I knew was coming next. I hope listeners feel free...
I wrote “Secondhand Smoke” about a friendship breakup and the heartache that followed. I was really nervous about moving on with my life because I didn’t want to carry the negativity from that friendship into my future relationships.
It was written in a time of desperation, running away from a pers...
Breaking up with a friend can be just as heartbreaking as breaking up with a significant other. I wrote “Secondhand Smoke” at a time when I was trying to end a friendship and distance myself from the place I was in. I wasn’t removed from either situation at the time but I wrote ‘Secondhand Smoke' in...