twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
twenty one pilots
The lyrics of “Stressed Out” are told in the first person, with the story being told by both the character Blurryface (a representation of Tyler’s insecurities) and an anxious Tyler feeling intense childhood nostalgia. The song is primarily about a wish to regain the innocence and carefree nature of...
[Verse 1]
I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new
I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang
I was told, when I get older, all my fears would shrink
But now I'm insecure, and I care what people think
[Pre-Chorus]
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
[Chorus]
Wish we could turn back time (Time) to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out (Out)
(Oh) Wish we could turn back time (Oh) to the good old days (Oh)
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out (Out out out out)
We're stressed out (Out out out out)
[Verse 2]
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
How come I'm never able to identify where it's comin' from?
I'd make a candle out of it, if I ever found it
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one
It'd be to my brother, 'cause we have the same nose
Same clothes, homegrown, a stone's throw from a creek we used to roam
But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered
Out of student loans and treehouse homes, we all would take the latter
[Pre-Chorus]
My-my-my name's Blurryface and I care what you think
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
[Chorus]
Wish we could turn back time (Time) to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out (Out)
(Oh) Wish we could turn back time (Oh) to the good old days (Oh)
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
[Bridge]
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughin' at our face
Sayin', "Wake up, you need to make money!," yeah
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughin' at our face
Sayin', "Wake up, you need to make money!," yeah
[Chorus]
Wish we could turn back time (Time) to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out (Out)
(Oh) Wish we could turn back time (Oh) to the good old days (Oh)
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
[Outro]
We used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
Used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
Used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughin' at our face
Sayin', "Wake up, you need to make money!," yeah
Stressed Out was written by Tyler Joseph.
Stressed Out was produced by Mike Elizondo.
twenty one pilots released Stressed Out on Tue Apr 28 2015.
According to an interview with radio.com, blurryface is the act of putting black makeup on your hands and neck, which Tyler wears in the video. He says that it is a metaphor for the suffocation you feel from stress.
Learn more by checking out this annotation.
Stress, depression, and nostalgia for simpler times. This song has a lot of Tyler’s memories in it, which represent childhood—where most of us had no problems and lived carefree. Tyler posits that becoming an adult increases stress.
Rike, who did the design of the Blurryface album, said this about the Blurryface concept based on his conversations with Tyler:
Blurryface isn’t that black and white. There are more layers to him than described. He can either be represented as sad, angry, evil, or deceptive. He has a tendency to dr...
According to an interview with Rolling Stone, most the video was shot in and around Josh Dun’s childhood home in Ohio. Relatives of both Josh and Tyler are featured in the video.
When Tyler sang this song live, he didn’t get the type of positive reaction that he was hoping for. Because of this, he felt like he let his fans down and needed to rework the song for the band’s live performances. So, in a successful attempt to fix this, he changed the first verse to this:
I wish...
The black paint on Tyler’s neck and hands symbolizes that he is under the influence of Blurryface, or depression. Josh doesn’t paint himself.
“Stressed Out” was certified diamond (or 10x platinum) by the RIAA on April 30, 2021, selling 10 million certified units. It is the 46th song in music history to achieve this certification.
“Stressed Out” won Alternative Rock Song of the Year from iHeartRadio Music in 2017 and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2016.
Yes, you can find it here:
Tyler has red eyes at the end because this part is sung by Blurryface, suggesting Tyler is now under his influence.