Orla Gartland returned today with a new song ‘More Like You’ inspired by jealousy felt for the relationship a best friend had with another.
Gartland addresses feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in a friend relationship, wishing to swap places with the other person who seemed perfect in every way. The idealised version of the person lead to the song’s beginnings.
. “I heard it from a woman on the internet, she told me to eat well and try to love myself then maybe I won’t wish that I was someone else,” Orla sings on a song co-written with Tommy King (musical director and collaborator to HAIM, Vampire Weekend)
“When you don’t have much access to someone it’s easy to put them on a pedestal and forget that they have their own layered & complex life, you only see perfection. I became obsessed. I wanted to sing like her, I wanted to dress like her, I wanted to swap bodies with her Freaky-Friday style. So ‘More Like You’ is another song about identity, about yearning to switch lives with someone who makes it all look easy.”
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“Everyone compares themselves to other people right? If you don’t tell me your secret. ‘More Like You’ was born from a petty friend jealousy I have for my best friend’s other best friend. She’s someone who I only ever heard good things about, someone I wanted to hate until I met her and – of course – I didn’t. I loved her.”
Orla
‘More Like You’ is from Gartland’s forthcoming debut album due for release this year.
Lyrics:
I love the way you sing
oh I’ve been trying copy every word you say
I love the way you think,
you have this way of knowing it’ll be ok
where’d you get that confidence from? ‘cause you wear it like a coat
all this feeling second best, it’s got me by the throat
I know
that I’ve been obsessing in the worst way
I heard it from a woman on the internet
she told me to eat well and try to love myself
then maybe I won’t wish that I was someone else
(tell me how)
to be more like you
look I don’t wanna fight
no I just wanna swap our bodies for a day
imagine I could drive with the top down
back and forth across LA
every time she mentions your name
oh she says it like a prayer
getting caught up on the syllables
I wish I didn’t care, but no
oh maybe I’m the one she had to outgrow
I heard it from a woman on the internet
she told me to eat well and try to love myself
then maybe I won’t wish that I was someone else
and I know that I’ve been flirting with the enemy
but please don’t be so perfect right in front of me
I think of all the things that I will never be
(tell me how)
to be more like you
and look
it’s true, it’s true, it’s true, it’s true
I got these insecurities
they’re all mine
there’s nothing I can do
and look
it’s true, true, true, true
the other day I caught myself just looking at pictures of you
oh I heard it from a woman on the internet
she told me to live a life of no regret
so maybe I won’t take you on as such a threat
tell me how, tell me how
and I know that I’ve been flirting with the enemy
but please don’t be so perfect right in front of me
I think of all the things that I will never be
(tell me how)
to be more like you
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
