Madison Beer Complexity Meaning and Review

“Complexity” sits near the back half of Locket and immediately announces itself with whimsical, glossy synths that feel intentionally off kilter. The track opens in a way that should sound airy and inviting, yet Madison Beer’s vocal delivery is unusually performative and pushed to the forefront, creating a jarring first impression. Rather than gliding over the instrumental, her voice often feels stacked on top of it, as if the mix never quite decided how much space to give either element. This uneasy balance establishes a tone that feels restless and unresolved from the start.

Production and Sonic Palette

Sonically, the production leans into a UK garage inspired palette, with gloppy synth textures and electronic flourishes pulsing beneath the surface. In theory, this aesthetic aligns well with Locket’s experimental pop direction, but the execution feels compromised. The instrumental is noticeably squashed, with limited dynamic range, causing the beat to feel boxed in and overly dense. Instead of breathing and expanding, the track maintains a flat intensity that dulls the emotional weight it seems to be reaching for.

Vocal Performance and Processing

Madison Beer’s vocal performance is expressive and emotionally charged, yet the production does her few favours. The processing, particularly the vocoder wrapped layers, often overwhelms the natural warmth of her voice. There are moments where her delivery should land with vulnerability, but the mix blurs those details, making the performance feel more theatrical than intimate. It creates the sense that the song is striving for emotional depth without fully trusting restraint to achieve it.

Structure and Momentum

Structurally, “Complexity” relies heavily on repetition, especially through its chorus and pre chorus sections. While this looping quality reflects the frustration embedded in the song’s tone, musically it can feel stagnant. The instrumental break offers a brief pause, but it does little to shift the atmosphere or introduce a new texture that might elevate the latter half. Considering how many versions the track reportedly went through, it is surprising that the final arrangement still feels so sonically unresolved.

Overall Impact Within the Album

“Complexity” is an intriguing but flawed entry in Locket’s narrative arc. Its melancholic electronic pop fusion and UK garage influences suggest ambition, yet the crowded mix and compressed production hold it back from fully landing. The song carries the weight of an important emotional turning point within the album, but sonically it feels like a near miss rather than the definitive statement it seems intended to be.

Listen To Madison Beer Complexity

Madison Beer Complexity Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of Complexity by Madison Beer is centered on the emotional toll of loving someone who is unable to love themselves. The song captures the slow unraveling of a relationship built on imbalance, where patience turns into self sacrifice and understanding becomes emotional exhaustion. Through reflective and repetitive questioning, the narrative highlights the painful clarity that comes from recognizing unhealthy patterns, confronting distorted self perception, and accepting that love cannot thrive when it is fundamentally one sided.

Overview

“Complexity” explores the emotional exhaustion of loving someone who lacks self worth and direction. The song examines a relationship where empathy and patience slowly turn into self sacrifice, as Madison Beer reflects on recurring patterns, emotional damage, and the realization that love cannot survive when it is fundamentally one sided.

Verse 1

“All of my fine complexities” reflects the narrator acknowledging her emotional depth and layered personality. She sees herself as multifaceted rather than simple, suggesting she brings nuance and intensity into relationships. “The baggage that I turned into beauty” shows how she has reframed past trauma as strength, transforming emotional pain into something she values rather than hides. “I have a way, a tendency” signals self awareness, as she admits this pattern is not accidental. “I tend to stay with people who leave” exposes her attraction to emotionally unavailable partners and highlights a cycle of abandonment where she remains loyal even as others pull away.

Pre Chorus

“But how can I expect you to love me / When you don't even love yourself?” captures a painful realization that someone without self love cannot offer healthy love. The line is reflective rather than angry, rooted in weary understanding. “How can I expect you to want me / When you want nothing for yourself?” expands this idea, pointing to a partner who lacks ambition, direction, or self regard, making emotional reciprocity impossible.

Chorus

“How can I expect you to love me?” functions as a rhetorical question, emphasizing disbelief rather than hope. Its repetition suggests the narrator already knows the answer. “To love me, to love me” feels circular and pleading, mirroring the emotional loop she is trapped in and the frustration of asking for the same unmet need repeatedly.

Verse 2

“Remember the time that you severed me” refers to a moment of emotional betrayal or cruelty, with the word severed implying deep and lasting harm. “And you made a joke, but what did you mean?” suggests emotional dismissal, where hurtful remarks are disguised as humor, forcing the narrator to question hidden intent. “I look in the mirror and don't see what you see” shows how those comments have distorted her self image, making her view herself through another person’s criticism. “Wish I could forget what you said to me” acknowledges that some wounds linger long after the moment has passed.

Repetition and Instrumental Break

The repeated return to “But how can I expect you to love me / When you don't even love yourself?” reinforces the emotional trap the narrator is caught in. Each repetition reflects intellectual clarity without emotional freedom. The instrumental break offers no relief, instead serving as a quiet pause where the weight of this realization settles in fully.

Final Chorus

By the final repetition of “How can I expect you to love me?” the line feels less like a question and more like a conclusion. It no longer seeks reassurance but accepts reality. The song closes without resolution, emphasizing that awareness alone does not immediately lead to escape, only to painful clarity.

Madison Beer Complexity Lyrics

[Verse 1]

All of my fine complexities

The baggage that I turned into beauty

I have a way, a tendency (Tendency)

I tend to stay with people who leave

[Pre-Chorus]

But how can I expect you to love me

When you don't even love yourself?

How can I expect you to want me

When you want nothing for yourself?

[Chorus]

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, to love me

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, to love me

[Verse 2]

Remember the time that you severed me

And you made a joke, but what did you mean?

I look in the mirror and don't see what you see (See)

Wish I could forget what you said to me

[Pre-Chorus]

But how can I expect you to love me

When you don't even love yourself?

How can I expect you to want me

When you want nothing for yourself?

[Chorus]

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, to love me

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, love me

[Instrumental Break]

[Pre-Chorus]

How can I expect you to love me

When you don't even love yourself?

How can I expect you to want me

When you want nothing for yourself?

[Chorus]

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, to love me

How can I expect you to love me?

To love me, love me