Olivia Dean Nice To Each Other Meaning and Review

A Gentle Return Rooted in Warmth

Olivia Dean’s latest single “Nice To Each Other” is a quietly powerful return that captures the tenderness and contradictions of modern love with grace and warmth. Released on May 30th, the song builds from a simple, acoustic jazz foundation into something far more expansive, flirting with pop and light experimentalism without losing its intimate core. Dean’s voice, effortlessly emotive and airy, becomes the perfect vessel for a message centered on embracing the now, the imperfect, and the in-between.

A Sound that Balances Restraint and Playfulness

At first listen, “Nice To Each Other” feels deceptively soft. Anchored by gentle guitar strums and subtle jazz inflections, the track quickly reveals its deeper emotional currents. Co-written with Matt Hales and produced by Zach Nahome, the track cleverly balances restraint and playfulness. The verses are laced with vulnerability and humor, such as "I’ll probably crash your stupid car, and make your life a misery," showcasing Dean’s knack for honest songwriting that does not take itself too seriously.

Lyrical Honesty and a Subversion of Cliché

The chorus is where the song truly blooms. Dean subverts romantic clichés with lines like “Can we say we’ll never say the classic stuff? Just show it,” rejecting performative gestures in favor of authentic connection. It is a poignant plea delivered with a light touch, never heavy-handed and always sincere. This lyrical clarity, paired with the track’s rising arrangement, allows the refrain “we could be nice to each other” to evolve from a simple suggestion into a gentle mantra.

A Meditative and Hopeful Finale

By the final moments, as Dean repeats the refrain over delicate harmonies and syncopated backing vocals, the song becomes almost meditative. There is a swelling hopefulness in the outro, a sense that choosing kindness even amid emotional messiness is enough. It echoes her own description of the track as “a song about enjoying each other in the present,” capturing both the fleeting and grounding aspects of human connection.

A Strong and Evolving Artistic Statement

“Nice To Each Other” is a mature and refreshing offering from Olivia Dean that feels both musically adventurous and emotionally grounded. In a world often obsessed with defining relationships, this track revels in the beauty of simply being present. It is a compelling evolution for Dean, signaling a new chapter of artistry that feels honest, clear, and effortlessly inviting.

Listen To Olivia Dean Nice To Each Other

Olivia Dean Nice To Each Other Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of Nice To Each Other by Olivia Dean is an exploration of the complexities and contradictions within modern relationships, emphasizing kindness and presence over traditional romantic expectations. The song reflects a desire to break free from the usual patterns of love that often lead to disappointment, instead suggesting a gentler, more honest connection grounded in mutual respect and understanding. Through poetic imagery and intimate storytelling, Dean conveys the emotional push and pull of wanting closeness while acknowledging vulnerability and uncertainty. Ultimately, the song is a hopeful invitation to embrace imperfection and to simply be nice to one another in the moment.

Opening Verse: Revisiting Emotional Cycles

The song opens with a sense of repetition and emotional fatigue. "Here we are, back again" indicates a relationship that has been revisited more than once, a cycle of reunion that suggests unresolved tension. The phrase "fighting whats in front of me" signals an internal conflict, likely stemming from what the relationship represents or demands. "Theres so much to unpack again" reinforces this idea of emotional baggage resurfacing. But then a shift occurs, "But if I come to Italy," an abrupt introduction of romantic escapism. Italy as a symbol brings to mind warmth, beauty, and a change of scenery. It hints at a longing to escape the complications and start fresh somewhere idyllic.

The Refrain: Hope and Ambiguity in Connection

In the refrain, the repetition of "We could be nice to each other, nice to each other" becomes a central theme. The use of "could" indicates that this kindness is still a hypothetical, a fragile hope. The following line, "Wrong for each other, right for each other," embraces contradiction. It shows the ambiguity of the relationship, a connection that defies simple categorization. Then, "And rise to each other, rise to each other" introduces the idea of growth and emotional elevation, as if the speaker wishes for them to become better through one another, even if everything else is uncertain. The "Mm-mm-mm" that follows serves as an emotional pause, an unspoken hum that holds everything too complex for words.

Verse Two: Domestic Intimacy and Vulnerability

The second verse shifts the imagery to domestic intimacy. "I dont know where the switches are / Or where you keep the cutlery" suggests unfamiliarity, possibly being in someone elses home or more symbolically, not yet feeling emotionally at home in the relationship. These lines reveal how new or tentative the connection is. "And Ill probably crash your stupid car / And make your life a misery" adds a layer of self-deprecating humor. Its a playful exaggeration that reveals the speakers anxiety about being a burden, possibly from a lack of confidence in their role in the relationship. This verse wraps itself in humor but it is rooted in real emotional insecurity.

Chorus: Rejecting Cliche in Favor of Presence

The chorus questions traditional notions of romance. "Cause, you know, Ive done all the classic stuff / And it never works, you know it" shows a jaded perspective. She has tried the typical scripts of love, candlelit dates, grand gestures, and they have all fallen short. That leads into her proposal: "So can we say well never say the classic stuff? Just show it." She no longer wants love that relies on cliches or declarations, she is yearning for something quiet, authentic, and action-based. "Now and know it, now, now, now" is a plea for presence, not to chase future ideals but to live in the emotional reality of the current moment.

Final Verses and Outro: Tender Hope and Fragile Kindness

The third verse opens with poetic imagery: "Meet me on the mountaintop." This suggests aspiration, a longing for emotional clarity or a peaceful climax in their connection. But it is immediately undercut with "Ill be in the shallow end," implying that while she dreams of depth, she only feels capable of surface-level engagement. "And wait for you to call it off / Cause I dont want a boyfriend" reveals a deep emotional hesitation. Even though the connection exists, the speaker does not want the pressure or structure of a relationship. It is not about commitment phobia but about needing space to be emotionally honest with what she can handle.

Again, the refrain returns, almost like a mantra. No matter the complications, she keeps circling back to a simple wish: to be good to one another, even if nothing else aligns. It is the one constant in a sea of contradictions.

The final chorus adds new language to the equation: "Water, sunlight, talking all night / Just enough to grow it." These metaphors describe a relationship as a living thing, something that does not require fireworks but consistency and care. It is not about dramatics, it is about small rituals of presence and support. "Now and know it, now, now, now" is repeated again, reinforcing the call to live in the real, unembellished moment.

The outro softens everything. "It could be nice, it could be so nice" is not triumphant or romanticized, it is tentative but full of hope. Each repetition of "we could be nice to each other" is like a gentle breath, a repeated wish. There is no final resolution, no declaration of love, just a fragile offering of kindness, honesty, and mutual respect.

Olivia Dean Nice To Each Other Lyrics 

[Verse 1]

Here we are, back again

Fighting what's in front of me

There's so much to unpack again

But if I come to Italy

[Refrain]

We could be nice to each other

Nice to each other

Wrong for each other

Right for each other

And rise to each other

Rise to each other

Mm-mm-mm

[Verse 2]

I don't know where the switches are

Or where you keep the cutlery

And I'll probably crash your stupid car

And make your life a misery

[Refrain]

But we could be nice to each other

Nice to each other

Wrong for each other

Right for each other

And rise to each other

Rise to each other

Mm-mm-mm

[Chorus]

'Cause, you know, I've done all the classic stuff

And it never works, you know it

So can we say we'll never say the classic stuff?

Just show it

Now and know it

Now

Now, now, now

[Verse 3]

Meet me on the mountaintop

I'll be in the shallow end

And wait for you to call it off

'Cause I don't want a boyfriend

[Refrain]

But we could be nice to each other

Nice to each other

Wrong for each other

Right for each other

And rise to each other

Rise to each other

Mm-mm-mm

[Chorus]

'Cause, you know, I've done all the classic stuff

And it never works, you know it

So can we say we'll never say the classic stuff?

Just show it

Water, sunlight, talking all night

Just enough to grow it (Yeah)

Now and know it

Now

Now, now, now

[Outro]

Mm-mm

It could be nice (It could be nice)

It could be so nice (It could be so nice)

Oh, it could be nice to (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Oh, to each other (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Mm-mm, we could be nice to (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Oh, to each other (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Mm-mm, we could be nice to (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Oh, to each other (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Mm-mm, we could be nice to (Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)

Oh, to each other