Tate McRae Anything But Love Meaning and Review

Tate McRae’s “ANYTHING BUT LOVE,” the second track on the deluxe edition of So Close To What, arrives with the momentum of a fan favorite that finally made its way out of the vault. Long leaked and long requested, the song fits perfectly into the expanded edition of her third studio album, echoing the same pattern as “Siren sounds (bonus),” another track rescued from the cutting room floor of THINK LATER and given new life here. It is a smart move because both songs expand the emotional universe of the album by showcasing Tate at her sharpest, pettiest, and most self assured.

Production

Sonically, “ANYTHING BUT LOVE” stands out immediately for its pace and attitude. Producer Grant builds an airy, spacey instrumental palette with shimmering synths, quick percussion, and a slightly chaotic atmosphere that mirrors the emotional turbulence behind the track. Tate’s delivery is breathy but biting, a mix that has become one of her trademarks. She sounds like she is barely breaking a sweat even as she delivers some of her most cutting lines. The production and vocal styling complement each other to create a sense of weightlessness while the lyrics land with real force.

Lyrics and Themes

Lyrically, McRae goes full scorched earth, and the result is refreshingly entertaining. The opening verse sets the tone right away with its tongue in cheek roll call of everyone who hates the ex in question, including her dad, her dog, her brother, and the entire state of California. The rest of the song continues this blend of humor and venom as she mocks the ex’s desperation for attention, their attempts at competition, and their lingering obsession with her success. It is messy in all the right ways, both cathartic and confidently dismissive.

Hooks and Performance

The pre chorus and chorus deliver some of the song’s most addictive moments, leaning into repetition and playful phrasing that make the hook instantly memorable. “I got anything but love for you” is a perfectly icy punchline, dismissive without sounding bitter and flippant without losing its edge. The “na na na” refrain brings a bratty charm that matches the song’s energy, almost daring listeners to grin along with her. Even when the lyrics slip into absurd humor, such as the Tatiana line, McRae delivers them with total confidence.

Tate McRae Anything But Love Review

By the time the outro circles back to the recurring joke that everyone hates this person and Tate truly does too, “ANYTHING BUT LOVE” has fully established itself as a highlight of the deluxe edition. It thrives on attitude, leaning into emotional exaggeration to create something fun, cathartic, and fiercely self assured. For fans who spent years waiting for an official release, the final version more than pays off by preserving everything that made the leak beloved while refining it into a polished standout. McRae may have anything but love for her ex, but listeners will likely have anything but complaints about this release.

Listen To Tate McRae Anything But Love 

Tate McRae Anything But Love Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of Anything But Love by Tate McRae is wrapped up in the emotional push and pull between vulnerability and self-protection. The song taps into that raw space where someone is trying to navigate their feelings honestly while still guarding themselves from getting hurt again. McRae leans into the tension between wanting connection and fearing its consequences, showing how messy it can be when your head and your heart refuse to get on the same page. Throughout the track, she paints a picture of someone caught between longing, doubt, and self-reflection, making the story feel both intimate and relatable.

Introduction

“ANYTHING BUT LOVE” begins with the sharp and simple command “Listen” which sets the tone for the attitude-packed track that follows. The first verse launches straight into humor and dramatized pettiness with “My dad hates you, my dog hates you, my brother hates you, and I do too.” The exaggeration creates a playful sense that everyone in her life despises this person, even her dog. She expands this idea with “I asked all of California, they all happy that you moved,” turning an entire state into a character relieved to see her ex gone. The contrast in “Tryna step on my neck, I'm tryna step in Jimmy Choo's” highlights how the ex tried to hold her back while she focused on luxury, ambition, and self elevation. Jimmy Choo, a high fashion brand with ties to Sex and the City, adds glamour to her comeback. Lines like “The shit your punk ass does for views” reveal how she sees the ex as attention seeking, while “You see my name on billboards, on skyscrapers, on monster trucks” shows her pride in her rising fame. “Sit at home, you see I’m good, you, you mad as fuck” cuts into his jealousy, and “You say that I cashed out, well lucky me, it's paying off” pushes back at criticisms of changing or evolving her career. This echoes the leaked demo version of the track and mirrors a common theme explored by artists like The Kid LAROI.

Pre Chorus

The pre chorus begins with “I saw you at the hair salon”, turning an ordinary run in into a moment of tension. When she asks “Is that really what you want”, she questions whether his presence was intentional or clingy. The line “Cause I know that you're not that blunt” exposes him as someone who pretends to be confident or confrontational but lacks real boldness. She then points out his ambitions with “Yeah, I know that you want that upper echelon,” referring to the highest level of fame, wealth, and social status. Her follow up, “But we know you don't make that cut,” dismisses him as someone who simply does not belong in the world she occupies.

Chorus

The chorus boils all of the emotion in the verses into a clean and direct dismissal. “You, I got anything but love for you” flips the common phrase “nothing but love” into its opposite, reinforcing her rejection. “I mean it, like, na na na, na na na” adds a bratty and mocking tone that fits the attitude of the song. She pushes him out of her life more directly with “So take a walk, baby” and escalates it with “make it long,” signaling that she wants serious distance with no return.

Verse 2

The second verse heightens the pettiness and expands the cast of characters who supposedly dislike the ex. “My fans hate you, my friends hate you, and Ryan hates you, and I do too” introduces Ryan, understood to be Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, a major producer and collaborator of hers. Mentioning him adds legitimacy because it suggests that even respected industry figures are turned off by this person. She calls out the ex's insecurity in “You're tryna make this competition but no one lets you in this room,” illustrating that he tries to frame himself as her rival but has no place in her professional or creative space. “You say you hate me, but let's be real, you only hate cause you like the drama” accuses him of performative hatred. The most provocative line appears here: “And if you hate me, then why you keep on jacking off to Tatiana” which references her alter ego Tatiana, the glamorous, high confidence persona she has spoken about during the THINK LATER era. This lyric exposes the hypocrisy of claiming to hate her while remaining sexually fixated on her public image. It also echoes the voyeuristic themes of her song “Sports Car.”

Outro

The outro repeats the command “So take a walk, baby, make it long” over and over, reinforcing the desire for distance. It brings back the exaggerated list from the first verse, repeating “My dad hates you,” “My dog hates you,” and “My brother hates you,” adding a comedic full circle moment. Ending the track with these lines makes the song close on the same playful spite it opened with, creating a tight emotional loop. It is a final and decisive push for the ex to get out of her space, both physically and emotionally, without looking back.

Tate McRae Anything But Love Lyrics 

[Intro]

Listen

[Verse 1]

My dad hates you, my dog hates you, my brother hates you, and I do too

I asked all of California, they all happy that you moved

Tryna step on my neck, I'm tryna step in Jimmy Choo's

The shit your punk ass does for views

You see my name on billboards, on skyscrapers, on monster trucks

Sit at home, you see I'm good, you—, you mad as fuck, oh-oh

You say that I cashed out, well lucky me, it's paying off

Oh, no

[Pre-Chorus]

I saw you at the hair salon

Is that really what you want?

'Cause I know that you're not that blunt, oh-oh

Yeah, I know that you want

That upper echelon

But we know you don't make that cut, oh

[Chorus]

You (Uh-uh)

I got anything but love for you

I mean it, like, na-na-na, na-na-na

You (Uh-uh-uh)

(So take a walk, baby)

I got anything but love for you

(So take a walk, baby, make it long)

Na-na-na, na-na-na

[Verse 2]

My fans hate you, my friends hate you, and Ryan hates you, and I do too

You're tryna make this competition but no one lets you in this room

You say you hate me, but let's be real, you only hate 'cause you like the drama

And if you hate me, then why you keep on jacking off to Tatiana?

[Pre-Chorus]

I saw you at the hair salon

Is that really what you want?

'Cause I know that you're not that blunt, oh-oh

Yeah, I know that you want

That upper echelon

But we know you don't make that cut, oh

[Chorus]

You (Uh, yeah)

I got anything but love for you (Anything but love for you)

I mean it, like, na-na-na, na-na-na

You (So take a walk, baby)

I got anything but love for you (For you)

(So take a walk, baby, make it long)

Na-na-na, na-na-na

[Outro]

So take a walk, baby, make it long (My dad hates you, and I do too)

So take a walk, baby, make it long (My dog hates you, and I do too)

So take a walk, baby, make it long (My brother hates you, and I do too)

So take a walk, baby, so take a walk, baby (Hey)

So take a walk, baby, make it long (Take a walk, baby)

So take a walk, baby, make it long (Take a walk, baby)

So take a walk, baby, make it long (Take a walk)

So take a walk, baby, so take a walk, baby