MGK Got Songwriting Assist From Ex Megan Fox on ‘Lost Americana' Track About the Most Tragic Love Story of All Time
The gentle piano and strings ballad opens with MGK sighing, 'We grew a tree back in the garden/ With a celestial seed that fell down to us from the stars/ The sun rose high and killed our shadows/ There's more to see under the light than in the dark.' The lyrics allude to the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice via lines about an undying love that cannot be.
More from Billboard
MGK Says Ex-Fiancée Megan Fox Was 'Fuming' After He Got Praise For Just Holding Newborn Saga Blade: 'She Does All the Work'
Selena Gomez Reveals Which Old Song She Wants to Re-Record and Perform Again
Justin Bieber Shares Sweet Father-Son Moment With 11-Month-Old Son Jack Blues
'Somewhere in a different realm, we're still together/ Somehow, I'll find my way to you again/ Shipwrecked, but I hold hopes of buried treasure,' MGK sings on the song in which he vows, 'I won't let you love me, but I can't let you leave me/ It's a tragedy, and we've all seen that scene.'
In the Greek myth, musician Orpheus loses wife Eurydice to a snake bite and travels to the underworld to plead with Hades for her return. The god of the depths offers to let Eurydice return to life if Orpheus agrees not to look back at her until they're both above ground again. When his anxiety about their return overwhelms him, Orpheus looks back and loses Eurydice forever.
Similarly, the song that appears to chronicle the on-and-off couple's tumultuous, drama-filled love affair, which seemingly ended for good when they split just before Fox gave birth to their daughter, Saga Blade, in March of this year. It also seems to be a call back to the poem 'Prove it, Orpheus' from Fox's 2023 book of poems Pretty Boys Are Poisonous, which fans at the time suspected was about the singer.
In it, she wrote, 'And when they ask you what is your biggest regret/ Don't writ it in a song/ Cut yourself open and write it in blood.'
The 'celestial seed' reference in the song also seems like a call-back to a mini-controversy that erupted around the time of the baby's birth when MGK announced the good news by writing, 'She's finally here!! our little celestial seed.' Kelly later clarified that of course they didn't name their daughter Celestial Seed, but it's unclear at this point if the song writing preceded the tweet or if Kelly leaned into the misunderstanding on the track as a wink.
At press time it was also unclear if the former couple worked on the song together, or if Fox's songwriting credit is tied to her earlier poem; a spokesperson for Kelly had not returned a request for clarification on the credit at press time.
The majority of the songs on the album were written solely by Kelly or Kelly with Emma Rosen, or the pair with LP co-producer Nick Long. However, Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins gets a co-writing credit on 'Starman,' which interpolates the entire chorus to 3EB's breakout 1997 single, 'Semi-Charmed Life.'
MGK has been on a full-court press blitz for Lost Americana, with his hometown of Cleveland preparing to celebrate its favorite son with the annual MGK Day celebration this weekend. Events from Friday through Sunday (Aug. 8-10) include the XXCon gathering at Jacobs Pavilion featuring an acoustic performance, DJ set from Emo Night Brooklyn and a celebration of the album tonight. The party will continue on Saturday with a Now That's What I Call Brunch party with music by Bobby Booshay, a street league skateboard takeover and a bar crawl. Sunday will kick off with a Harley-Davidson city ride ending at the MGK Day Community and Arts Festival and celebrity basketball game; click here for the full roster of events.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘We're About to Do a F—ing Podcast': Taylor Swift to Appear on Travis Kelce's ‘New Heights'
After sending the Internet into a frenzy with hints that Taylor Swift would soon be making her New Heights debut, Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce have confirmed that the pop star is indeed joining them on the podcast — and she just might make a big announcement during the episode. Late Monday night (Aug. 13), the two brothers officially revealed that they would be welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's superstar girlfriend as a guest on the show by sharing an adorable video on social media. In the clip, Swift sits next to Travis and compliments his blue sweater, to which he replies: 'It's the color of your eyes, sweetie … it's why we match so well.' More from Billboard Here's Why Taylor Swift Fans Think She's About to Announce 'TS12' With Travis Kelce's Help: 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL' If Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Get Married, Andy Reid Has a 'Lot of Great Stories' to Tell at Their Wedding Taylor Swift Raves About Boyfriend Travis Kelce's New Movie 'Happy Gilmore 2': 'Absolute Must Watch' 'We're about to do a f—ing podcast!' the singer then says in disbelief. Swift's cameo on New Heights will premiere at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Aug. 13). The big reveal comes just hours after New Heights first teased that the 14-time Grammy winner would finally be appearing on the program, something fans have been asking for since Swift first started dating Travis about two years ago. Earlier Monday, the Kelce brothers shared a cryptic promo image with a sparkly orange background and a blacked-out silhouette of a mystery woman, whom Swifties quickly concluded must be the musician. Also adding to the hype, Swift's official fan account, Taylor Nation, shared 12 images of the artist wearing orange outfits on stage at her Eras Tour. 'Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…,'' the caption read. With that post coming just 12 minutes after the New Heights teaser, fans were immediately certain that the podcast would be the platform on which Swift announces her highly anticipated 12th studio album — though they'll have to tune in Wednesday to find out for sure. Regardless of whether or not she does share TS12 news, however, the hitmaker certainly has a lot to catch up with listeners about; in the past year alone, she's wrapped up her two-year billion-dollar Eras trek and reclaimed the master rights to her first six albums. Plus, the New Heights episode will mark a full-circle moment for Swift and Travis no matter what, as the couple's romance first began with the pod. Weeks after the athlete professed his crush on the singer on a July 2023 episode — telling Jason at the time that he was 'butthurt' about failing to give her his phone number at an Eras show — Swift would appear at one of his home games. The rest was history. 'This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,' Swift recalled in her 2023 TIME Person of the Year interview. 'We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Curates Playlist for New Album ‘The Life of a Showgirl'
Taylor Swift has officially announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and may have hinted at key collaborators in the process. Accompanying the album announcement, Swift launched a Spotify playlist aptly titled And, baby, that's show business for you. The playlist features 22 tracks, all previously released songs produced by Max Martin and Shellback, sparking speculation that the iconic duo may have produced this upcoming album as well. More from Billboard Bob Moses to Release Fourth Studio Album This Fall: 'The Album's Like a Question' Kaytranada's New Album 'Ain't No Damn Way' Is Coming: It's 'for My People That Love Beats' Cardi B Is Offering 'Just a Lil Taste of the Drama' With 'Imaginary Players' Single Coming Soon Notably, longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff seems to be absent from this album cycle, marking a stylistic shift in Swift's creative team. Earlier today, the pop icon shared the announcement of her new album, following speculation of a new era from Swift began on Monday (Aug. 11) when rumors of her 12th studio album were stoked thanks to the appearance of a countdown clock on her official website. The countdown officially ended at 12:12 a.m. ET, on Aug. 12, with Swift's store going live with pre-orders for The Life of a Showgirl. The webstore offers pre-orders for vinyl, CD and cassette editions, while noting that its official release date is still to be announced, with physical items set to ship ahead of Oct. 13. On Monday morning, New Heights — the podcast hosted by Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother, fellow NFL star Jason Kelce — teased 'a VERY special guest' for their new episode on Wednesday. Swift's upcoming presence was later confirmed, with her cameo on New Heights set to premiere at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Aug. 13). In a clip shared to both Swift and New Heights' Instagram accounts alongside the announcement, the pop icon gives fans confirmation that the new project is indeed the #TS12 news they've been waiting for. 'So I wanted to show you something,' Swift says, before presenting a blurred-out copy of her new record. 'This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl.' The album's full artwork is expected to arrive during the New Heights podcast on Wednesday. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Southern sorority girls put through 'psychological warfare' in cutthroat Bama Rush recruitment: coach
Sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama, better known as "Bama Rush," has become a viral cultural moment, with thousands watching to see which houses incoming freshmen join. It's a week defined by carefully coordinated outfits, whirlwind conversations, and now, millions of TikTok views. While rush has always been a high-stakes tradition in the South, the social media age has turned it into a viral spectacle. Videos from the University of Alabama's sorority rush week went viral on TikTok in 2021. The #bamarush and #alabamarush hashtags on TikTok have attracted millions of views during the past few years and continue to do so. "It's emotional boot camp. It's psychological warfare," Brandis Bradley, a sorority coach, told PEOPLE of the process of primary recruitment. "And their frontal lobes aren't even fully developed." For two members of Zeta Tau Alpha — senior Kylan Darnell and junior Kaiden Kilpatrick — the reality of Greek life is personal and powerful after the two women harnessed social media to attract thousands of viewers to their pages. Darnell didn't grow up with Southern sorority culture. The reigning Miss Ohio Teen USA at the time, she arrived at Alabama from a small town with little knowledge of what rush even entailed. "I was the first person from my high school to go to Alabama," Darnell told Fox News Digital. "I had no idea about the culture, and honestly, I felt clueless. When I got to orientation and other girls started talking about rush, I had to ask, 'What is that?'" That same night, she got her first real taste of what sorority life looked like when a group of girls and their mothers took her down Sorority Row. She was instantly hooked. "I called my mom and said, 'Mother, I have to try to be in a sorority,'" she recalled. "But my parents weren't on board at first. My mom said no. My dad said, 'We're not paying for friends.'" "He told me, 'You're the most outgoing girl we know, you'll be fine without it.' But I kept pushing. Daddy listened to his little princess," she added with a laugh. "Eventually, I talked them into it." A spontaneous TikTok she made on the first day of recruitment, originally sent to her family's text message group chat to explain the process to her family, went viral while she was still in orientation. Within hours, her life changed. "That first video was supposed to be a video diary for my family," she said. "But I posted it on TikTok, and when I came back from convocation, my phone had blown up. I couldn't believe it." Her audience grew overnight. "After that, my life completely changed," she said. "I became financially independent and was able to pay for the rest of college through TikTok. It launched my platform, and gave me a voice." But that platform came with a price. Darnell, now with 1.2 million followers and over 82 million likes, said the scrutiny became overwhelming. "It's been fun and I wouldn't trade it, but it's also been really hard to navigate college while being under a microscope," she said. "People forget that we're real people." Kaiden Kilpatrick, who joined Zeta in 2023 and now has over 228,000 TikTok followers of her own, echoed that sentiment, but said social media also brought access. "It's helping more than anything, but it creates a 'highlight reel,'" Kilpatrick told Fox News Digital. "Recruitment is so much more than TikTok trends. It's about finding people who push you to grow. The challenge is reminding everyone there's real connection and purpose behind all the aesthetics." Darnell agreed, and this year, she chose to take a step back. "I didn't want to keep posting just for views," she said. "When my younger sister started rushing, the comments about her were brutal. I needed to protect my peace." She also acknowledged how quickly things can turn toxic. "The comments start coming in, and suddenly it's not fun anymore. It used to be something I was proud to show. But people began making assumptions about my sorority or my sister, and it was exhausting." Both women shared the impact of the community of high achievers that their sorority has provided. "Leadership isn't just about holding a title," said Kilpatrick. "It's about showing up for people on their worst days, not just their best. Loyalty isn't blind. It's choosing to have someone's back even when it's hard or inconvenient." For Darnell, an aspiring sports broadcaster, the value of Greek life showed up in one unforgettable moment when she was connected to renowned sports broadcaster Erin Andrews. "Right after I ran home to Zeta, I got a call from Erin Andrews. She's a Zeta too," she said. "She told me, 'Good job, little Kylan — I can't wait to see you fill my shoes.' That was surreal." Beyond the glamour, she said, the real value is in the way sororities support driven women. "People think it's all parties and outfits, but I've met some of the most motivated, career-focused women I know through my sorority," she said. "Being surrounded by girls who are also striving for something, it helped me push toward my dreams too." "It's more than social life. It's GPA standards, philanthropy, leadership training. My house emphasizes academics and it's full of girls who are future CEOs, doctors, broadcasters." Still, both women admit the future of RushTok is uncertain. With growing scrutiny, misconceptions, and pressure, they're not sure the next wave of college freshmen will document the process as openly. "It's getting to the point where I don't think girls will keep posting," Darnell said. "The negativity is too much. It used to be so fun, now it's stressful." "You have girls getting judged on what they wear, where they end up, and then complete strangers attack the sororities when things don't go the way they expected. That's not what this is about." Kilpatrick echoed the concern but expressed hope. "Instead of tearing girls down for being 'too much,'" she said, "we should be celebrating the fact that they're putting themselves out there in a high-pressure environment where it's way easier to hide." "At a school where tradition is everything," she added, "I see my role as honoring it, but also making sure it evolves with the women in it." At the University of Alabama, on Aug. 17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, is when thousands of students find out which sorority has accepted their membership bid.
