Who doesn’t love a good IKEA trip? We must say, though, there’s a new IKEA taking ownership of our hearts – phem’s clever single ‘IKEA,’ which uses the furniture store as a benchmark for a relationship’s progress. It describes all the excitement of building a life with someone special, and then the strange feelings that follow after things fall apart. It really showcases phem’s creative outlook on life, offering such a fun spin on growing up and finding and losing love.
I was building a life with them and building furniture. We went to IKEA several times and enjoyed every minute of it. We would always run into random friends, usually accompanied by their partners… shopping for things to make them feel adult and equipped to be in their first “real adult relationship”. Everyone in there is hopeful and ready for more.. but the view is narrow. Playing house for the day and all the rooms make the future look so bright and easy. Yea… we passed the IKEA stress test, but we failed all the others.
phem
To celebrate ‘IKEA’ and phem’s amazing talents, we rounded up some of our favorite lyrics from the song that prove why you need it all over your playlists! Honestly, we’re tempted to write these lines out on canvases and hang them in every room of our house… it’s DIY decor. So check out the song below and let’s dive in!
“Bought to blow a bag at IKEA…”
It’s no secret that phem is a lyrical genius, and we love how the meaning of this line shifts throughout the chorus. At first, it seems celebratory – yay, we’re going on a shopping spree! But then you learn that IKEA is meant to symbolize hope for the future of a relationship that winds up crumbling, and it shifts to “now no one has any idea that I’m ‘bout to blow a bag at IKEA.” What was once a symbol of excitement and freedom is now lonely, isolating, and mundane, reminding her of the partner that isn’t in her life anymore.
“I showed you Elliott Smith, you b*tch…”
Listening to your favorite artists alone after you introduced an ex to them can be such a weird experience, reminding you of the memories you made to those songs and what your former partner thought of each one. But in a way, it can also be empowering to go back to that music and reclaim it, taking it back for yourself and finding a new relationship with each song. In the meantime, though, sometimes you just have to curse out your ex in your head for tainting something sacred.
“Yellow and blue, now you’re just someone I knew…”
“Send me pink and green hearts” from ‘flowers’ finally has a two-color sister lyric! The yellow and blue in this line call back to the IKEA logo, but there’s also some cool color symbolism going on. Yellow can symbolize happiness and excitement, like what you might feel when you go to IKEA with someone hoping to create a life with them, but blue usually symbolizes sadness, reflecting how the relationship didn’t stand the test of time.
Which of these lyrics is your favorite? Is there a certain phem song (aside from ‘IKEA’) that you think would make the perfect soundtrack for an IKEA trip? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
