Petal on the vine, too young to drink wine
Just five years a bleeder, student and a teacher
Far from innocent, what the fuck's consent?
Numbers told you not to, but that didn't stop you
[Chorus]
Finally twenty-nine
Funny, just like you were at the time
Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy
But was it yours or was it mine?
Seventeen, twenty-nine
[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Seventeen, twenty-nine
[Verse 2]
Had me in your grip, went beautifully with
All my daddy issues and this shit continues
I see you're quite the collector
Yeah, you're twelve years her elder
Maybe now it doesn't matter
But I know fucking better
Now I know fucking better 'cause I'm
Finally twenty-nine
Funny, just like you were at the time
Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy
But was it yours or was it mine?
Seventeen, twenty-nine
[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Seventeen, twenty-nine
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Seventeen, twenty-nine
[Chorus]
Finally twenty-nine
Seventeen would never cross my mind
Thought it was a teenage dream, a fantasy
But it was yours, it wasn't mine
Seventeen, twenty-nine
[Outro]
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
About
The third single from HOLY FVCK, “29”, is about Demi Lovato’s relationship with American actor Wilmer Valderrama. In 2010, Lovato and Valderrama started dating, close to when Demi turned eighteen since Wilmer wouldn’t date her until then. On the track, Lovato sings “Seventeen, twenty-nine,” referring to when they met, and referring to Valderrama’s age when they started dating.
This song was one of the many songs from HOLY FVCK that was performed in Springfield and Des Moines before the album came out.
Upon its release, Lovato briefly described the song’s meaning on Twitter as “a record about the wisdom that comes with age.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
It’s about the wisdom that comes with age. You know, I’ve had certain experiences that I’ve looked back on and I’ve had a lot of clarity on, and I wanted to write a song about it. I’ve had a lot of clarity in several experiences in my life, whether it be romantically, whether it be just like growing pains. This is one of them.
When I turned 29, I remember I was on vacation and I just realized I’m 29 now, and it put things into perspective. It put everything into perspective. And I’m very careful with the way that I answer these questions because I feel like the song says it all. I don’t have to say too much, to be honest, but turning 29 was a huge eye opener for me. And then, going into treatment and having realizations led to my transformation, my release of the emotion that was put into this song. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a ton of anxiety about putting out this song. I just said, ‘I have to go for this. I have to own my truth.’ And I do still walk that line very finely. I’ve learned that sometimes saying less is more. And it’s taken me to 30 years old to maybe learn that, but here I am approaching the way that I express myself differently in front of the media because it’s okay to have boundaries.
Now that I am older, I have had a lot of time to reflect and think about past experiences I have had in my life, whether that be romantically or not. Writing this song allowed me to express my thoughts in a way that I hadn’t before, and turn it into something special. Everyone that wrote this song with me knew that the goal was to help others, and I think we did an excellent job of that.
- 1.FREAK
- 3.SUBSTANCE
- 4.EAT ME
- 5.HOLY FVCK
- 6.29
- 7.HAPPY ENDING
- 8.HEAVEN
- 10.BONES
- 11.WASTED
- 12.COME TOGETHER
- 13.DEAD FRIENDS
- 14.HELP ME
- 15.FEED
- 16.4 EVER 4 ME