Amnesia
Amnesia Lyrics
I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted
I thought about our last kiss, how it felt, the way you tasted
And even though your friends tell me you're doin' fine
Are you somewhere feeling lonely, even though he's right beside you?
When he says those words that hurt you, do you read the ones I wrote you?
[Pre-Chorus: Calum]
Sometimes I start to wonder, was it just a lie?
If what we had was real, how could you be fine?
'Cause I'm not fine at all
[Chorus: All, Luke]
I remember the day you told me you were leavin'
I remember the make-up running down your face
And the dreams you left behind, you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape
'Cause I'm not fine at all
[Verse 2: Calum, Calum & Luke]
The pictures that you sent me, they're still livin' in my phone
I'll admit I like to see them, I'll admit I feel alone
And all my friends keep asking why I'm not around
It hurts to know you're happy, yeah, it hurts that you moved on
It's hard to hear your name when I haven't seen you in so long
It's like we never happened, was it just a lie?
If what we had was real, how could you be fine?
'Cause I'm not fine at all
[Chorus: All]
I remember the day you told me you were leavin'
I remember the make-up running down your face
And the dreams you left behind, you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape
[Bridge: Luke & Ashton, Luke]
If today I woke up with you right beside me
Like all of this was just some twisted dream
I'd hold you closer than I ever did before
And you'd never slip away
And you'd never hear me say
[Chorus: All, Luke]
I remember the day you told me you were leavin'
I remember the make-up running down your face
And the dreams you left behind, you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape
'Cause I'm not fine at all
About
“Amnesia” is 5 Seconds Of Summer’s 2014 release that rocketed to the top of the charts not long after they debuted it on tour. It was included on their eponymous debut album 5 Seconds Of Summer.
The song’s release was accompanied by a somber black-and-white lyric video, a change of pace for the normally high-flying band.
The song was written by a small army of people, including the two brothers from Good Charlotte and one of the dudes from Color Me Badd.
In this song, the narrative voice reminisces about his past relationship and the pain of hearing the fact that his ex has ‘moved on’ – he doesn’t want to believe that she is happy with someone else that is not him.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
From their Track By Track:
Ashton: This track on the album is called “Amnesia” and we wrote it, well we didn’t actually write this one. This was one of the only tracks that we haven’t written on our album.
Calum: The only track.
Ashton: I think it’s a standout for us because we have such a good relationship with The Madden Brothers and it was incredible to write with them in the past. And they had this song…
Luke: …they said they had this song, they wrote it a while ago and couldn’t find anyone that it suited.
Michael: They said that they were like saving it for the special people.
Calum: Do you guys remember the first time we heard it in Montreal?
Michael: The first time in Montreal in this weird little hotel room and we were having a Nerf gun war at the time, so I don’t think we listened too much to it. We heard it and we were like, “Yeah, it’s okay, it’s not that bad.” And I think like a month later we listened to it again and we were like, “Holy crap, this song’s incredible.”
Ashton: I absolutely love it, especially when we play it live, like I just get to sit behind the drums ‘cause there’s not many drums in this song, it’s mostly acoustic. And I think the song has so much meaning, and it’s one of those songs that’s really heartfelt on the album. It’s really special to us as a band.
On a 2021 interview with Notion Magazine, the band’s guitarist, Michael Clifford, explained:
We were thinking that every band has to have that song that you can pick up on an acoustic guitar, and that’s the riff that you play. “Amnesia” was that for us. When we were making that original demo, we were thinking that this wasn’t just a normal song, you know? This is a song that you could put on in 10 years, and still listen to it, and feel that same emotion. I think for us, it felt like that kind of song where it was just almost impossible to go out of style. It’s just an acoustic guitar, and these beautiful lyrics and this beautiful concept.
And, it’s funny, because we’ll still play it live, and even though we probably should get bored of it, we don’t. I think just because it can be such a personal song to someone. If you’re playing it live, and you see someone out there who’s really feeling these lyrics, it really does make us be like, oh, okay, we get why we play this song. You want to see people happy to be in the moment listening to that music.
- 2.Don’t Stop
- 3.Good Girls
- 5.18
- 7.Beside You
- 8.End Up Here
- 10.Heartbreak Girl
- 12.Amnesia
- 14.The Only Reason
- 16.Rejects
- 17.Try Hard
- 18.Social Casualty
- 19.Never Be
- 20.Voodoo Doll
