The Real Meaning Behind Machine Gun Kelly's "Lonely"

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

"Lonely" mentions Machine Gun Kelly's aunt, but is mainly about losing his father. In July 2020, MGK tweeted out that his father had passed away. The performer went on to mention the emotional toll recording the song had on him. "I really feel like my soul was chipped off a little bit and put onto this record," he told Radio.com, "I don't know if it's something I can get back."

The lyrics to "Lonely" poured out of the singer as the song came together. "I think that song wrote itself as I was watching my father die in front of me," he told the outlet. The third verse contains a direct reference to his father's final day. "The last time I heard you / They held the phone, you took your last breath," Kelly sings.

During his interview with Spin, the artist discussed how therapeutic the song was for him. "So I was grateful that Travis allowed me to come in and have that cathartic moment in the booth," Kelly said. In the chorus, MGK croons, "Andthen he saidgoodbye way toosoon / And this don't feel right without you."

In January 2021, the singer shared the news that he would be appearing on Saturday Night Live which had a special meaning for him. "i remember when i was a kid watching @nbcsnl every weekend with my aunt and my dad," he tweeted, "i'm going to perform the song i wrote for them on the show."

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