Madison Beer released her new single “Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)” with an accompanying music video demonstrating her evolution on Oct. 13. Beer showcased both her new musical direction and growth as a solo artist with provocative and alluring visuals.
In the music video, the crooner plays a mischievous femme fatale who studies the skills of a playboy poker player. Though he is notoriously known for his unmatched streak of wins, the self-taught heroine ambitiously takes on the challenge and beats him at his own game. Celebrating her victorious win, Beer laughs as she drives off into the night with the player’s 60’s Lincoln Continental Convertible, tossing his dollar bills up in the air.
After the debut of her major-label album “Life Support” in early 2021, Beer has been busy with world-wide live tours, interviews and appearances in magazines like Remix Magazine. Surpassing one million views just five days after its debut, Beer has returned with a music video for her new song “Showed Me (How I Fell in Love With You),” the first released track from her highly anticipated upcoming album.
“I cannot wait for everyone to hear it! I have some personal faves on there and am so excited to see which songs fans react to the most,” Beer said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “The whole project just feels more mature and elevated. I’m so ready for this next chapter in my career.”
“Life Support,” consisted of soulful piano ballads like “Selfish” with the occasional saucy, headbanging pops songs like “Baby.” In contrast, her album’s first teaser demonstrates an invigorating take on her new musical approach. The 21-year-old rising pop star has taken on a more relaxed and mature persona in both her singing and songwriting.
Co-written by Beer herself, the 60’s inspired track sampled The Turtles’ “You Showed Me.” However, Beer’s modern reinvention of the song salvages core lyrics of the original with the addition of new lines, altering the narrative of the song to reflect her unstoppable demeanor and the maturity of her upcoming album.
While the slow, head-bobbing rhythm of the song remains the same, the lyrics tell a completely different story. Here, Beer sings about a redemption arc that takes place after a relationship of jealousy and envy.
The entire first and second verse of her rendition were written from scratch, with constant remarks on how well-admired Beer’s former partner was despite the skeletons in his closet. She reflects on the envy harnessing her spiteful transformation: “And all the games you play, oh, I play all of them too.”
In her sultry rendition, she takes the original lyrics of “we’re in love, we two” and altered it to “I’m gonna be likе you.” This bleeds into the chorus, in which Beer remarks that “people fall for you” and admits “how I wanna be like you.”
From romance to revenge, this version of the song has taken the idea of someone learning how to love by observing their partner and replaced it with the concept of someone learning how to replicate their ex-partner’s success instead. As it’s often said, there is no sweeter revenge than one’s own success.
“I wanted to write it from the place where I’ve been where there’s no anger, and there’s no resentment and there’s not regret,” Beer said in an interview with NME. “It’s just truly reflecting and missing and reminiscing a bit.”
As Beer explores the concept of revenge in her lyrics, her music video is an attractive visual aid for this new narrative. Beer even wears a dark off-the-shoulders dress that borrows the likeliness of Princess Diana’s iconic black cocktail dress — also infamously known as the ‘revenge dress’. With the addition of long black ruched leather gloves and vintage cateye sunglasses, Beer emulates her femme fatal persona, debuting a new but iconic, fashionable look.
Just like its visuals, the “Showed Me (How I Fell in Love With You)” music video also has solid musical appeal; the psychedelic and hypnotic tempo of this single is easy on the ears. Beer’s sultry singing and airy hummings paired with the jazzy beats of the song create a sexy, mischievous and up-to-no-good feel, perfectly fitting for any upcoming blockbuster heist film.
The song’s catchy melody runs as smooth as liquid courage — something Beer metaphorically wants to provide for her fans. Throughout her musical career, Beer has been vocal with her fans on her mental health struggles and the life lessons she has gained from being in hurtful relationships. From her Instagram lives to talk show interviews, the solo artist reflects these messages everywhere she goes — especially in her music.
“Showed Me (How I Fell in Love With You)” carries a much more seasoned tone than anything Beer has released before, lyrically depicting tasteful revenge as her own way of redemption and empowerment. Madison Beer’s growth in the music industry is a noticeable feat, but the talented singer has more cards to lay down on the table with her next album.
Soon, Beer will show the rest of the world how to fall in love with her.
“It was really difficult, as I had to be really honest with myself,” Beer said in the interview with NME. “But I felt ready to bring this new perspective.”
Raymond Dinh is an Arts & Entertainment intern for the fall 2022 quarter. He can be reached at raymontd@uci.edu.