Vulnerability can needlessly decimate us with feelings of worthlessness, fragility and fear
Whether you’re feeling insecure in yourself, vulnerable at the hands of a lover, or hoping to make someone else vulnerable to your own power, our pick of pop & rock songs about vulnerability covers it all, adding that needed moment of peace and power to your day.
Songs About Vulnerability
1. Jess Glynne – Insecurities
Jess Glynne takes an honest look at herself in her track, Insecurities, listing her self-perceived faults, whilst weaving in a sad sense of clarity in the knowledge that vulnerabilities play a vital role in forming a personality.
Jess contrasts crippling inner emotion with the strength portrayed on the outside, as if the narrator is convincing the world, and herself, that she is coping when, deep down, she might not be; “I’m free but I’m fragile, I’m happy but I’m worried, I’m set up but I’m so afraid.”
This is a song for anyone feeling worn out from relationships or life itself, its bridge lyrics possessing golden optimism needed to push you out of bleak and vulnerable moments;
“Every freckle on my skin has a reason, every scar that I have was worth bleeding, every curl on my head is a treasure, and little by little, I get better.”
2. Secondhand Serenade – Vulnerable
Secondhand Serenade’s 2007 track Vulnerable breaks down the iconic pop-punk/emo sound which crowned its mid-2000s era; stripping it bare to a clean, acoustic sound that perfectly captures the emotional vulnerability they sing of.
Secondhand Serenade thread their lyrics with comforting sentiments needed in a time of vulnerability, such as “Share with me the blankets you’re wrapped in… Share with me the secrets that you kept in,” whilst hiding the truth that ‘it takes one to know one,’ putting somebody else in the vulnerable position of being questioned in order to finally make them feel the feebleness that you do;
“What makes you think that you are invincible, I can see it in your eyes that you’re so sure, please don’t tell me that I’m the only one that’s vulnerable, impossible.”
3. Selena Gomez – Vulnerable
Selena Gomez’ 2020 track, Vulnerable, is about making the choice to stay vulnerable in love rather than dominating your need for desire.
There’s no question whether the narrator would switch her toxic yet fulfilling relationship for personal strength; she adamantly chooses to stay tangled defenceless in her relationship, whilst teasing to share her secrets – the most safe-guarded and vulnerable part of us all;
“If I show you all my demons and we dive into the deep end, would we crash and burn like every time before? I would tell you all my secrets, wrap your arms around my weakness, if the only other option’s letting go, I’ll stay vulnerable.”
Selena laces every verse with demonstrations of how fragile emotions become when you willingly put your life in the hands of a lover;
“If I gave you every piece of me, I know that you could drop it, give you the chance, I know that you could take advantage once you got it.”
4. Operation Ivy – Vulnerability
Operation Ivy’s thrash punk hit, Vulnerability, anchors itself in the cutting truth, “Our vulnerability is all our insensitivity;” – a line resounding between brutal descriptions of bloodshed, violence and broken bones.
Operation Ivy craft their morbid track to prove a vital point surrounding humanity’s dissociation and desensitisation from the trauma which is plastered needlessly across entertainment,;
“Crowd assembled to take a look at death, shattered skull, fragile body.. our vulnerability is all our insensitivity, people looked bored, like expecting more … Take it lightly like another TV show.”
Operation Ivy’s raw, retro energy is intoxicating, their lo-fi recording adding another twisted layer of gritty, sonic horror to their slaughtering track.
5. Maguire – Be Vulnerable
Maguire’s cinematic piece, Be Vulnerable, paints an earthly soundscape using piano, softly swelling with captivating tension and a mystical, ancient atmosphere.
An array of hypnotic elements are tangled in this piece as it evolves into an electronic symphony, as if gaining strength and healing in equilibrium with the progression of its lyrical story.
Be Vulnerable incites us to accept vulnerabilities in order to find peace and sail past them, leaving insecurities behind as we change the hue of our thoughts;
“Through discipline, we find a way in, to the divine, and transcend this body we’re stuck in, all thoughts be gone, empty out, and leave only the heart, the purest vessel we’ve got, be vulnerable, breathe in and let it flow from within.”
6. Roxette – Vulnerable
Roxette’s 1995 single, Vulnerable, is a nostalgic pop song harbouring a collection of beautiful, heart-melting lyrics.
Whilst written about true love, Roxette’s chorus transfers equally to the protective love over a young daughter, “She’s so vulnerable, like china in my hands, she’s so vulnerable and I don’t understand, I could never hurt the one I love, she’s all I’ve got, but she’s so vulnerable.”
Roxette’s smooth, synthy pop sound is woven with a warm, uplifting feeling, hiding a stunning line within its last pre-chorus;
“She’s coloured all the secrets of my soul, I’ve whispered all my dreams, but just as night time falls this vision apart, into a riddle of her hand,” showcasing the narrator’s own vulnerability for his fragile girl.
7. Evie Irie – Vulnerable
Evie Irie’s track, Vulnerable, carries a heartbroken energy reminiscent of an Adele hit, outlined by an atmosphere of undoubtable strength which shines through every shade of vulnerability.
The fragility which haunts Evie’s track is backed by a sense of unfaltering power, conjured through warm piano tones which summon natural sonic beauty adorned with the comfort of knowing your self worth after all excess is removed.
Evie commands her vocals like an actress to mesmerisingly convey the vulnerability overshadowing every lyric of her track.
This is a song for anyone feeling broken by love, but tries desperately not to feel the pain which threatens to shred their heart to pieces.
8. Tinashe ft. Travis Scott – Vulnerable
Tinashe & Travis Scott split their verses to show two sides of an evening date, in their 2013 track, Vulnerable.
They cast the usually emotional concept of vulnerability into a sexual mould, twisting their track with fiery lyrics to exhibit a reverse side to vulnerability – where power/submission is adored rather than seen for its true degradation;
“Now I got you drunk, hot and vulnerable, show me what you want, give me what you want, have to make you mind, get you on the floor.”
Each artist’s verse is a power struggle against the other, both seeking dominance over their partner and trapping each other’s hearts in a state of vulnerability.