Released: 2022
In “Parent Trap,” Jack Harlow, with a soul-searching feature from Justin Timberlake, embarks on a painfully aware journey of self-reflection and confronting the duality of fame. It can be summarized as a brutally honest storytelling on the disorientation, paranoia, and loneliness that is hard to escape when the bubbles and the hype of fame start to suffocate.
The first verse begins with Harlow’s confession of discomfort in his newfound fame: “Looking ’round, it’s hard to believe where I’m at, uh / Everywhere I look, somebody starin’ back.” The spotlight and scrutinizing eyes induced paranoia even in places that are supposed to offer peace, a notion expressed as “Paranoid, even out in paradise.” Harlow drops a profound line about the fear that comes with seeing his parents age that paints a vivid backdrop of the humanity that stars often have to tuck away under their glam facade.
He goes on to challenge preconceived notions of success and fame, with lines like “Red carpet and some dress shoes and a pair of slacks / I think I might be gettin’ sick of wearin’ that,” suggesting a longing for normalcy and peace that fame doesn’t offer. The mention of the “‘burbs”, a commonly used slang term for suburbs, relates to that typical low-key, everyday life rhythm.
The rhyme “I’m on a journey, man, Jerry Jack,” is a slick reference to Jack’s double journey. Jerry Jack is a town in Pennsylvania, here serving as a metaphor for Harlow’s personal expedition embedded within his rise in the hip-hop scene. And can’t miss that wink to Lindsay Lohan’s movie “The Parent Trap,” playing on the idea of duality, holding onto his humble twin while navigating his star-studded life.
The chorus takes an introspective turn and is packed with weighted lines, including “Every sky can’t be blue / It’s hard to see when you’re walkin’ in the gray,” where Harlow admits that not every day is sunny. The line underscores the reality of grappling with ups and downs, mirrored in the ‘gray’ — the middle ground between total happiness (blue skies) and utter despair (dark skies).
The second verse carries the theme forward, talking about the flip-side of fame, expressing the superficiality of it all in lines like “Seven-figure brand deals tend to feel worthless.” The struggles continue with unchecked rumors, and forgotten friends as a consequence of fame that shows the downside of living a public life.
The song ends on a recurring plea to be held down, signifying a need for groundedness amidst the whirlwind that fame often becomes. The “la-la la” gives the track a melodic breather and offers a soothing end to a contemplative dive.
All in all, “Parent Trap” is a potent track that doesn’t shy away from showing the gritty and real side of fame, it’s less about the glitz and more about the mental battles one has to fight while trying to reclaim their peace and sanity.
