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Kacey Musgraves is the country artist behind ‘Somebody to Love,” saying that the creative process “brought tears to [her] eyes.” Here’s what we learned about Pageant Material’s original track.

‘Somebody to Love’ by Kacey Musgraves lyrics and meaning 

Kacey Musgraves performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards
Kacey Musgraves performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards | Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

She’s just a little kid looking for love. “Somebody to Love” was released by Musgraves on her 2015 album Pageant Material

This song connects the narrator to others searching for love. The singer notes that everyone is “hopeless” — “We’re all flawed, and we’re all perfect.” More than anything, we’re all looking for somebody to love.

“We’re all good, but we ain’t angels,” Musgraves sings in the chorus. “We all sin, but we ain’t devils / We’re all pots and we’re all kettles / But we can’t see it in ourselves / We’re all livin’ ’til we’re dyin’ / We ain’t cool, but man, we’re tryin’ / Just thinkin’ we’ll be fixed by someone else.”

Whether people are struggling with religion or “starving for attention,” this song illustrates the unity between all people. That’s thanks to love and the journey of self-acceptance everyone experiences. 

Kacey Musgraves shared her thoughts on ‘Somebody to Love’

Since its Spotify debut, this track has earned over 18 million plays. In a “Behind the Song” YouTube video, the country star elaborated on her original song — created partly by Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally.

“‘Somebody to Love’ is just a special one to me,” Musgraves said. “I just love the idea that everyone is here living this existence and really just looking for love.”

McAnally said one aspect that made “Somebody to Love” “come to life” was the inclusion of strings. The writer and producer compared it to a heartbeat, also noting that this song was “bigger” than anything else they’d created before. 

Producer Luke Laird agreed, saying that the strings add to the emotion behind “Somebody to Love.”

“Hearing your songs played by string players like that, in a section like that, is insane; it really brought tears to my eyes,” Musgraves said in the same YouTube video. “You feel it; it vibrates your heart almost.”

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Kacey Musgraves released ‘Pageant Material’ in 2015

As one of her early releases, Musgraves debuted the full-length collection, Pageant Material, in 2015. It featured “Dime Store Cowgirl,” “Late To The Party,” “Cup of Tea,” and other fan favorites.  

“The majority of Pageant Material was recorded live — which was a bit of a departure from Same Trailer — and gave it more of a concise, classic sound,” Musgraves says in a statement. “All of the incredible musicians were in the same room playing on the entire record, and I think that spirit comes across.”

Since then, Musgraves earned several Grammy Awards for her originals, most notably 2018’s Golden Hour. Musgraves released Star-Crossed in 2021, inspired by her divorce from Ruston Kelly. Now, music by Musgraves is available on most major streaming platforms.