Okay
by LANY (featuring Julia Michaels)

Album: single release only (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This anthemic song intertwines Lany lead singer Paul Klein with Julia Michaels' vocals throughout. Lany hooked up with Michaels through some mutual friends; it marked the band's first ever collaboration.
  • The duet, co-written by Klein and Michaels in just two days at Conway Recording Studios, finds the pair singing about recovering from a breakup. They feel so low after their heartbreak that they wonder if they'll ever be OK again. The Lany frontman recalled to MTV News:

    "I remember we talked for a long time and we went outside and ate a bunch of grapes in the parking lot. She talked to me about some guy she had a crush on, and I was like, 'I just can't even look at girls right now' because I still loved this girl that totally wrecked me. At the end of my whole two-hour spiel, I think I said to her, 'I'm gonna be okay. Right?' And she's like, 'write that right now.'"
  • The song is filled with colorful details summarizing the songwriter's recent personal breakups.

    I bought that pillow on the couch 'cause it reminded
    Me of the colors on your wall I thought you'd like it


    Klein recalled to Genius: "We decided during those two days, is we were going to tell it exactly how it was. And we were going to pull out some really colorful details. And I was like, 'I bought this pillow, on the couch.' We didn't really want to be mysterious or ambiguous at all."
  • When Klein originally wrote the song with Michaels they didn't necessarily intend it to be a duet. The Lany singer explained that he had a version of just him singing the tune also one with her singing every line with him. He decided the latter version made the most sense.
  • Julia Michaels told Billboard this was was the first song that she and Klein ever wrote together. "He was going through a lot of stuff and so was I, and we both just sort of poured out all of our emotions to each other," Michaels said. "And in like two hours, we had written this song together and now it's out in the world."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.