The French phrase "C'est Comme Ça" translates as "it's like that," but it carries a closer resemblance to the English expression "that's just how it is" in terms of meaning. Here, Hayley Williams uses the phrase to reflect her approach to accepting the chaos in her life. She juxtaposes the biting nature of the verses with the repetitive and catchy main hook: "C'est comme ça, na na na na."
"I'm trying to get un-addicted to a survival narrative," she said of the song in a statement.
Williams added that she finds the uncertainty of the future and her role in it to be more unsettling than the potential for impending doom. Despite the singer and her Paramore bandmates being in more secure positions in their lives, adjusting to this newfound stability is proving to be a challenge for her.
Williams delivers the biting, ironic lyrics, channeling British post-punk bands such as Dry Cleaning and Yard Act who use spoken word primarily in lieu of sung vocals. She is accompanied by the driving percussion of drummer Zac Farro and the percussive guitar riffs of Taylor York.
"We had a really good time getting back into a little bit of dance punk vibes," Williams told Apple Music. "I had been listening to a lot of Dry Cleaning and Yard Act and just artists that talk a lot over great, cool music. So I guess I was just feeling poetic and feeling a bit critical of myself and fused all that stuff."
Williams adopts a Sprechsang style of vocal for the verses. Sprechgesang, also known as Sprechstimme, combines elements of speaking and singing. It is a type of vocal delivery that is somewhere between speech and song, and is characterized by a free rhythm, non-melodic and non-rhythmic phrasing, and a monotone or semi-tone melody,
Originating in early 20th century Germany and Austria, Sprechgesang has been used in various genres of contemporary music, such as pop, rock, punk and alternative, since the 1960s. Some notable artists who have employed this talk-sing style include Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, The B-52s, Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, They Might Be Giants, and Billie Eilish. In more recent years, the talk-sing method became more prominent in the British post-punk scene with groups such as Dry Cleaning, Black Country, New Road, Yard Act and Squid featuring vocalists who use it in their music.
Hayley Williams was really excited to get the music from Taylor York and Zac Farro for this song. "A lot of times with Paramore, unless we're all in the room at the same time working on stuff together, I feel like a lot of what I do is top lining and I love doing that," Williams explained. "It's so freeing. Especially after doing the solo records where I was just always on top of every single moment."
Paramore released "C'est Comme Ça" as the third single from This Is Why. Carlos de la Garza, the engineer for the band's previous two longplayers, Paramore (2013) and After Laughter (2017), produced the entire album.
Paramore performed the song live for the first time during an album release show in Nashville on February 6, 2023.
Paramore wrote "C'est Comme Ça" in a small bedroom at Farro's house. York told
NME they did this because "through all the years of being in these amazing studios, being in small bedrooms and writing still feels like home base."
York remembers "fumbling around securely on guitar" while Farro created a drumbeat and he followed along. When they took a break on the porch, Farro realized they had stumbled upon something special because Taylor couldn't stop listening to the music they had created. "His mind was rolling at that point."
I know that regression is rarely rewarded
I still need a certain degree of disorder
Williams delves into the intricate details of maturing while still longing for the carefree days of youth. "I'm talking about how romantic and wild it can feel to be an unhinged, chaotic person," she said.
Williams also explained that she glamorizes bad times in her life, such as on Paramore's 2017 album After Laughter when she touches on the breakdown of her marriage to Chad Gilbert. "It was freeing with After Laughter for people to be like, 'Oh man, Hayley just went through a divorce, do not mess with her right now.' It was liberating," she said. "But then, you get used to having this narrative, whether it's a victim narrative or an overcoming narrative."
