Leave Me Alone

Album: Bite Me (2025)
Charted: 69 120
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • There are times in life when all you want to do is wear jeans that are too low, dance under questionable lighting, and tell the world to mind its own business. "Leave Me Alone," the first single from Reneé Rapp's sophomore album, Bite Me, is precisely that sentiment, but with guitars.
  • The track is a fizzy, unfiltered blend of pop-punk and snotty rock. It opens with Rapp snarling, "Leave me alone, bitch, I wanna have fun," a lyric that, while perhaps not destined for church hymnals, feels deeply relatable in the age of too many wellness podcasts.

    Throughout the unhinged and provocative track, Rapp pokes fun at her own fame, scoffs at industry demands (including a jab at her manager's to-do list), and acknowledges the high school reunion-level awkwardness of running into two of her exes who are now together.
  • In one meta moment during the second verse Rapp winks at The Sex Lives of College Girls, the HBO Max series she left in 2023.

    I took my sex life with me, now the show ain't f---ing

    The show's viewership did indeed nosedive after her departure - a development Rapp is not letting go unnoticed.
  • The track marks a clear shift from the cinematic ballad style of Rapp's debut album, Snow Angel. "Leave Me Alone" dives headfirst into early-2000s maximalism - the guitars are heavy, the delivery is bratty, and the whole thing feels like it was designed to be screamed into a hairbrush.
  • Rapp wrote the song in Nashville with songwriter Steph Jones (Sabrina Carpenter's "Nonsense" and "Espresso") and producers Alexander 23, Omer Fedi and Julian Bunetta (Alexander 23 was the producer for Snow Angel).

    Despite its loud confidence, the song's origin was surprisingly fraught. As Rapp told Apple Music, "I actually had a terrible time making it... I was like, 'This is ass.'"

    She went on to say she was baffled by the lack of balladry and traditional "singing" in the track - two of her previous calling cards. But eventually, after being told to listen to more pop music (as though that were a prescription) and falling in love with Rosé and Bruno Mars' "APT.," Rapp came around.
  • The music video is a surrealist fever dream involving parties, pillow fights, and a healthy disregard for OSHA regulations. The visual mirrors the song's "bad girl" energy and carefree confidence, using surreal and playful imagery to reflect the inner mayhem and unapologetic attitude.
  • Reneé Rapp debuted "Leave Me Alone" live at the 2025 American Music Awards on May 26, 2025. She delivered a high-energy performance that played to the track's bold, fun spirit.
  • "Leave Me Alone" was born out of frustration six months into writing sessions for Reneé Rapp's Bite Me album. With her team constantly pressing her about when the next song would arrive, Rapp hit a breaking point. "I was like, 'Get the f--- out of my face. I'm trying to have fun with my life. I'm trying to go out with my friends, I'm in a new relationship and madly in love with my partner, I bought a f---ing house. Everyone get away from me, let me have f---ing fun,'" she told The Independent.

    Rapp's co-writer Steph Jones convinced her to turn that exasperation into a track. The singer admitted she worried about how blunt the song might come across, but Jones pushed her to embrace her unfiltered voice: "That's how you talk as a person, so why do you care?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.