‘1965’ by Jessie Murph - Lyrics & Meaning

Over the course of her Sex Hysteria rollout, Jessie Murph has leant into the comparisons she's often drawn with Priscilla Presley, opting for big hair and a 1960's-inspired aesthetic.

‘1965’ finds Jessie Murph doubling down on the nostalgic ambience that permeates the record - at least lyrically, if not sonically. It opens with a mock commercial snippet claiming, “Studies are now saying that cigarettes are recommended and women belong in the kitchen”. Murph yearns to be alive during the 1960's, depicting a rose-tinted, playful image of what her relationship would look like.

Throughout much of Sex Hysteria, Jessie Murph demonstrates her ability to flit between genres seamlessly, with trap and neo-R&B seemingly the preferred flavour for the record. However, on ‘1965’, the Alabama prodigy explores a more retro-inspired sound, mirroring the wistful, old-timey theme of the narrative.

There are still the seismic 808s, but the composition is much sparser, with the introduction of pining - and slightly electronic - strings giving this an orchestral feel. Murph's vocals are on point, with the ‘Blue Strips’ hitmaker lacing emotion into every lyric. The outro is given a vocal effect that sounds like an old gramophone recording.

Her tone is satirical throughout, with Murph once again stepping into the shoes of the conflicted lover stuck in a highly toxic affair. She confesses how much she'd love to just spend the evening reading with her partner rather than scrolling on social media, and her partner would send her letters rather than booty calls.

However, Murph contrasts this longing with jarring asides acknowledging how, in reality, being a woman in ‘1965’ was less-than-ideal, in lyrics such as “And I would be twenty and it’d be acceptable / For you to be forty and that is fucked up I know” and “I might get a little slap slap / But you wouldn’t hit me on snapchat”.

Rather than literally wanting to live in 1965, Murph is showcasing through this track how toxic her relationship is. Such is the extent to which her problematic boyfriend has mistreated her, she is fantasising about living in a world where she might get “a slap slap” and she can't watch her favourite movie, Dirty Dancing, simply because there would be far more stability than she currently feels in her romance.

She often concludes verses by simply swearing at her partner (“But at least you wouldn’t drive off before I get in the fucking door / You fucking fuck fuck you”) highlighting how, at the heart of ‘1965’, Murph is simply expressing her frustration at her lover, rather than attempting to minimise the struggles of women in the ‘60s.

“My hair is high, coke is cheap, it’s a great time to be alive

Studies are now saying that cigarettes are recommended and women belong in the kitchen

-

We’d go to church on a Sunday

Wake up on Monday

You’d go to work and I’d stay home and sing and do fun things

-

I might get a little slap slap

But you wouldn’t hit me on snapchat

Don’t fucking text me at 2am saying where you at at

Boy fuck you

-

You’d hand-write me letters

When you went away

You’d make me feel better

You’d know what to say

And maybe you’d still be a ho

But if you cheated

Hell, I wouldn’t know

-

I want you to love me

Like it’s 1965

I want you to want me

I think I’d give up a few rights

If you would just love me like it’s 1965

-

You’d show up at the door with flowers and ask me

What I am doing an hour half past three

We’d go to diners and movies and such

We’d just hold hands and I’d love every touch

And I would be twenty and it’d be acceptable

For you to be forty and that is fucked up I know

But at least you wouldn’t drive off before I get in the fucking door

You fucking fuck fuck you

-

I want you to love me

Like it’s 1965

I want you to want me

I think I’d give up a few rights

If you would just love me like it’s 1965

-

I guess Bud Light didn’t exist

Fuck and I guess movies didn’t exist

Maybe they did

I’m not sure about that timeline but

I’m sure about you are mine and I am yours

And Dirty Dancing wasn’t a thing yet

I love that movie fuck

But oh

We could read a lot of books”

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