ZAYNâs discography (which includes his first album, Mind of Mine, which hit No. 1 on the charts, thankyouverymuch, as well as his lengthy 2018 release, Icarus Falls, which clocks in at 27 tracks total) is one packed with sultry vibes and confessional lyrics and serves up with some unbridled honesty and a refreshing bluntness. So, in honor of his 26th birthday (Jan. 12), we singled out 26 of our favorite ZAYN lyrics. Read on!
1. âI go where you go / Go through Armageddon / Girl I got you / Theres no goodbyes only us / So I will followâ - âFlight of the Starsâ
âFlight of the Starsâ follows the notion of someoneâs willingness to go to great lengths for the person they love -- including, as ZAYN says, Armageddon.
2. âYou thought you had me, didn't you? / When you lied to my face, I could see the truth / Every step of the way I knew / How you fooled me, booâ - âEntertainerâ
ZAYN makes it known that he was well aware his SO was attempting to play him for a fool in this biting track.
3. âHeart beats the pump of my blood / No strings for you to pull onâ - âBefourâ
We love how this one not only references the pull of heartstrings, but also the metaphor of a puppetmaster controlling oneâs heart.
4. âItâs a paradise / And itâs a war zoneâ - âPillowtalkâ
ZAYNâs No. 1 single is easily one of the strongest tracks on the album, and the juxtaposition of the bedroom as a place of pleasure and pain (are we sure this isnât the one written for Fifty Shades?) makes this song get under your skin.
5. âYouâre like a commotion all because of meâ - âBorderszâ
There may be some cockiness going on here, but we love the idea of describing someone as a âcommotion.â If thatâs not an onomatopoeia word, it certainly should be.
6. âI just wanna keep calling your name until you come back homeâ - âI Donât Wanna Live Foreverâ (feat. Taylor Swift)
ZAYNâs collaboration with Taylor Swift flaunted his falsetto vocals like no other. And this lyric in particular strikes a chord â anyone who has ever been in love has felt this level of desperation.
7. âSaw your face and got inspiredâ - âItâs Youâ
WEâLL BE YOUR MUSE, ZAYN.
8. âThis ain't my scene / This wasn't my dreamâ - âTruthâ
âTruthâ probably shouldâve been called âTruth Bombs,â since this is really what ZAYN dropped on this track. Another blisteringly candid admission about his time in 1D.
9. âDonât think because youâre with me this is realâ - âWrongâ
âWrongâ easily contains some of the most sexually explicit lyrics on Mind of Mine, but this one is nothing but heartbreakingly honest.
10. âI found my life between a first kiss and a last goodbyeâ - âBrightâ
Sigh. Havenât we all?
11. âIâm tired of looking at myself / In my rear viewâ - âRear Viewâ
Coming to the realization that itâs time to move on and start looking forward is a powerful one â and the imagery of the rear view mirror is the perfect metaphor.
12. âWe're so late nights / Red eyes, amnesia, on iceâ - âDrunkâ
âWeâre so late nightsâ is the one that really sticks out here, and ZAYN sets the scene for those hazy flings that only happen in clubs or in the steaminess of summer.
13. âIâm sippinâ on that pink Lucozade / Weâre blazing on that newfound hazeâ - âLucozadeâ
Sometimes lyrics are profound. Other times, they just make you crave a sports drink.
14. âI need somebody to / Love me blueâ - âBlueâ
Blue is a color often associated with sadness, but this line makes it seem like ZAYN desires for someone to love him so much heâs almost suffocating under it.
15. âTaste your sweet profanityâ - âBorderszâ
Lovinâ the juxtaposition in this lyric. Profanity is often classified as bad or dirty, so to see it described as âsweetâ â it definitely brings in a sexual element.
16. âI love to hold you close, tonight and always / I love to wake up next to youâ - Pillowtalk
For all the blatant references to sex on Mind of Mine, this line is just romance incarnate.
17. âLetâs get naked and explore / Our inner secretsâ - âTIOâ
Anddd then thereâs this one from âTIOâ (an acronym for âtake it offâ), which really just gets straight to the point. While the chorus of this track is much more blunt (ZAYN repeats âtake it offâ more than a handful of times), this line is a touch more poetic.
18. âCanât tune my chords into your songâ - âBefourâ
Not to be too overanalytical here, but the âfourâ in âBefourâ is maybe, probably, most likely a pointed reference at 1Dâs Four, their last album before ZAYN left the group. And with this lyric so obviously about music â and on a more deeper level, about not wanting to fit into the mold â it certainly seems like another message to One Direction.
19. âI question myself all the timeâ - âShe Donât Love Meâ
Hereâs to the debilitating anxiety that everyone experiences when they are unsure if their partner is still in love with them or not. âI question myself all the timeâ is honestly a hallmark of anxiety, and itâs meaningful to see the singer open up about his own struggles in his music.
20. âWhen you just try to find your way / But you canât find the time / Iâll come for youâ - âWhoâ
Not that any of ZAYNâs girlfriends have ever needed âsavingâ (see: that time Gigi Hadid handled an attack all fine just by herself), itâs still romantic to know that heâll support them.
21. âShe puts her mouth round the cigarette / I put it out âcause she likes thatâ - âSheâ
Sometimes ZAYN crafts lyrics that are more descriptive than blunt, and every time he does it, we appreciate it even more. This one just paints a picture in your head.
22. âThis love is tainted / I need you and I hate itâ - âFool For Youâ
Many of the lyrics on Mind of Mine deal with conflicting desires and juxtaposed imagery, and this one describes that internal struggle to a T.
23. âMy own mind was in the way / Front seat, new viewâ - Truth
Thereâs no way this lyric doesnât refer to One Direction, and it speaks to new beginnings. This time, ZAYNâs the one in the driverâs seat.
24. âAm I wrong for wanting us to make it?â - âItâs Youâ
The way ZAYN croons this lyric so mournfully adds to its brilliant simplicity.
25. âBright lights / But sheâs fadingâ - âSheâ
Another lyric filled with warring truths, this one is reminiscent of those late nights when your night is done. It sounds much more eloquent when put in his words, doesnât it?
26. âCan your heart be mine in search?â - âRear Viewâ
Yes, young Zaint Valentine, FIND OUR HEART IN YOUR SEARCH. This Shakespearian-esque lyric is totally going on a candy heart.
PHOTOS: Getty Images