Gracie Abrams and co-writer Audrey Hobert dropped by the Genius office to dissect the song “Risk.” On today’s Verified episode, the duo discuss the inspiration behind The Secret of Us single; their long-standing friendship; intrusive thoughts; romantic crushes and more!
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MusicTranscript
00:00This is like the dream of my entire life.
00:01Yeah, we say it at home when we watch these.
00:03No, literally, like, I would, when we were writing it,
00:05I would, like, go to bed fantasizing about this.
00:09So the fact that it's real, I was driving,
00:10I was clutching that wheel today.
00:11I was literally like, I can't believe my life is real.
00:13Like, so thanks.
00:15Thanks.
00:15Thanks.
00:16Thanks.
00:16We met at my fifth grade graduation.
00:26We then went to middle school together,
00:29and we sat on the bus on the way to school together,
00:30like, every day.
00:31Yeah.
00:32And we would sing.
00:33Plus by Ed Sheeran.
00:34Yeah, we'd listen to Plus by Ed Sheeran and Super Bass.
00:37I've never had a connection with a person in the way
00:40that I do with you.
00:41We skip, like, 10 levels of speaking to each other,
00:43and it's just, like, in tongue.
00:45And I think that's why this music came out the way it did.
00:49Yeah, because it's like, you don't,
00:50I don't have to say anything to you.
00:52It's just simply a look.
00:53Or a touch.
00:54Yeah, or a touch even.
00:56Don't get it twisted, though.
00:57We're just friends.
00:58Yeah, like, come on.
01:09I had a huge crush.
01:11So I would come downstairs in the morning,
01:14like, talking about it.
01:15Yeah.
01:16And we just started writing this song.
01:19I think it's setting yourself up as,
01:22I know how ridiculous I look immediately.
01:26Like, this can't be me, you know?
01:28But it was.
01:37I think my favorite line in the first verse is,
01:40you can just talk and I'll stare at your mouth.
01:42To be like, it doesn't matter what you're saying,
01:43I'm just going to, like, look at you,
01:45kind of speaks to how little context there
01:47is for the relationship, the non-existent relationship.
01:50It's this kind of, like, infatuation
01:53based in very little other than knowing
01:55that you like what they look like.
02:15The pre-chorus is, like, the feverish feeling
02:18of having a crush so big that it's
02:20interrupting your sleep pattern.
02:22Like, that's disgusting.
02:23It's not based in anything, but it's
02:25this, like, desperation for it to be tangible,
02:28for you to be in the same room or the same bed as someone
02:31that you are falling for, that you think
02:34you're falling for, whatever.
02:35Alternatively, it's like, you know
02:38when you fall asleep with all the lights on accidentally
02:40and you wake up at 3 AM?
02:41Like, what's your first thought?
02:42Mine is always, like, who's here to kill me?
02:44And I feel like I could die.
02:45Yeah, like haunted.
02:46Yeah.
02:47But I, in my mind, I'm like, I'm haunted
02:49by the lack of this person.
02:52You're like, I'm someone's here.
02:53Someone's going to kill me.
02:55God, I'm actually invested.
02:58Haven't even met him.
03:01Watch this be the wrong thing.
03:03Classic.
03:04When we wrote, God, I'm actually invested,
03:07could be translated to what, why, how am I here right now?
03:15Watch this be the wrong thing, classic,
03:16is just knowing yourself, I think.
03:18I know what's going to happen.
03:19I know what's going to happen.
03:20Like, I might feel this way, but like, ha ha, it's fine.
03:22Like, I see it, and I know it's crazy,
03:25and I know myself, and you know, it's both true
03:28and also a tool to get hurt less.
03:31Mm-hmm.
03:34God, I'm jumping in the deep end.
03:37It's more fun to swim in.
03:40Heard the risk is drowning, but I'm going to take it.
03:43The second half of the hook, jumping in the deep end,
03:46is like, God, I'm jumping in the deep end.
03:48Then we laughed, because we were like,
03:49it's more fun to swim in.
03:50It's more fun to swim in.
03:51Hilarious.
03:51We were just like, oh, oh, oh.
03:53No one wants to be, like, splashing around
03:55in the shallow end unless you're a baby, like.
03:57And yeah, don't be a baby.
03:58Yeah, we're not babies.
03:59Yeah, we're adults.
04:00Yeah, we're going to go in the deep end.
04:01Yeah, we're going to go there.
04:03See you in the deep end.
04:04Yeah, see you there.
04:07Isn't it fun thinking I'm right when I'm probably wrong?
04:10Holding my breath like I met someone,
04:12knowing damn well that I haven't been touched by you.
04:15In my head, you're in the car, and you're coming to me,
04:17and you get to my door, and you can't even speak,
04:19but I think that it's sweet.
04:20Yeah, I think that you're sweet.
04:21You're in the car, and you're coming to me.
04:23It's so, like, daydreaming.
04:24You're just imagining a scenario in which this person is
04:28finally approaching you and gets there
04:30and is so floored by you that they're just
04:32fucking speechless.
04:33And it's like, it's like, I think that's cute.
04:35Yeah, yeah.
04:36Like, that's so dumb.
04:37Like, that's crazy.
04:38It's, like, so crazy.
04:39Because also, like, the last thing
04:40I feel like either of us want is for a guy
04:41to fling open the door and be speechless.
04:43Like, say something really cool about it.
04:45Like, make me laugh.
04:46Make me laugh.
04:48I'm going to bend till I break, and you'll
04:51be my favorite mistake.
04:53I wish you could hold me.
04:55You're shaking.
04:55You're the risk.
04:56I'm going to take it.
04:58Why aren't you here in my bedroom,
05:00hopelessly boring without you?
05:02Too soon to tell you I love you.
05:05Too soon to tell you I love you.
05:08It's not real love, like what we're talking about.
05:10It's all crazy.
05:11It's all, like, the in summary.
05:13Yeah.
05:14I love that we screamed it.
05:18Because it's like, oh, it's too soon,
05:19but I'm going to be as loud as I possibly can.
05:21I'm asking you this question.
05:22Catch me on the roof.
05:23So you hear me.