XS by Rina Sawayama

You know, lately

I just want a little bit more
Hey, I want it all, don't have to choose
And when the heart wants what it wants, what can I do?
So, I'll take that one, that one, yeah, that one too
Luxury and opulence
Cartiers and Tesla Xs
Calabasas, I deserve it
Call me crazy, call me selfish
I'm the baddest and I'm worth it
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Oh me, oh my
I don't wanna hear (no, no)
Only want a (yes, yes)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (XS, XS)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Oh me, oh my
I don't wanna hear (no, no)
Only want a (yes, yes)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (XS, XS)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Thanks, when all that's left is immaterial
And the price we paid is unbelievable
And I'm taking in as much as I can hold
Well, here are things you'll never know
Make me less so I want more (more!)
Bought a zip code at the mall
I'm crazy, ooh, so selfish
Say I'm neither, would you believe her?
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Oh me, oh my
I don't wanna hear (no, no)
Only want a (yes, yes)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (XS, XS)
Oh me, oh my
Gimme just a little bit (more)
Little bit of (excess)
Oh me, oh my, where did it go awry?
When all this time, heaven was in our eyes
So, say goodnight, forget about it 'til the end of time
Yeah, I want more, more, more, more
(More, more, more, more)
More, more, more, more
Little bit more (gimme just a little bit more, little bit of excess)
Ooh (oh me, oh my, I don't wanna hear no, no)
Ooh (only want a yes, yes, oh me, oh my)
Give me more (gimme just a little bit, little bit of)
Ooh (oh me, oh my, gimme just a little bit more)
Girls, I need it now (gimme just a little bit, little bit of)
Give me just a little more (oh me, oh my, I don't wanna hear)
Don't wanna hear no, no, no (only want a, oh me, oh my)
Gimme just a little bit
Give me just a little more (oh me, oh my)
Gimme just a little bit, little bit of
Give me just a little bit more (XS, XS)
A little bit more (XS, XS)
A little bit more (XS, XS)
Ooh-ooh-ooh, XS
Rina Sawayama - XS
A Song Analysis

Xs is a song performed by a Japanese-British song- writer Rina

Sayawama, that was also written by Kyle Shearer, Chris Lyon and Nate
Campany with the production done by Shearer and Clarence Clarity. It is
her second track of the album “SAWAYAMA” which was released on
the 17th of April 2020 under Dirty Hit. Many fans around the globe
were fond the way how it is confronted the issues of identity and how
the music conflict with a wild blend of sonic influences. Which clearly
showed that the song has reached 9 million on her Spotify channel and
gained almost 7 million views on Youtube streams and still counting.

Personally, if I am going to judge the title without considering its

content, I will literally interpret “XS” as “Excess” that I defined as an
amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or
desirable. Herewith, maybe this song tackled on how people wanted to
have surfeit items (any physical items that bring satisfaction or
happiness) that would result to a superfluous possession. Nevertheless,
this is my personal take a way on the title, and let us discover
simultaneously the meaning behind of this song.
In contemplating its lyrics, XS is a track about wanting more, as
well as poking fun and criticism at capitalism. Which was also
supported by the singer itself- Rina on her interview hosted by
Genius. On the track, Rina Sawayama questions the value of
hyper-consumerism. This song is all about luxury and opulence,
and its strongest asset relies on its commitment to creating a
character and sending a message forward that’s culturally and
socially relevant to our days. Is

The way in which Rina Sawayama sees things and manifests them into
songs is so academic. It makes her songwriting so layered to a point
where even if you get what she's singing about, there's probably a whole
other level of context that's unbeknown to everybody but Rina herself.
Through remix of a pop, R&b, avant pop and rack backing, Rina
successfully delivered her insights about consumerism
The song criticises  in the face of climate change through a pop,R&B,
avant pop, and rack backing.
to highlight that it's a thin line between being indulgent and capitalist
conscious
Rina opens “XS” (a play on the word excess) with the eerie buildup of a
violin growing louder and louder. A few seconds later and we are hit
with the booming sound of an electric guitar and Rina’s sweet vocals on
the track. Instantly reminiscent of a late 90s and early 2000s pop song,
Rina starts “XS” listing all of the things she thinks she deserves to have
– luxury, teslas, and everything in between: “Hey, I want it all, don’t
have to choose / And when the heart wants what it wants, what can I 
do?” The opening verse is short and fun, very Rina-esque (in that it’s
unapologetic as hell), and it straight up makes you want to dance before
you even get to the hook.
As the song transitions smoothly into the chorus, Rina literally sings
about wanting an excess of everything she just listed in the verse before
– mockingly nodding to those who just want more and more, even
though they don’t need any of it. “Give me just a little more (excess) /
Gimme just a little bit / Oh, me, oh, my / I don’t wanna hear “No, no” /
Only want a “Yes, yes” / Oh, me, oh, my.”
Backed by the same gritty guitar we heard at the start of the track, bells,
and a steady drumbeat, it’s a chorus that is simple yet very impressive
production-wise. In a way, this chorus almost reminds me of a classic
Britney song, as I’ve found myself singing “XS” at the top of my lungs
since its release over and over. I can only imagine the experience of
hearing this chorus live will bring the same nostalgic effect to listeners.
In the second verse, the narrative shifts slightly and Rina sings about
what happens when these material things are gone. Here, Rina sings:
“Make me less, so, I want more… / Call me crazy, call me selfish / say
I’m neither, would you believe her?” Even with everything gone in her
possession, the lyrics continue to poke fun of how society is obsessed
with the expectations of having an excess amount of things. It really is
iconic and clever to talk about a topic like this and disguise it under an
absolute tune like this one. The remainder of the song is filled with the
chorus’ catchy melody and features heavy adlibs and runs from Rina
behind it.

What does Rina implicitly implied in her song is

 Lately, society is stuck in a state of near no-availability of space and
time to distant itself from the massive attacks of information, via any
advertising tool relating to consumerism. The media as a means of
distributing information is occupied by commercial advertisements
(television, newspaper, and online media) and thus leads to unstoppable
flow of commercial advertisements to the society. This phenomenon is
undoubtedly indicating society’s transformation into a new age, the age
of consumerism. Baudrillard (2011, p. 3), a French social thinker, states
that nowadays people are no longer surrounded by their fellow human
beings, but objects of commercial consumption. This implies that each
individual in a society seeks the very existence, purpose of living, and
the meaning of life by purchasing certain products, which is greatly
amplified and encouraged by the media that never ceased to flood the
society.
In this era of globalization of information and technology, media
possesses an undoubtedly significant role in shaping the society into one
that is driven by consumerism through their floods of advertisements,
which consequently leads to the offering of certain lifestyle visually
(Chaney, 2011: 11). Moreover, media (advertisement) delivers its
message of certain lifestyle in the form of the imagery of subjects as
stated by Althusser (2008, p. 48) that all ideologies possess the same
function to define itself by fabricating concrete individuals as subjects