The Meaning of Sam Smith's TikTok Hit "Unholy" Is for Your "Villain Era"
Updated Sept. 30 2022, 1:07 p.m. ET
It almost seems like TikTok is quickly becoming an extension of the Billboard Top 100 with how fast songs used on the platform skyrocket to viral fame.
The latest song to storm the app is Sam Smith's "Unholy," featuring Kim Petras. After Sam released a snippet of the song on the platform, it went totally viral. Now that the full song is out, people want to know more. What is the meaning of the catchy new track? Here's what you need to know.
What is the meaning of "Unholy" by Sam Smith?
The song "Unholy" has been appearing on TikTok after Sam and collaborator Kim Petras first teased the song in August 2022. The video accumulated millions of views overnight, and fans began sharing their own versions of the song stitched with the original. Because of the song's "story" in the lyrics, some fans have taken to dancing with the song to choreography, while others have been acting out the lyrics.
The song is about a relationship where the male counterpart is cheating on his wife. The act of cheating is described as "something unholy," especially because the wife does not know. Rumors about his infidelity have spread, yet his wife continues to remain in the dark. In the song, Kim Petras lends her voice to "the other woman," who treats the husband like a sugar daddy.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight prior to the song's release, Sam said, "It's amazing. It's so exciting ... [and] It's just the chorus that's out there, so I can't wait for you to hear the song. It's a wild song. It's a theater show in one song, and I'm so proud of it."
They added, "It's time for my villain era, I think. Time to get sexy."
Sam Smith's narrator in the song is a third-party observer who is disgusted with the "cheating husband" character. The lyrics read, "Lucky, lucky girl, she got married to a boy like you / She’d kick you out if she ever, ever knew / ‘Bout all the s--t you tell me that you do / Dirty, dirty boy, you know everyone is talking on the scene / I hear them whisperin’ ’bout the places that you’ve been / And how you don’t know how to keep your business clean."
Sam Smith's song "Unholy" has some users believing the title is "Body Shop."
A common phenomenon on TikTok seems to be snippets of lyrics floating around the app without the full title of the song, and "Unholy" is no different. Users on the app have latched onto the lyrics, "Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot / At the body shop" but have been labeling the sound "Body Shop" by Sam Smith instead.
We're here to clear up the rumors and say that the song is officially called "Unholy."
Some fans aren't happy with the full length version of "Unholy."
After the initial post of the song in August 2022, Sam and Kim had an overwhelmingly positive response to the song. However, because it took almost two months for the song to release, many fans claimed to be "over" the full song after it was over-promoted on TikTok and other social media platforms.
One user wrote in the comments of Sam Smith's release Tiktok, "Now that everyone has played it out ... This drop was way too delayed." Another user added, "Yeah ... The chorus is the best part, so wasn’t really anything to wait for." A third user commented, "Am I the only one who was honestly kinda disappointed? We waited so long, and it was only 2 minutes long and honestly wasn't really all that catchy."
Fans can now listen to "Unholy" on all music streaming platforms to form their own opinions.
