In ‘Massachusetts,’ singer Jensen McRae cherishes the remnants of love

WBUR | July 15, 2024

“When someone tells me they’re from Massachusetts/ Now I always ask, ‘What part?’” Jensen McRae sings in a song fragment she released on TikTok late last year. The singer-songwriter and poet soulfully belts through the first chorus, striking chords on the piano. The song details the reminders of her ex-boyfriend that flit through her mind from a pilgrim ash tray she gifted him to his favorite beers.

The video caption reads, “wrote last night & can’t decide on a title.” Fans were quick to offer suggestions like “Video Games” and “Christian Bale,” a reference she makes to her ex’s favorite Batman. Others dueted the video — now with over 614,000 likes — with their own ideas for the next lyrics or a version of the song from the male perspective.

After months of anticipation, McRae released the full song titled “Massachusetts,” after her ex’s home state. She declined to answer which town he is from, and said listeners have yet to guess correctly.

The Los Angeles-based artist writes folk-pop that leans into vulnerability and an exploration of society and politics like her Phoebe Bridgers-inspired single about a post-vaccination world “Immune” and “White Boy,” a powerful alto retelling of being disregarded by a romantic interest as biracial woman. McRae recently opened for folk singer-songwriter Noah Kahan — who’s still based in Watertown — on his “We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour.” She welcomed him onstage during her set to sing “Massachusetts” with her in Salt Lake City on July 9. The single is her first release since her 2022 debut album “Are You Happy Now?”.

The idea for “Massachusetts” sparked when McRae was chatting with someone about video games, and they mentioned her ex’s favorite one — she didn’t reveal the specific game, stating, “I don’t want to put anyone on blast.” McRae returned home and thought about all of the random trivia she remembered about him.

“I was like, ‘How much of this can I fit in a song?’ When I posted it, I definitely didn’t think I was ever gonna finish it,” she said. “I was so used to posting stuff on Instagram and TikTok like every day and most of it not reaching a wider audience, so I was very surprised when this thing that was basically a creative writing exercise became this massive, runaway thing out of my control.”

McRae oscillated between titles, entertaining “Christian Bale” because it would be funny, but settled on “Massachusetts.”

“Massachusetts just started to feel like the anchor point of the whole song. I feel like when someone leaves your life, whether it’s someone romantic, platonic, in any way, the place that they’re from often holds the most import, so that started to feel like the thing that made the song so resonant for most people,’ said McRae. “So many people were telling me, ‘Oh, my ex is from Massachusetts,’ ‘My best friend is from Massachusetts,’ ‘My husband’s from Massachusetts.’ I wanted to honor that.”

One of the lines that digs deepest into listeners’ hearts is, “It’s getting darker, so I turn you down, but I can’t turn you off.” McRae said she was inspired by the Opportunity rover’s final message before it was destroyed by a dust storm on Mars in June 2018. As engineers cried, the rover’s last words were something close to, “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” McRae said the message made her very emotional.

“I thought about the idea that you can hold onto a relationship for a really long time, but eventually, you have to let go. And even when you do let go, there’s still going to be remnants of the person everywhere,” she said.

McRae wrote “Massachusetts” a year after her breakup and said she couldn’t have composed such a loving tribute to their relationship any earlier. She needed time to heal to view the love she and her ex shared as something beautiful and still meaningful.

“As time passes, you do ultimately root for the person, I think. I’m definitely still rooting for this person,” McRae said. “He changed me forever, and our love was so special and so big.”

In the official visualizer for “Massachusetts,” McRae wistfully lounges around in a red pickup truck dressed in a delicate, white puffy sleeved dress. The contrast between the feminine clothing and an old, weathered truck is what love feels like to her. “It’s very delicate and romantic and sweet, but it also can be kind of gross and rough,” she said.

McRae said the song feels like the “perfect time capsule” to her relationship. She signs off, singing, “As long as I live, I’ll remember the names/ Of your favorite beers and your video games/ The fire in my gut that I’ve chased ever since/ You set the bar, you’re gonna stick.”