by Rae Khalil · 2024
The song “benny!” by Rae Khalil is about reminiscing on youthful love, dreams, and self-discovery, reflecting on how relationships and personal ambitions change over time, all set against the nostalgic backdrop of jazz and summertime memories.
This song has been Shazamed over 28,354 times. As of this writing, benny! is ranked 179
‘benny!’ by Rae Khalil is a song about memories, young love, and chasing dreams, told through jazzy vibes and raw feelings. We’re going to break down what this song really means and how it makes us feel. ⬇️
Stepping into “benny!” feels like wandering through a hazy, sunlit afternoon, where jazz melodies tangle with nostalgia. The song weaves together snapshots of youth—love, loss, and the bittersweet ache of growing up.
The chorus hits like a wave of disbelief and yearning—“Hold up, you telling me this puppy love, it ain’t forever for me?” It’s as if we’re sitting beside Rae, our hearts tangled in the same confusion, half-laughing at how hard it is to believe in change or self-fulfillment at just 23. There’s a fluttering between hope and skepticism, as if we’re all secretly scared to trust that happiness could be real and lasting.
In the verses, Rae sketches out vivid memories: dreaming under a cherry tree, falling for someone’s angst, and brushing off the fame in favor of raw, messy emotion. She confesses, “At 17 I was in love with her angst / Wasn’t in love with the fame,” a line that packs a punch—reminding us that sometimes, we crave intensity more than perfection. Each verse flickers with indecision (“Indecisive tendencies for temporary stuff”), echoing the way youth is filled with wanting everything and nothing, all at once.
There’s a playful chaos to Rae’s storytelling—one moment she’s ready to leave it all behind at 26, the next she’s plotting to make a classic with her friends, living in the moment but haunted by the past (“19’s where we left all that basic / Dis one for da ages”). The repetition of needing and wanting summer’s warmth, again and again, feels almost like a spell: a desperate wish to bottle happiness before it slips away.
What Rae Khalil really gifts us in “benny!” is the realization that growing up means learning to believe the impossible: that you can become everything you dream, even when it feels utterly unheard of.
Writer(s) of benny!:
