It's a Sin (feat. Years & Years)

Elton John's collaboration with Years & Years on 'It's a Sin' delves deep into the themes of guilt, shame, and the struggle for self-acceptance. The song's lyrics reflect a profound sense of regret and self-reproach, as the narrator looks back on their life with a heavy heart. The repeated refrain 'It's a sin' underscores the pervasive feeling of wrongdoing that haunts the narrator, suggesting that every action and decision they have made is tainted by this sense of sinfulness.

The song also touches on the impact of societal and religious expectations. The lines 'At school they taught me how to be / So pure in thought and word and deed / They didn't quite succeed' highlight the pressure to conform to certain moral standards, which the narrator ultimately fails to meet. This failure leads to a deep-seated sense of shame and the belief that they are inherently flawed. The plea for forgiveness from a 'Father' figure further emphasizes the internal conflict between the narrator's desires and the moral teachings they were raised with.

'It's a Sin' can be seen as a commentary on the struggle for self-acceptance in the face of external judgment. The narrator's repeated attempts to 'turn over a new leaf' only to 'tear right through it' illustrate the difficulty of reconciling one's true self with the expectations imposed by society and religion. The song's poignant lyrics and emotive delivery by Elton John and Years & Years create a powerful narrative of inner turmoil and the quest for redemption.