Gracie Abrams is an artist who’s renowned for her emotional honesty and relatable storytelling. Her raw lyricism is delivered with direct yet delicate lyrics, and a lot of that is summed up in her hit single, “That’s So True.”
The viral hit, which has become her most popular song, almost didn’t see the light of day. It was released as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of her second album, “The Secret of Us.” It also began with a much different vibe. Abrams wrote the song with her best friend and collaborator, Audrey Hobert, while on the roof of Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village.
“We were drunk when we wrote the lyrics,” Abrams explained during a Spotify interview. “Yeah, there’s a very vulgar version of ‘That’s So True’ that will never see the light of day … Oh god, it was so gross.”
Like so many songs that resonate with the masses, “That’s So True” details the aftermath of a breakup. The song’s blend of pop lyricism and folky instrumentation helps to capture Abrams’ heartbreak, humor, and self-awareness. American Songwriter explains the lyrics as struggling with conflicting emotions.
“Like many of us, Abrams can’t help but think about the moments her and her ex had together,” they write. “The whole song reads like a stream of consciousness. She blurts out conflicting ideas–mirroring the darting mind of someone emotionally spiraling.”
The song’s lyrics also have a fun easter egg. Abrams and Hobert have joked that NBA star LeBron James should be given credit as a co-writer for “That’s So True” because of a meme they traded back and forth. The line “Smiling through it all, yeah that’s my life” is taken from a post that James put on his Instagram after being criticized. His story reflected how he didn’t care about the criticism, and Abrams and Hobert would swap the meme back and forth whenever they were going through hard times as a joke.
Abrams has performed the song all over the world. She’s toured with Taylor Swift (who co-wrote “Us” with her), played on Saturday Night Live, and had her own headlining “The Secret of Us” tour. However, this performance at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival captures the passion of the song from the singer as well as the nearly 200,000 attendees.
Now, let’s take a look at the sheet music for “That’s So True.” The song is written in Gb, which many find to be a daunting key for its six flats, although it fits many female vocal ranges. The Glastonbury video shows us that Abrams gets around the awkward key by using a capo on the first fret of her guitar and playing in an F shape.
“That’s So True” became an anthem that connected people due to its honesty and highly catchy hooks. Follow along with the sheet music and make your own version to express yourself:
