I Used to Think I Could Fly Tracklist: Tate McRae’s Debut Album

The I Used to Think I Could Fly tracklist shows Tate McRae stepping into her first full album era with confidence, confusion, heartbreak, and sharp emotional honesty. Released on May 27, 2022, the album arrived after McRae had already built major momentum with “you broke me first,” early EPs, viral performances, and a growing reputation as a singer who could turn messy feelings into clean pop hooks.

However, I Used to Think I Could Fly did more than collect singles. It introduced a fuller version of McRae’s artistic identity. Across the album, she moves through anger, jealousy, regret, self-blame, insecurity, and the strange emptiness that follows a breakup. Additionally, the record mixes sad pop, glossy production, guitar-driven energy, and intimate ballad writing. Therefore, the tracklist works like a diary from someone trying to act strong while still feeling everything deeply.

Full I Used to Think I Could Fly Tracklist

The streaming version of I Used to Think I Could Fly includes 13 tracks:

1. “?”
2. “don’t come back”
3. “i’m so gone”
4. “what would you do?”
5. “chaotic”
6. “hate myself”
7. “what’s your problem?”
8. “she’s all i wanna be”
9. “boy x”
10. “you’re so cool”
11. “feel like shit”
12. “go away”
13. “i still say goodnight”

The track titles use lowercase styling, which gives the album a personal, text-message-like feeling. It feels less like a polished pop statement and more like a collection of thoughts someone might type late at night. Moreover, the short opening track, “?,” sets up the album’s emotional uncertainty before the bigger songs begin.

Some physical versions of the album have a slightly different tracklist and may not include “what’s your problem?” That difference is useful for collectors and fans who compare streaming, CD, vinyl, and digital editions.

The Album’s Emotional Starting Point

The title I Used to Think I Could Fly suggests lost confidence. It sounds like someone looking back at a time when life felt easier, bigger, or more possible. Then, the songs explain what changed. McRae sings about realizing that relationships can break trust, confidence can disappear, and healing can feel much less glamorous than people expect.

The album does not present heartbreak in one simple way. Instead, it jumps between moods. One track sounds defiant. Another sounds exhausted. Another sounds jealous. Another sounds embarrassed by its own vulnerability. This is why the tracklist feels believable. Real heartbreak rarely moves in a straight line.

Additionally, McRae’s voice helps the album feel personal. She often sings with a slight edge, as if she is trying to hold herself together while admitting something uncomfortable.

“?” and “Don’t Come Back”

The album opens with “?”, a very short introduction that creates a sense of emotional disorientation. It does not explain everything. Instead, it gives listeners a question before the story begins. That choice works because the whole album revolves around uncertainty: What went wrong? Why does it still hurt? Why do I miss someone who hurt me?

Then, “don’t come back” shifts into a more confident mood. The song sounds like a boundary. McRae does not beg for someone to return. Instead, she makes it clear that the door should stay closed. However, because the album later reveals deeper pain, this confidence feels layered. It may be real, but it may also be a shield.

The song’s rhythmic energy gives the album an immediate lift. As a result, the opening does not sink into sadness too quickly.

“I’m So Gone” and “What Would You Do?”

“I’m So Gone” continues the theme of emotional distance. McRae sounds ready to leave the past behind, yet the song still carries the tension of someone who has to say it out loud to believe it. That makes it relatable. Sometimes moving on begins as a performance before it becomes true.

Next, “what would you do?” brings more bite. The song asks what would happen if the roles reversed and the other person had to feel the same pain. It adds a pop-rock edge to the album and gives McRae one of her more confrontational moments.

This placement matters because the tracklist begins with movement away from heartbreak. Rather than starting with collapse, McRae starts with reaction. She is hurt, but she is not silent.

“Chaotic” and “Hate Myself”

“Chaotic” changes the emotional temperature. After the sharper early songs, this track feels more exposed. McRae sings about feeling overwhelmed, young, unstable, and unsure of how to handle everything happening around her. The song became one of the album’s most vulnerable singles because it does not hide behind anger.

Then, “hate myself” turns inward. Instead of focusing only on what someone else did, McRae examines her own patterns and emotional choices. That self-awareness adds depth to the album. It shows that heartbreak can involve frustration with another person and disappointment in yourself at the same time.

Together, these songs create one of the most honest sections of the tracklist. They show the crash after the attitude fades.

“What’s Your Problem?” and “She’s All I Wanna Be”

“What’s Your Problem?” brings the tension back up. It sounds irritated and direct, which makes it a useful bridge between the quieter pain of “hate myself” and the bigger pop rush of “she’s all i wanna be.” Even if some physical copies leave it out, the streaming tracklist benefits from its sharper placement.

“She’s all i wanna be” is one of the album’s defining songs. It captures comparison and jealousy with painful clarity. McRae sings about another girl who seems more desirable, more perfect, and more impossible to compete with. However, the production gives that insecurity a fast, punchy energy.

That contrast makes the song stand out. The lyrics focus on feeling not good enough, but the track sounds confident enough for a big stage. Because McRae is also a dancer, the song’s movement and urgency fit her performance style naturally. It became a centerpiece because it combined vulnerability with pop impact.

“Boy X” and “You’re So Cool”

“Boy X” adds a more narrative feeling to the album. Rather than only singing from the center of her own heartbreak, McRae sketches a character who causes damage and avoids responsibility. The song gives the tracklist a slightly different angle, which helps the album avoid repeating the same breakup idea too often.

“you’re so cool” uses sarcasm as its weapon. The title sounds admiring, but the song feels more like an eye-roll. McRae points at someone’s self-image and exposes the emptiness behind it. This track works because it captures a very specific post-breakup feeling: realizing that someone you once admired now seems much less impressive.

Additionally, these songs show McRae’s ability to write with attitude without losing emotional detail.

“Feel Like Shit”

“feel like shit” is one of the album’s rawest moments. The title says exactly what the song means. There is no polished metaphor to soften the feeling. McRae sings about how heartbreak affects the body, not only the mind. Missing someone can ruin sleep, appetite, focus, and energy.

This track was an important early single because it showed how direct McRae could be. Instead of turning sadness into something pretty, she lets it feel uncomfortable. That honesty gives the song staying power.

Moreover, placing it near the end of the album makes sense. After all the anger, sarcasm, jealousy, and self-protection, the sadness remains. The tracklist admits that moving on is not as simple as saying “don’t come back.”

“Go Away” and “I Still Say Goodnight”

“Go Away” continues the push-pull feeling. The title sounds like rejection, but the emotion underneath feels more complicated. Sometimes people want distance because they still care too much. That tension gives the song its emotional weight.

Finally, “i still say goodnight” closes the album with lingering attachment. The ending does not feel fully healed. Instead, it feels honest. Habits remain after relationships end. Memories stay. A person can know something is over and still mentally return to the old routine.

This closing track gives the album a quieter finish. Rather than ending with revenge or empowerment, McRae ends with a small emotional truth. That choice makes the album feel more mature than a simple breakup-pop collection.

Why the Tracklist Works

The I Used to Think I Could Fly tracklist works because it follows emotional movement instead of one fixed mood. It begins with uncertainty, moves into distance and confrontation, opens into vulnerability, rises into jealousy and attitude, then ends with unresolved sadness. Because of that structure, the album feels like a real emotional cycle.

Additionally, the tracklist shows McRae’s strengths as an artist. She can write direct hooks, but she can also capture small feelings that many listeners recognize. Her best songs sound like thoughts people might be afraid to admit: I compare myself to her. I hate that I miss you. I want you gone, but I still think about you.

That honesty helped the album define her early pop identity.

Final Thoughts

The I Used to Think I Could Fly tracklist introduced Tate McRae as an artist capable of turning heartbreak into a full emotional story. Songs like “she’s all i wanna be,” “chaotic,” “feel like shit,” and “i still say goodnight” show different sides of the same experience: confidence breaking, jealousy growing, sadness lingering, and healing taking longer than expected.

Ultimately, the album works because it does not pretend heartbreak is clean. It lets the feelings contradict each other. McRae can sound angry, insecure, detached, and heartbroken within the same project, which makes the record feel honest. For fans exploring her debut album, the tracklist remains the best map of the moment when Tate McRae began turning personal chaos into polished pop.