Used To Be Cringe Lyrics – Charlie Puth | from “Whatever’s Clever!”

Charlie Puth’s owning his awkward glow-up on “Used To Be Cringe,” the sly confessional that sneaks onto Whatever’s Clever! like that old yearbook photo you laugh about now—dropping March 6, 2026, via Atlantic Records, where he turns teenage fumbling into pop gold.

This track feels like Puth rifling through his diary for the juicy bits: bouncy synth hooks and that butter-smooth falsetto he wields like a secret weapon, blending retro R&B vibes with a modern pop sheen that’s equal parts nostalgic and nudge-in-the-ribs funny. It’s his wheelhouse—earworm melodies wrapped around razor-sharp self-awareness—but dialed up with a wink, produced in his home studio where he’s been tinkering since the “Changes” rollout.

Thematically, it’s all about reclaiming the cringe: those mortifying crushes, botched dance moves, and “why did I say that?” moments that shaped him, flipped into anthems of “hey, that’s just me.” No big collabs here; it’s pure Puth, raw and replayable, teased in a grainy clip on his TikTok last month that had fans cackling and quoting lines before they even dropped.

Whatever’s Clever! marks Puth’s fourth swing at the big leagues, a 12-track love letter to life’s plot twists—think the breezy optimism of opener “Changes” rubbing shoulders with “Cry” ft. Kenny G’s sax-soaked soul, “Sideways” ft. Coco Jones’s flirty duet vibes, and closers like “Beat Yourself Up” that dig into the doubts. No rigid storyline, just Puth unpacking fatherhood (shoutout to his baby boy in the “Changes” vid), lost loves, and that relentless drive, all clocking in at a crisp 40 minutes of feel-good introspection. Recorded piecemeal between tour dates and diaper changes, it’s got live horns, guest strings, and a looser edge than CHARLIE’s polished punch—his way of saying whatever comes, he’s clever enough to spin it.

Puth’s hitting this era like a man unchained, 34 and thriving post his 2024 therapy deep-dive that birthed more vulnerable cuts. The Jersey kid who went viral off a “See You Again” audition is ditching the heartbreak hits for hopeful hooks now—sold-out Vegas residencies last fall had crowds belting his back catalog, but Whatever’s Clever! feels like the pivot, blending TikTok bait with grown-man grit. It’s him evolving from pop prince to storyteller supreme, proving the cringe was always the spark.

Dive into the Used To Be Cringe lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other Whatever’s Clever! tracks for more of Charlie Puth’s cheeky pop charm.