Lauryn Hill - "Lost Ones"

The first track off Lauryn Hill’s solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill opens the album with a brash, confident anthem, a fresh change from Hill’s previous quietness as a member of the Fugees. “Lost Ones” is written post-breakup about letting out negative energy against her ex-lover, aimed at Fugees band member Wyclef Jean. The song, featuring Hill rapping and singing the hooks, is less R&B than the rest of the album which makes it a refreshing change and solid, loud way to begin the album. While it’s backed up by a simple beat, the lyrics are complex and detail how Hill and Jean’s relationship began to fall apart and how Jean lost her. The song opens with the lyrics “It’s funny how money can change a situation/ Miscommunication leads to complication,” two disagreements between Hill and Jean. While many of the songs on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” are about love, “Lost Ones” is a positively anti-relationship song about self-love, confidence, and letting go of negative influences in life.