By Jessica Esquibel
Editor-in-Chief
When we hear the term cry baby we automatically think of a whining child. Of course we wouldn’t want anything to do with it, but if Melanie Martinez is mentioned, you might still be confused, or absolutely love Cry Baby, her new album.
Melanie Martinez is a dark and pastel masterpiece. What I mean by that is her lyrics are very dark, yet the beat is very uplifting and fun. Plus, her style revolves around soft pinks and purples. She made her first appearance on The Voice’s third season, she was on team Adam. Unfortunately, she did not win, but that show got her into the public eye.
In her album she tells the dark story of ‘Cry Baby.’ Some of the themes in the songs are about Melanie’s experiences, but the more extreme ones, for example, getting kidnapped by an ice-cream truck man is made up from her twisted imagination.
She kicks off the album with the song Cry Baby, introducing the character. If you didn’t guess already it’s about how big of a cry baby she is. The beat flows and children laughter can be heard in the beginning. Just by listening to the first song, it makes you want to hear the rest of the album. The way she says the ‘F’ word sounds almost natural.
Dollhouse is the second song on the album and was also on her first EP. She sings about Cry Baby’s house, more mainly her broken family. Her brother smokes cannabis while her mother drinks her way to oblivion. Lets not forget her father is cheating in the next room over. The whole idea of a perfect family doesn’t exist and that’s what Melanie touches on in the song. She portrays herself as a doll in the music video, with her family falling apart around her. In Sippy Cup we find out what ‘goes down in the kitchen.’ This song focuses more on Cry Baby’s mother. Drinking isn’t enough anymore so she gets her revenge on her husband, by murdering both him and his mistress in the process. The song is an easy sing-along and it’s very catchy.
Carousel is a classic and has been out for quite awhile now. The song premiered on the popular FX series American Horror Story. That’s probably what gave her another push into the spotlight. In it, she talks about falling in love with a boy who clearly doesn’t love her back. ‘Why did you steal my cotton candy heart?’ is my favorite line in the song. In Alphabet Boy she’s talking to her old love interest, getting over him. Once again, another catchy tune with some deep lyrics.
Soap comes into the story later on when she finds a new love interest. She’s scared more than ever after expressing her feeling once again. The song has a unique drop that sounds like… soap. Training Wheels is the point in the story where Cry Baby is happy with her new love interest, of course that didn’t last forever.
My personal favorite is Pacify Her because it’s a jealousy song. Melanie’s lyrics once again contradict the happy sound.
Her album debuted number 6 on the Billboard chart which is pretty impressive since she started on a singing show. Most people don’t even know what happens to those singers of competitions after they get kicked off or win. So the fact that her name is still relevant is a great accomplishment.
