Melanie Martinez is an American singer, actress, songwriter, photographer born in Astoria, Queens, on April 28, 1995. Raised in Baldwin, New York, Melanie Martinez came into the limelight after appearing on the American television vocal show, The Voice in 2012. With the recognition Melanie Martinez gained after the show, she released her debut single, “Dollhouse,” in 2014 and later released her debut studio album, Cry Baby, in 2015.
The album was a visual concept album that was a commercial success and was received positively by critics. Cry Baby album emerged top 10 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. Melanie Martinez was able to sell 40,000 copies of the album in the first week. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after selling 2 million album-equivalent units.
The album is about Cry-Baby, a fictionalized version of Melanie Martinez when she was a young girl. Melanie Martinez says Cry Baby represents what happened in her life and shows her vulnerability and messed-up side of her life. Each song in this album shows the childhood-related problems that she faced. This article will rank the top 10 best Melanie Martinez songs in descending order.
10. Mrs. Potato Head
Every woman can relate to this song because it shows how women struggle for beauty in this modern world. Melanie Martinez inspires women to be comfortable and self-confident in their skin and feel beautiful without having plastic surgery. “Mrs. Potato Head” song symbolizes an American toy called Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head consisting of a plastic model of a potato decorated with plastic parts. This song has to be Melanie Martinez’s favorite from her debut album, Cry Baby.
9. High School Sweetheart
In this song, Cry Baby desires to have an honest lover, truly loves her, and wants a serious relationship. Melanie Martinez wants someone who will be devoted and accept her for who she is. At one point, Cry Baby says, “If you do me over, I will rip your face apart,” she menaces her potential lover if they were to have an affair, which is about “Sippy Cup” she is inspired to do that by her mother who killed his father and his mistress.
8. Carousel
“Carousel” was released in September 2014 as the second single on Melanie Martinez’s debut album EP Dollhouse and later featured on her Cry Baby album. Melanie Martinez sings about her falling in love with someone and is frustrated when she realizes that she cannot grow in the relationship. This is the Cry Baby’s first encounter with love, and she is chasing after someone that she can never reach. The Cry Baby is “glued on tight to a carousel,” going around the circles. The television series American Horror Story used this song in their trailer for season four.
7. Tag, You’re It
“Tag, You’re It” is the ninth track from Melanie Martinez’s debut album, Cry Baby, and covers the topic of sexual assault. This song is creepy and a little mysterious. It uses “Tag” as a metaphor for children’s games. Following the track, the Cry Baby had broken up with her boyfriend Johnny, now she is single and vulnerable, and the wolves are on the prowl. Cry Baby gets kidnapped by the “wolf.” The term “Tag, You’re It” is a metaphor for the “ wolf” catching her and taking her to its basem*nt, and he is fascinated by her presence. Melanie Martinez’s tone shifts to bitter and angry at the last part of the chorus as she gives up on being rescued from the “wolf.”
6. Sippy Cup
“Sippy Cup” is the third single from the debut album, Cry Baby. Fashion designer Stella Rose Saint Chair is featured in the music video released in July 2015. The song is the viaduct between the EP Dollhouse and the Cry Baby album. Melanie Martinez explores Cry Baby’s family life in “Sippy Cup,” revealing how serious her parent’s problems are. The alcoholic Cry Baby’s mother murders his father and his mistress in the kitchen. Cry Baby knows her mother hides liquor in her sippy cup. When she discovers the bodies on the kitchen floor, her mother ties her down to her bed and poisons her with the sippy cup.
5. Pacify Her
This song is another hit from her debut album, Cry Baby. “Pacify Her” is basically (Cry baby) trying to free a boy from his girlfriend even though she doesn’t love the boy. Melanie Martinez embraces being a homewrecker, taking after her father, who had affairs behind her mother. Melanie Martinez is numb to love, and she just stopped caring. This song story appeared on the 23rd page of the Cry Baby Storybook.
4. Dollhouse
“Dollhouse” is a lead single featured on Melanie Martinez’s debut EP Dollhouse in February 2014, and it was later featured on the Cry Baby album in 2015. Melanie Martinez uses “Dollhouse” as the metaphor for Cry Baby’s family trying to be perfect in public lives while dysfunctional. Cry Baby is the only one who understands how horrible the situation is back at home. This song is the first that Melanie Martinez wrote. ABC Family previewed the song on the series Pretty Little Liars
3. Mad Hatter
“Mad Hatter” is an accept yourself kind of message song. The song is very lyrical and takes inspiration from the 1865 fantasy novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. “Mad Hatter” is the final track on Melanie Martinez’s album Cry Baby. Cry Baby fully embraces her transition in the song, portrays her character development throughout the album, and refuses to hide regardless of what the world throws at her.
2. Soap
Melanie Martinez shows her vulnerability in this song. Everybody can relate to this song. Melanie Martinez is afraid to express her feeling towards her boyfriend. She felt that showing her boyfriend how she felt would be like throwing a toaster in his bathtub; alternatively, she washes her mouth out with soap. “Soap” was released in July 2015 as second on her debut studio album, Cry Baby. According to Warner Music, the song was set to impact Alternative radio outlets.
1. Pity Party
“Pity Party” was released as the first single from her debut album, Cry Baby, in June 2015. Melanie Martinez shows how broken she was after inviting her friends to her birthday party, but no one shows up. She blames herself for the absence of her friends, and with disappointment, she starts smashing the cake, tearing the decorations, and popping all the balloons with a kitchen knife.” I am laughing, am crying, it feels like I am dying” Melanie Martinez gets emotional about the whole experience.
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