In 2012, I was thirteen years old, and I watched The Voice every night with my mother. Of course, I was a bit too invested in each singer’s individual story, and would be absolutely heartbroken when someone was sent home, but I did make it to Melanie Martinez before ending my competition TV viewing struggle. Melanie showed up and sang a version of “Toxic” by Britney Spears that was unrecognizable with a guitar and two sides of her hair dyed different colors. Needless to say, I was hooked. I followed her journey through The Voice and onto her subsequent music. She released her debut album “Cry Baby” in 2015 and I, along with most others around me, were completely obsessed. I went to her concert in 2016, and I don’t think I have recovered yet.
Suddenly, the rising star met radio silence, partially due sexual assault allegations brought against her by a former friend in 2017, which are generally believed to have been false at this time. I thought her entire career was completely gone.
Finally, 2019 rolled around, and Melanie released a teaser for her new album. The pre-teen in me awakened once again, alone with a new aching desire for Cruella de Vil hair. On Sept. 6, Melanie released a film, an actual hour and a half long film, showing the story for her entire album with all the songs included. “K-12’”was here just in time for the new school year!
I personally think the wait was worth it. Melanie still has her quirky lyrics and voice that she’s always had, but she’s more confident. You can see it in her dancing; she is completely in control of what she is doing, and she is giving that experience to others. I loved this album, and I hope that you all do or will very soon!
I am going to be ranking each song based on the message, as well how easy it is to listen to it over and over again until it has become part of your brain. Sometimes, these conflict with each other, but I will generally be ranking songs with a more important message highest because the message is an essential part of Melanie’s music, as well as an important thing for listeners to consider.
1. Recess
So, “Recess” is my favorite song on the album. The beat behind her vocals is cute and catchy and her singing is soft and just chill overall. I feel like I’m in that middle school yoga after school program I took. And, the message is gorgeous. I feel that this song is completely different from all the other songs on the album; it’s nurturing and has a calming effect that just tells the listener that everything will be alright, and we need more songs like that going into 2020.
Best lyric: People gonna say
If you need a break, someone’ll take your place
People gonna try
To tell you that you’re fine with dollars in their eyes
2. Detention
“Detention” is definitely my favorite part of the film, mainly because of the dance. The dance scenes that take place during the chorus are both sultry and strange. The creepiness of the other kids watching and the bugs in background create one of the most normal parts of the video, and if its normal and Melanie Martinez, then that makes it even weirder. The chorus is extremely catchy and as usual, she delivers an exquisite message. Also, everything is lavender.
Best lyric: Let me crawl up into your mind, did I mention?
Pretending everything’s alright is detention
3. High School Sweethearts
“High School Sweethearts” is vocally one of the best on the album. The song changes pace and tempo many times, and it creates a multi-layered effect. The catchiness of the lyrics as well as how adorable the whole song is were just a few things that me fall in love with it. In the music video, Melanie basically dances around wearing bubblegum pink for five minutes while singing about what you need to do to date her, and it is equal parts creepy, cute and relatable.
Best lyric: If you can’t handle the choking, the biting
The loving, the smothering
‘Til you can’t handle it no more, no more
Go home
4. Drama Club
Before the music starts in the “Drama Club” video, a boy says: “President? What a joke. Your kind are too soft and too sensitive to handle a man’s job.” Cry Baby, Melanie’s character, replies, “Having a larger capacity to feel and express emotion are one of the many qualities that make us superior to your kind.” I think she said all that needed to be said. The actual song is a bop with a great message that everyone should hear, preferably multiple times a day.
Best lyric: Everyone’s so soft, everyone’s so sensitive
Do I offend you? You’re hanging on my sentences
You can keep your costume and you can keep your mask
I’ma take a bow so you can kiss my ass
5. Show & Tell
I never thought I would see Melanie as a doll again, but here we are! This song has a great message (as do all her songs) and well written lyrics. I generally like this song, but it is a little bit too slow for my taste. The lyrics are hard hitting and powerful, except at times, it sounds like it is playing at .75 speed, which is why this song is ranked a little bit lower on my list.
Best lyric: Tell me you love me, but you treat me like I’m never there
6. Strawberry Shortcake
Judged on the message alone, I think this song is lyrically the most important song on the album. The song is about the male gaze and sexual assault and how it affects women as they grow up. The actual song, I think, falls a bit flat. It is not a song I listen to very often. I feel that the words don’t really fit with the music and the melody she sings them in. And, the use of “strawberry shortcake” is a good way to be clever about not using an anatomical name, but it kept sending images of Strawberry Shortcake, the cartoon character, into my brain, and that is way too uncomfortable. But, the lyrics are too powerful for this song to be any lower.
Best lyric: Instead of making me feel bad for the body I got
Just teach him to keep it in his pants and tell him to stop
7. Lunchbox Friends
I love love love “Lunchbox Friends”! It is one of the songs I listen to the most, which then begs the question of why it is so low on the list. The song is fun to listen to, especially with the deep voice in the chorus, but the lyrics are not as timely as others. Melanie’s lyrics are great at being about topics that need to be talked about and that are empowering and yes, singing about lifelong friendship is sweet, but it can’t hold a candle to other heavier topics.
Best lyric: I don’t want no lunchbox friends, no
I want someone who understands, oh, no
Come to my house, let’s die together
Friendship that will last forever
8. Orange Juice
Another song, another heavy topic. “Orange Juice” is about someone with bulimia. Again, a topic that is not often talked about, much less in music.”Orange Juice” is well written and the message of hope and support is amazing. I find the song to be too slow, and I don’t love to listen to it, but I have ranked it this high because the story behind it is too beautiful to ignore. Sometimes, it’s the beat that’s great and the lyrics mean nothing and sometimes, it is the other way around.
Best lyric: Ooh, I wish I could give you my set of eyes
‘Cause I know your eyes ain’t working, mmm
I wish I could tell you that you’re fine, so fine
But you will find that disconcerting
9. Wheels on the Bus
“Wheels on the Bus” is my guilty pleasure song. It is the first one in the film and in a way, it holds my heart. It’s catchy, fun to listen to (especially while walking through Boston Common, FYI), her vocals are silky and the “Wheels on the Bus” nursery rhyme beat in the back makes the song even better. The song is quintessentially Melanie, but there is no important message, so unfortunately, it is ranked lower than many other songs.
Best lyric: Now, I’ma light it up and pass it
Puff‚ puff and pass it
Don’t be a dick and babysit, c’mon, just pass it over here
10. Nurse’s Office
“Nurse’s Office” is a song that if it comes up on shuffle, I will listen to maybe half of it and then skip to another song. It is fun, it’s cute and the chorus reminds me of when I used to call my parents to come get me every time I attempted to do a sleepover at a friend’s house (Sorry Mom and Dad). As a bonus, there are people coughing and sneezing in the background throughout the entire song, and some maniacal laughing, but no message, so it’s not higher.
Best lyric: ’Cause they hate me, so I’m fakin’
All of, of this so they take, take me
Take me home
11. Class Fight
“Class Fight” reminds me of “Wheels on the Bus”: catchy background music and melody, funny lyrics, but no message that people need to hear. Also, the chorus is just “go for the throat” in many variations, and it doesn’t really fit the dynamic of the song and was creepier than I would have preferred.
Best lyric: The teacher broke us up after I broke her
And my one true love called me a monster
12. The Principal
To be honest, I do not even have this song on my phone. It barely registers in my sphere of existence. The message is not particularly lacking, I just find everything else to be dull that even the message can’t save it. On a side note, her dress in the film for this song is pretty spectacular.
Best lyric: I’ve tried to make you listen, but you won’t, it’s your way, right?
Killing kids all day and night, prescription pills and online fights
Shooting at the angels while claiming you’re the good guy
13. Teacher’s Pet
“Teacher’s Pet” is forgettable to me. I didn’t have “The Principal” on my phone, but I did not even remember “Teacher’s Pet” existed. Parts are slow, some parts are fast, but the entire thing just feels like it is dragging itself through my ears. Yes, the message is a typical Melanie message that needs to be heard, but it sounds like she is singing at both a sultry nightclub but also in a dorm room with a bad sound system. And, unlike in “Nurse’s Office”, the creepy laughter just makes the song more off-putting.
Best lyric: Teacher’s pet
If I’m so special, why am I secret?
Overall, I can confidently say that I loved this album. I swear I listen to multiple songs on it at least once a day. Melanie is the queen of a comeback and I am here for it!
Which songs are your favorite?