mm-case-study

[mm-case-study]

A Broad Overview

What people consider to be “popular music” is up for debate. Is music considered popular based on the actual beats? Is it about the lyrics? Is it all a competition for which artists can be streamed the most number of times on Spotify? Maybe it’s based on who makes the best videos or which songs land in the American Top 40? We can classify “popular music” in many different ways. Popular music provides a source of entertainment for fans and of course, revenue for the music industry. However, it also provides an opportunity for artists to use their fame as a platform for addressing important topics that they find personally meaningful, relevant to the current landscape of society, and worth communicating through their music. While there are many ways to define popular music, a commonality across the board is popular music’s ability to resonate with fans through the themes and values it conveys, both audibly and visually.

Popular Themes of Popular Music  

Throughout this course, we’ve discussed common subjects among popular music. Common among many popular songs are themes surrounding love and romance, teenage rebellion, partying, drugs/alcohol, and sexuality. I think many times these themes are associated with negative connotations. However, these themes of popular music can also be viewed from the opposite lens. While addressing similar issues, popular music instead conveys the message that these things are normal parts of life, and although they don’t always make us perfect, they are valuable assets to the creation of an identity that should be celebrated. Ultimately, popular music communicates values of independence, dignity, self-acceptance, and positive self-identity.

Melanie Martinez

One artist who exemplifies this idea very clearly through her lyrics, electronic sounds, and elaborate music videos is Melanie Martinez (MM), who originally found fame on The Voice in 2012 and currently has almost 2.5 monthly listeners on Spotify. MM’s debut album, Cry Baby, is centered around the life of “Cry Baby”, a character who appears in the music videos that accompany the first 13 songs of the album. Through this very personal character and almost entirely visual album, MM takes her listeners on a journey through the life of Cry Baby--through problems with family, romance, societal pressures, vulnerability, and self-acceptance. The struggles with each of these prominent themes of popular music culminate into a final song and video that ultimately communicates the values of individuality and embracing one’s imperfect life. MM does communicates these values through her lyrics, but she takes it beyond that through her use of music videos and additionally through this central character and narrative backdrop of the album. The way in which MM effectively communicates these critical values goes beyond the scope of the music itself, but rather extends through her artistic creativity that complements these sounds, mainly through the incorporation of visual and narrative techniques.

A Different Take on Common Themes

MM focuses on many of the same themes that other artists capture through their music, but she does so in a way that sends a positive message to her fans. MM builds Cry Baby as a reflection of herself and other people who are very sensitive and become emotionally overwhelmed very easily. Using this child-like character as a backdrop, MM tackles romance issues with songs like “Carousel”, “Alphabet Boy”, and “Pacify Her”. Cry Baby combats societal pressures and battles with self-image in “Dollhouse”, “Sippy Cup”, and “Mrs. Potato Head”. Finally, MM captures the hardship of being open and vulnerable in her song, “Soap”. All of these songs lead up to “Mad Hatter”, where MM establishes that all of these battles and insecurities make up who you are and should be celebrated rather than cause shame. Messages like these resonate with the audience and help in establishing an artist and their songs as “popular”.

A Closer Look: Romance and Vulnerability

Romance

“Carousel” follows Cry Baby as she pursues a forever unattainable relationship that makes her feel as if she’s spinning in circles, never feeling quite complete or satisfied. The lyrics go from  “Round and round like a horse on a carousel/ We go, will I catch up to love? I can never tell” (0:13-0:22) in the chorus to “And now I’m stuck, I’m stuck/ Riding, riding, riding” (3:08-3:19). Cry Baby is stuck in a one-sided relationship with the unmentioned male in the song, and she realizes she will never be able to reach the point where it becomes a committed two-way relationship. It’s this song where Cry Baby has a romantic struggle for the first time and seems to want to do whatever it takes for her love to be reciprocated.

“Alphabet Boy” is, in a way, an assertive response to “Carousel”. In this song, Cry Baby has realized that the boy she loved had been taking advantage of her the whole time, saying “You build me up like building blocks just so you can bring me down” (0:18-0:24) and “I’m not a little kid now/Watch me get big now” (1:01-1:06). Through Cry Baby, MM conveys a message of female empowerment and power to resist expectations from romantic partners. As the album continues, Cry Baby becomes more mature and gains more autonomy, especially in these relationships. I think it’s here where MM conveys the value of that autonomy.

Vulnerability

We live in a society where it is, at many times, hard to be open and honest with people for fear of being judged or saying too much and ending up wallowing in regret. The lines of the pre-chorus in “Soap” read:

       I’m tired of being careful, tip toe, trying to keep the water warm

       Let me under your skin

       Uh oh there it goes, I said too much, it overflowed

       Why do I always spill? (0:32-0:55)

Cry Baby is stuck in her feelings but tries to resist saying too much, fearing that it may cause tension in the relationship. This is a struggle many people feel daily, even outside the realm of relationships. It can be hard to confess feelings or even confront people when something is wrong. This is an important issue for MM to capture because it is one that relates to a lot of people in her fanbase and those outside her fanbase. While this song captures the struggles of vulnerability, the fact that MM released this album is her way of overcoming that struggle. She essentially says that she knows it can be hard to let things out, but in writing out her feelings and experiences in her music, MM shows that it’s okay to be honest and vulnerable; we don’t need to bottle up our emotions all the time.

The Finale: Mad Hatter

In light of all the events of her life, Cry Baby finally realizes that she doesn’t need to care about what people think of her, with the following lyrics:

       Now I’m peeling the skin off my face

       Cause I really hate being safe

       The normals, they make me afraid

       The crazy, they make me feel sane (0:31-0:51)

Despite the trauma she’s been through and hardships she’s dealt with--all while being easily emotionally triggered--Cry Baby is finally learning to accept all of those struggles.

She’s had a hard life and has hidden a lot of stuff that’s going on inside. She’s struggled with romance, being vulnerable, internal conflict and mental illness. People have laughed at her and she’s always been ashamed, but she finally learns to love herself and embrace her craziness. This is an important message in today’s society where people feel like they have to put up a front, feel pressured and judged by society, and have a hard time taking pride in their individuality.

So what values does popular music convey?

MM incorporates some of the same ideas that are common among popular music, but does so with a positive spin that allows her music to maintain its popular status among the fans. In a 2015 interview, MM says, “I just think that these subjects can be used in songs in ways other than, ‘I’m gonna like party all night and get f---ed up.’ I’d rather talk about those subjects in a more meaningful way” (DiGiacomo 2015). This “meaningful way” is one that places great emphasis on self-acceptance and individuality. Through her expressive music, MM, as an artist, comes to terms with her personal struggles with the themes she address. In doing so, she has learned the same lessons as Cry Baby--that is to embrace herself. In that same interview MM comments on this, saying, “Cry Baby evolves into someone who’s very comfortable in her skin, and I can definitely say that I have had the same kind of change within myself. I’m a lot less insecure, and I have embraced a lot of the things that I hated about myself before” (DiGiacomo 2015). MM is a testament to popular music and the values it communicates. A lot of music addresses many of the same themes, but overall, popular music conveys the more meaningful values of self-love, confidence, independence, and freedom.

It’s All About the Connection 

In a broad sense, popular music communicates values largely through establishing and maintaining relationships with the listening audience. As reflected in the discussion from Week 11 on “music, money, fame, and obscurity”, the formation of these relationships is vital to lasting fame in the music industry. The foundation of these relationships lies not just in the lyrics, but also in the visual and story-like aspects of the music. An excerpt from Starr and Waterman mentions that the “power of mass-mediated charisma is rooted in the idea that an individual fan can enter into a personal relationship with a superstar via images and sounds that are simultaneously disseminated to millions of people...this field of popular discourse is dominated by certain well-worn narratives”  (475). Building these relationships provides the framework for an opportunity for artists to instill and convey messages and values to their fans. So generally, popular music communicates its values by establishing relationships with the audience, but it does this through the creation of a character, narratives, and visuals.

Characters

One of the main ways an artist can connect with their audience is through the creation of a character, especially alongside a narrative. We’ve seen the amazing success David Bowie had as a musician when he took on different characters and personas, such as Ziggy Stardust. The constant change and anticipation of the unexpected kept the fans interested, and Bowie was able to maintain his status as one of the greatest names of all time in the history of music. What was so intriguing about Bowie and his characters was the very apparent androgyny and feeling of the unknown surrounding these personas. This gender-bending aspect suited Bowie well and was a key factor in allowing him to maintain his fame. 

Somewhat similarly, MM creates this character, Cry Baby, as a way to connect with her audience on a deeper level. However, rather than creating a character to make a statement about gender, MM creates this character in order to write a story. To further that relationship with the fans, we see the actual story of Cry Baby’s life and are then led to connect that to our own lives. Cry Baby faces adversity in the forms of bullying, family trauma, bad relationships, and mental health issues--all common occurrences in the lives of individuals. On some level, almost anyone can relate to at least one of these hardships and therefore identify with the character. MM was able to use this character as the tool to form those foundational relationships with her fans. When asked about this character, MM replied, “Writing this album and creating this character...was me trying to turn the words “cry baby” into a compliment” (DiGiacomo 2015). By wanting to turn the words “cry baby” into a compliment, MM essentially says she wants to promote values of self-appreciation and unapologetically being who you are, despite your circumstances. She has clear motives of using this character as a way to form a relationship and convey her messages.

“I’ve always been a storyteller…”

When asked about her favorite part of creating music, MM replies with, “The story! The concept is always the core of the song. I’ve always been a storyteller and there is not one song that I’ve ever written that is like ‘Wait what am I talking about’?” (Boise 2014). In combination with a constant character, the story makes it easier for the audience to follow along. The narrative behind Cry Baby’s life and the ways in which it, at some points, parallels MM’s life, provides an extra layer of insight to the fans. They get a sneak peak into the life of this character by following her life journey. By following a plotline, the audience can see parts of themselves within that timeline and therefore resonate with the music being heard. Through this resonation with a story, the values the music conveys are suddenly more effective and have a longer lasting impact on the audience.

Visuals: The Music Video 

In Week 9 we talked about music on the big and small screens and the importance of visual components in music. Arguably the most important way in which MM communicates the values of popular music, in conjunction with the character and narratives, is through her music videos. MM’s music videos are full of color and sometimes visually disturbing images. Each video tells a story, which, combined with compelling visuals, drags the audience into another world. The viewer is enamored by the visual experience and so engaged in the story, that they feel as if they are a part of Cry Baby’s world. This is yet another instance of MM building a connection with her fans, but by employing very visually-striking images that elicit an emotional tie to the audience.

For example, “Dollhouse” is a song about a family who seems put together on the outside, yet, internally is falling apart. The video takes place in a dollhouse, and again, MM plays with color--this time purple--as a constant theme throughout the video. The robotic and electronic-sounding music paired with disturbing images like the necklace made of baby-doll hands or the collection of doll heads on the vanity take the listener through a unique audio-visual experience that they can’t seem to turn away from. MM does this several times in each video on the album. By taking advantage of this audio-visual technique and the ability to draw the viewer in so close, MM can better illustrate the values of her music and help her messages reach her audiences.

Visuals: Going Beyond Music Videos

Discussions about music videos also brought with it discussions about the need some artists feel to create some sort of event surrounding their music. For example, Beyonce used this method when she shocked the world with a surprise release of an unexpected album. While MM definitely maximizes the influence she can have through her music videos, she has also created somewhat of an event surrounding “Cry Baby” in the way that she has a music video for every song, all following a continuous story around a central character. This is not typical of popular music. While, MM’s type of event is a little less drastic and dramatic than Beyonce’s, MM’s “Cry Baby” is still an event in that it is different, noteworthy, and not typical of other albums in music. For that, it is even more special. Looking into the future, MM plans to expand upon this idea of an event, by adding an even greater visual component to her next album. Having yet to be released, MM’s next album will be accompanied by a feature film that contains all of the songs, corresponding videos, and interspersed dialogue to maintain continuity and fluidity. In an interview, MM speaks about this endeavor, saying “It’s really important to me that people can truly understand the sentiment and the story when they hear the record for the first time, and I really want people to be able to follow along properly…” (Lipshutz 2017). By including a feature film, MM is furthering this idea of an event surrounding popular music and fame. She’s engaging more with visual techniques to spread her music and communicate her messages. Visuals help people gain a sense of understanding. When you watch a video, you feel a connection to an artist because you can understand their vision. A feature film will only enhance this connection. 

Not only this, but MM’s ideas behind her film will translate into her concerts. Establishing a continuity between the visual album and live performances will further her relationship with her her fans even more and therefore, contribute to more effectively sharing these values mentioned before. The smooth fluidity between the digital media platform and reality establishes a relationship with the listeners because not only are they seeing and hearing the music on the screen--they are more-or-less living the experience with MM. Feeling a sense of connection to an artist makes it easier to comprehend their messages and apply them in your daily life.

Making a Mark on Popular Music

It’s not easy to effectively establish one-on-one connections with individual fans when you have over 5 million followers on Instagram. However, in doing so, artists are able to most effectively communicate the values of popular music. Popular music serves a greater purpose than providing sheer entertainment. Popular music is used to speak to the audience on a deeper level, by conveying values that artists find meaningful and relevant, and values that listeners feel they need to hear. Using Melanie Martinez as a case study, we can see that, by using characters, narratives, and visuals to form connections with the audience, popular music communicates values of positive self-image, feeling comfortable with yourself, and freedom to be who you are without feelings of shame.

Works Cited

Boise, D. (2014, June 02). Interview with Melanie Martinez on 'Dollhouse' EP and Life out on the Road. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from http://tamagazine.com/interview-melanie-martinez-dollhouse-ep-touring/

DiGiacomo, F. (2015, September 04). Melanie Martinez on 'Cry Baby,' Not Wanting to Be a Role Model & What She Learned From 'The Voice'. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/videos/interviews/6685879/melanie-martinez-cry-baby-role-model-the-voice

Lipshutz, J. (2017, August 15). Melanie Martinez Celebrates 'Cry Baby' Chart Success, Looks Ahead To Elaborate Album/Film Project. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7904990/melanie-martinez-interview-cry-baby-second-album

Starr, L. & C. Waterman. 2013. American Popular Music: from minstrelsy to MP3. New York: Oxford University Press.

Images

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https://theknockturnal.com/an-exclusive-interview-with-melanie-martinez/

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https://www.sequoitmedia.com/artist-to-watch-melanie-martinez/

https://www.rebelsmarket.com/blog/posts/melanie-martinez-the-pastel-goth-for-the-modern-weirdo

http://heroes-get-made.tumblr.com/post/155046514838/cheer-up-post-4504-ziggy-stardust-edition

http://melaniemartinezmusic.com/crybaby/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/416864509249409756/