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"Pity Party" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the eighth track on her debut album, Cry Baby and the first track on her EP, Pity Party. It was released as the lead single for Cry Baby on June 1st, 2015. The full stem pack was leaked in 2018.
The song's music video was posted on Vessel by Melanie on May 29th, 2015, and the song was released as a single three days later on June 1st, 2015. It impacted contemporary radio on March 22nd, 2016.
Background[]
To promote the song, Melanie made a template of a party invitation available on her website. Fans could use the template to spread the news of when the song and music video were going to drop or as an invitation for their own parties.[1]
Theme[]
This song revolves around Cry Baby inviting her friends and a boy she likes, Johnny, to her birthday party, but no one shows up. She begins to wonder why she puts so much effort into everything just to be alone at the end of the day. She starts blaming herself for the absence of her friends. She tries to lessen the pain by telling herself that the situation is fine since she can indulge in the whole cake, and if this keeps happening for every party she has, she can keep having the whole cake.
However, as the song goes on, Cry Baby is unaware of whether she could try and laugh it off or let herself cry. She is under an emotional torrent and says it almost feels as if she is dying. Eventually, after a point in the track where she screams, she decides not to care.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Did my invitations disappear?
Why'd I put my heart on every cursive letter?
Tell me why the hell no one is here
Tell me what to do to make it all feel better
[Pre-chorus]
Maybe it's a cruel joke on me
Whatever, whatever
Just means there's way more cake for me
Forever, forever
[Chorus]
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
[Verse 2]
Maybe if I knew all of them well
I wouldn't have been trapped inside this Hell
that holds me
Maybe if I casted out a spell
And told them decorations were in pastel ribbons
[Pre-chorus]
Maybe it's a cruel joke on me
Whatever, whatever
Just means there's way more cake for me
Forever, forever
[Chorus]
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
[Bridge]
I'm laughing, I'm crying
It feels like I'm dying
I'm laughing, I'm crying
It feels like I'm dying
I'm laughing, I'm crying
It feels like I'm dying
I'm dying, I'm dying
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to
[Scream]
[Chorus]
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry)
I'll cry until the candles burn down this place
I'll cry until my pity party's in flames
[Outro]
It's my party, it's-it's my party
It's my party, it's-it's my party
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to (Cry, cry, cry, cry, cry)
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | Single • Pity Party • Cry Baby | June 1st, 2015 | CJ Baran | April 27th, 2014 | 3:24 |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | - | CJ Baran | - | 3:24 | |
| Remixes | ||||||
| ▶ | XVII Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | August 28th, 2015 | CJ Baran | - | 4:01 |
| ▶ | K Theory Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | August 28th, 2015 | CJ Baran | - | 4:58 |
| ▶ | The Feels Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | August 28th, 2015 | CJ Baran | - | 4:32 |
| ▶ | Myles Travitz Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | August 28th, 2015 | CJ Baran | - | 3:02 |
| ▶ | Kassiano Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | August 28th, 2015 | CJ Baran | - | 4:04 |
| ▶ | Madison Mars Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | May 20th, 2016 | CJ Baran | - | 4:45 |
| ▶ | Kayliox Remix | Pity Party (Remixes) | May 20th, 2016 | CJ Baran | - | 4:43 |
| Demos | ||||||
| Demo | Unreleased | - | CJ Baran | 2014 | 3:19 | |
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Music video[]
The music video begins with Cry Baby writing and sending invitations to her birthday party while eating milk and cookies. Then, it flashes to the day of her party in August. She wakes up in a pink dress. None of her friends are showing up, but she does activities to keep her busy. She gets more upset with them, and no one answers the phone. She decides that she doesn't need friends there to have fun, and dresses in an outfit that makes her look like a clown and plays by herself with her stuffed animals and a balloon. Angry, she pops the balloon by putting it in her mouth and rips up her stuffed animals. She screams loudly while throwing her other stuffed animals away and destroying almost everything at her party, including a blue cake. In the end, Cry Baby blows out the candles to a cake that reads, "Happy Birthday Cry Baby" and then starts to smoke a cigarette while the surrounding area is aflame.
Cast[]
Errors[]
- When it comes to the part where Cry Baby is playing the board game by herself, on the table in the shot before, there was a giant birthday cake. It disappeared between shots.
- Cry Baby writes an invitation for Johnny twice in the introduction of the song. The only difference is the number of hearts next to his name.
- When Cry Baby is waiting for her friends to show up, there are presents on the lower right although no one came to her party.
Trivia[]
- Melanie's father, Jose Martinez, said that Pity Party is one of his favorite songs recorded for Cry Baby, along with "Haunted", "Alphabet Boy" and "Cake".
- The lyric, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to", is a sample from Lesley Gore's 1963 hit song, "It's My Party".
- A heavily edited sample of that song's chorus is present in the background of "Pity Party's" chorus in the audio.
- A slightly less edited sample of the song is used in the music video.
- On one of the invitations, the person being invited is Johnny. This references the original song, in which Johnny is the name of Lesley's boyfriend that left her party with another girl. His name was archetypal for a teen boy in the 1950's.
- A heavily edited sample of that song's chorus is present in the background of "Pity Party's" chorus in the audio.
- Melanie said that her favorite part of the "Pity Party" music video is when she got to destroy the bear.
- There are 9 candles on Cry Baby's cake, suggesting that she is 9 years old.
- In the Cry Baby storybook, however, there are 3 candles.
- Usually, children start Kindergarten at the ages of 4-5, which is the grade K-12 starts at. This means she was most likely 3 instead of 9.
- In the music video, Cry Baby smoked a cigarette. It is assumed that this was influenced by her mom and/or brother.
- On the invitations, August is written for the date, revealing that Cry Baby's birthday is in August and that she is either a Leo or Virgo.
- Although, in the 2019 issue of Alternative Press magazine, it is stated that Cry Baby is a Taurus, which indicates that she was born between April 20th-May 20th.
- This is Melanie's second music video to reach over 100 million views on YouTube.
- This is Melanie's first and currently the only song to reach the top 40 of pop radio.
- The scream in the song is heard in Courage the Cowardly Dog, Squirrel Boy and the 2007 video/DVD Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Video and is not actually Melanie's scream.
- Melanie has said this is the song she is most proud of on Cry Baby.
- Melanie also said that it's the hardest song for her to perform due to the fact that she has to push her voice a little more than she is used to.
- "Pity Party" was certified gold on July 28th, 2016.
- It was then certified platinum on July 7th, 2017.
- It was then certified 2x Multi-Platinum on November 24th, 2021.
- This is Melanie's second song to be certified gold, after "Dollhouse".
- This is also Melanie's second song to be certified platinum.
- In the music video, Melanie wore a Lime Crime Velvetine liquid lipstick called "Riot."
- Out of all of Melanie's songs, Pity Party is tied with "Brain & Heart" for having the most writers.
- This is because the writers of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" were also credited.
- Melanie bought some of the music video's props at a store called Captain Vintage.
- The clock that can be seen at 0:56 is the same clock that appeared in the hospital scene in the music video of "Cry Baby".
- Melanie released the storybook page for this song as a t-shirt and tank top, however, the t-shirt is discontinued on her official store, but the tank top is only available on the Europe Store, along with the t-shirt.
- Melanie released a puzzle with an image of the storybook page, but has since been discontinued. However, the puzzle can still be found on the Europe Store.
- According to Billboard, this is the most fan favorite out of all song in Cry Baby.
- Before the music video was released, Melanie posted via Instagram of the painting that can be found in the background of the music video.
- In the beginning of the music video, when Cry Baby plays a vinyl record, she does not take the plastic protector off of the needle on the record player.
- Melanie created a Spotify playlist that Cry Baby would play at her party, and this song was included.[2]
- A behind-the-scenes video of the making of the Pity Party music video was uploaded to Melanie's YouTube channel on June 17th, 2015.
- There are seven known remixes of this song.
- Billboard uploaded a video of Melanie performing a stripped-down version of Pity Party in their studio on October 7th, 2015.
- A video of Melanie performing an acoustic version of Soap in their studio was uploaded on their YouTube channel the same day.
- The story and illustration for this song appear on the 15th page of the Cry Baby storybook, reading:
Pity Party's Digital Booklet Page
"Her birthday was around the bend
She invited him and all her friends
None of which did attend
Her happiness came to an end"
References[]
[]
| v • e Pity Party EP | |
|---|---|
| Featured Tracks | Pity Party • Dollhouse • Dead To Me • Bittersweet Tragedy |
| Characters | Cry Baby • Mom • Dad • Brother • Mistress • Little Girl |
| Producers | One Love • CJ Baran • Robopop |
| Related | Dollhouse (EP) |
