"Tag, You're It" (originally titled "Tag"[1]) is a song by Melanie Martinez featured as the ninth track on her debut studio album, Cry Baby.
Melanie posted a snippet of the song on her Instagram on August 3rd, 2015. The music video was in a double feature video along with the music video for "Milk and Cookies", which was released on August 23rd, 2016.
Theme[]
"Tag, You're It" is about Cry Baby getting kidnapped, utilizing the children's game "tag" as a metaphor. After Cry Baby breaks up with Johnny, she is vulnerable and alone and gets kidnapped by a "wolf".
Lyrical analysis[]
As the song begins, it is evident that the "wolf" has been watching her for a while and sees her as the perfect victim. The "wolf" pulls up alongside Cry Baby in his car and offers her candy. The tinted windows will hide her once she's inside. Despite her refusal, he continues to pursue her and chase her through the parking lot, meaning that she's running and he's following after her. The phrase "Tag, you're it" is a metaphor for him catching her. He finally catches up to her, pushing her down to stop her from running, and covers her mouth so she cannot scream. She still screams for help, but her situation is starting to seem hopeless. She attempts to fight back by biting him, despite being incapacitated evidenced by the lyric, "Little bit of poison in me, I can taste your skin in my teeth". She is taken to his basement, where he is fascinated by the proof of her presence through something as simple as her breathing. As the last part of the chorus is sung, her tone shifts to a more bitter and angry tone, having given up hope of being rescued. The repetition of the phrase makes it seem as if it was replaying it in her head.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Lookin' at me through your window
Boy, you had your eye out for a little
"I'll cut you up and make you dinner
You've reached the end, you are the winner"
Rollin' down your tinted window
Drivin' next to me real slow, he said
"Let me take you for a joyride
I've got some candy for you inside"
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me?
When I'm hidden underground
Can anybody hear me?
Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
[Verse 2]
Little bit of poison in me
I can taste your skin in my teeth
"I love it when I hear you breathin'
I hope to God you're never leavin'"
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me?
When I'm hidden underground
Can anybody hear me?
Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
[Bridge]
Eenie meenie miny mo
Catch your lady by her toes
If she screams don't let her go
Eenie meenie miny mo
Your mother said to pick the very best girl
And I am
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
[Verse 1]
Lookin' at me through your window
Boy, you had your eye out for a little
"I'll cut you up and make you dinner
You've reached the end, you are the winner"
Rollin' down your tinted window
Drivin' next to me real slow, he said
"Let me take you for a joyride
I've got some candy for you inside"
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me?
When I'm hidden underground
Can anybody hear me?
Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
[Verse 2]
Little bit of poison in me
I can taste your skin in my teeth
"I love it when I hear you breathin'
I hope to God you're never leavin'"
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me?
When I'm hidden underground
Can anybody hear me?
Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
[Chorus]
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand
Pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Tag, you're it
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | Cry Baby | August 14th, 2015 | Michael Miller, SmarterChild | ~September 10th, 2014 | 3:09 |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | - | Michael Miller, SmarterChild | - | 3:09 | |
| Demos | ||||||
| "Tag (Scott HarrisMelanie MartinezSmarter Child)" (demo) | Unreleased | Leaked: September 15th, 2019 | Michael Miller, SmarterChild | September 10th, 2014 | 3:02 | |
Gallery[]
Main article: Tag, You're It/Gallery
Music video[]
The music video begins immediately after the events of "Pity Party", with shots of the exterior of Cry Baby's house being shown. Cry Baby is shown angrily throwing away the streamers from her party. The Big Bad Wolf is then introduced driving an ice cream truck and he has a knife with him. Cry Baby is then shown in the grocery store buying food. Meanwhile, the Big Bad Wolf is driving in his ice cream truck, following Cry Baby. On his way there, he waves to a bus full of kids. When Cry Baby checks out, the cashier hands her a bottle of poison. When Cry Baby walks out of the grocery store, the Big Bad Wolf is waiting for her in his ice cream truck. Cry Baby asks for strawberry ice cream, but he instead gives her an ice cream cone with vanilla ice cream. She tries to hand him money, but he shakes his head. When she eats the ice cream, she begins to become drowsy, and shots from the video and the "Milk and Cookies" portion of the double feature are shown, and she then falls to the ground. The Big Bad Wolf then lifts Cry Baby into his ice cream truck. As it begins to fade to black, music is heard from the ice cream truck.
Cast[]
Errors[]
- Cry Baby agrees to take the Big Bad Wolf's ice cream twice, from two different camera angles.
Trivia[]
- Tag is a playground game that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" or touch them, usually with their hands. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. Usually, when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "tag, you're it."
- It was explained by Melanie that since Cry Baby is now single, "wolves" are on the prowl. She gets kidnapped by a "wolf."
- The wolf is disguised as an ice cream man.
- The wolf has the same knife that Cry Baby had in the "Alphabet Boy" music video.
- The wig Melanie wore in the music video is similar in color to the silver and black wig that she wore in the "Cry Baby" music video.
- Just like on the album, "Tag You're It", happens right after "Pity Party". At the beginning of the music video, Cry Baby is shown throwing a pile of streamers into the trash, indicating that her birthday party from "Pity Party" just ended.
- Melanie also rented the same house she shot the "Pity Party" music video in.
- This is the shortest song on the standard version of Cry Baby.
- On the deluxe version, "Tag, You're It" is the second shortest song; it is only a few seconds longer than "Play Date".
- Melanie has explained that from Cry Baby, this song, "Milk and Cookies", "Dollhouse" and "Sippy Cup" weren't inspired by her own life.[2]
- Most of the music video was filmed at Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York on Albemarle Road. The parking lot scene was filmed at Elmer's Country Store at 245 Lake St in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
- The double feature took 4 days to edit.
- The Big Bad Wolf in the music video was played by Melanie's friend Cottontail.
- "Tag, You're It" was certified gold by the RIAA on January 10th, 2019.
- When Cry Baby is in the grocery store, Crazy Cow and Jets cereal boxes appear, which were popular cereal brands by General Mills from the 1970s.
- Sugar Crisp cereal boxes also appear which was a popular cereal brand by Post Cereals.
- Melanie said in an interview that there could be a song on K-12 flashing back to this song, but this song was most likely scrapped.
- However, in the music video for "The Principal", towards the end of the video, the principal drinks a blue liquid and then immediately passes out after drinking it. This could be the same "poison" that Cry Baby was given and used in the music videos for "Tag, You're It" and "Milk and Cookies".
- The song that may have been flashing back to this song could be "Erase Her".
- Melanie stated that this song was originally about an abusive relationship and that "Milk and Cookies" was her poisoning her abusive boyfriend with milk and cookies. However, both songs were changed to fit the theme of Cry Baby.
- The bridge references the children's counting rhyme "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo."
- On September 10th, 2014, Smarterchild posted a photo on Instagram in the studio likely recording this song.
- In the physical storybook edition of Cry Baby, "vulnerable" was misspelled as "vunerable." This mistake was later fixed in newer releases of the album.
- In an interview with Apple Music, Melanie said that she likes to include at least one "taboo" song on each of her albums, with "Tag, You're It" being the taboo song on Cry Baby.
- "Teacher's Pet" is the taboo song on K-12 and "MOON CYCLE" is the taboo song on PORTALS.
- The story and illustration for this song appear on the 17th page of the Cry Baby storybook, reading
"A lonely girl so vulnerable
To her house she walks alone
The bad wolf ice-cream man had known
And took her to his awful home"
