Cry Baby (Melanie Martinez album)

Cry Baby
Studio album by Melanie Martinez
Released August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14)
Recorded 2013–15
Genre
Length 46:38
Label Atlantic
Producer
Melanie Martinez chronology
Dollhouse EP
(2014)		 Cry Baby
(2015)
Singles from Cry Baby
  1. "Pity Party"
    Released: June 1, 2015
  2. "Soap"
    Released: July 10, 2015
  3. "Sippy Cup"
    Released: July 31, 2015

Cry Baby is the debut studio album by American recording artist Melanie Martinez. It was released on August 14, 2015, by Atlantic Records through digital download, CD, vinyl and audio cassette.[1][2] The album was supported by the release three singles. Two singles preceded the album's release: lead single "Pity Party", was released on June 2, 2015,[3] while the second single, "Soap", was released on July 10, 2015. The third and final single from the album, "Sippy Cup" was released July 31, 2015. Cry Baby is a visual concept album. The album is labeled as an alternative pop,[4] electropop,[5] and indie pop[6] release, and received generally positive reviews from critics. In February 2017, the album was certified Platinum, after earning 1 million album-equivalent units (sales, streaming and track sales).

On November 25, 2016, Martinez released an EP titled Cry Baby's Extra Clutter. The EP, released exclusively on vinyl, consisted of the three bonus tracks from Cry Baby, and "Gingerbread Man", which was released for Christmas of 2015. The album was promoted by the Cry Baby Tour.

Background and production

Martinez began recording for her debut album soon after she was eliminated from The Voice. She had an acoustic album completely done around 2013 and was ready to put it out, although she decided against it. Later, she finished her song "Dollhouse" and changed her whole sound after discovering how much she liked this new sound. She discarded the tracks from the finished album and began working on new music. In May 2014, Melanie put out her Dollhouse EP, and announced that summer that she hoped to have her album out around October. When October came, Melanie released the video for "Carousel" and postponed her release date for her album, and stated that she hoped to have it out in spring. That spring, Kinetics & One Love announced that all of the vocals for Melanie's album were finished, and Melanie officially announced that her album would be titled "Cry Baby". Melanie began teasing some titles for tracks. The first single was "Pity Party" and was confirmed on May 27, 2015. The music video was accidentally leaked by Melanie herself on May 29, but she later tweeted that she was happy and excited for the fans who had seen it and promised there was "more to come" during her livestream on June 1. It was officially released on the day of the livestream. During the livestream, Martinez announced that the release day of Cry Baby would be in August. The second single, "Soap", was confirmed in late June and it was announced soon before it was to be released on July 10. It leaked a day earlier. The one-shot music video came out the same day.

On July 16, the album art and release date were leaked on Amazon, although the release date was false. On July 17, the album art was officially revealed and merchandise bundles were available to pre-order on Martinez's website, with the digital pre-order on July 24. Before the 24th, the track list of the album was leaked, although the websites that leaked it replaced "Tag, You're It" with "Jump Rope" and "Play Date" with "Half Hearted". The track list was officially revealed on the 24th with the pre-order. Starting on July 27, Melanie released a snippet of each song (apart from the ones on the deluxe edition) on her Instagram page. On July 28, Melanie released the snippet for "Sippy Cup" and announced that it would be released on July 31. On July 30, SPIN premiered the video and "Sippy Cup" was released the day after. The album was released on August 14. The CD was packaged as a storybook, with jewel case CDs available later. Both a picture disk and a standard black vinyl were released in the future. Cassettes were then released, advertised as being in yellow, blue, and pink. There is also a less common green cassette. All physical copies of the album are the standard explicit, with the deluxe and clean being digital exclusives.

Concept

The album is about a character, named Cry Baby, a fantasy version of Melanie Martinez when she was a child, and a representation of her vulnerable and messed up side. Melanie described Cry Baby as "a child who experiences adult things". Melanie claims that many of the things that have happened to Cry Baby are similar to the things that have happened in her own life, except the part where Cry Baby gets kidnapped and where Cry Baby kills her kidnapper. Each song on the track-list has a childhood-related title and contains childhood-related metaphors while the deeper messages being crossed to the listener carry more adult themes and problems. For example, the song "Cry Baby" refers to someone who is teased for openly displaying their emotions (as opposed to an actual baby), and the song "Training Wheels" is actually about taking a relationship to the next level. The story book available in the pre-order bundle features rhymes and illustrations based on the album, written by Martinez herself.[7]

Release

The album was released on August 14, 2015, by Atlantic Records, through digital download, CD, vinyl and audio cassette.[2] The vinyl and CD have special packaging which includes a story book which follows the album by illustrator Chloe Tersigni.[8] Cry Baby debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 with 41,000 units sold in its first week; it also debuted at the top of the Alternative Albums Chart. It was announced in August 2, 2016 that the album has managed to sell 263,050 copies ever since it was released.[9] On February 24, 2017, the album was certified Platinum, having sold 1,000,000 copies in the US.[10][11]

Singles

"Pity Party" was released as the first single. The music video was released on Vessel by Martinez on May 29, 2015 for early access users. It was then released 3 days later on June 1, 2015 on YouTube. It has been certified Platinum by RIAA.

"Soap" was released as the second single. It was released on July 10, 2015 along with a music video. It has been certified Gold by RIAA.

"Sippy Cup" was released as the third single on July 31, 2015, with a music video. It was the darker sequel to the music video of her 2014 single, "Dollhouse".

Other songs

Martinez said in an interview that she will be releasing music videos for all tracks of the album.[12] The song "Training Wheels" had a music video released on November 18, 2015 as a double feature with a new video for "Soap", however "Training Wheels" has not been announced as a single by Martinez.[13] "Alphabet Boy" received a music video on June 2, 2016.[14] A double feature music video for "Tag, You're It" and "Milk and Cookies" was released on August 23, 2016.[15] The song "Pacify Her" had a music video released on November 15, 2016.[16] The song "Mrs. Potato Head" had a music video released on December 1, 2016.[17] The song "Mad Hatter" had its music video released on September 23, 2017, serving as the conclusion to the Cry Baby visual story.[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
ABC News[5]
Billboard[20]
Outlet Magazine[21]
Popdust.com4/5[4]
Spin8/10[22]
Under the Gun Review9.5/10[6]

Cry Baby received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Allan Raible at ABC News gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, describing it as "a jarring, affecting record that will stick with you days after listening. It's not for passive listening. It is a rare pop record that is both catchy beyond belief and an artistic triumph."[5] Jason Scott at Popdust.com described the album as "13 tracks of pure hypnotic bliss [that] tests the absolute bounds of alt-pop, puncturing and bleeding out of [Martinez's] Lesley Gore and Purity Ring influence," highlighting "Sippy Cup", "Mrs. Potato Head", "Soap", "Cry Baby" and "Alphabet Boy".[4] AllMusic's Matt Collar compared Martinez to Bjork and Beyoncé and said that "her songs also fit nicely next to the work of contemporaries like Lorde and Lana Del Rey." Emma Guido at Under the Gun Review gave the album a 9.5 out of 10, calling the album "a journey with Martinez’s creepy alter ego as she battles her demons and obsessions", calling her songwriting methods "expressional, passionate and marvelously creative" and writing that "The haunted carnival-esque ambience of Cry Baby...takes on a new form of indie-pop music that the world has been waiting to hear."[6]

Jason Lipshutz at Billboard was more critical of the album, giving it only 2 stars out of 5, stating that "Martinez is clearly cribbing from the dimly lit pop stylings of Lorde and Lana Del Rey, but while her wispy delivery strikes the same femme fatale poses, she lacks the subtlety of her influences". He also said the album "shows that Martinez is admirably ambitious, but her insistence on sticking to the album's central idea leaves her contorting into uncomfortable positions".[20]

SPIN named the album number 22 on their list of "The 25 Best Pop Albums of 2015".[23]

Track listing

Standard edition[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cry Baby"
Kinetics & One Love3:59
2."Dollhouse"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love3:51
3."Sippy Cup"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love3:15
4."Carousel"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love3:50
5."Alphabet Boy"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love4:13
6."Soap"
  • Shearer
3:29
7."Training Wheels"
Babydaddy3:25
8."Pity Party"
  • Baran
  • DioGuardi
3:24
9."Tag, You're It"
  • SmarterChild
  • Michael Miller
3:09
10."Milk and Cookies"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Markowitz
  • SmarterChild
  • Michael Keenan
3:26
11."Pacify Her"
Keenan3:40
12."Mrs. Potato Head"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love3:37
13."Mad Hatter"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Bryan Fryzel
  • Aaron Kleinstub
3:21
Total length:46:38

Notes

  • [a] signifies an additional producer.

Personnel

Production

  • A&R – Jeff Levin
  • Pete Ganbarg – A&R
  • Anne Declemente – A&R
  • Mitch McCarthy  – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 5–7, 9–16 and radio mix of Track 8) at Owl Foot Ranch
  • Manny Marroquin  – mixing (track 8)
  • Chris Gehringer – Mastering

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[44] Platinum 80,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[45] 2× Platinum 120,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger

^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter
EP by Melanie Martinez
Released November 25, 2016
Recorded 2013–15
Length 13:51
Label Atlantic
Melanie Martinez chronology
Cry Baby
(2015)		 Cry Baby's Extra Clutter
(2016)
Singles from Cry Baby's Extra Clutter
  1. "Gingerbread Man"
    Released: December 23, 2015

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter is the third extended play by American recording artist Melanie Martinez, released on November 25, 2016. The EP is a physical vinyl release of the three bonus tracks from Cry Baby as well as the limited-release Christmas single, "Gingerbread Man".[48] The vinyl was only available for purchase via Urban Outfitters and Martinez's website.[49] The EP's cover art was drawn by Chloe Tersigni.

Track listing

Vinyl
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Play Date"
2:59
2."Teddy Bear"
  • Martinez
  • Phoebe Ryan
  • Felix Snow
Snow4:05
3."Cake"
  • Martinez
  • Baran
Baran3:19
4."Gingerbread Man"
  • Martinez
  • Keenan
  • Arthur McArthur
  • Keenan
  • McArthur
3:28
Total length:13:51

References

  1. ↑ Selfridge, Kimi (2015-08-12). "Stream Melanie Martinez's Debut LP 'Cry Baby' | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  2. 1 2 "Melanie Martinez - Official Store". Store.melaniemartinezmusic.com. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  3. ↑ "Pity Party - Single". Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Melanie Martinez Conjures Up Sinister Stories With 'Cry Baby' Debut". Popdust.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Talib Kweli, Nada Surf, Melanie Martinez and More Music Reviews". ABC News. August 19, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Guido, Emma (21 August 2015). "REVIEW: Melanie Martinez – 'Cry Baby'". Under the Gun Review. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Cry Baby by Melanie Martinez". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Talks 'Cry Baby,' Toys, Cake & Party Essentials". Popdust.com. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  9. ↑ "Kill the Lights" spends second week at top of Billboard 200". Billboard.com.
  10. ↑ Dickman, Maggie. "Melanie Martinez's 'Cry Baby' hit a huge milestone". Alternative Press. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "Melanie Martinez sales certifications". RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  12. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Q&A:'Cry Baby' Future Plans & Lessons from 'The Voice'". Fuse. December 11, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Twitter: Melanie Martinez announces Soap and Training Wheels". Twitter. November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ Cutruzzola, Annemarie (3 June 2016). "Melanie Martinez Drops Alphabet Boy Music Video". CelebMix. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  15. ↑ GaGaca, Anna (August 24, 2016). "Melanie Martinez Battles the Big Bad Wolf in 'Tag You're It' and 'Milk and Cookies' Videos". Spin. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  16. ↑ Wass, Mike (November 15, 2016). "Melanie Martinez's Visual LP Nears Completion With "Pacify Her" Video". Idolator. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Dickman, Maggie (December 1, 2016). "Melanie Martinez releases new music video for "Mrs. Potato Head"". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  18. ↑ Paxton, Whitney (September 23, 2017). "Melanie Martinez releases creatively adventurous "Mad Hatter" music video". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  19. ↑ Collar, Matt. "Cry Baby review". Allmusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  20. 1 2 "'The Voice' Star Melanie Martinez's Ambitious Concept Album 'Cry Baby' Fizzles: Album Review". Billboard.com. August 21, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Album Review: Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Outlet. August 13, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  22. ↑ "SPIN Pop Report: Melanie Martinez Loads Her Sippycups With Booze, Alexx Mack Cracks Open the Sunroof". Spin Review. November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  23. ↑ Staff, SPIN (7 December 2015). "The 25 Best Pop Albums of 2015". SPIN Magazine. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  24. ↑ "iTunes Store (US) - Music - Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby". iTunes Store (US). August 14, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "iTunes Store (US) – Music – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby (deluxe edition)". iTunes Store (US). August 14, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Melanie Martinez: Cry Baby" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  33. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 34, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 44 (dal 2016-10-28 al 2016-11-03)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Melanie Martinez | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Music Canada. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Certificados Musicales Amprofon" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 2, 2017. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Enter Cry Baby in the search field and then press Enter.
  47. ↑ "American album certifications – Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 2, 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  48. ↑ "Cry Baby's Extra Clutter Vinyl EP". Melanie Martinez. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  49. ↑ "Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP $14.98". Urban Outfitters. 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
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