"Dollhouse" is the debut single by the American singer-songwriter

Melanie Martinez Melanie Adele Martinez (born April 28, 1995) is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on the American television vocal talent show ''The Voice ...

. Written alongside music duo

Kinetics & One Love Jeremy "Kinetics" Dussolliet and Tim "One Love" Sommers are an American musical duo from New York City. They made their commercial debut as songwriters in 2010 by penning the chorus to B.o.B's single " Airplanes." They have collaborated with R ...

, the song was released on February 9, 2014 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

of her debut EP of the same name, and later featured on her debut studio album, '' Cry Baby'' (2015). Lyrically, "Dollhouse" is about a

dysfunctional family A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes even all of the above on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate suc ...

, who, according to Martinez, is "hiding being a perfect plastic facade". Martinez has also stated that "Dollhouse" is a metaphor for how people view celebrities and their seemingly perfect public lives. Dollhouse is also the second song of Cry Baby, and this song is also the first official song Martinez wrote. The song was featured in a preview for the

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

''.

Background and composition

"Dollhouse" was revealed to be a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

to "

Sippy Cup The sippy cup, training cup (American English) or beaker (British English) is a modern drinking cup designed for toddlers which prevents or reduces spills. Sippy cups, as opposed to an open cup, have a top which prevents spills, and the child dr ...

", another

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from the “Cry Baby” album that is about an alcoholic mother who decides to kill her husband and his mistress, sparing only her daughter. Lyrically, according to Martinez, the song discusses a dysfunctional family that is "hiding being a perfect facade", while also serving as a

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

"for how people view celebrities" and their seemingly perfect public lives.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was directed by Nathan Scialom & Tom McNamara and uploaded on Martinez's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on February 9, 2014. The video starts with a little girl playing with her

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

s in a

dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

. A visible doll is one that has makeup that is made to look like Martinez, who is playing the character Cry Baby in the video. The girl leaves the dollhouse, and the camera gives a closeup as the song starts. It then zooms in on Cry Baby, who is inside of the dollhouse. She sheds the light on her dysfunctional family, explaining that her father is out cheating on her mother, while her brother is smoking

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, as the camera pans over her mother who is passed out on the couch holding a wine bottle. The video then shows the family dressing up so they can look perfect in public and put on the facade of being a perfect family. After this the camera shows the family sitting on the couch, watching TV. Cry Baby describes that, to the outer world, while her mother may seem perfect, she is far from it, as when her husband is out cheating on her with another woman, she drinks away her sorrows. Cry Baby then notices that the girl is coming back upstairs, and warns the other dolls to go back into the places they were in before. They do, and as the girl approaches, Cry Baby stands up. The girl smiles at her, but then Cry Baby tells the girl that her family isn't as perfect as they let on, and she turns the girl into a doll. The rest of the family begins to corner the girl, and as they approach her the girl is turned back into a human. She runs away, and the dollhouse wall closes.

Track listing

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2014 debut singles 2014 songs Melanie Martinez songs Songs written by Melanie Martinez Songs written by Kinetics (rapper) Songs written by One Love (record producer) Songs about families Songs about alcohol Atlantic Records singles