"Mrs. Potato Head" is a song by American recording artist

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 ...

off of her debut album, '' Cry Baby'' (2015). Lyrically, the song deals with

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...

, its consequences, and the struggle for beauty in the modern world, especially for women. It was written by Melanie Martinez, Jeremy Dussolliet, and Tim Sommers, and was produced by Kinetics & One Love. "Mrs. Potato Head" was hailed as a highlight of ''Cry Baby'', with critics praising Martinez's songwriting and vocal delivery, Kinetics & One Love's production, and the song's overall theme. On December 1, 2016, a music video of the song was released, depicting the fictional protagonist of the song's parent album, Cry Baby, watching the decay of a woman pressured to undergo plastic surgery, through a television screen. The song charted and peaked at number five on the ''

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Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart.

Background and composition

"Mrs. Potato Head" is a

dark wave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

song that is three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Lyrically, "Mrs. Potato Head" has been noted for its lyrics on

and its consequences. In an interview with ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

s Noisey.com, Martinez stated, "I had the idea for "Mrs. Potato Head" for a long time and the whole visual I had in my head was the fact that you can pull toy pieces off the face and that could represent plastic surgery." In an interview with ''

'', Martinez stated that "Mrs. Potato Head" was "the most challenging song to write, but it was worth it."

Critical reception

"Mrs. Potato Head" received acclaim from critics. In his review of ''Cry Baby'', Allan Raible of

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, deemed "Mrs. Potato Head" a highlight of ''Cry Baby''. He went on to call "Mrs. Potato Head" a "biting critique" on plastic surgery, and an overall "masterpiece". Jason Scott of PopDust, called the track "a revelation on plastic surgery and the need for torturous beauty", and called the track a "must listen". Thomas Kraus of ''Outlet Magazine'' dubbed "Mrs. Potato Head" his favorite track from Cry Baby, and rated the track 10/10. He further praised Martinez's lyricism and vocal delivery, and ultimately called the song "all-around brilliant".

Music video

A music video for "Mrs. Potato Head" was released December 1, 2016. The video begins with Cry Baby, the fictional protagonist of the song's parent album, watching television advertisements for blonde wigs and diet pills that supposedly make a woman ‘beautiful’. Depressed, Cry Baby stuffs her bra and covers her hair with a wig to appear beautiful. Cry Baby then returns to watching television, where she sees the fictional titular character described in the song, Mrs. Potato Head, undergo many cosmetic operations, as a result of her husband, Mr. Potato Head, requesting she get a facelift. The fictitious couple then regret the decision to alter Mrs. Potato Head's body through cosmetic surgery, as said surgery has backfired and ruined her natural beauty. Mr. Potato Head lets his wife wear a wig in a feeble attempt to make her look better. Mrs. Potato Head realizes she was beautiful without her numerous cosmetic operations, and that she was attempting to conform to modern beauty standards. In the end, Mr. Potato Head leaves Mrs. Potato Head for another woman, and Cry Baby removes her own "enhancements" out of shock. Maggie Dickman of ''

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'' praised the video, saying it was "eerily amazing". Dickman further lauded the video, stating, "In her classic style, Martinez challenges traditional beauty stereotypes in the most real way possible."

Charts

"Mrs. Potato Head" charted and peaked at number five on the ''Billboard''

chart for the week of December 24, 2016.

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2015 songs Dark wave songs Melanie Martinez songs Mr. Potato Head Songs written by Melanie Martinez Songs written by One Love (record producer) Songs written by Kinetics (rapper) Body image in popular culture Songs about fictional characters Songs about fictional female characters