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"99 Cent Store" is an unreleased song by Melanie Martinez. It was intended to be featured on her debut studio album Cry Baby, however, it was later scrapped.
The full song was leaked on September 17, 2018.
Background[]
On May 15, 2014, the song's co-writer, Kinetics, teased the track on Twitter.[1] He later shared lyrics from the song on May 24, 2014.[2] Jake Ottmann, the manager of Kinetics and One Love, also mentioned the song on Twitter on June 5, 2014.[3]
In a 2021 interview with the GRAMMY Museum, Melanie revealed that she visited a 99 Cents Only store to record various toy sounds used as samples in the song's production.[4] In the same interview, she explained that the track ultimately did not appear on the final album because it did not fit the overarching storyline.[4]
Theme[]
The song is centered around a girl falling in love with a boy who "sold her cheap lies". It tells the story of her looking back at her relationship with the boy, and now finally seeing through all his glamorous facade. She was head over heels for someone who she thought she knew, but in reality, she only fell in love with the fake disguise he put on. His "ribbons and bows" were just a decoration to hide his true self. The song compares their relationship to something bought at a 99 cent store: pretty and shiny, but also incredibly cheap and not destined to last.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I had pinwheels in my eyes for you
Blinded by the pinks and blues
Oh, you were my wind-up Romeo
We had matching bubblegum tattoos
Serenade me with your kazoo
You tricked me with your ribbons and your bows
[Pre-chorus]
It's so shiny in a shopping cart
Pretty in a parking lot
But when you go home
That's when it falls apart
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
Ah, ah, you sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 1]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
[Verse 2]
Wine and dine me with your plastic fruit
Robbed me up of my sweet tooth
Held me up with a loaded water gun
Tied me to these toy train tracks
You left me there and you never came back
Tacky souvenirs when it's said and done
[Pre-chorus]
It's so shiny in a shopping cart
Pretty in a parking lot
But when you go home
That's when it falls apart
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
Ah, ah, you sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 2]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
You sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 1]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
[Outro]
Ah, ah, I still think about you sometimes (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh)
But only when I walk through the 99 cent store (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh)
[Verse 1]
I had pinwheels in my eyes for you
Blinded by the pinks and blues
Oh, you were my wind-up Romeo
We had matching bubblegum tattoos
Serenade me with your kazoo
You tricked me with your ribbons and your bows
[Pre-chorus]
It's so shiny in a shopping cart
Pretty in a parking lot
But when you go home
That's when it falls apart
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
Ah, ah, you sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 1]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
[Verse 2]
Wine and dine me with your plastic fruit
Robbed me up of my sweet tooth
Held me up with a loaded water gun
Tied me to these toy train tracks
You left me there and you never came back
Tacky souvenirs when it's said and done
[Pre-chorus]
It's so shiny in a shopping cart
Pretty in a parking lot
But when you go home
That's when it falls apart
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
Ah, ah, you sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 2]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
[Chorus]
I still think about you sometimes
Only when I walk through the 99 cent store
You sold me all those cheap lies
Could've built me a whole 99 cent store
[Post-chorus 1]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
[Outro]
Ah, ah, I still think about you sometimes (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh)
But only when I walk through the 99 cent store (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh)
Official versions[]
| Version | Associated project | Leak date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "99 cent store 01.mp3" (final) | Cry Baby | September 17, 2018 | One Love | May 15, 2014 | 3:44 |
Trivia[]
- This song, along with "Ring Pop" and "Zzzz", were recorded in the same day.
- The song was produced in Logic Pro.[note 1]
- Melanie plays the kazoo in this song.
- The song was played on a radio station without Melanie's or her team's permission, as with various other unreleased songs recorded by Melanie.[citation needed]
- The guitar used in this song is the same guitar used within the instrumentals of both "Ring Pop" and "Cry Baby".
- "Glue Stick" also uses the kick bass of this song during the riff part of the kazoo.
- The song's official project file leaked on December 5, 2021.
- This song took over 90 takes to finish based on the files.
Notes[]
- ↑ Within the leaked project files of the song, one folder entails various EXS type files, labeled as "Sampler Instruments". The musical variant of this file type is known as an instrument used exclusively by the DAW Logic Pro.
