"Carousel" is a song by Melanie Martinez featured on Dollhouse as the second track. It was released on May 19th, 2014 and the music video for it came out on October 15th, 2014. It is also featured as the fourth track on her debut album, Cry Baby. The song also has a Remix EP.
Theme
This song is about Cry Baby's first love interest and this being her first love encounter, making her situation even more frustrating when she realizes she cannot move forward or grow in this relationship. She wanted it to be magical in order to capture the first feelings of love, and yet still express the dark side of how toxic a one sided relationship was. The song expresses how Cry Baby can never quite catch up to him, as her love is unrequited. She feels like she is "glued on tight to a carousel", going around in circles, never seeming to be able to reach out and grab the one she loves.
Cross-references
Lyrics
[Chorus]
Round and round like a horse on a carousel
We go
Will I catch up to love?
I could never tell
I know chasing after you is like a fairy tale
But I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel
[Verse 1]
Come, come one, come all
You must be this tall
To ride this ride
At the carnival
Oh, come take my hand
And run through play land
So high, too high
At the carnival
[Pre-Chorus]
And it's all fun and games
'Til somebody falls in love
But you already bought a ticket
And there's no turning back now
[Chorus]
Round and round like a horse on a carousel
We go
Will I catch up to love?
I could never tell
I know chasing after you is like a fairy tale
But I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel
[Verse 2]
This horse is too slow
We're always this close
Almost, almost
We're a freak show
Right, right when I'm near
It's like you disappear
Where'd you go?
Mr. Houdini, you're a freak show
[Pre-Chorus]
And it's all fun and games
'Til somebody falls in love
But you already bought a ticket
And there's no turning back now
[Chorus]
Round and round like a horse on a carousel
We go
Will I catch up to love?
I could never tell
I know chasing after you is like a fairy tale
But I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel
[Bridge]
Why did you steal my cotton candy heart?
You threw it in this damn coin slot
And now I'm stuck, I'm stuck
Riding, riding, riding
[Chorus]
Round and round like a horse on a carousel
We go
Will I catch up to love?
I could never tell
I know chasing after you is like a fairy tale
But I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel
Videos
Music Video
The official music video was filmed at a carnival in Melanie’s hometown in Baldwin, New York on Long Island. It premiered on BuzzFeed on October 15th, 2014. The music video begins with curtains opening to pink letters spelling Carousel, while lights are flashing as white wooden horses spin around. Then, a carnie with a white mask backs up, then disappears. Cry Baby then fades in, as the carnival games and rides light up. Cry Baby begins singing and is shown on what looks like a teacup ride.
Cry Baby is shown again where she was when she faded in, and various carnies can be seen. Then, the engines are shown playing around with a fun-house mirror. The carnie from the beginning appears in front of a sign reading, "You must be this tall". Cry Baby then appears next to him and is exactly that height. She is shown singing again in front of a background with lights, and when we see her back where that carnie was, a guy appears. He takes her hand, and Cry Baby is lifted off the ground. They then go on a ride together, and after that Cry Baby is following him as she is floating through the air. They then go to play a game to win a prize, where another carnie appears. It can be supposed that he is meant to represent Cry Baby, as he is wearing a skirt and his shirt is half blue, half yellow. The carnie from the beginning reappears and shoots water into Cry Baby's mouth (which would normally be for a water balloon game).
He lifts a Cry Baby doll, that he wins. As that carnie, who is most likely the same person as the guy, and Cry Baby are sitting together, he suddenly disappears. He then reappears as the guy and Cry Baby follows him again. He puts her on a carousel, and then he walks away. Cry Baby realizes that she's tied on the carousel, and the guy as the carnie points at her. The other carnies are laughing, and the one with the skirt is showing his tattoos reading, "Game Over". Cry Baby then throws up pink vomit. Then, all the lights at the carnival go out, with Cry Baby no longer tied up to the carousel. She seems to wake up from a nightmare, and in a panic, she begins to run and tries to get back to the beginning to leave the carnival. In the end, she leaves and finds her way back to where she was in the beginning.
Cast
- Alphabet Boy: Austin Scoggin
Live
The live video takes place in an old house. There are balloons and vintage toys decorating the place. Miles Nasta and Mike Squillante are dressed up in onesies, with Miles playing a drum machine and Mike playing the keyboard and a guitar. Melanie is wearing a white dress with a white bow. As suggested by the title, Melanie is singing live throughout the video. This live video takes place in the same place as the Dollhouse live video.
Trivia
- This song was featured in the trailer for American Horror Story: Freak Show, one of Melanie's favorite shows.
- In the process to get the song to be featured, she submitted the song via e-mail and found out it was featured in the trailer two days before it aired.
- The song was written sometime in October of 2013.
- Melanie stated that this was actually telling a story of a relationship she was in.
- This is Melanie's fifth most popular song on YouTube, after Dollhouse, Pity Party, Pacify Her and Alphabet Boy .
- The music video reached over 100 million views on YouTube on December 21st, 2018, making it Melanie's third music video to reach this achievement. The music video has now reached over 125.5 million views and 1.5 million likes.
- The pink vomit that Melanie throws up while on the carousel in the music video is actually yogurt.
- Melanie did 2 takes for the pink vomit scene.
- The making of the music video cost around $15,000.
- The official stems of this song have leaked.
- There are 4 official remixes of this song which can be found on the Carousel (The Remixes) (EP).
- This is Melanie's favorite song from Dollhouse EP .
- This is the only song from Dollhouse to not appear on the Pity Party EP.
- This song was certified gold on September 1st, 2016. It is Melanie's third song to be certified gold, after Dollhouse and Pity Party. The song was later certified platinum January 10th, 2019, which also made it her third song to reach this achievement.
- The story and illustration for this song appear on the 9th page of the Cry Baby storybook, reading:
Carousel's Digital Booklet Page
"The carnival is where she fell
For the first time on the carousel
Round and round through the same hell
She never gets under his shell"
Gallery
Carousel (Song)/Gallery
