"Detention" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the tenth track on their sophomore album, K-12. The music video was released as part of the film on September 6, 2019 and was later separately released on February 4, 2020.
Background[]
In April 2017, Melanie collaborated with photographer Emily Soto on a photoshoot to create visual imagery for each track on K-12. In the visual imagery for Detention, it is shown that Johnny was supposedly present in the song's original idea, although this does not happen in the final product.
On July 9, 2019, a snippet of this track was released exclusively in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, as an assignment prior to being released worldwide.
In an interview on Melanie's October 2019 issue for Alternative Press Magazine, she revealed more of the background and process behind writing the song:
"I wrote this song on tour when I was extremely burned out from performing but felt this pressure or obligation to keep going, because if I were to complain about it, I'd feel like people wouldn't understand. As artists, we sometimes are afraid to say how we feel because we don't want our venting to sound like complaining. As fulfilling as touring can be, I think with any great thing in life there can be downsides and one of those downsides is that most people idealize touring and have a perception of it that is a bit sugarcoated. It's not glamorous at all. It is very hard work that can be mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually draining. I thought it'd be nice for people to hear a perspective that is a bit more emotionally honest on what touring can feel like. Of course, it is beautiful to be able to share important messages through music and art across the globe and coming together with people from all over to create a safe space to feel accepted. But I've also learned that over time it is important to develop healthy ways of protecting my energy so I can perform to the best of my ability as well as radiate positive energy that others can feel, too."
Melanie Martinez
On December 31, 2019, Michael Keenan posted a video on Instagram of a step-by-step process of how the instrumental of the song was created.[1]
Theme[]
The song refers to the feeling of suppression and vulnerability while being in the public eye and having to put up a perfect image even if you are not alright. The place "detention" refers to being in the music industry, as many artists feel as though they have to present perfectly in order to not be criticized.
Story-wise, this song is about Cry Baby being sent to detention after starting the food fight in the cafeteria during lunch in the film.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I'm not a bad guy
So don't treat me bad if I'm feeling sad, alright?
Please don't be mad if I don't smile back, alright?
If I fuck up my words, don't think I'm absurd, alright?
Alright?
[Pre-chorus]
I'm physically exhausted
Tired of my knuckles beating
I'm chewing gum to pass this time of
Sadness, can't you see it?
You're too busy seeking selfish wishes
Don't care how I'm feeling
You write me up and say it's love
And I can't believe it
[Chorus]
Baby, can you meet me tonight in detention?
I can feel your blood pressure rise, fuck this tension
Let me crawl up into your mind, did I mention?
Pretending everything's alright is detention
[Post-chorus]
De-detention
De-detention
Pretending everything's alright is (Shh)
[Verse 2]
The teachers don’t care about me
Fuck how I feel, as long as I make money
They let them do whatever they want to me
They're the customer, I'm chopped meat
I'm chopped meat
[Pre-chorus]
I'm physically exhausted
Tired of my knuckles beating
I'm chewing gum to pass this time of
Sadness, can't you see it?
You're too busy seeking selfish wishes
Don't care how I'm feeling
You write me up and say it's love
And I can't believe it
[Chorus]
Baby, can you meet me tonight in detention?
I can feel your blood pressure rise, fuck this tension
Let me crawl up into your mind, did I mention?
Pretending everything's alright is detention
[Post-chorus]
De-detention
De-detention
Pretending everything's alright is detention
[Bridge]
I wanna go home and you say, "Now is not the time"
Fuck being all alone in back of the classroom, ah
Stop calling up my phone, trying to say that I've been out of line
When all I ever asked was to go to the bathroom
[Chorus]
Baby, can you meet me tonight in detention?
I can feel your blood pressure rise, fuck this tension
Let me crawl up into your mind, did I mention?
Pretending everything's alright is detention
[Outro]
Tonight, I can feel your blood pressure rise
Let me crawl up into your mind
Pretending everything's alright (Is detention)
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | K-12 | September 6, 2019 | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 3:56 | |
| Clean version | K-12 | September 6, 2019 | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 3:56 | |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | May 27, 2020 (leaked) | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 3:56 | |
| Demos | ||||||
| Voice memo | Unreleased | Unleaked | Michael Keenan | ~February 25/26, 2016[2] | Unknown | |
Live Performances[]
"Detention" was performed at:
Gallery[]
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To view the gallery of Detention, click here.
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Music video[]
The music video begins with a view of a school staff supervising a classroom of students who are in detention. The students look bored and like they are about to fall asleep when several more staff haul Cry Baby, who is trying to escape their grasp, into the classroom and seat her at a desk, strapping her hands to it so she cannot leave the room. Cry Baby screams and the Detention Teacher hits her with a ruler, telling her to shut up. Nurses enter the room and begin pricking the students with needles, causing them to sit up straight, smiling. When it is Cry Baby's turn, she looks away, cringing, before the dose she was given forces her to sit up and smile as well.
The next scene shows two suited men dragging Cry Baby away to another room where two other female students are seen dancing inside of a glass case, before the camera cuts to a brief shot of Leo, now the Principal of K-12 Sleepaway School, sitting at his desk. The video returns to Cry Baby and she is seen inside of the glass case, standing slightly forward with the other two female students behind her on her left and right respectively. It is then shown that the students who are dancing have an audience of other students, who clap and cheer as Cry Baby begins to dance with the others. The video shows a quick closeup of a bowl full of insects, which the students are throwing at the glass case. The video returns to the classroom, quickly showing another shot of Leo at his desk in between shots, before showing Cry Baby and the other students reading at their desks. As Leo is shown again, he is counting his money, before he begins to look a bit puzzled.
Cry Baby begins to cry, though there is still a large smile plastered on her face, and the video returns to Leo. He flips through the money in his hand and every bill strangely has a photo of Cry Baby's face on it. Another scene of the students watching the three girls dancing is shown before it returns to Cry Baby in the detention classroom. There are tears streaming down her face and her eyes repeatedly flicker from normal to black, as if she is struggling to use her powers due to the drug she was given. The video cuts back and forth from Cry Baby in the classroom to Cry Baby in the glass case multiple times, before Leo is shown dropping the money in his hand. His eyes roll back into his head, showing only the whites, and he begins to walk off as the video quickly shows the Detention Teacher on the phone and Cry Baby in the classroom before returning to the dancers. Leo enters the classroom, freeing an exhausted-looking Cry Baby from her bonds before his eyes return to normal and he looks around, confused. A brief shot of the dancers is shown again before it cuts to the Detention Teacher and the Nurse each noticing that Cry Baby is missing from detention. Cry Baby breaks the glass of the case and all three girls step forwards, with Cry Baby leaning in close to the students, smiling at them as they begin to back away. The video cuts to black as it ends.
Cast[]
- Cry Baby: Melanie Martinez
- Leo: Jesy McKinney
- Detention Teacher: Unknown
- Nurse: Judith Amsenga
- Dancer 1: Keoni Hayles
- Dancer 2: Nara Narantsatral
Errors[]
- The girl sitting in the middle of the first row in the class raises her head twice; once when the nurse starts pricking her with the needle, and another time when she finishes.
- The girl in the middle in the first row doesn't smile like how the others do in the film after it shows Crybaby flipping through the pages of her book on her desk.
Trivia[]
- Melanie wrote the song during the Cry Baby Tour.
- The Spotify version of the song has some alterations in the chorus, being more noticeable when it comes to voice distortion.
- In the clean version, the post-chorus is not distorted.
- Each song on K-12 represents a different grade level in school, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
- Detention represents ninth grade.
- The sound of glass breaking is only heard in the film and music video, but is not in the audio.
- This track, "Cry Baby", and "POWDER" have the same tempo. (95BPM)
- People saying "shh", can be heard throughout the song.
- Detention's dancing scene was shot at Ráday kastély in Pécel, Hungary.
- The book in the music video is called the Liber Precum Publicaru, It is unknown if the use of the book was intentional or just randomly chosen. The book deals with values, great religious propaganda, and rules that are strictly followed.
- On the Artist Spotlight Stories, Melanie played a snippet of the song's demo and also a short video of her recording the song.[3]
- The snippet starts at 1:52.
