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"MOON CYCLE" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the tenth track on her third studio album, PORTALS.

The full song was performed at a Lollapalooza Chile sideshow on March 21, 2023. It was officially released as part of the standard version of PORTALS on March 31, 2023.

Background[]

"MOON CYCLE" is one of the songs that was written and recorded by Melanie in her home studio, her "portal room".[1] She originally wrote the song over a track produced by Pearl Lion from a folder sent by her A&R, Jeff Levin. She later sent and reworked the demo with Kinetics and One Love, similar to "FAERIE SOIRÉE", "LEECHES" and "Emerald". For the final album, Melanie scrapped all One Love production work on this song and "FAERIE SOIRÉE", preferring the original guitar-based instruments she wrote them to. The original instrumental were finished and polished, all with the help of CJ Baran.[leaked]

On March 7, 2023, a fan account, @milky.tinez, received a message from Atlantic Records asking for an address in order to send them a package. A week later, on March 15, 2023, the fan received the package with an edible white chocolate egg along with a USB drive inside with a note[2]:

Hatch me. A piece of the puzzle has been given to you. Eat the shell, eat the goo. What's inside is important, so please do share. I trust that you'll handle this portal with care.

On March 21, 2023, Melanie posted a video on Instagram that featured a snippet of "LIGHT SHOWER". Under it, someone commented, "Even she skipped Moon Cycle", referring to how the song didn't receive a snippet video. Melanie then replied to the comment saying: [3]

"first of all, I love moon cycle. Y'all hear one clip and act like you've heard the whole song 😂 I just don't have lil videos made for every single one yet."

The song was confirmed as the tenth track on PORTALS on March 16, 2023, through Melanie's social media.[4] The song's lyrics were revealed on March 30, 2023, on Melanie's official website.

Theme[]

In an interview with Apple Music, Melanie revealed the theme of the song:

On each of my albums I like to include at least one "taboo" song about something many people deal with but no one talks about in music. I wanted to write a fun, lighthearted, song about being a person who experiences menstruation. How blood represents vitality and life. I wanted the chorus to be pretty and to use analogies for bleeding that were sweet. "Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate it's so scary, how my aura got him howling at my moon cycle baby." The rumbling sounds that lead into the song are my actual period cramps I recorded on my phone. With the conflict of patriarchal society brainwashing straight cis men to believe they should have any kind of say over other people's bodies, and also the general kind of ick that they get from the discussion of menstruation, I wanted to make the song extra uncomfy for them by going on to describe a man who lives for period sex!
Melanie Martinez

Many have speculated that the line in "MOON CYCLE", "I can win a fight on my period. Matter fact, right now I could build a pyramid", was a response to the line "Stacking shit, like each brick on my pyramid, I'm angry, and bloody like a bitch on her period" in the song "Revival" by Oliver Tree. However, on August 2, 2023, Melanie herself denied this in a comment on TikTok, saying:[5]

Moon cycle isn't about Oliver. It isn't about anyone. This doesn't even make sense, please stop making things up and leave him alone.
Melanie Martinez

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
"Why you always act so serious?"
I said, "baby boy, you know I'm on my period," yuh
He bit the cherry down, he's delirious
Seeing red figures in his mirrors and
Acting like a real tough, furious
Blood-swimming turned him amphibious
He says he doesn't care, that he's into this
It happens every time the new season hits

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Verse 2]
Now he kissing on the ground that I walk on
Tryna get another taste, but I'm all cramped up
Pain like a blade on the front lawn
But I don't give a fuck 'cause I'm so strong
I don't gotta act, I'm Ethereous
I could win a fight on my period, matter fact
Right now, I could build a pyramid
You're messin' with my cycle, that is dangerous

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Outro]
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby

[Verse 1]
"Why you always act so serious?"
I said, "baby boy, you know I'm on my period," yuh
He bit the cherry down, he's delirious
Seeing red figures in his mirrors and
Acting like a real tough, furious
Blood-swimming turned him amphibious
He says he doesn't care, that he's into this
It happens every time the new season hits

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Verse 2]
Now he kissing on the ground that I walk on
Tryna get another taste, but I'm all cramped up
Pain like a blade on the front lawn
But I don't give a fuck 'cause I'm so strong
I don't gotta act, I'm Ethereous
I could win a fight on my period, matter fact
Right now, I could build a pyramid
You're messin' with my cycle, that is dangerous

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Outro]
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby

[Verse 1]
"Why you always act so serious?"
I said, "baby boy, you know I'm on my period," yuh
He bit the cherry down, he's delirious
Seeing red figures in his mirrors and
Acting like a real tough, furious
Blood-swimming turned him amphibious
He says he doesn't care, that he's into this
It happens every time the new season hits

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Verse 2]
Now he kissing on the ground that I walk on
Tryna get another taste, but I'm all cramped up
Pain like a blade on the front lawn
But I don't give a fuck 'cause I'm so strong
I don't gotta act, I'm Ethereous
I could win a fight on my period, matter fact
Right now, I could build a pyramid
You're messin' with my cycle, that is dangerous

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Outro]
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby

[Verse 1]
"Why you always act so serious?"
I said, "baby boy, you know I'm on my period," yuh
He bit the cherry down, he's delirious
Seeing red figures in his mirrors and
Acting like a real tough, furious
Blood-swimming turned him amphibious
He says he doesn't care, that he's into this
It happens every time the new season hits

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Verse 2]
Now he kissing on the ground that I walk on
Tryna get another taste, but I'm all cramped up
Pain like a blade on the front lawn
But I don't give a fuck 'cause I'm so strong
I don't gotta act, I'm Ethereous
I could win a fight on my period, matter fact
Right now, I could build a pyramid
You're messin' with my cycle, that is dangerous

[Chorus]
Skin ready for my heavy daily creme
I keep it handy, womb shedding any lessons
Making room for blessings
Juice melting like raspberry, pomegranate
It's so scary how my aura got him howling
At my moon cycle, baby

[Outro]
Moon cycle, baby
Moon cycle, baby

Official versions[]

Version Released on Release date Producer(s) Creation date Length
Final PORTALS March 31, 2023 CJ Baran, Pearl Lion 2021-2022 2:32
Clean version PORTALS March 31, 2023 CJ Baran, Pearl Lion 2021-2022 2:32
Demos
Demo 1 Unreleased Unleaked Melanie Martinez (Pearl Lion topline) January 2021 Unknown
"moon cycle v0.1" (demo 2) Unreleased October 31, 2021 (leaked) One Love April 2021 2:17

Live performances[]

"MOON CYCLE" was performed at:

Tours[]

Festivals[]

Trivia[]

  • An extended snippet of the song was later shared through Egg hatching.
    • The rest of the tracks on PORTALS, except "DEATH", "TUNNEL VISION", "FAERIE SOIRÉE" and "LEECHES" also had a snippet released in this type of promotion.
      • This is the fifth track to be revealed under Atlantic's deliveries.
  • This song had official merchandise referencing its theme before it was revealed.
  • This is the shortest song on the PORTALS, while the longest is "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX".
  • "THE CONTORTIONIST" transitions to this track, while this song transitions directly to "NYMPHOLOGY".
    • For the outro of "THE CONTORTIONIST", Melanie sampled her own period cramps on her phone.
    • Wings fluttering can be heard on the outro of "MOON CYCLE".
  • Wolf howling and fruit squeezing can be heard throughout the song.
    • The wolf howling used is an allusion to the popular representation of wolves howling at a full moon.
      • It is implied in the lyric "It's so scary how my aura got him howling".
    • The samples of fruit squeezing were also applied in the lyric "Juice melting like raspberry pomegranate".
  • This song, "LEECHES", and "WOMB" are the only songs on PORTALS that never received a promotional video.
  • Melanie stated that she would not include songs that had leaked before the album's release. However, despite this song being leaked prior to the album's release, it still made it onto the album.
  • In an interview with Apple Music, Melanie revealed that she likes to include at least one "taboo" track on her albums, with MOON CYCLE being the taboo track on PORTALS.
  • There is an artist named Aries that has an unreleased song titled "Under Your Skin" that uses the same instrumental that "MOON CYCLE" uses, as both songs are produced by Pearl Lion.[6] The song is currently unreleased and was first performed live on September 7, 2019.[7]

References[]

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