"Orange Juice" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the ninth track on her 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 3, 2020.
Background[]
On September 2, 2019, a snippet of the track was released exclusively in the Netherlands, Russia, and Turkey as an assignment, before being officially released worldwide.
Theme[]
The song is about Cry Baby's friend, Fleur, and her struggles with bulimia. Fleur was a member of Kelly's posse, and thus was expected to maintain a specific figure to continue being her friend, which was the main cause of her eating disorder. She is shown to have a hatred for her body, but Cry Baby believes that she is beautiful and wants her to see herself with her eyes. The lyric, 'You turn oranges to orange juice' refers to how people with bulimia often throw up their meal after eating.
In an interview on Melanie's October 2019 issue for Alternative Press Magazine, she revealed more of the background and meaning behind the song:
"Growing up and growing into my body, l've had many insecurities and doubts on my own beauty. lt can be quite difficult to escape the immense pressure we all feel to fit into a certain mold of what our environment deems beautiful. When I was younger, I have a vivid memory of confiding with girls from school about my insecurities and them suggesting to me that I should just do what they do and make myself throw up, I think it's become too normal for kids to think that they have to change the way they look in order to be valued or accepted. I wanted to write a song and create a story within this film that could help young people understand how incredible it is that our bodies are all completely unique. Every curve, every mark on our body belongs to us and us alone. We take our bodies for granted instead of being grateful for it keeping us alive for this long. We also place too much importance on outside appearance and not enough on what's in our heart and mind. This song will hopefully act as a reminder to appreciate your vessel and the magic it holds."
Melanie Martinez
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Oh, oh, stick it down your throat
I'm watching from the bathroom
Making sure I don't choke, choke
From the words you spoke when you're screamin' at the mirror
(Scre-screamin' at the mirror)
Now you're sitting in the cafeteria
Shoving clementines and orange bacteria
Down your throat a dozen times or near, yeah
Fooling those around of your bulimia
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Verse 2]
Oh, oh, I believe you chose to blow it on the reading carpet
That's what happens when you stuff it
Please say that you won't continue
Ordering oranges off the menu
Stuffin' up your mouth with t-t-tissue
The way you look is not an issue
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Bridge]
Ooh, I wish I could give you my set of eyes
'Cause I know your eyes ain't working, mhm
I wish I could tell you that you're fine, so fine
But you'll find that disconcerting
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Outro]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Verse 1]
Oh, oh, stick it down your throat
I'm watching from the bathroom
Making sure I don't choke, choke
From the words you spoke when you're screamin' at the mirror
(Scre-screamin' at the mirror)
Now you're sitting in the cafeteria
Shoving clementines and orange bacteria
Down your throat a dozen times or near, yeah
Fooling those around of your bulimia
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Verse 2]
Oh, oh, I believe you chose to blow it on the reading carpet
That's what happens when you stuff it
Please say that you won't continue
Ordering oranges off the menu
Stuffin' up your mouth with t-t-tissue
The way you look is not an issue
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Bridge]
Ooh, I wish I could give you my set of eyes
'Cause I know your eyes ain't working, mhm
I wish I could tell you that you're fine, so fine
But you'll find that disconcerting
[Chorus]
You turn oranges to orange juice
Enter there, then spit it out of you
Your body is imperfectly perfect
Everyone wants what the other one's working
No orange juice
[Post-chorus]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
[Outro]
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Eeeh ahh ee ahh, OJ
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | K-12 | September 6, 2019 | Michael Keenan | 2016-2017 | 3:37 | |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | May 11, 2020 | Michael Keenan | - | 3:37 |
Gallery[]
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To view the gallery of Orange Juice, click here.
|
Music video[]
The music video begins with a shot of Cry Baby sitting in a bathroom stall, listening intently as a person in the stall next to her is throwing up, before the camera cuts to the other stall and reveals that it is Fleur. Kelly, who is standing behind Fleur, tauntingly encourages her to continue making herself throw up, before leaving. Cry Baby continues to listen as Fleur causes a mirror to break with her mind, then sinks down to the floor and cries, taking off the blonde wig that she is forced to wear as part of Kelly's posse. The scene cuts to Kelly's posse in the cafeteria at lunch, with each of them having only orange slices on their trays. Fleur hesitantly takes a bite of one, and she is then shown with her natural hair again, throwing up in the bathroom.
The video shows Cry Baby in a field with orange and black hair, kneeling on the ground as an orange falls into her hand, before she presses it to her nose. Kelly shows Fleur a teen magazine before the video once again shows Cry Baby in the field, this time dancing with the orange and a group of racially diverse women. Next, Fleur is shown in the counselor's office, with her mother and sister at her side, while the scene cuts to shots of Fleur outlining the waist of a drawing in a magazine, laying on her back eating orange slices, and weighing herself on a scale, before returning to the counselor's office. Frustrated, Fleur screams, causing papers to fly everywhere. The video returns to the dancing scene, briefly showing Cry Baby exiting the bathroom stall and meeting Fleur before showing the dance again.
Kelly and Fleur are seen at the top of an orange tree, with Kelly using a knife to cut open Fleur's head. The shot then cuts back to the bathroom, where Cry Baby removes her own eyes and puts them in Fleur's head and vice versa. Kelly pulls open Fleur's head and places an orange inside, laughing as orange juice flows out from Fleur's mouth. Cry Baby retrieves a ladder, using it to climb to the top of the tree. Kelly drops the second orange she was about to put in Fleur's head when she spots Cry Baby, and Cry Baby uses her powers to make Kelly disappear, leaving a cloud of pink smoke. Cry Baby closes Fleur's head and the video cuts to black as it ends.
Cast[]
- Cry Baby: Melanie Martinez
- Fleur: Zion Moreno
- Kelly: Maggie Budzyna
- Counselor: Unknown
Errors[]
- The tattoo on the inside of Melanie's arm can be seen when she begins dancing with the orange.
Trivia[]
- This song and "Nurse's Office" are the only non-explicit songs on K-12.
- Melanie threw orange peels at the crowd while performing the song on the K-12 Tour.[1]
- Although it was originally reported that the song was based on a personal experience of Melanie's, she later confirmed the statement was false.
- Each song on K-12 represents a different grade level in school, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
- "Orange Juice" represents eighth grade.
- People washing their hands, faucets being turned on and off, paper towels being ripping and vomiting can be heard throughout the song.
- During an interview with fans via Zoom in July 2020, Melanie said that the Orange Juice music video was the hardest to film emotionally, due to the song's topics, and she and the film's co-director, Josh McKie, would cry right before filming to get their energy out.
- Melanie revealed in the same interview that the scene where Fleur's head was cut open was one of the hardest scenes to film and edit, and she said that a prosthetic was made for the scene.
- The magazine Fleur is reading in the music video seems to be called "Teen Queens".
