"THE CONTORTIONIST", originally titled "Done" [1], is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the ninth track on her third studio album, PORTALS.
The full song was first performed live at Lollapalooza Santiago on March 21, 2023. It was officially released as part of the standard version of PORTALS on March 31, 2023.
Background[]
This is one of the songs that Melanie claims as her favorite.[2] This track, as well as other tracks Melanie and CJ Baran worked on for this album, was formed as Melanie was pacing around her pool, writing lyrics to fit the melody Baran produced. The laughs in the chorus were the exact takes from Melanie's freestyle melody.
A snippet of the song was published on February 19, 2023, through Instagram with the caption "The Nucleus of Creation."[3]
On March 21, 2023, a fan account, @littlebodybiggirlheart on Instagram, received a file from Atlantic Records containing an extended snippet for this track in M4A format.
The song was confirmed as the ninth track on PORTALS on March 16, 2023, through Melanie's social media.[4] The song's lyrics were revealed on March 29, 2023, on Melanie's official website.[5]
Theme[]
According to Melanie, this song is about bending over backwards for someone who doesn't accept you as who you truly are.
In other themes, this song could be about a toxic and abusive relationship where the protagonist feels trapped and controlled by their partner. The lyrics describe the physical and emotional pain that the protagonist is enduring, with imagery of twisted bones, ribbons tied around like a noose, and feeling like they are being held at gunpoint. Despite the pain, the protagonist reaches a breaking point and decides that they are done with the relationship and will no longer subject themselves to the abuse.
This song is a part of a series of tracks on the album which Melanie calls as "Conflict Songs". This song along with "LEECHES", "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX", "MOON CYCLE", "NYMPHOLOGY", and "EVIL" as well as presumably "POWDER" and "MILK OF THE SIREN" are the conflict songs that Melanie intentionally added on PORTALS. These songs are about conflict on Earth. According to Melanie on her interview with Apple Music:
"People describe a lot of the after-life to be like a school of sorts, projecting into past lifetimes with people they keep incarnating with, to put themselves in each other's shoes. Showing how they could've best dealt with conflict on earth for next time. These next few songs are about conflict on earth. I'd like to think we all plan these moments together prior to coming here, triggering each other to evolve."
Melanie Martinez
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Twisted all my limbs for you
Two of them in knots and two of them in loops
Ribbons tied around like a noose
Wonder if I'll ever get it loose
I don't wanna bruise for you
Holding back my words until my face is blue
I don't really care about your crew
You can tell 'em what you wanted to
[Pre-chorus]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ahu-uhh!
[Chorus]
I'm done, I'm done
Done doing backbends, I break and I snap
It's no fun, no fun
Pushed myself into a box, while you held out a gun
I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
I'm done, I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
[Verse 2]
Twisting all my bones like screws
Stretching my self worth just like you usually do
Caught you like the cold or a flu (Ah-choo!)
Praying that I'll someday be immune
Got me like a bad tattoo
Always under skin, even when it gets removed
Never get a chance to undo
Positions that you forced my way into
[Pre-chorus]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ow!
[Chorus]
I'm done, I'm done
Done doing backbends, I break and I snap
It's no fun, no fun
Pushed myself into a box, while you held out a gun
I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
I'm done, I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa
[Outro]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Body's touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ow!
[Verse 1]
Twisted all my limbs for you
Two of them in knots and two of them in loops
Ribbons tied around like a noose
Wonder if I'll ever get it loose
I don't wanna bruise for you
Holding back my words until my face is blue
I don't really care about your crew
You can tell 'em what you wanted to
[Pre-chorus]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ahu-uhh!
[Chorus]
I'm done, I'm done
Done doing backbends, I break and I snap
It's no fun, no fun
Pushed myself into a box, while you held out a gun
I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
I'm done, I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
[Verse 2]
Twisting all my bones like screws
Stretching my self worth just like you usually do
Caught you like the cold or a flu (Ah-choo!)
Praying that I'll someday be immune
Got me like a bad tattoo
Always under skin, even when it gets removed
Never get a chance to undo
Positions that you forced my way into
[Pre-chorus]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ow!
[Chorus]
I'm done, I'm done
Done doing backbends, I break and I snap
It's no fun, no fun
Pushed myself into a box, while you held out a gun
I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-haaaa
I'm done, I'm done, ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa
[Outro]
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (pushing me)
Bodies touching, bodies touching (lovin' me)
Blood is pumping, blood is pumping (pulling me)
Feeling nothing, feeling nothing (fucking me)
Bones are crushing, bones are crushing (crushing me)
Body's touching, bodies touching (touching me)
Ow!
Official versions[]
There are multiple unleaked versions of the song with the original title, "Done".
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | PORTALS | March 31, 2023 | CJ Baran | 2021-2022 | 3:21 |
| ▶ | Clean version | PORTALS | March 31, 2023 | CJ Baran | 2021-2022 | 3:21 |
Live performances[]
"THE CONTORTIONIST" was performed at:
Tours[]
Festivals[]
- Lollapalooza 2023 (debut performance)
- Heineken Silver Live Out 2023
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Sarah Badr animated the snippet for this track alone.[3]
- The snippet video for this song is the most viewed out of all that Melanie released.
- It also began to trend on TikTok after it was posted, where a majority of the videos are people showing their make-up transitions by tilting their heads.
- This song is the third most successful song from PORTALS, alongside "DEATH", and "VOID".
- 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 seventh track to be revealed under Atlantic's deliveries, although the egg delivery was canceled due to shipping issues which led to Atlantic Records sending a file to the addressed fan page instead. This song is one of Baran and Melanie's favorite songs that they ever made.
- 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.
- "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX" transitions to this song, while this song transitions directly to "MOON CYCLE".
- For the transition to "MOON CYCLE", Melanie recorded her own period cramps on her phone and sampled it.
- At the PORTALS Release Party, there was a contortionist performing, which possibly embodies this song as a part of the album.
- The lyric "I don't really care 'bout your crew" could be a reference to the "guys from dive bar" lyric in "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX".
- The Violin solo used in the transition with BATTLE OF THE LARYNX can be heard in the second chorus of the track
References[]
[]
v • e  | |
|---|---|
| Featured tracks | DEATH • VOID • TUNNEL VISION • FAERIE SOIRÉE • LIGHT SHOWER • SPIDER WEB • LEECHES • BATTLE OF THE LARYNX • THE CONTORTIONIST • MOON CYCLE • NYMPHOLOGY • EVIL • WOMB |
| Bonus tracks | THE HATCHING • POWDER • PLUTO • MILK OF THE SIREN |
| Scrapped tracks | Barely Juice • Corpse • Death • Dragon's Blood • Emerald • Fairy Dance • Fingers Crossed • Fragile (unconfirmed) • Garden • Hawaii Space Guitar • Inconsistent Flame • Jinx • Labyrinth (version 1) • Labyrinth (version 2) • Magnets • MENace To Society • Mother of Pearl • Needle and Thread • Not Dead, Just Expired • Puzzles • Synchronicities • Tunnel Vision • Void • Walkie Talkie |
| Characters | The Creature (Cry Baby) • Masked Dancers • Faeries |
| Producers | Melanie Martinez • One Love • CJ Baran • Verde • The 23rd • Pearl Lion • Simon Says • Cautious Clay (deluxe) |
| Extras | Egg hatching • Film • Merchandise • Portals Parfums • Portals: The Game • Melanie Madness |
| Tour | PORTALS Tour • The Trilogy Tour |