"Teacher's Pet" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the eleventh 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 5, 2020.
Background[]
Melanie shared a snippet of the song through her social media accounts on August 15, 2019. While the song was meant to be exclusively released in Atlanta, Georgia and Houston/Dallas, Texas as an assignment, a glitch occurred that caused the hotspots to remain closed although they were meant to have been opened.
In an interview on Melanie's October 2019 issue for Alternative Press Magazine, she revealed more of the background behind the song:
"This is by far the creepiest song on the album, and I wanted it to sound scary to match how grotesque the subject matter is. I think media and society at large has always glamorized young girls being with much older men. I remember as a kid when a teacher would get reported with a student, the news would always portray it as a teacher-student affair instead of calling it what it is, which is abuse and really just that teacher exerting the power of their age over a child."
Melanie Martinez
Theme[]
The song speaks on pedophilia, grooming, and inappropriate teacher-student relationships. Story-wise, it is about Cry Baby's best friend Angelita having a sexual relationship with their Biology Teacher. She wishes to have a serious relationship with him, however, he only uses her for sexual gratification. She questions why their relationship needs to be kept a secret if he truly believes that she is special and really cares about her. Angelita knows that the relationship is doomed to end, but she still wants to hold onto it, believing that it could be something more. The song is to spread awareness about grooming, pedophilia and children's safety.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Caught the teacher giving his eyes to a student
Pouty, pretty, cute and she bit her lip back to him
Chewing on her nails and her pens while she's dreaming of him
And he's fucking in sin (You know he is)
[Pre-chorus]
She said, "It's for all the right reasons
Baby, don't care 'bout grades, just call me your lady
If I pass this quiz, will you give me your babies?
Don't call me crazy
You love me, but you won't come save me
You got a wife and kids, you see them daily
Don't know why you even made me"
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret?
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
[Verse 2]
She's feeling like a spider in a cage
You liar, you were her desire
Now she wants to light you on fire
But fuck it, she'll still give you a call
And a lighter when you wanna get high
And mess around till you get numb
[Pre-chorus]
She said, "It's for all the right reasons
Baby, don't care 'bout grades, just call me your lady
If I pass this quiz, will you give me your babies?
Don't call me crazy
You love me, but you won't come save me
You got a wife and kids, you see them daily
Don't know why you even made me"
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret?
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
[Bridge]
Gimme back my money
Didn't learn a damn thing, honey, from you
Except how to lie and cheat while inside the sheets
Stop calling me your bunny
I won't hop and you don't own me
Do you? I bet you think you do
Well, you don't
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I? Why am I?)
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
[Verse 1]
Caught the teacher giving his eyes to a student
Pouty, pretty, cute and she bit her lip back to him
Chewing on her nails and her pens while she's dreaming of him
And he's fucking in sin (You know he is)
[Pre-chorus]
She said, "It's for all the right reasons
Baby, don't care 'bout grades, just call me your lady
If I pass this quiz, will you give me your babies?
Don't call me crazy
You love me, but you won't come save me
You got a wife and kids, you see them daily
Don't know why you even made me"
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret?
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
[Verse 2]
She's feeling like a spider in a cage
You liar, you were her desire
Now she wants to light you on fire
But fuck it, she'll still give you a call
And a lighter when you wanna get high
And mess around till you get numb
[Pre-chorus]
She said, "It's for all the right reasons
Baby, don't care 'bout grades, just call me your lady
If I pass this quiz, will you give me your babies?
Don't call me crazy
You love me, but you won't come save me
You got a wife and kids, you see them daily
Don't know why you even made me"
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret?
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
[Bridge]
Gimme back my money
Didn't learn a damn thing, honey, from you
Except how to lie and cheat while inside the sheets
Stop calling me your bunny
I won't hop and you don't own me
Do you? I bet you think you do
Well, you don't
[Chorus]
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I? Why am I?)
Yeah, why the fuck is that?
Do you regret the things we shared that I'll never forget?
Well, do you? Tell me that
I know I'm young, but my mind is well beyond my years
I knew this wouldn't last, but fuck you, don't you leave me here
Teacher's pet
If I'm so special, why am I secret? (Why am I?)
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | K-12 | September 6, 2019 | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 4:01 | |
| Clean version | K-12 | September 6, 2019 | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 4:01 | |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | May 5, 2020 (leaked) | Michael Keenan | 2016 | 4:01 |
Live performances[]
"Teacher's Pet" was performed at:
Tours
Festivals
- All Things Go Fall Classic (debut performance)
- Osheaga Music and Arts Festival 2024
- Lollapalooza Chicago 2024
- Corona Capital
Gallery[]
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To view the gallery of Teacher's Pet, click here.
|
Music video[]
The music video opens with a close-up shot of a desk, before panning out to show Angelita and other students in a biology classroom. Angelita seems to be zoning out, but the Biology Teacher slams his hand on her desk, catching her attention. He smiles at her and she smiles back. Angelita bites her lip and steals glances at the teacher whenever she can; meanwhile, Cry Baby seems to notice her odd behavior. The teacher sits back at his desk and finds "if I pass this quiz, will you give me your babies?" written on the bottom of Angelita's quiz. Angelita watches intently to see his reaction, making eye contact with him at one point, and the Biology Teacher puts a gold star sticker on her test. Angelita goes back to writing, smiling to herself, while Cry Baby looks at the teacher, then at Angelita, then back at the teacher, confused.
Angelita is staring into space during class when her desk partner nudges her, asking her a question, and Angelita appears to hand her classmate her eraser. The class is over soon after and the students begin to back up to leave. Angelita begins packing up as well, but she finds a note from the Biology Teacher asking her to stay after class, calling her his "favorite student". Angelita smiles and continues to pack up, but decides to stay. The teacher smirks at her before remembering he has a photo of himself with his wife and son on his desk. He reaches for it and places the photo frame face down. Angelita is still sitting at her desk when the Biology Teacher stands up and makes his way over to her. They have a brief conversation before the teacher moves to stand behind Angelita, beginning to make an advance on her. He offers out his hand and she takes it, letting the teacher lead her away.
Cry Baby is walking through the hallway when she hears a sound coming from the biology classroom, so she decides to see what is going on. Meanwhile, Angelita and the Biology Teacher are both standing at the teacher's desk. Angelita bends down, looking at something on the desk, before standing back up straight and walking away. While she can't see what he is doing, the Biology Teacher pulls out a lollipop and dips it into a vial of brown liquid, swirling it around before taking it out and offering it to Angelita. As soon as she tastes the lollipop, Angelita shrinks to an incredibly small size and lands in the Biology Teacher's hand. Cry Baby opens the classroom door and peers inside. Seeing that the Biology Teacher has the shrunken Angelita strapped down and is about to cut her open, she uses her powers to make the scalpel fly out of his hand before throwing him to the wall with a strong gust of wind. Cry Baby turns Angelita back to her normal size and Angelita takes out a butterfly knife, spinning it around. She corners the Biology Teacher and attacks him with the butterfly knife, presumably killing him, before the video cuts to black and ends.
Cast[]
Errors[]
- When the Biology Teacher was holding Angelita's test paper, the eleventh question is the only question that does not have an answer.
- This may also be a reference to the fact that "Teacher's Pet" is the eleventh track on K-12.
- The Biology Teacher throws the sheet of stickers out after putting a gold star on Angelita's test; however, he is seen holding the sheet again in a later shot.
Trivia[]
- "Teacher's Pet" and "Class Fight" are the only songs from K-12 that do not have any choreography in their music videos.
- While "Class Fight" did receive choreography during the K-12 Tour, "Teacher's Pet" did not.
- "Teacher's Pet" is the only song which Cry Baby is not the main character of in the music video, with the main character of the music video instead being Angelita.
- A fly buzzing and being swatted and evil laughter can be heard throughout the song.
- In an interview with Apple Music, Melanie said that she likes to include at least one "taboo" track on each of her albums, with Teacher's Pet being the taboo track on K-12.
- "Tag, You're It" is the taboo track on Cry Baby and "MOON CYCLE" is the taboo track on PORTALS.
- The music videos for "Teacher's Pet" and "Recess" are the only music videos from K-12 where Cry Baby does not appear singing.
- Each song on K-12 represents a different grade level in school, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
- "Teacher's Pet" represents tenth grade.
- "Teacher's Pet" was certified gold by the RIAA on July 15, 2022, making it the first track from K-12 to receive a RIAA certification.
- Melanie has described this song as the creepiest track on the album.
- This is Melanie's most streamed song from K-12.
