“Training Wheels” is the only love song on the album. I had this idea of taking off the training wheels and really going for it. I basically wanted to say that I wanted to ride a two-wheeler with him and go to the next level. I wrote this song in like 20 minutes. It was always a difficult experience writing to happy major chords. But somehow because of how happy and in love I really was it came super quick.
Melanie Martinez about "Training Wheels"
"Training Wheels" is a song by Melanie Martinez featured as the seventh track on her debut album, Cry Baby.
Melanie posted a snippet of the song on her Instagram on July 30, 2015. The music video was in a double feature video with "Soap", which was released on November 18, 2015.
Theme[]
"Training Wheels" is a love song that details Cry Baby in a relationship with her crush, Johnny, and her desire to move onto the next stage, which includes true commitment as well as sexual intimacy. "Training wheels" is a metaphor for her wanting to get serious and leave behind the boundaries that kept the relationship non-sexual, insisting that she can help relinquish his fear of commitment and vulnerability. He can call her out on her flaws, yet it proves he's invested in a way that implies they're ready to move things further.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Riding down, riding down
My hand on your seat
The whole way round
I carry Band-Aids on me now
For when your soft hands hit the jagged ground
Wheels aren't even touching the ground
Scared to take them off but they're so worn down
Promise I won't push you straight to the dirt
If you promise me you'll take them off first
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 2]
Letting go, letting go
Telling you things you already know
I explode, I explode
Asking you where you want us to go
You've been riding two-wheelers all your life
It's not like I'm asking to be your wife
I wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say
Is this coming off in a cheesy way?
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Bridge]
(I love everything you do)
(Wanna ride my bike with you)
(No training wheels left for you)
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 1]
Riding down, riding down
My hand on your seat
The whole way round
I carry Band-Aids on me now
For when your soft hands hit the jagged ground
Wheels aren't even touching the ground
Scared to take them off but they're so worn down
Promise I won't push you straight to the dirt
If you promise me you'll take them off first
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 2]
Letting go, letting go
Telling you things you already know
I explode, I explode
Asking you where you want us to go
You've been riding two-wheelers all your life
It's not like I'm asking to be your wife
I wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say
Is this coming off in a cheesy way?
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Bridge]
(I love everything you do)
(Wanna ride my bike with you)
(No training wheels left for you)
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 1]
Riding down, riding down
My hand on your seat
The whole way round
I carry Band-Aids on me now
For when your soft hands hit the jagged ground
Wheels aren't even touching the ground
Scared to take them off but they're so worn down
Promise I won't push you straight to the dirt
If you promise me you'll take them off first
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 2]
Letting go, letting go
Telling you things you already know
I explode, I explode
Asking you where you want us to go
You've been riding two-wheelers all your life
It's not like I'm asking to be your wife
I wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say
Is this coming off in a cheesy way?
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Bridge]
(I love everything you do)
(Wanna ride my bike with you)
(No training wheels left for you)
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 1]
Riding down, riding down
My hand on your seat
The whole way round
I carry Band-Aids on me now
For when your soft hands hit the jagged ground
Wheels aren't even touching the ground
Scared to take them off but they're so worn down
Promise I won't push you straight to the dirt
If you promise me you'll take them off first
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Verse 2]
Letting go, letting go
Telling you things you already know
I explode, I explode
Asking you where you want us to go
You've been riding two-wheelers all your life
It's not like I'm asking to be your wife
I wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say
Is this coming off in a cheesy way?
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
[Bridge]
(I love everything you do)
(Wanna ride my bike with you)
(No training wheels left for you)
[Chorus]
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
I love everything you do
When you call me really dumb for the stupid things I do
Wanna ride my bike with you
Fully undressed, no training wheels left for you
I'll pull them off for you
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | Cry Baby | August 14, 2015 | Babydaddy | 2014-2015 | 3:26 |
| ▶ | Clean version | Cry Baby | August 14, 2015 | Babydaddy | 2014-2015 | 3:26 |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | June 15, 2016 (leaked) | Babydaddy | 2014-2015 | 3:26 |
Gallery[]
|
To view the gallery of Training Wheels, click here.
|
Music video[]
The video starts out right after "Soap" in the double feature. Cry Baby and Johnny are lying down in a forest. Cry Baby stands up. The scene changes to Cry Baby and Johnny. Cry Baby is walking a bike over to Johnny. Then the scene changes back to the forest. Cry Baby is crawling over to Johnny. She pokes him in the cheek, and Johnny wakes up suddenly, startling Cry Baby and causing her to jump back. The scene changes to Cry Baby crossing her arms and patting the seat of the red bike, signaling for Johnny to get on the bike. Cry Baby crosses her arms again and grabs Johnny's arm and takes him over to the bike. The scene changes back to the forest. Cry Baby is on the ground, and Johnny is standing above her, shushing. Then the scene shifts back to the bike. Cry Baby signals to Johnny to grab the bike handles. Johnny grabs the handles, and she pushes the bike for him to go. Johnny rides around as Cry Baby smiles and twirls around. Johnny stops in front of Cry Baby. The scene changes back to the forest. Johnny covers Cry Baby's eyes and uncovers them. She looks around, and Johnny taps her. He backs away, and she stands up. They look at each other. Cry Baby starts shouting and flailing her arms around. Johnny picks her up, and she shouts and kicks him.
Johnny sets her down, and she immediately starts walking away. Johnny grabs her arm, and she tries to get away from Johnny's grip. Cry Baby turns back, and she and Johnny begin to twirl. Johnny sits down on a rock as the scene changes back to the bike scene. Cry Baby is whispering in Johnny's ear. She gets on the ground with a wrench to take off the training wheels. The scene changes to the forest. Cry Baby skips around Johnny. Back to the bike scene, where Cry Baby throws the wheels behind her. She smiles at Johnny. At the forest scene, Cry Baby begins pulling down her skirt. Johnny is shown covering his eyes. She crawls over to Johnny and grabs his legs and shakes around. At the bike scene, Cry Baby is pushing Johnny off on his bike. The forest scene flashes, with Cry Baby backing away from Johnny. Then, in the bike scene, Johnny falls off his bike. It changes back to the forest scene with Cry Baby chasing Johnny. Then, at the bike scene, Cry Baby puts a bandage on Johnny's knee. In the forest scene, Cry Baby and Johnny are face-to-face. They put their hands together. They put a foot on the rock. Johnny leans in, but Cry Baby walks away. The scene changes, showing Johnny back on the bike with Cry Baby's help. Johnny is then shown standing on the rock, looking at her. Then the bike scene, where Johnny is riding the bike. Cry Baby's eyes grow big. Johnny rides his bike towards her. Cry Baby stands, waiting for Johnny. As Johnny gets closer, she leans in for a kiss. Johnny disappears, and Cry Baby falls forward. Finally, it cuts back to the forest scene and shows Cry Baby's eyes shrinking to normal size.
Cast[]
Trivia[]
- "Training Wheels" is the only song on Cry Baby that is in a major chord, while the other songs are all in minor chords.
- Melanie wrote this song in twenty minutes. She then explained that it was a difficult experience writing happy major chords. But somehow, because of how happy and in love she really was, the song was surprisingly written really quick.[1]
- "Training Wheels" is one of Melanie's favorite songs on Cry Baby.[2]
- The double feature took four days to edit.
- This song is the most explicit song on the album, with Melanie swearing 12 times in the song.
- This song and "Cry Baby" are the only two explicit songs on Cry Baby to have a lyric change in their clean versions.
- "Training Wheels" was certified gold by the RIAA on November 8, 2019.[3]
- It was then certified platinum on July 15, 2022.
- One of Johnny's outfits in the music video is meant to appear similar to the outfit he wears in the storybook illustration.
- In the music video, Johnny has the same bow as Cry Baby.
- Melanie has a love song or a song about love in general on each of her albums, with the love song on Cry Baby being "Training Wheels"
- "High School Sweethearts" is the love song on K-12 and "LIGHT SHOWER" is the love song on PORTALS.
- The Chorus was sang by Melanie in the last day of the Trilogy Tour
