Mrs. Potato Head (song)

"Mrs. Potato Head" is a song by American recording artist Melanie Martinez off of her[lower-alpha 1] debut album, Cry Baby (2015). Lyrically, the song deals with plastic surgery, its consequences, and the struggle for beauty in the modern world, especially for women. It was written by Melanie Martinez, Jeremy Dussolliet, and Tim Sommers, and was produced by Kinetics & One Love.

"Mrs. Potato Head"
A young brunette girl with her legs crossed, positioned in between a piece of cake and a milk bottle, is watching a television set, which features a blonde woman with marker on her face and a needle next to her, as if to have plastic surgery.
Physical edition Cry Baby storybook art for "Mrs. Potato Head"
Song by Melanie Martinez
from the album Cry Baby
GenreDark wave
Length3:37
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Melanie Martinez
  • Jeremy Dussolliet
  • Tim Sommers
Producer(s)One Love
Music video
"Mrs. Potato Head" on YouTube

"Mrs. Potato Head" was hailed as a highlight of Cry Baby, with critics praising Martinez's songwriting and vocal delivery, Kinetics & One Love's production, and the song's overall theme.

On December 1, 2016, a music video of the song was released, depicting the fictional protagonist of the song's parent album, Cry Baby, watching the decay of a woman pressured to undergo plastic surgery, through a television screen.

The song charted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

Background and composition

"Mrs. Potato Head" is a dark wave song that is three minutes and thirty-seven seconds.[1][2][3] Lyrically, "Mrs. Potato Head" has been noted for its lyrics on plastic surgery and its consequences. In an interview with Vice's Noisey.com, Martinez stated, "I had the idea for "Mrs. Potato Head" for a long time and the whole visual I had in my head was the fact that you can pull toy pieces off the face and that could represent plastic surgery."[4] In an interview with Billboard, Martinez stated that "Mrs. Potato Head" was "the most challenging song to write, but it was worth it."[5]

Critical reception

"Mrs. Potato Head" received acclaim from critics. In his review of Cry Baby, Allan Raible of ABC News, deemed "Mrs. Potato Head" a highlight of Cry Baby. He went on to call "Mrs. Potato Head" a "biting critique" on plastic surgery, and an overall "masterpiece".[6] Jason Scott of PopDust, called the track "a revelation on plastic surgery and the need for torturous beauty", and called the track a "must listen".[7] Thomas Kraus of Outlet Magazine dubbed "Mrs. Potato Head" his favorite track from Cry Baby, and rated the track 10/10. He further praised Martinez's lyricism and vocal delivery, and ultimately called the song "all-around brilliant".[8]

Music video

A music video for "Mrs. Potato Head" was released December 1, 2016. The video begins with Cry Baby, the fictional protagonist of the song's parent album, watching television advertisements for blonde wigs and diet pills that supposedly make a woman ‘beautiful’. Depressed, Cry Baby stuffs her bra and covers her hair with a wig to appear beautiful. Cry Baby then returns to watching television, where she sees the fictional titular character described in the song, Mrs. Potato Head, undergo many cosmetic operations, as a result of her husband, Mr. Potato Head, requesting she get a facelift. The fictitious couple then regret the decision to alter Mrs. Potato Head's body through cosmetic surgery, as said surgery has backfired and ruined her natural beauty. Mr. Potato Head lets his wife wear a wig in a feeble attempt to make her look better. Mrs. Potato Head realizes she was beautiful without her numerous cosmetic operations, and that she was attempting to conform to modern beauty standards. In the end, Mr. Potato Head leaves Mrs. Potato Head for another woman, and Cry Baby removes her own "enhancements" out of shock.[9]

Maggie Dickman of Alternative Press praised the video, saying it was "eerily amazing". Dickman further lauded the video, stating, "In her classic style, Martinez challenges traditional beauty stereotypes in the most real way possible."[10]

Charts

"Mrs. Potato Head" charted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart for the week of December 24, 2016.

Weekly charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[11] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. Martinez uses she/her and they/them pronouns. This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

References
  1. Kovan, Brianna (April 21, 2016). "14 Mega-Famous Musicians Tell Us Exactly Who's Worth Listening to Now". Elle. Kevin O'Malley. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  2. Martinez, Israel (March 26, 2016). "No tears during Cry Baby show". Yakima Herald. Sharon Prill. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  3. Martinez, Melanie (August 13, 2015). "Mrs. Potato Head". SoundCloud. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  4. Selfridge, Kimi (August 12, 2015). "Stream Melanie Martinez's Debut LP 'Cry Baby'". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  5. DiGiacomo, Frank (September 4, 2015). "Melanie Martinez on 'Cry Baby,' Not Wanting to Be a Role Model & What She Learned From 'The Voice'". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  6. Raible, Allen (August 19, 2015). "Talib Kweli, Nada Surf, Melanie Martinez and More Music Reviews". ABC News. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  7. Scott, Jason (August 13, 2015). "Melanie Martinez Conjures Up Sinister Stories With 'Cry Baby' Debut—Album Review". PopDust. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  8. Kraus, Thomas (August 13, 2015). "Album Review: Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby". Outlet Magazine. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  9. Annemarie (December 2, 2016). "Melanie Martinez Releases 'Mrs. Potato Head' Music Video". CelebMix. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  10. Dickman, Maggie (December 1, 2016). "Melanie Martinez releases new music video for "Mrs. Potato Head"—watch". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  11. "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  12. "Canadian single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Mrs. Potato Head". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  13. "American single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Mrs. Potato Head". Recording Industry Association of America. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 27 Nov 2017.
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