Cry Baby (Melanie Martinez album) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cry Baby
Studio album by Melanie Martinez
Released	August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14)
Recorded	2013–2015
Genre	Alternative pop electropop indie pop
Length	46:38
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Kinetics & One Love Christopher J. Baran Kara DioGuardi Kyle Shearer SmarterChild Babydaddy Frequency Aalias Felix Snow
Melanie Martinez chronology
Dollhouse (2014) Cry Baby (2015) Pity Party (2016)
Singles from {{{Name}}}

Cry Baby is the very first studio album by American singer and songwriter Melanie Martinez. It came out on August 14, 2015, through Atlantic. The album released three singles (songs released on their own to promote an album). The first two singles, "Pity Party" and "Soap", were released before the album. The third single, "Sippy Cup", came out just before the album.

Cry Baby is a visual concept album. This means it tells a story through its songs and music videos. The music is mostly alternative pop, electropop, and indie pop. Critics generally liked the album. In 2021, Cry Baby was certified double platinum. This means it sold or was streamed the equivalent of 2 million times!

Making the Album: How Cry Baby Was Born

Melanie Martinez had almost finished an extended play (EP, a shorter album) in 2013. She started recording it right after she left The Voice. But then, in September 2013, she wrote the song "Dollhouse". This song made her decide to change her plans. She wanted to create a full album with a different sound and story.

In May 2014, Melanie released her Dollhouse EP. That summer, she shared that she hoped to release her new album around October. When October came, she released the music video for "Carousel". She also said her album would come out later, in the spring.

That spring, her producers, Kinetics & One Love, announced that all the singing for Melanie's album was done. Melanie then officially announced that her album would be called Cry Baby. She started giving hints about the song titles.

The first single, "Pity Party", was confirmed on May 27, 2015. Its music video was accidentally shared early by Melanie herself on May 29. But she was happy that fans saw it and promised more fun things were coming. The video was officially released on June 1. During a live chat that day, Melanie announced that Cry Baby would be released in August.

The second single, "Soap", was confirmed in late June. It was released on July 10, but it also leaked a day early. Its music video came out on the same day.

Album Art and Release Details

On July 16, the album cover and a wrong release date were leaked online. The next day, July 17, the album cover was officially shown. Fans could also pre-order special merchandise. The full list of songs on the album was leaked before July 24. On July 24, the official song list was shared when digital pre-orders began.

Starting July 27, Melanie shared small clips of each song (except for the deluxe edition tracks) on her Instagram page. On July 28, she shared a clip for "Sippy Cup" and said it would be released on July 31. On July 30, the music video for "Sippy Cup" was shown early by Spin magazine. The song was officially released the next day.

The Cry Baby album finally came out on August 14. The CD version was designed like a storybook. Later, regular CDs, a special picture vinyl, and a standard black vinyl were released. Cassettes were also released in yellow, blue, pink, and a rarer green color. The physical albums were the "explicit" version (meaning they contained mature lyrics). The "deluxe" and "clean" versions were only available digitally.

The Story Behind Cry Baby

The album tells the story of a character named Cry Baby. This character is like a fantasy version of Melanie Martinez when she was a very young child. Cry Baby shows Melanie's sensitive and sometimes troubled side. Melanie said Cry Baby is "a child who experiences adult things." She explained that many things that happen to Cry Baby are exaggerated versions of events from her own life. However, Cry Baby getting kidnapped and killing her kidnapper is not from Melanie's real life.

Every song on the album has a title that sounds like it's about childhood. They also use childhood ideas to talk about bigger, more grown-up problems. For example, the song "Cry Baby" is about someone who gets made fun of for showing their feelings openly. It's not about an actual baby. The song "Training Wheels" is really about a relationship getting more serious. The special storybook that came with the album had rhymes and drawings based on the album's story, all written by Melanie herself.

Album Success

Cry Baby was released on August 14, 2015, by Atlantic Records. You could get it as a digital download, CD, vinyl, and audio cassette. The vinyl and CD versions had special packaging, including a storybook with illustrations by Chloe Tersigni.

Cry Baby was very popular right away. It reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. It also topped the Alternative Albums Chart. By February 24, 2017, the album was certified Platinum. This means it had sold over 1,000,000 copies in the US!

Songs from Cry Baby

Main Singles

"Pity Party" was the first song released from the album. Its music video came out on May 29, 2015, for early viewers. It was then released for everyone on June 1, 2015, on YouTube. This song was certified Platinum.

"Soap" was the second song released. It came out on July 10, 2015, along with its music video. This song was certified Gold. By the end of 2017, "Soap" became very popular on the app TikTok. People started a "Soap Challenge" where they would play Melanie's song and blow foam with liquid dish soap and makeup wipes.

"Sippy Cup" was the third song released, on July 31, 2015, with its music video. This video was a darker follow-up to her 2014 music video for "Dollhouse."

Other Music Videos

Melanie Martinez said she would make music videos for all the songs on the album.

• "Training Wheels" got a music video on November 18, 2015. It was released with a new video for "Soap."
• "Alphabet Boy" received a music video on June 2, 2016.
• A double music video for "Tag, You're It" and "Milk and Cookies" was released on August 23, 2016.
• The song "Pacify Her" had a music video released on November 15, 2016.
• The song "Mrs. Potato Head" had a music video released on December 1, 2016.
• "Mad Hatter" had its music video released on September 23, 2017. This video was the final part of the Cry Baby visual story.

In April 2020, Melanie's song "Play Date", which was a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the album, became very popular. It reached the "Viral 50" songs on Spotify and started climbing the music charts. This happened because of a popular trend on TikTok where users made videos with the song playing. Melanie posted on Instagram, saying the song's success was the "best birthday present ever." On May 1, 2020, "Play Date" was certified Gold, and by December 8, 2020, it was certified Platinum. Melanie even said she planned to record a music video for the song from home.

Song List

Notes

• A star (*) means there's an extra producer.
• "Pity Party" uses a part of the song "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore.

Who Made the Music?

• Melanie Martinez – She sings all the songs!
• Jeff Levin – Helped find and develop the artists (A&R).
• Pete Ganbarg – Also helped find and develop the artists (A&R).
• Anne Declemente – Also helped find and develop the artists (A&R).
• Mitch McCarthy – Mixed most of the songs (made sure all the sounds blended well).
• Manny Marroquin – Mixed the song "Pity Party."
• Chris Gehringer – Mastered the album (made the final sound perfect for listening).
• JL Brown – Mixed "Training Wheels."

Where Cry Baby Appeared on Music Charts

Certifications

When and Where Cry Baby Was Released

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP
EP by Melanie Martinez
Released	November 25, 2016
Recorded	2013–2015
Length	13:51
Label	Atlantic
Melanie Martinez chronology
Pity Party EP (2016) Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP (2016) K-12 (2019)
Singles from {{{Name}}}

Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP is Melanie Martinez's third extended play (EP). It was released on November 25, 2016. This EP was only available as a physical vinyl record. It included three bonus songs from the Cry Baby album, plus the special 2015 Christmas song, "Gingerbread Man." You could only buy the vinyl from Urban Outfitters and Melanie's website. The cover art for this EP was drawn by Chloe Tersigni.

Songs on the EP

When and Where the EP Was Released

The Cry Baby Tour

Melanie Martinez went on a big tour to support her Cry Baby album. The tour started on August 26, 2015, and ended on April 2, 2017. She performed 124 shows in total across North America, Oceania, Latin America, and Europe!

Songs Played on Tour

Tour Dates and Locations

See also

In Spanish: Cry Baby (álbum) para niños