By: Beverly Stinson
‘K-12’ is the 2nd studio album released by alt pop singer Melanie Martinez. It was released on September 6th, 2019 with 13 songs and was accompanied by a musical based movie, written and directed by Melanie herself along with some other people.
‘K-12’ is my favorite album ever and I’m giving my honest opinion on every song.
Tracklist
- Wheels on the Bus
- Class Fight
- The Principal
- Show and Tell
- Nurses Office
- Drama Club
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Lunchbox Friends
- Orange Juice
- Detention
- Teachers Pet
- High School Sweethearts
- Recess
It continues the story of the character Crybaby and her experience at a sleepaway school, following Melanie’s debut album titled ‘Crybaby’. Crybaby is a pretty complex character that is based off of both Melanie’s experiences with life and other peoples’ experiences.
I also just want to state that the videos are tied to the movie so you could watch it and see all the music videos there and that I won’t be getting into detail about the lore and meanings of all the songs.
And lastly, I want to say that Mel goes by she/they pronouns so I will kind of be switching between the two for different songs.
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Song #1: Wheels on the Bus
Warnings: suggestive language, profanity, drug use
“Wheels on the Bus” is one of my favorite songs. I used to listen to it everyday on repeat and watch the music video.
It’s not one of the most popular songs on the album but I personally feel it’s important to the story and the album and definitely deserves more recognition.
I believe it signifies coming of age as it shows Crybaby going to school for the first time and immediately experiencing bullying as well as “First love” and just the chaos of school.
One of my favorite things about this song is the obvious reference to the song “Wheels on the Bus” and the samples Melanie adds from it.
8/10
Song #2: Class Fight
Warnings: violence, suggestive language, drug use (in the movie)
At one point, “Class Fight” was my favorite Melanie song, it really had me in a chokehold when ‘K-12’ came out. I would watch fan made music videos and the actual music video itself over and over.
I love the music, lyrics, and meaning, just everything about it.
In the movie there’s the fight scene which is honestly one of my favorite scenes in the movie, it’s not very long but it’s an interesting scene and probably my favorite time Crybaby showcases her powers.
9/10
Song #3: The Principal
Warnings: drug use, profanity, transphobia (in the movie)
“The Principal” isn’t a song I’d say is my favorite but it’s still an amazing song. I love the lyrics and the music video.
I feel like this song kinda resonates with me a little because I used to be considered a “gifted” and “talented” kid and throughout the years I ended up burning out from all the expectations and work pushed on me.
I do really love this song and it definitely deserves more recognition.
8/10
Song #4: Show and Tell
Warnings: violence, profanity
“Show and Tell” focuses more on Melanie’s experience as a growing artist.
It’s an amazing song and it was so popular at the time of release and for good reason, more people need to hear about how they make artists feel.
In the song they talk about how they feel pressured and used by their toxic fans. They have people pressuring them to make more music and have people taking pictures of them without permission. They express how they don’t feel like they can really talk about how their toxic fans make them feel because they think their fans won’t like them anymore.
The video for it visualizes how Melanie feels like they’re some sort of puppet in the music industry and that’s really creative.
10/10
Song #5: Nurses Office
Warnings: drugging, violence, profanity
“Nurses Office” was a song that really started to hit me in 7th grade.
It basically talks about how bullying may affect a person so much that they don’t want to attend class or even be in school in general and how schools don’t really do much about it. Crybaby is a character that is shown to be treated very harshly by other students and isn’t helped by teachers. To get away from it she goes to the nurse’s office since that’s the only place she can go.
I do love this song and relate to it on a personal level and Mel actually said it was their favorite on the album which makes it more special.
9/10
Song #6: Drama Club
Warnings: violence, gore (in the movie), profanity, misogyny (in the movie)
There’s no YouTube music video link for some reason
“Drama Club” has always been a favorite for me. I absolutely loved the video for this song as well as the lyrics.
The video is actually so sick, it has another one of my favorite scenes where Crybaby uses her powers and gives more of a glimpse of how powerful she really is.
It’s a pretty slow paced song but I feel like every album needs 1 or 2 slower songs with all the fast paced ones. It also reminds me of like 5th grade since I listened to it the most during that time.
10/10
Song #7: Strawberry Shortcake
Warnings: body dysmorphia, bullying, implications of sexual assault, sorta nudity (in the movie), misogyny
Strawberry Shortcake music video
“Strawberry Shortcake” is my 4th favorite song on the album. I really relate to some parts of it as the lyrics talk about some things I go through.
This is another song that I feel might be about Melanie’s experiences but also just the subject in general. They talk about how sexism and misogyny affected them and I think about how some people made them feel about their body.
Sexism and body dysmorphia are two really heavy subjects and Melanie talks about heavy things like that all the time. They’ve never really held back on the subject and I can tell it means a lot to them.
It references how society tells women or AFAB’s (Assigned Female At Birth) that it’s their fault for getting hurt because of their clothing or the way they look.
“Strawberry Shortcake” is definitely an underrated song and it deserves way more recognition and love than it has.
10/10
Song #8: Lunchbox Friends
Warnings: profanity, sexual language, mentions of drugs, mentions of death (metaphorically)
“Lunchbox Friends” is one of the most popular songs on the album. It’s a song that I started relating to in 7th grade.
This song is about fake friends; in the movie the group of popular girls invites Crybaby over to sit with them at lunch and pretend to be her friends but in reality they’re just going to end up leaving her.
This is one song that I kind of involuntarily think too much about the meaning. It does genuinely make me sad when listening to it and thinking of people it reminds me of. Even so, I still love it and it will forever be one of my favorites on ‘K-12’
10/10
Song #9: Orange Juice
Warnings: eating disorders, body dysmorphia, slight gore (in the movie)
“Orange Juice” is a song that didn’t hit with me at first but after watching the movie and listening to the song so many times it eventually made its way to my second favorite on the album.
This song speaks about eating disorders and self hate as well as self love and acceptance. This song helped me through my own eating disorder and helped me feel more seen about my insecurities. And I honestly owe a lot of my progress with my health to Melanie and her songs, this being a big one.
“Orange Juice” is a really good song and it speaks on a big issue that a lot of people don’t ever want to talk about. It’s definitely a song that means a lot to me.
10/10
Song #10: Detention
Warnings: profanity
“Detention” is a song that I recently started to like more, I don’t know why I never fully listened to it though. I like the lyrics and the music and it’s all very catchy but for some reason it didn’t stick to me until like 4 years later. But as of right now, it’s my 3rd favorite on the album. I really love the music video; I feel like it’s really satisfying to watch.
I relate to this song on a huge level. It’s insane. Since 7th grade school hasn’t exactly been the most positive experience for me and I never really had any help or guidance.
There’s a lyric at the beginning of the song that talks about something I think most students experience, which is coming to school early in the morning with less than 7 hours of sleep, and some teachers expecting you to have a bright smile and positive attitude. That’s just something I think is a pet peeve for everyone.
10/10
Song #11: Teachers Pet
Warnings: grooming, profanity, suggestive language
“Teachers Pet” is an amazing song, it deals with an insanely heavy topic that definitely isn’t talked about enough.
I’m not going to add any of the lyrics but basically what the song is about is a teacher preying on one of Crybaby’s friends Angelita. It’s obviously based on pedophilila and grooming in the school system and how it’s underlooked.
In the song it kinda talks about how it actually feels to be the victim in this situation. She mentions Angelita feeling like a spider trapped in a cage, representing her feeling trapped in the relationship as well as hating the teacher but still not being able to leave.
Obviously, like I said, it’s a very heavy topic and that might be why some people don’t like it but it’s still such a good song.
9/10
Song #12: High School Sweethearts
Warnings: violence, profanity, suggestive language
High School Sweethearts music video
High School Sweethearts lyrics
Okay, so, “Highschool Sweethearts” is my overall favorite Mel song out of all her albums and my favorite song ever made. I’m so obsessed with the music and the lyrics and how I feel it represents me.
I might be exaggerating but I really feel like this is one of the songs i relate to more than every other song, like ever. It genuinely means so much to me.
I love the lyrics but I wanna say that the music video/scene is everything to me, the choreography is, I think, my favorite I’ve ever seen and the video is my favorite music video ever. I just love everything about it and the song in general. I cried hearing it live; it was a very important moment for me.
This is such an important song to me and it will forever be my favorite.
100/10
Song #13: Recess
Warnings: profanity
“Recess” is the last song on the album, and I love it so much.
This song is basically about being brave enough to take a break when things get too overwhelming in your life.
I feel like this definitely goes back to the school system and how they pressure kids. Having them take so many classes with so much work and expecting them all to be smart and understanding of all the information being pushed in their faces at one time.
It’s good for people to get reminders that they don’t have to cause themselves so much stress at one time and that they are allowed to take breaks for their own well-being because it’s so important.
This is one of Melanie’s least popular songs which I don’t understand because it’s so good. It definitely deserves way more recognition.
10/10
Overall, this album is so amazing and honestly doesn’t have any bad songs. I love that every song has a deep meaning and spreads a message.
Melanie has been one of my favorite creators since I was 7-8 years old and I love seeing her go from being on ‘The Voice’ to making her own music and spreading amazing messages and love. She was the most influential person in my childhood and she’s still a major influence now. She’s the reason why I got into writing and helped guide my start with activism.
This album really means so much to me because I relate to so much of it. And it’s a piece that should be so much more popular. It speaks about a lot of big topics that I’d say most artists wouldn’t even dare to touch. That’s something really special about it and Mel.
There is also a deluxe version of the album which adds the songs from her EP ‘After school’ which you should also check out, my favorite is “Brain + Heart”.
Lastly, I want to say how perfect the movie is. I’ve seen it so many times and it’s one of my favorite movies. It’s crazy to think about the fact that Mel wrote it, directed it, and starred as the main character. That’s not an easy thing to do and it just shows how talented she is.
I really do recommend you watch the movie! Here’s the link to it:
I hope you take the time to listen to it and show your support for Melanie and the messages and love she’s trying to send to everyone.
-Beverly
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