"Piggyback"
A woman carrying what appear to be flowers, wearing a white dress, in front of a pink background and a rainbow.
Song by Melanie Martinez
ReleasedDecember 22, 2017
Length3:27
LabelSelf-released
Songwriter(s)Melanie Martinez[1]
Producer(s)Michael Keenan[1]
Melanie Martinez singles chronology
"Gingerbread Man"
(2016)		 "Piggyback"
(2017)		 "Copy Cat"
(2020)

"Piggyback" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by American singer Melanie Martinez. It was independently released for streaming on her[lower-alpha 1] SoundCloud account on December 22, 2017, following a controversy between Martinez and Timothy Heller. The latter, a person with whom the singer once shared a friendship, accused her via Twitter of sexually assaulting and raping them. Various music critics associated the lyrics of "Piggyback" with the incident. Over an electronic arrangement, Martinez references her journey as an artist and the fake people she had met in her life. Critics interpreted the track's refrain as a response to Heller's accusations.

Background and release

In early December 2017, Timothy Heller, a woman with whom Melanie Martinez once shared a friendship, accused the latter via Twitter of sexually assaulting and raping her.[2] In response to Heller's accusations, Martinez tweeted that the allegations "horrified and saddened" her and that Heller "never said no to what they chose to do together", insinuating that she believed there was consent.[3] The singer subsequently released a second statement, thanking her fans for pointing out Heller's "false statements" and that she would "never be intimate with someone without their absolute consent."[4] In less than 20 days after the incident, Martinez wrote and recorded "Piggyback".[5] She independently released the song for streaming as a single on her SoundCloud account on December 22, 2017, lasting three minutes and 27 seconds.[6][7][8]

Lyrical interpretation

Music critics believed that "Piggyback" revolved around the accusations Heller made towards Martinez.[6][7][9] PopCrush's Lai Frances thought that the singer was additionally referencing "'fake' and 'plastic' people she's met in her life".[6] The song begins with Martinez detailing her journey as an artist over a "simple" electronic arrangement: "Trusted too many fake people while I was still young. Gave them the benefit of the doubt, I was so wrong." According to Mike Wass of Idolator, Martinez responds to the aforementioned accusations in the refrain: "I'm so done with playing piggyback, swear to god I wished y'all all the best. You're lying your way to try and gain a piece of me when you could never come close cause I know my destiny." Other lyrics of the track include: "I worked hard for my shit, put my love in this shit. Now you're trying to kill my name for some fame, what is this?"[7][9][10]

Track listing

Streaming[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Piggyback"3:27

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Various[6] December 22, 2017 Streaming Self-released

Notes

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

References

  1. 1 2 "Melanie Martinez – Piggyback".
  2. ↑ Russell, Erica (December 4, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Accused of Sexually Assaulting Former Friend". PopCrush. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Melanie Martinez Drops New Song "Piggyback" In Response To Rape Accusations". BreatheHeavy. December 2017. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ Peters, Mitchell (December 10, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Shares Additional Comments in Response to Rape Accusation". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ Apaza, Kevin (December 25, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Premieres New Song "Piggyback", Still Claims Rapist Accusations Are False". Direct Lyrics. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Frances, Lai (December 25, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Calls Out Fake People in New Song 'Piggyback'". PopCrush. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Wass, Mike (December 22, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Adresses Rape Allegations In New Song "Piggyback"". Idolator. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Martinez, Melanie (December 22, 2017). "Piggyback by Melanie Martinez". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Blackwood, Emily (December 30, 2017). "'The Voice' Contestant Melanie Martinez Released A Song Attacking Her Former Best Friend Who Accused Her Of Rape — And The Lyrics Are Harsh". YourTango. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  10. ↑ Hilton, Perez (December 23, 2017). "Melanie Martinez Released A New Song In Response To Rape Allegations, And The Lyrics Are… Interesting". PerezHilton.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
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