Released: 2015
Alright, let’s plunge into Melanie Martinez’s “Soap”. Now in this synth-pop ditty, Martinez presents a vividly imaginative narrative about the claustrophobic fear of expressing one’s feelings and the aftermath of doing so recklessly—something we’ve all felt in this heart-wrenching game of love. She uses the metaphor of soap to express regret for the words she’s used.
Opening with the lines, “Guess I better wash my mouth out with soap,” Martinez encapsulates the crux of the song right off the bat. It’s like she’s saying, ‘Oops, I think I’ve said too much and now I regret it’. She further translates this sentiment into a cascading metaphor saying, “I think I left the faucet running / Now my words are filling up the tub”. Here she’s visualizing her regretful words as overflowing water—too much of it and it’s hard to control.
You might be wondering what’s up with the ‘fingers pruning’ part. Well, this is a classic Martinez metaphor. Just as our fingers prune up when left too long in water, her lover’s patience begins to wear thin with her overflowing words—compelling him to jump out of the metaphorical bath of her regretful overflow.
Moving on, the line “threw a toaster in the bathtub” stands out. Not just because of its shock value, but also as it signifies a destructive action—akin to sabotaging a relationship with reckless words. It’s as if Martinez is saying, ‘I should’ve never said “love”—now look at the mess I’ve made’.
Throughout the song, the repetition of the lines, “Guess I better wash my mouth out with soap / God, I wish I never spoke,” conveys a continuous cycle of regret. It’s like this ever-looping tape of self-reproach. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? This is pop music at its finest—relatable, catchy, and oh-so-deep!
The song is a beautiful infusion of electro-pop beats with heartrending lyrics that give a nod to Martinez’s knack for delving into the complexities of human emotions. Her fear of the after-effects of vulnerability, embodied via the use of ‘soap’ as a symbol of regret, truly strikes a chord. The end result? A banger of a track that hits you right in the feels!
