Template:SongTemplate:EHTLTemplate:EHVDTL"Primadonna" is a song by Welsh singer-songwritter Marina and the Diamonds. The song was written by Marina Diamandis, Julie Frost, Łukasz Gottwald and Henry Walter, and produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut. It's the second song and first single from her second studio album Electra Heart.
Background
Initially, Diamandis came up with the title of the song "Primadonna" in July 2011 before she had even written the song. The song was written and recorded two months later in October 2011, one of the final songs to be recorded for Electra Heart. She states in her own words that "picked itself as the first single off the album."[1]
Diamandis describes the track as a song for girls or women who are trying to validate themselves without validation from others. In an interview with Elle Girl, she mentions:
It's about not needing anybody when it comes to love—your raison d'etre is to live for adoration. Girls usually feel like this when they are not appreciated in a relationship. The inspiration for the song came from an ex-boyfriend. He thought it was funny that I was a mega drama queen always talking 'global love' this, 'global love' that! He called me a prima donna. I love it but I also kind of hate it. Like they say, 'You only hate in others what you hate in yourself', so I thought I'd channel this well-known but kind of undesirable character type into a pop song. As the saying goes (that I just made up): You've either been one or dated one at least once in your life.[2]
During an interview with The Sun, Marina said that Electra Heart has four personalities, one of which is 'The Primadonna' (a beauty queen), whom she sings of in the song. They are, she said, "magnifications of certain parts of me and of every woman." Marina also described the song in a track-by track on Amazon as, "channeling the archetype of The Star, asking for adoration."
Composition
"Primadonna" is an electropop dance song. It blends grinding disco and electropop beats with elements of Europop. Diamandis' vocals in the song have been described as operatic. Revolving around an anti-chorus song structure, the chorus is sung in a high tone over sparkly instrumentation before the beat drops to grinding four on the floor verses, where she sings in the gravelly tones of her lower register. The song is composed in the key of A minor, with a tempo of 128 beats per minute, and it follows the chord progression Am-D-G-Em through the whole song.
Commercial release
"Primadonna" was released as the first official lead single off Electra Heart. The song overall became an international success, charting within the top five in Austria, Ireland and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, "Primadonna" debuted at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart with 25,337 copies sold in its first week, which is Marina's highest-charting single in the UK to date.[3] As of March 2014, the song had sold 205,000 copies in the UK.[4] Primadonna charted at number 69 on the Billboard hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[5]
"Primadonna" also spent three weeks on the the Irish Singles Chart, before rising to a new peak at number three, which also became Marina's highest-charting single in Ireland as well. The song also peaked at number four in New Zealand, marking Marina's first single to chart in that country. "Primadonna" also spawned success on pop radio formats in the United States, bubbling under the respective Billboard Pop Songs chart.[6] The song also saw a certain amount of club play, almost charting on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[7]
Single releases
Primadonna/single
Music Video
The music video was directed by Casper Balslev and shot in Copenhagen. The video serves as the fourth part of the The Archetypes video series. Balslev had already directed the videos for "Fear and Loathing" and "Radioactive".
The video officially premiered on Marina's official YouTube Channel on 12th March 2012, which was also the same day as the song's release to UK radio. Two days prior to the video's release, Marina released a fifteen-second teaser of the video. Soon after the video's release, "Primadonna" became a trending topic on social media outlets such as Twitter. As of August 2016, the video has 52,562,291 views, making it Marina's most popular music video on YouTube.
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
[[File: | ||
| Title | {{{title}}} | |
| Premiere | March 12, 2012 | |
| Length | 3:59 | |
| Director | Casper Balslev | |
| Producer | Thor Brammer Jacobsen | |
| Production company | LOVE | |
| Executive producer | Paul McKee | |
| Editor | Jake Wynne | |
Screenshots of "Primadonna"
Credits
Song
Personnel
- Background vocals - Marina Diamandis
- Live instruments and programming - Dr. Luke, Cirkut
- Mixing - Serban Ghenea
- Engineering - Clint Gibbs, John Hanes, Tim Roberts, Phil Seaford, Jesse Shatkin, Jon Sher
- Production co-ordination - Katie Mitzell, Irene Richter
Music Video
- Line Producer - Mikkel DamKiær
- Production Manager: Cathrine Bjørn
- DoP - Sebastian Wintherø
- Grade - George K, MPC
- Art Director - Rasmus With
- Styling - Celestine Cooney
- Hair - Darren Evans
- Make-Up - Niamh Quinn
- Additional Styling - Madeleine Ostlie
Lyrics
Primadonna girl, yeah
All I ever wanted was the world
I can't help that I need it all
The primadonna life, the rise and fall
You say that I'm kinda difficult
But it's always someone else's fault
Got you wrapped around my finger babe
You can count on me at a misbehave
Primadonna girl
Would you do anything for me?
Buy a big diamond ring for me?
Would you get down on your knees for me?
Pop that pretty question, right now baby?
Beauty queen on a silver screen
Livin' life like I'm in a dream
I know I've got a big ego
I really don't know why it's such a big deal though
Ooh, and I'm sad to the core, core, core
Yeah, everything is a chore, chore, chore
Wow! When you give, I want more, more, more
I wanna be adored 'cause I'm a
Primadonna girl, yeah
All I ever wanted was the world
I can't help that I need it all
The primadonna life, the rise and fall
You say that I'm kinda difficult
But it's always someone else's fault
Got you wrapped around my finger babe
You can count on me at a misbehave
Primadonna girl
Fill the void up with celluloid
Take a picture, I'm with the boys
Get what I want 'cause I ask for it
Not because I'm really that deservin' of it
Livin' life like I'm in a play
In the limelight I want to stay
I know I've got a big ego
I really don't know why it's such a big deal though
Ooh, goin' up, goin' down, down, down
Yeah, anything for the crown, crown, crown
Wow! When the light's dimmin' down, down, down
I spin around 'cause I'm a
Primadonna girl, yeah
All I ever wanted was the world
I can't help that I need it all
The primadonna life, the rise and fall
You say that I'm kinda difficult
But it's always someone else's fault
Got you wrapped around my finger babe
You can count on me at a misbehave
Primadonna girl, yeah
All I ever wanted was the world
I can't help that I need it all
The primadonna life, the rise, the fall
You say that I'm kinda difficult
But it's always someone else's fault
Got you wrapped around my finger babe
You can count on me at a misbehave
Primadonna girl
References
- ↑ "Marina and the Diamonds | "Electra Heart" Album Interview. Part 2." YouTube. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ Stern, Clare. "Marina of Marina And The Diamonds Says New Album Personifies Heartbreak." Elle Girl. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/official-charts-analysis-adele-needs-just-17k-album-sales-for-23rd-week-at-no1/048666
- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-charts-pop-gem-51-marina-and-the-diamonds-hollywood__4748/
- ↑ https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=primadonna
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1094047/bubbling-under-marina-the-diamonds-shine
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1094047/bubbling-under-marina-the-diamonds-shine