Pity Party (song)

"Pity Party" is a song by American recording artist Melanie Martinez based on the 1963 Lesley Gore hit "It's My Party". It was released as the lead single from her debut album, Cry Baby (2015), on June 2, 2015.[1] The music video was released on June 1, 2015.[2] It impacted contemporary hit radio on March 22, 2016.[3]

This article is about the song recorded by American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez. For other songs of the same name recorded by other artists, see Pity Party.
"Pity Party"
Single by Melanie Martinez
from the album Cry Baby
ReleasedJune 2, 2015 (2015-06-02)
Recorded2015
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)CJ Baran
Melanie Martinez singles chronology
"Carousel"
(2014)		 "Pity Party"
(2015)		 "Soap"
(2015)
Music video
"Pity Party" on YouTube

Background and composition

The song uses the chorus from Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" released in 1963, as an interpolation, and also employs the iconic repeating-note horns hook from the original song as the recurring theme throughout.[4] On July 28, 2016, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA, having sold 500,000 copies.[5]

Regarding her song, she said, "This was during my second session with Kara DioGuardi. It was awesome to write that song because I love music from the 50s and 60s. When I was singing, Kara said my voice reminded her of Judy Garland and artists from that time. I really wanted to write about no one showing up to my birthday party and the song is perfect inspiration for this theme. I love samples, especially older songs because they can put a fresh new take on an old song. So we were really inspired by that and we sampled it for the first line of the chorus and that is how 'Pity Party' came about".[6]

Mike Wass of Idolator noted how both "Pity Party" and Grace's single "You Don't Own Me" are based on Lesley Gore songs, saying "there seems to be a revival of the late [Gore's] music afoot".[7]

Music video

The music video for "Pity Party" was released on June 1, 2015.[2] However, the video was leaked 3 days prior to the official release.[8] The video was directed by Melanie herself, she describes it as a "fun experience for her", considering she's the only person featured in the video.[6]

A behind the scenes video was released June 17, 2015.[9] Melanie describes her character, "Cry Baby", "She fell in love with someone, she threw a birthday party, invited him, and nobody showed up so she's just like absolutely insane", she said in the behind the scenes of her video.

The video begins with Cry Baby writing invitations to her party guests. She then puts the invitations in mailboxes, writing her name with a flourish on each one. The song then begins, and the video cuts to Cry Baby waking up for the day. She turns on a record and gets dressed. She goes downstairs, where there are no guests. She plays with scooters and cuts cake waiting. Near the end of the first chorus, Cry Baby is sitting on her sofa along with several floating party hats, most likely representing her missing guests. The video continues with her entertaining her stuffed animals by inflating balloons. By the second chorus, Cry Baby has started destroying the party in her insanity, tearing decorations off the wall, smashing her birthday cake, cutting up her stuffed animals, and popping all the balloons with a kitchen knife. At the end of the video, Cry Baby is sitting in the ruins of her party. The house is burning as she blows out the candles on the birthday cake she smashed which is somehow the same as it was before she destroyed it, implying that she made a new cake or is imagining the cake. She then takes a puff on a joint, and the video ends.

Track listing
Digital download and streaming[1]
No.TitleLength
1."Pity Party"3:24
Remixes EP[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Pity Party" (Madison Mars Remix)4:45
2."Pity Party" (Kayliox Remix)4:43
3."Pity Party" (XVII Remix)4:01
4."Pity Party" (K Theory Remix)4:58
5."Pity Party" (The Feels Remix)4:32
6."Pity Party" (Myles Travitz Remix)3:02
7."Pity Party" (Kassiano Remix)4:04

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[11] 65
Finland (Suomen virallinen radiosoittolista)[12] 36
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[13] 70
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14] 175
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[15] 4
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[16] 40

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Platinum 80,000
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States June 2, 2015 Digital download
[1]
United Kingdom [19]
South Africa [20]
Australia [21]
United States March 22, 2016 Contemporary hit radio Atlantic [3]
Italy October 21, 2016 Warner [22]

Pity Party EP
Pity Party EP
EP by
Melanie Martinez
ReleasedMay 6, 2016
Length15:32
Label
Melanie Martinez chronology
Cry Baby
(2015)		 Pity Party EP
(2016)		 Cry Baby's Extra Clutter EP
(2016)

Pity Party EP is Melanie Martinez's second EP, released exclusively to the iTunes Store on May 6, 2016.[23]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Pity Party"
Baran3:24
2."Dollhouse"
Kinetics & One Love3:52
3."Dead to Me"
  • Martinez
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
Kinetics & One Love3:30
4."Bittersweet Tragedy"
Robopop4:49
Total length:15:32

References
  1. "Melanie Martinez: Pity Party - Music on Google Play". Google Play. June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  2. "Melanie Martinez - Pity Party (Official Video) - YouTube". June 1, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2016 – via YouTube.
  3. "Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates - AllAccess". AllAccess Media Group. March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016.
  4. "iTunes - Music - It's My Party - Single by Lesley Gore". iTunes.
  5. "Melanie Martinez sales certifications". RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  6. "Singer Melanie Martinez discusses new single 'Pity Party' (Includes interview)". digitaljournal.com.
  7. "Melanie Martinez Teases Debut LP 'Cry Baby' With A Delightfully Depressing "Pity Party": Watch". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com.
  8. "Melanie Martinez is throwing a 'Pity Party' after song leaks » POPULOVE". POPULOVE.
  9. Melanie Martinez - Pity Party (Behind the Scenes Video). YouTube. 17 June 2015.
  10. "iTunes Store (US) - Music - Melanie Martinez - Pity Party (Remixes)". iTunes Store (US). May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  11. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201620 into search. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  12. "IFPI - Melanie Martinez: Pity Party". Suomen virallinen lista. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  13. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201628 into search. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  14. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK". Zobbel.de. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  15. "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  16. "Melanie Martinez Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  17. "Canadian single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Pity Party". Music Canada. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  18. "American single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Pity Party". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 13, 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  19. "iTunes Store (UK) - Music - Melanie Martinez - Pity Party - Single". iTunes Store (UK). June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  20. "iTunes Store (ZA) - Music - Melanie Martinez - Pity Party - Single". iTunes Store (ZA). June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  21. "iTunes Store (AU) - Music - Melanie Martinez - Pity Party - Single". iTunes Store (AU). June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  22. "MELANIE MARTINEZ "Pity Party" (Radio Date: 21/10/2016)". Radio Date. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  23. "Pity Party - EP by Melanie Martinez on Apple Music". Apple Music. May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
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