Soap (song)

"Soap"
Single by Melanie Martinez
from the album Cry Baby
ReleasedJuly 10, 2015
RecordedJuly 2014
Genre
Length3:29
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Shearer
Melanie Martinez singles chronology
"Pity Party"
(2015) 		"Soap"
(2015) 		"Sippy Cup"
(2015)
Music video
"Soap/Training Wheels" on YouTube

"Soap" is a song by Melanie Martinez, featured on her[a] debut studio album, Cry Baby. The song was released July 10, 2015, along with a music video the same day.[citation needed] It was released as the second single of her album Cry Baby, being set to impact Alternative radio outlets according to Warner Music.[1] The song was featured in the 2016 film Nerve.[2]

Background and composition

"Soap" was premiered exclusively on Elle magazine's website on July 9, 2015. The alt-pop[3] and electropop[4] track was released as the second single from Martinez's debut album, Cry Baby.[5]

In the interview with Elle, Martinez described the song, "Soap was written about my current boyfriend when we were first talking, I felt too scared to say how I felt about him and thought if I told him it'd be like throwing a toaster in his bath. So I washed my mouth out with soap. I think anyone can really relate to this song. I'm sure there was a time in everyone's life where they felt too scared to say how they felt so they 'washed their mouth out with soap’. She continued, "Everyone is allowed to be vulnerable. I think women and men and dogs and cats and ants and aliens can all express themselves and be vulnerable".[5]

Music video

The music video for "Soap" was released July 10, 2015, the same day the audio was released. It was directed by a couple of Martinez's friends in her hotel room tub.[5]

The song and video were reviewed by Toronto Paradise, who gave a long, praising, positive review saying, "Unlike some artists that can come across as rather fake, and too try hard following hipster trends of "budget" style videos and “Bedroom Demo” style tracks, there isn't many who get it right in the end. Those that do will win hard in the long run! Melanie Martinez is absolutely intriguing from her looks to her lyrical delivery and almost theatrical performances. Fans are loving her self conflicted mind and her interpretation of daily problems. She's relatable, speaks from a real place and speaks to the current generation of music fans. Even Elle Magazine can't get enough of her! Melanie's vocals on Soap showcase her breathy and spacey intergalactic tone, resembling a darker Ellie Goulding and Lights, while the production remains complex with its beautiful and cloudy melodies".[6]

Another music video for "Soap" was released November 18, 2015 as a double feature music video with her song "Training Wheels" and in mid-2017, Martinez's promotional "Soap" music video was made unlisted and only can be accessible by the original link. In some scenes, clips from the promotional video can be seen playing on a TV.

Track listing

Single[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Soap"3:29
Total length:3:29
Soap Remixes - EP[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Soap (Steve James Remix)"3:59
2."Soap (Gladiator Remix)"3:07
3."Soap (Stooki Sound Remix)"4:42
4."Soap (Luxxury Remix)"6:38
5."Soap (Sailors Remix)"3:41
6."Soap (Jerome Price Remix)"4:48
Total length:26:55

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Alternative Digital Songs (Billboard)[9] 12
Pop Digital Songs (Billboard)[10] 16
Twitter Top Tracks (Billboard)[11] 26

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 40,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[13] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States July 10, 2015 Digital download Atlantic [16]
United Kingdom [17]
Australia [18]
Japan [19]

Notes

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

References

  1. ^ "Melanie Martinez's Acclaimed Debut Album Cry Baby Makes Incredible Chart Debut, Premiering At #5 On The Top Albums Chart And #6 On The Billboard 200". Warner Music Group. 24 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Nerve Soundtrack". Soundtrack Mania. 27 July 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. ^ McHale, Maggie (September 2, 2015). "OUR TAKE: CRYING OUT FOR "CRY BABY"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Melanie Martinez Wishes She Kept Her Mouth Shut On Bubbly Electro-Pop Anthem "Soap": Listen". Idolator. 10 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Emily Zemler, "Exclusive: Melanie Martinez gets vulnerable on new single, "Soap", ELLE, July 9, 2015
  6. ^ Toronto Paradise, "Melanie Martinez’s steamy new single Soap is our Monday paradise, Toronto Paradise, July 13, 2015
  7. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Single by Melanie Martinez". iTunes. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Remixes by Melanie Martinez". iTunes. October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  9. ^ "Soap Title Performance - Alternative", Billboard, August 1, 2015
  10. ^ "Soap Title Performance - Pop", Billboard, August 1, 2015
  11. ^ "Melanie Martinez-Billboard Twitter Top Tracks", Billboard, May 6, 2016
  12. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Soap". Music Canada. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  13. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2022 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Soap". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Melanie Martinez – Soap". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  16. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Single by Melanie Martinez". iTunes.
  17. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Single by Melanie Martinez". iTunes. 10 July 2015.
  18. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Single by Melanie Martinez". iTunes. 10 July 2015.
  19. ^ "iTunes - Music - Soap - Single by Melanie Martinez". iTunes. 10 July 2015.