Are You Satisfied? is a song by Marina Diamandis, released under her previous stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds'. Appearing on her first studio album The Family Jewels, it is the 1st and opening track of the album.
The song was written by Marina alone, and produced by Liam Howe, Richard Stannard and Ash Howes.
Background[]
The metadata of demo 1 reveals the song was encoded in iTunes 7.6.[1] Assuming the software was up to date, this gives a date sometime between January 15, 2008, and February 21, 2008.[2]
On July 2, 2008, Marina shared a demo of the track on her MySpace.[3]
The song's second demo was first scrobbled by Marina's ex-drummer, Nick Johnson[4], on January 1, 2009.[5]
Meaning[]
Marina stated in a track by track interview of The Family Jewels:[6]
❝ I decided to have Are You Satisfied? as the first song on the album because it gives insight into why I decided to do this whole thing and because I never feel satisfied or that happy, or I didn't at the time, and I was interested in why I wanted to do this. I love music and I want to be a great singer, musician and performer because I feel like that's my calling and that's natural to me but as I said before you don't just wake up and be famous. Even though I critique celebrity culture a lot and it's one of the main themes of my album lyrically, I'm interested in why I'm drawn to it and why I wanted to get into this business if I'm so against it. [...] It's not about fame, it's about being who you want to be without listening to the people who tell you 'oh you can't do this' 'you can't do that' you are the only person who knows what will make you truly happy in life. I suppose this song's purpose is to challenge people or to give people courage to do what they want because 'do you want an average life?' no I don't. I never did and I hope I won't have one. So I suppose at the time I was living a very average life and I felt dissatisfied and that's why this song came out. ❞
Reflections[]
In a June 2021 interview with People, Diamandis reflected back on the song, along with other The Family Jewels tracks:[7]
❝ 'It feels like listening to another person,' she says about her old records, which she admits are often 'too uncomfortable' to revisit. 'Songs like 'Oh No!' or 'Hollywood' or 'I'm Not a Robot,' I still love those songs genuinely. It's other songs like 'Are You Satisfied?' and 'Hermit the Frog,' where I'm like 'What the f—?' They were so mad.'
'They were baby me,' she adds. ❞
Trivia[]
- During a date of the LOVE + FEAR Tour, Marina mistakenly sang the demo lyric "high achiever that is me" rather than the final version's "high achiever, don't you see?".[8]
- In 2021, the song was popularised on social media app TikTok.
- The song was first played live in 2008.[9]
- The song's chorus shares a similar melody to the outro of the b-side Bad Kidz.
Official Versions[]
| Version | Released on | Date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Album [Inst.]
|
The Family Jewels | 15 Feb 2010 | 3:21 |
| Acoustic/Live | ||||
| Acoustic | Unknown | Unknown | 3:32 | |
| Demos | ||||
| Demo 1 | MySpace | ~31 Jul 2008 | 2:48 | |
| [10] | Demo 2 | N/A - Unreleased | Leaked: 24 May 2013 | 3:21 |
Lyrics[]
Differences between the original, acoustic and demo versions have been italicised.
[Verse 1]
I was pulling out my hair the day I cut the deal
Chemically calm
Was I meant to feel happy
That my life was just about to change?
One life pretending to be
The cat who got the cream
Oh, everybody said "Marina is a dreamer"
People like to tell you
[Pre-Chorus]
What you're gonna be
It's not my problem, if you don't see what I see
And I do not give a damn if you don't believe
It's my problem, it's my problem
That I never am happy
It's my problem, it's my problem
On how fast I will succeed
[Chorus 1]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
[Verse 2]
High achiever, don't you see?
Baby, nothing comes for free
They say I'm a control freak
Driven by a greed to succeed
Nobody can stop me
[Pre-Chorus]
'Cause it's my problem if I wanna pack up and run away
It's my business if I feel the need to smoke and drink and sway
It's my problem, it's my problem if I feel the need to hide
And it's my problem if I have no friends and feel I want to die
[Chorus 2]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line, will you be satisfied?
[Bridge]
Sad inside in this life
Unsatisfied, praying
Sad inside in this life
Unsatisfied, waiting
[Chorus 2]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line, will you be satisfied?
[Outro]
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
[Verse 1]
I was pulling out my hair the day I cut the deal
Chemically calm
Was I meant to feel happy
That my life was just about to change?
One life pretending to be
The cat who got the cream
Oh, everybody said "Marina is a dreamer"
People like to tell you
[Pre-Chorus]
What you're gonna be
It's not my problem, if you don't see what I see
And I do not give a damn if you don't believe
My problem, is my problem
That I never am happy
It's my problem, it's my problem
On how fast I will succeed
[Chorus 1]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
[Verse 2]
High achiever, don't you see?
Baby, nothing comes for free
They say I'm a control freak
Driven by a greed to succeed
Nobody can stop me
[Pre-Chorus]
'Cause it's my problem if I wanna pack up and run a-
It's my business if I feel the need to smoke and drink and sway
It's my problem, it's my problem if I feel the need to hide
And it's my problem if I have no friends and feel I want to die
[Chorus 1]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line, will you be satisfied?
[Bridge]
Sad inside in this life
Unsatisfied, praying
Sad inside in this life
Unsatisfied, waiting
[Chorus 2]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line, will you be satisfied?
[Outro]
Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?
Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?
Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?
Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?
[Verse 1]
I was pulling out my hair the day I got the deal
Chemically calm
Was I meant to feel happy
That my life was just about to change?
One life pretending to be
The cat who got the cream
Oh, everybody said "Marina is a dreamer"
People like to tell you
[Pre-Chorus]
What you're gonna be
It's not my problem, if you don't see what I see
And I do not give a damn if you don't believe (It's my problem, it's my problem)
It's my problem, it's my problem that I never am happy
It's my problem, it's my problem if I'm always gonna feel
[Chorus 1]
Sad inside, in this life
Unsatisfied
Tell me, when will we be free
[Verse 2]
High achiever, that is me
and I don't need your weed
Oh, I am a control freak
Driven by a greed to succeed
Nobody can stop me
[Pre-Chorus]
'Cause it's my problem if I wanna pack up and run away
It's my business if I feel the need to smoke and drink and sway
It's my problem, it's my problem if I feel the need to hide
It's my fatherfuckin' problem if I feel unsatisfied
[Bridge]
Sad inside, in this life
Unsatisfied, praying
Sad inside, in this life
Unsatisfied, waiting
Waiting, to, be free
[Outro]
Are you sad? Are you sad?
Are you sad? Are you sad?
Are you sad? Are you sad?
Are you satisfied?
Are you satisfied?
Are you satisfied?
[Verse 1]
I was pulling out my hair the day I got the deal
Chemically calm
Was I meant to feel happy
That my life was just about to change?
One life pretending to be
The cat who got the cream
Oh, everybody said "Marina is a dreamer"
People like to tell you
[Pre-Chorus]
What you're gonna be
It's not my problem, if you don't see what I see
And I do not give a damn if you don't believe
My problem is my problem that I never am happy
It's my problem, it's my problem on how fast I will succeed
[Chorus 1]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
[Verse 2]
High achiever, don't you see?
Baby, nothing comes for free
They say I am controlling
Driven by a greed to succeed
Nobody can stop me
[Pre-Chorus]
'Cause it's my problem if I wanna pack up and run away
It's my business if I feel the need to smoke and drink and sway
It's my problem, it's my problem if I feel the need to hide
And it's my problem if I have no friends and feel I want to die
[Chorus 2]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line will you be satisfied?
[Bridge]
Sad inside, in this life
Unsatisfied, praying
Sad inside, in this life
Unsatisfied, waiting
[Chorus 2]
Are you satisfied with an average life?
Do I need to lie to make my way in life?
Are you satisfied with an easy ride?
Once you cross the line will you be satisfied?
[Outro]
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Black, white
(Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?)
Credits[]
Personnel[]
- Vocals, piano - Marina Diamandis
- Bass, mellotron, synths - Liam Howe
- String arrangement, double bass - Lucy Shaw
- Guitar - Luke Potashnick
- Violin - Alison Dods, Clina de la Mere
- Viola - Rachel Robson
- Cello - Chris Allan
- Drums - Steve Durham
Technical[]
- Writer - Marina Diamandis
- Producers - Ash Howes, Liam Howe for This Much Talent, Richard "Biff" Stannard for 365 Artists and Biffco Productions
- Mixer - Ash Howes
- Programmer - Liam Howe
- Additional keys, additional programmers - Richard "Biff" Stannard, Ash Howes
- Engineer - Richard Wilkinson
- Assistant engineer - Dougal Lott
- Master - Guy Davie at Electric Mastering, London
- Publisher - Warner Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
- Recorded, mixed at - The Ivory Tower, Konk, London, Biffco Studios, Brighton
Registration[]
The song was once registered on ASCAP/BMI,[11] and twice on GEMA.[12] The GEMA re-registration lists Marina's own publishing company, Primadonna Girl Limited. This was likely done in order for her to have legal ownership over the song.
References[]
- ↑ Run this file through https://exif.tools/ (Found here) (Note: this is not the original file but still contains the encoding data)
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_iTunes#iTunes_7
- ↑ FLASH WARNING: https://web.archive.org/web/20080706222006/http://www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds comments suggest she uploaded a new song on the 2nd, with someone saying they feel "sad inside" too.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090917075520/http://www.marinaandthediamonds.net/band/
- ↑ https://www.last.fm/user/NickolaiJ/library/music/Marina+&+the+Diamonds/_/Are+You+Satisfied%3F+(Demo+Version+2)?from=2009-01-01&to=2009-10-31
- ↑ https://youtu.be/1DD8zQU91Dk?t=132
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210612081355/https://people.com/music/marina-drops-ancient-dreams-in-a-modern-land-talks-heartbreak-freedom/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DiamandisToday/status/1123264904734154757 (Tweet Deleted)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20151019231901/https://www.gigwise.com/reviews/45083/thursday-310708-marina-&-the-diamonds-@-catch-london/
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/marinalambrinidiamandis/are-you-satisfied-demo-2-rare
- ↑ ISWC: T9021497472 Work ID: 313778339
- ↑ https://online.gema.de/werke/search.faces?lang=en
GEMA work no.: 10728217-001 GEMA work no.: 10728217-003
