| This article is about the song. To see alternate articles, check out the archetype with the same name. |
Teen Idle is a song by Marina Diamandis, released under her previous stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds'. it is the 9th track on her second studio album, Electra Heart.
The song was written by Marina alone, and produced by Liam Howe.
Teen Idle is a 'Teen Idle' song.
Background[]
In February 2011, Marina went to London Fashion week and stated that she got the idea for the title from a grey knitted jumper[1] with "Teen Idle" written on it. Thinking it would be funny to rhyme "idle" with "suicidal," she decided to write the song about youth—specifically how she did not live out her teen years the way she wished she had.[2]
Marina was in LA in late March[3], on the 25th Marina was in the studio[4], the next day she tweeted:[5]
❝ ♫ I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle ♫ : (Chorus begins. People rejoice) ❞
On February 3, 2022, Teen Idle was certified Gold by the RIAA.[6]
Reflections[]
Marina discussed the song with Billboard in 2019 when she went back on her decision to perform the song live on tour:[7]
❝ I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to feel singing this anymore,' but actually I related to it in a new way. [...] 'I still feel sad about not being free when I was younger.' I feel like I still have issues with that or longing or sadness about that. Because of, you know, personal stuff that was going on for me when I was in my teens, sometimes even in my twenties... that's the thing: if something has affected you in your younger years that has made you not feel free, that doesn't go away when you turn 18. That sticks on you and it's really up to you to remove that. But it can be very difficult. ❞
❝ It's kind of amazing how many of us do actually have those feelings, but it's like... it also makes me, not angry, but like, I feel mad at myself that I've left... there's like so many years that I could have been having a completely different experience, and I just wasn't able to. But then I suppose that's just life and that's what you learn. I guess it's better to feel free at some point than, like, never [laughs]. It's never too late to feel free! ❞
❝ [Back in the day] Electra Heart was just, like, expressing it and then FROOT was narrating it. And then this time it's looking back and feeling something about what I had gone through. What I had missed out on. 'Cause I have loads of friends who partied loads in their twenties and they let themselves live life, and I'm like [sighs] 'Ah wow, I wonder how that felt.' I wonder how it felt to be allowed to be yourself. ❞
_9-001_(B%26W).jpg){kind=link}
Marina wearing the jumper that inspired the song
Trivia[]
- Teen Idle was referenced on the Electra Heart blog:
- July 19, 2011: "♡ R E A L F A K E ♡" under the Su-Barbie-A archetype.[8]
- November 11, 2011: "♡ T E E N I D L E ♡" under the Teen Idle archetype.[9]
- September 21, 2012: "♡ I W A N T B L O O D, G U T S & A N G E L C A K E ♡" under the Teen Idle archetype.[10]
- Marina's manager at the time didn't want the song on the album.[11][12] Interestingly, the song is the 4th most streamed Electra Heart song on Spotify.
- In a 2015 Hollywire interview, an alternative artist, Melanie Martinez, had been asked to name a song that she wished she had written. Melanie had confessed that she wished she had written the lyrics of Marina's Teen Idle, saying that Marina is a brilliant songwriter.[13]
- The rhythm and theme of this song's first verse are both mirrored in the first verse of Immortal.
- "I listen to a little Marina & The Diamonds. She has a song called 'Teen Idle' that I really like." —Lana Del Rey
- Marina infamously played the song in front of children, at least twice as they say "take two" in the video.[14]
Meaning[]
In an interview to PopDirt, Diamandis explained:[15]
❝ Lyrically, it's a strange song, as it crosses polar opposite themes – innocence and darkness. I had waited a long time to write that song and it helped me acknowledge some experiences that I'd had in my teenage years. Ages 16-20 were kind of blackout years for me, like I didn't even live them or they didn't belong to my life. I don't really remember them. It's most definitely one of my fan base's favorite songs on Electra Heart. I'm really proud of it. The nicest thing about being an artist is realizing that a feeling or experience you had that you always thought was really obscure or embarrassing, is in fact very common, and that we all deal with pretty much the same stuff in one way or another. ❞
Connections[]
- Teen Idle is a 'Teen Idle' song, along with Radioactive, and Bubblegum Bitch.
- The line "I wanna be a bottle blonde, I don't know why but I feel conned." links the song to:
- Supermodel's Legs: "I might not look quite like a natural blonde, and I can't help but feel conned."
Videos[]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | Teen Idle (Live) | |
| Premiere | 23 Jul 2012 | |
| Length | 4:25 | |
| Location | The Tabernacle, London | |
| Filmed | 25 Jun 2012 | |
Official Versions[]
| Version | Released on | Date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Album [Inst.]
|
Electra Heart | 27 Apr 2012 | 4:14 |
| Acoustic/Live | ||||
| Live | YouTube | 23 Jul 2012 | 4:25 | |
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I wanna be a bottle blonde
I don't know why but I feel conned
I wanna be an idle teen
I wish I hadn't been so clean
[Pre-Chorus 1]
I wanna stay inside all day
I want the world to go away
I want blood, guts and chocolate cake
I wanna be a real fake
[Chorus]
Yeah, I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a Bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find I've come alive
[Verse 2]
I wanna be a virgin pure
A twenty-first century whore
I want back my virginity
So I can feel infinity
[Pre-Chorus 2]
I wanna drink until I ache
I wanna make a big mistake
I want blood, guts and angel cake
I'm gonna puke it anyway
[Chorus]
Yeah, I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a Bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find I've come alive
Come alive, I've come alive
[Bridge]
I wish I wasn't such a narcissist
I wish I didn't really kiss
The mirror when I'm on my own
Oh, God, I'm gonna die alone
Adolescence didn't make sense
A little loss of innocence
The ugly years of being a fool
Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?
[Chorus]
Yeah, I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a Bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find I've come alive
Only to find I've come alive
Only to find I've come alive
[Outro]
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
Come alive
Credits[]
Personnel[]
- Vocals, piano - Marina Diamandis
- Synthesisers, santoor, philicorda - Liam Howe
Technical[]
- Writer - Marina Diamandis
- Producer, mixer - Liam Howe for This Much Talent
- Programmer - Liam Howe
- Additional drum producer, additional drum programmer - The Elite
- Recorded at, mixed at - The Ivory Tower
- Master - Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, New York
- Publisher - Warner Chappell Music Ltd (PRS)
References[]
- ↑ https://weblogtheworld.com/formats/featured/more-in-depth-on-london-fashion-week
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlqqwE5ToWc
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/43435976411979776
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/51371891453206528
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/51832368293625856
- ↑ https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=marina#search_section
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8529831/marina-interview-love-fear-acoustic-ep-tour
- ↑ https://electraheart.tumblr.com/post/7810763527
- ↑ https://electraheart.tumblr.com/post/13024700542
- ↑ https://electraheart.tumblr.com/post/31951190887
- ↑ https://musicfeeds.com.au/features/marina-and-the-diamonds-charmed-im-sure/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=879
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Qoq_YyZRQEE
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epe0PEPewHs
- ↑ http://popdirt.com/marina-and-the-diamonds-teen-idle-live-in-london/102002/
 | |
|---|---|
| Tour ♡ Merch ♡ Photography ♡ Tumblr ♡ 'The Archetypes' ♡ die Life ♡ Collaborators | |
| Discography | |
| Releases | Electra Heart |
| Tracklist | Bubblegum Bitch ♡ Primadonna ♡ Lies ♡ Homewrecker ♡ Starring Role ♡ The State of Dreaming ♡ Power & Control ♡ Living Dead ♡ Teen Idle ♡ Valley of the Dolls ♡ Hypocrates ♡ Fear and Loathing ♡ Radioactive ♡ Sex Yeah ♡ Lonely Hearts Club ♡ Buy the Stars ♡ How to Be a Heartbreaker ♡ E.V.O.L ♡ Electra Heart |
| Non-Album | Eternity ♡ Double Life ♡ The Archetypes ♡ Su-Barbie-A ♡ Miss Y ♡ Scab and Plaster |
| Misc | Bump in the Night ♡ Just Desserts ♡ Boyfriend ♡ Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas |
| Other Eras | |
| Mermaid vs. Sailor • The Family Jewels • Electra Heart • FROOT • LOVE + FEAR • Ancient Dreams | |