"Marlene Dietrich" also forms a jarring contrast with the previous track on Cavalcade, "John L", both musically and lyrically. Not only is it calm and soft where John L was aggressive and noisy, Marlene is presented as an opposite to John in several ways - for instance, her music is shown to be healing and soothing, whereas John's whipped the throng into frenzy.
Marlene Dietrich
BLACK MIDI Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a taped-back face
Our soft-spoken queen
Takes her place on the stage
As the big curtains open
The last troops run in quick
For the one and only
She whispers demurely
"From 'The Blue Angel'"
The song we all know
The one that we've paid for
Fills the hall tight
And pulls at our hearts
And puts in her place
The girl she once was
In that suit of '33
Soundtracked by disapproving commentary
And my, my shuddering neighbor
Turns and roughly rouses me
He says, "While a kiss on the lips
May not make a frog a prince
An orgasm renders any queen a witch
Metamorphosis exists"
Damn all us idiots
Damn us 'til death
Relentlessly trying to untie our knots
Of rivers and roads that defy all sense
But her hands loosen all
And her voice brings you youth
Her cheeks cradle the holy breath
That pumps the lungs of her Mackie Messer
And she beats the heart of her Mackie Messer
And she walks the stage with her Mackie Messer
And she makes us smile with her Mackie Messer
In "Marlene Dietrich," BLACK MIDI pays homage to the legendary actress and singer who is known for her captivating stage persona and sultry voice. The song begins by describing the setting through which Marlene takes the stage in a soft-spoken manner with her face taped back under the soft lights. As the curtains open, the audience is drawn in by Marlene's powerful performance, which fills the hall and pulls at their hearts. The song references a performance she gave in the 1930 film "The Blue Angel," which made her an international star.
The lyrics also touch upon the transformative power of Marlene's art and how it brings youth to those who listen, regardless of their age. References are also made to her song "Mackie Messer," which she performs on stage, and how it captures the essence of her artistry. The song concludes with the line "she makes us smile with her Mackie Messer," signifying the beauty and joy Marlene brought to the stage.
Overall, BLACK MIDI's "Marlene Dietrich" is a nuanced and poetic tribute to the iconic performer that celebrates her artistry and her enduring legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
Under soft lights
Marlene Dietrich is on stage with dim lighting
With a taped-back face
Marlene has had her face taped to give it a different appearance
Our soft-spoken queen
Marlene is known as the queen of performance
Takes her place on the stage
Marlene is about to perform
As the big curtains open
The curtains on stage open up for the audience to see
The last troops run in quick
The final performers enter the stage quickly
For the one and only
Marlene is the only performer on stage now
Marlene Dietrich
The performer on stage is Marlene Dietrich
She whispers demurely
Marlene speaks softly
"From 'The Blue Angel'"
Marlene is introducing the song from the movie 'The Blue Angel'
The song we all know
The audience is familiar with the song Marlene is about to perform
The one that we've paid for
The audience has paid to see Marlene perform this song
Fills the hall tight
The song fills the entire room
And pulls at our hearts
The song is emotionally impactful
And puts in her place
Marlene takes on a different persona for the performance
The girl she once was
Marlene brings back memories of her past self through her performance
In that suit of '33
Marlene is dressed in a suit reminiscent of a time period
Soundtracked by disapproving commentary
The performance is being accompanied by negative criticism from the audience
And my, my shuddering neighbor
The singer's neighbor is having a physical reaction to the performance
Turns and roughly rouses me
The neighbor wakes the artist up roughly
He says, "While a kiss on the lips
The neighbor makes an analogy between a kiss and an orgasm
May not make a frog a prince
A kiss does not have the power to transform someone into royalty
An orgasm renders any queen a witch
An orgasm can make anyone seem like a bad person
Metamorphosis exists"
The neighbor believes that change is possible through transformative experiences
Damn all us idiots
The singer expresses anger towards themselves and the audience
Damn us 'til death
The singer wishes eternal punishment for themselves and the audience
Relentlessly trying to untie our knots
The singer is trying to overcome their personal struggles
Of rivers and roads that defy all sense
The artist's struggles are complicated and incomprehensible
But her hands loosen all
Marlene's performance helps the artist let go of their struggles
And her voice brings you youth
Marlene's singing makes the audience feel young
Her cheeks cradle the holy breath
Marlene holds her breath during the performance in a holy manner
That pumps the lungs of her Mackie Messer
Marlene sings with such conviction that she breathes life into her character Mackie Messer
And she beats the heart of her Mackie Messer
Marlene brings her character Mackie Messer to life through her performance
And she walks the stage with her Mackie Messer
Marlene embodies her character Mackie Messer throughout the entire performance
And she makes us smile with her Mackie Messer
Marlene's performance of Mackie Messer brings joy and happiness to the audience
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Geordie Wade Greep, Cameron Overeynder, Morgann George Simpson, Matthew Antony Kwasniwski-Kelvin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carloseduardogonzalezsalga7947
Under soft lights with a taped back face
Our soft-spoken queen takes her place on the stage
As the big curtains open, the last troops run in quick
For the one and only, Marlene Dietrich
She whispers Demurely from "The Blue Angel"
The song we all know, the one that we've paid for
Fills the hall tight
And pulls at our hearts
And puts in her place
The girl she once was in that suit of '33
Sound tracked by disapproving commentary
And my shuddering neighbor, turns and roughly rouses me
He says, "While a kiss on the lips may not make a frog a prince"
"An orgasm renders any queen a witch metamorphosis exists"
Damn all us idiots, damn us 'til death
Relentlessly trying to untie our knots of rivers and roads that defy all sense
But her hands loosen all and her voice brings you youth
Her cheeks cradle the holy breath that pumps the lungs of her Mackie Messer, oh
And she beats the heart of her Mackie Messer, oh
And she walks the stage with her Mackie Messer, oh
And she makes us smile with her Mackie Messer, oh
@RenaissanceEarCandy
Somewhere in a parallel universe, Marlene Dietrich is singing a song called Black Midi.
@kevinwillems8720
I guess
@elaenamusitano
I think she would hate them after them mentioning her taped back face!!! How rude and insensitive!
@mindundi4162
Somewhere in the vast realm of parallel universes, Marlene Dietrich is singing a song called Geordie Greep
@davidginn6551
Somewhere in a parallel universe, Black Dietrich is singing a song called Marlene Midi
@jimmyjazz95
Most underrated black country new road song
@jihming7270
👏👏👏
@sushiboi004
it isnt black country new road 😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬❗❗❗‼️‼️‼️❌❌❌
@Dagger-th2ik
@@sushiboi004 Ikr this is quite obviously Squid.....
@neilwilson5785
Are they from Birmingham? I thought London. Not sure.