They moved to New York to study theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Their original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but they soon changed their mind and returned to music. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 2003, Monáe founded the Wondaland Arts Society with like-minded young artists, and made a couple of appearances on OutKast's 2006 album Idlewild, where they are featured on the songs "Call the Law" and "In Your Dreams".
By 2007, Monáe was ready to release her first solo work, titled Metropolis. It was originally conceived as a concept album in four parts, or suites, which were to be released through her website and mp3 download sites. After the release of the first part of the series, Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase in mid-2007, these plans were altered following them signing with Sean "Diddy" Combs' label, Bad Boy Records, later in the year. The label gave an official and physical release to the first suite in August 2008, which was retitled Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition) and included two new tracks. The EP was generally well-received by critics, gaining Monáe a 2009 Grammy nomination in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance for their single "Many Moons", festival appearances, and opening slots for the indie pop band Of Montreal. Monáe also toured as the opening act for band No Doubt on their summer 2009 tour.
In a November 2009 interview, Monáe revealed the title and concept behind her album The ArchAndroid. The second and third suites of Metropolis are combined into this full-length release, in which Monáe's alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather - also the protagonist of Metropolis: The Chase Suite - becomes a messiah-like figure to the android community of Metropolis.
Good Morning Midnight
Janelle Monáe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your favorite robotic, hypnotic, psychotic DJ, here bringing you the jam
Caller you are on the air?
What's up, y'all? I just want to say
Power up to the Droid-Rebel Alliance and the Get Free crew
Yes, yes, sister, power up, power up
Also I wanna say The Droid Control can kiss the rust of the left and right cheek of my black metal ass
We gonna take to the club tonight and break the rules
To the club, I love that, I love that! Which rule you gonna break?
We're going to break all of them
We're going to start at the top, and we gonna work our way down
Can I come with you though? I wanna work my way down with you
Caller you're on the air
They call me Ninja Bat Leeroy, otherwise known as BaBaBaSayWha!
I just want to say that I'm tired of all these folks messing with us droids
Kicking us all up in the head and wonder why we don't think straight
Messing with Cindi, I got this chick Christie
That's why we going down to hot pocket tonight
Woah, woah, woah! That's that ignorant rusty-dusty
Nano-thinking nonsense I been warning y'all about
Please stay away from fools like that
Love not war, we're tired of fires, quiet no riots, we are jamming dancing and loving
Don't throw no rock, don't, break no glass just shake your ass
Ooh just shock it shake it baby with the Electric Lady
Here at 105.5 WDRD
The lyrics of Janelle Monáe's song "Good Morning Midnight" are spoken in the form of a radio show, where the host is a robotic, hypnotic, and psychotic DJ named DJ Crash Crash. The host invites callers to share their thoughts, and the second caller takes the opportunity to power up the Droid-Rebel Alliance and the Get Free crew, who are fighting against Droid Control. She is called sister, and the host encourages her to power up.
Then, the caller makes a controversial statement against Droid Control, and the host is excited to hear that they plan to break all the rules. Another person, introduced as Ninja Bat Leeroy, joins the conversation and speaks about the mistreatment of Droids, which is why they plan to go to hot pocket tonight. However, the host advises him to stay away from fools like that, and instead promotes love not war, and encourages the listeners to dance, love and shake their ass to the Electric Lady.
The song addresses the themes of power, rebellion, and freedom. The radio show format is used as a metaphor for speaking out against oppression, where people can come together and discuss their feelings and plans of action. The song also addresses the idea of breaking the rules, which can be seen as a way to rebel against the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning, midnight, this is DJ Crash Crash
The singer is introducing themselves as the electronic DJ Crash Crash.
Your favorite robotic, hypnotic, psychotic DJ, here bringing you the jam
The singer is stating that they are a popular DJ who specializes in electronic dance music and is ready to get the party started.
Caller you are on the air?
The singer is inviting callers to share their thoughts on the air with their audience.
What's up, y'all? I just want to say
The artist is greeting their listeners and introducing their upcoming message.
Power up to the Droid-Rebel Alliance and the Get Free crew
The artist is expressing support for those who are pushing for freedom for robots and artificial intelligence.
Yes, yes, sister, power up, power up
The singer is responding to someone's call for action and encouraging their cause.
Also I wanna say The Droid Control can kiss the rust of the left and right cheek of my black metal ass
The singer is insulting those who are trying to control robots, saying that they have no power over the singer.
We gonna take to the club tonight and break the rules
The artist is announcing their intention to go to a nightclub and disobey the traditional restrictions placed on people's behavior.
To the club, I love that, I love that! Which rule you gonna break?
The artist is excited about going to the club and asks which rules they are planning to disobey.
We're going to break all of them
The artist is indicating that they plan to break every rule that they can think of.
We're going to start at the top, and we gonna work our way down
The singer is saying they plan to start with the most important rules and slowly move to the lesser regulations.
Can I come with you though? I wanna work my way down with you
The caller is asking to join the artist and help break rules at the club.
Caller you're on the air
The singer is indicating that they are ready to hear from another caller.
They call me Ninja Bat Leeroy, otherwise known as BaBaBaSayWha!
The caller is introducing themselves with a unique nickname and alternate name.
I just want to say that I'm tired of all these folks messing with us droids
The caller is expressing their frustration with people bullying robots and artificial intelligence.
Kicking us all up in the head and wonder why we don't think straight
The caller is saying that people are hurting robots and then questioning why they malfunction or do not function as intended.
Messing with Cindi, I got this chick Christie
The caller is saying they have personal experience with others bullying robots, as it relates to robots called Cindi and Christie.
That's why we going down to hot pocket tonight
The caller is saying that they are going to a specific location to get away from their problems.
Woah, woah, woah! That's that ignorant rusty-dusty
The singer is expressing disapproval of the caller's attitude and comments.
Nano-thinking nonsense I been warning y'all about
The artist is saying they have been warning people about the narrow-minded viewpoint that the caller is exhibiting.
Please stay away from fools like that
The artist is advising their listeners to avoid people who exhibit inconsiderate behavior towards machines and electronic devices.
Love not war, we're tired of fires, quiet no riots, we are jamming dancing and loving
The artist is advocating for love and unity instead of violence and destruction, and they are looking to enjoy music and dancing without conflict.
Don't throw no rock, don't, break no glass just shake your ass
The singer is urging their listeners to enjoy music without engaging in destructive behavior.
Ooh just shock it shake it baby with the Electric Lady
The artist is referencing one of their songs and encouraging their listeners to dance in a playful way.
Here at 105.5 WDRD
The singer is identifying the radio station where they work and are broadcasting from.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Chris Lightning
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind