Rialto were a Britpop band of the late 1990s in the UK and known as that un… Read Full Bio ↴Rialto were a Britpop band of the late 1990s in the UK and known as that unlucky band who were dropped twice from East West Records. The band grew from the Oxygen/MCA Records act Kinky Machine that featured singer Louis Eliot (pictured, second from right) and Johnny Bull (pictured, far right). They released their first album, Rialto in 1998, and their second, Night on Earth in 2002. Their most famous single is their debut, 'Monday Morning 5:19'. However the single 'Untouchable' charted higher at number 20 in the UK. Jonny Bull has recently been co-writing songs with singer/songwriter Lily Allen at his studio in southwest Portugal, one of which, Friday Night, features on her debut album Alright Still.

Rialto and Warners

Rialto signed to EastWest Records and set about recording their debut album. However after releasing a number of singles they were dropped, without their album being released. China Records signed up the band and agreed to take on the manufacturing and promotion of their debut album. Unfortuately for the band, China was in the middle of being taken over by Warner Music, EastWest's parent company. Once this deal was completed the band found themselves back on EastWest, who quickly dropped them for the second time.

Rialto is also the name of a one man solo project from New Zealand. His music can be generalized as Cinema-Electronic-Emotion. His first release is based on the script of the famous "Brat-Pack" film The Breakfast Club, with the single called John Bender Is A Badass. http://rialto.bandcamp.com/

Broken Barbie Doll
Rialto Lyrics

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Back when she was a girl there was a plan to see her through her life:
Get married settle down and have some kids and be a good housewife.
But she would go to bed at night,
With day-glo stars and fairy lights stuck on the ceiling of her room,
As she dreamt of another life.

Now it's too late to go back home,
It's saccharine and silicone, for a broken barbie doll.

Sleeping pills and alcohol, and nights she'd rather not recall,
For a broken barbie doll.

And though the hands that played with her were cold,
She let them drag her down.
And as her cardboard world begins to fold,
She's lying on the ground,

Now it's too late to go back home,
It's saccharine and silicone, for a broken barbie doll.
Sleeping pills and alcohol, and nights she'd rather not recall,
For a broken barbie doll.

Her mother writes her every week,
She says she's worried for her health.
Her dad says she's finding her feet,
But now she's lying on the shelf.
Like faulty goods that are returned,
Her pretty fingers are all burnt.

Now it's too late to go back home,
It's saccharine and silicone, for a broken barbie doll.

Sleeping pills and alcohol, and nights she'd rather not recall,
For a broken barbie doll.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rialto's song Broken Barbie Doll depict the journey of a girl who deviated from the traditional plan laid out for her by society. The conventional expectation was for her to get married, have kids, and become a good housewife. However, the girl had other aspirations and dreams of a different life, as seen by her sleeping beneath day-glo stars and fairy lights that were stuck on her bedroom ceiling. Despite her dreams, she ended up taking sleeping pills and alcohol, and her nights are plagued by memories she'd rather forget, and the hands that played with her were cold. The girl has now reached a point where it's impossible for her to return home. Her life now consists of saccharine and silicone, the result of a barbie doll that's broken and cannot be fixed.

The song portrays the loneliness and helplessness of the girl who's lost herself and can no longer go back home. Her parents' letters continue to remind her of what could have been if she had stuck to the traditional plan. Her mother is worried about her health, and her father tries to provide assurance that she's finding her feet, but the girl is now hidden away like faulty goods that have been returned after purchase. Her fingers, once pretty, are now all burnt, and she's basically living a life she never wanted.

The song Broken Barbie Doll is an insightful piece that shows how societal and family expectations can sometimes force individuals to abandon their dreams and aspirations, leading to a broken and empty existence. It's a timeline of how dreams can be lost and how one can become a mere shadow of their true self.

Line by Line Meaning

Back when she was a girl there was a plan to see her through her life:
When she was younger, there was an expectation that she would follow a traditional path of getting married, starting a family, and becoming a homemaker.

But she would go to bed at night, With day-glo stars and fairy lights stuck on the ceiling of her room, As she dreamt of another life.
Despite the expectations placed on her, she had dreams of a different life and often imagined a world beyond her own bedroom.

Now it's too late to go back home, It's saccharine and silicone, for a broken barbie doll.
She feels that she has lost her chance to pursue her dreams and instead is left with a fake and superficial existence as a broken and discarded toy.

Sleeping pills and alcohol, and nights she'd rather not recall, For a broken barbie doll.
To cope with the disappointment and despair she feels, she turns to self-destructive behaviors and tries to forget the painful reality of her life.

And though the hands that played with her were cold, She let them drag her down.
Despite the fact that the people who influenced her life didn't care for her, she allowed them to control and manipulate her.

And as her cardboard world begins to fold, She's lying on the ground,
As her fake and constructed world crumbles, she is left broken and defeated on the ground.

Her mother writes her every week, She says she's worried for her health.
Despite her struggles, her mother still cares for her and is concerned for her wellbeing.

Her dad says she's finding her feet, But now she's lying on the shelf.
Her father believes she is capable of finding success, but instead she feels abandoned and alone.

Like faulty goods that are returned, Her pretty fingers are all burnt.
She feels like a defective product that has been rejected and cast aside, and her once-beautiful appearance has been destroyed.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LOUIS ROBERT ELIOT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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