No, it’s not a misprint. The title of the song is both a play on words with “Teen Idol” and a self-deprecating jab at the idleness of teen life in the 21st century. She recently told Last FM that the inspiration for the song was just seeing a T-shirt with the phrase “Teen Idle” on it. She wanted the song to be about a juxtaposition between darkness and innocence. The song itself is quite dark, talking about topics such as lost virginity, eating disorders, and suicide. It speaks powerfully to teens who grew up at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. Despite her record producer, a middle-aged man, not wanting to include the song on the album or release it as a single, Marina insisted because she knew what it was like to be a teen girl, and the male record producer did not.
Who She Was
The song is bleak, too, because it explains who she really was and not who she aspired to be. Marina sang this song when she was 26 years old, remembering her teen years at the turn of the century. The idea is that teens have the same fears, frustrations, and miseries today that they did in 2002. Undue pressures from all quarters drive them to suicidal thoughts. Conformity, being popular, and fitting into some pigeonhole dreamed up by people who have no clue what it’s like weigh heavily on them all. Marina told Billboard that some of the longing in the song isn’t just about her teen years. Rather, it’s also about some of the times in her 20s, and even 30s, where she still longs for what she lost during the “wasted years,” showing that teen troubles don’t just disappear when you turn 18.
Praise from Marina’s Colleagues
Billie Eilish called it the “best song in the fucking world” and acknowledged the power of the lyrics in highlighting what depression is like. Melanie Martinez says that it’s the song that she wishes she wrote herself, which is high praise indeed. She especially praised Marina’s vocals and the “insane melodies.” Marina’s delivery is almost folk-like in its etherealness, harking back to Joni Mitchell’s effortless leaps to her head voice.
Other Media
Despite the success Marina has enjoyed in her career, “Teen Idle” hasn’t appeared in very main soundtracks. Marina’s other songs have featured in about two dozen films and television programs, but not “Teen Idle.” Perhaps, that’s fitting because the song is about a life unfulfilled. Still, the song has had a huge cultural impact on teenage life since its release.
Lyrics
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
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
Yeah, I wish I’d been, I 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
I wanna be a virgin pure
A twenty-first century whore
I want back my virginity
So I can feel infinity
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
Yeah, I wish I’d been, I 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
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
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 ugliness of being a fool
Ain’t youth meant to be beautiful?
Yeah, I wish I’d been, I 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
All our lives
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
All our lives
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Marina Lambrini Diamandis
Teen Idle lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
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