Pills N Potions

Album: The Pink Print (2014)
Charted: 31 24
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from The Pink Print is a piano rap ballad that finds Minaj maintaining a positive attitude amongst all the doubters, detractors and people who have wronged her. "It feels very uplifting and it feels very soulful," she said of the song to Rap-Up.com. "It's a great indicator of what The Pink Print will feel like in terms of the storyline of that song."
  • Minaj wrote the song with Ester Dean, who has also co-penned many of Rihanna's hits as well as the Young Money MC's own "Super Bass." Speaking with Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, Minaj explained: "I was just reflecting on people; people in my life who have come and gone. Just thinking like, what does it all mean? You know? What the hell does it all mean?"

    "I'm talking about lots of people," she added. "It's not anybody in particular. I have come across a lot of people who I've given amazing opportunities to who continue to bite the hand that fed them."
  • Speaking with Ryan Seacrest on his On Air with Ryan Seacrest show, Minaj broke down the concept behind the song. "I feel like it's kind of like a tragic love story," she explained. "And it doesn't even necessarily have to be like a boy and girl relationship. I just kind of feel like while I was working on the album, I started realizing how much has changed, and how people has changed, and how people come in and out of your life. I just felt like talking about that."
  • The song was produced by hitmakers Dr. Luke and Cirkut, whose previous collaborations with Minaj include the hit tune "Va Va Voom."
  • The music video was shot on May 13 and 14, 2014 by Diane Martel, who also directed Minaj's "Right Thru Me" clip. The visual finds Minaj starring with a bearded and shirtless The Game, who plays her love interest gone wrong. Although Minaj and the West Coast rapper seem close in the video, she admitted that they met for the first time on set. There is also a rabbit theme as we see Minaj wearing bunny ears as well as an appearance by The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
  • The song is a departure from Minaj's earlier work. "I wanted the sound to be a newer sound and people never heard me sing in that tone, and it was just something fresh and new," she told BBC 1Xtra's DJ Semtex.

    Minaj added that the vulnerable feelings expressed in the song are universal. "Everybody has felt like they're angry," she said, "but they still love somebody, and something about that line I feel is just like one of the strongest lines ever said. 'I'm angry, but I still love you' I think there's something that's very classic and iconic about that because everyone can relate."
  • Minaj told Complex the song isn't just about relationships. "A couple of my girlfriends I hadn't spoken to in a while reached out to me after they heard 'Pills N Potions,'" she explained. "That struck such a chord with people. The message - we still love [each other] but we're angry - we feel that way all the time, we just don't say it. And a lot of times you don't even get over that, you just have to keep it moving"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Album Cover Inspirations

Album Cover InspirationsSong Writing

Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."