Oh Marcello!

Album: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Spektor sings in a fake Italian accent on this track, addressing a woman concerned that if she gives birth to a son, he'll become a serial killer. Like most of her songs, Spektor is portraying a fictional character rather than real-life events. "I think it's silly to assume that songs are from the direct life of the songwriter," she told American Songwriter magazine. "Nobody does that with novels. Nobody does that with movies or actors. If George Clooney plays an a--hole who walks around murdering people, nobody thinks that George Clooney is an a--hole who walks around murdering people. Everybody has this understanding that all these other artists are just channeling something and using their imaginations, but for whatever reason, people don't seem to feel that way about songwriting, I guess."
  • Does the chorus sound familiar to you? It's borrowed from Nina Simone/The Animals track, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.