Melissa Lefton - Melicious


The Lost Album




If you're at this page, you probably already know who Melissa Lefton is In case you don't...
Melissa Lefton is a singer and songwriter who in 2001 was signed to Jive Records. That's the same label as Britney Spears and many other teen pop sensations. Melissa, who has been making music since her late teens, recorded a full length project called "Melicious". The album was essentially pop music, but it will filled with viscious and biting lyrics that made many critics refer to her as "the anti-Britney."
The album was scheduled to be released on September 11th, 2001, a fateful day as we all know. For whatever reason, the album never saw the inside of record stores. Perhaps the album label thought that in a time of tragedy people didn't need to hear biting and socially critical lyrics like Melissa's.
Fortunately, there *were* promotional copies circulated, and although they are difficult to find, I ws fortunate enough to get a copy. This web site is primarily to help fans of Melissa's work hear the songs they want, without paying between sixty and a hundred dollars on Ebay for one of the promo discs. I'd gladly take down these MP3's as soon as her label decides to release the album officially, but as it seems clear that this is never going to happen, I feel that by offering the music here I am preventing people from taking money out of Melissa's mouth by charging for copies.
I hope to expand this site with more pictures, interviews, links and all kinds of goodies. Until then you can click on the song titles below to download an MP3 of the song. The lyrics are my best guess as they were never printed officially, and the song interpretations are my own.
CURRENTLY SEEKING: anyone who has a copy of the 15 minute electronic press kit about Melissa that was filmed by Jive Records to promote the album. This hilarious spoof of "Behind the Music" T.V. exposes featured a made-up story about Melissa and her degredation into addiction to Sunny Delight orange drink, among other jokes.

Left click and choose to save to your computer
1.My Hit Song
2....Now I Got Punk Rock Fever
3.Radio Rainbow
4.Ozone
5.Last Summer
6.Sugar Daddy
7.Bionic Man
8.Sunnyville
9.I Love Life
10.Who Shot Jennifer?
11.I Know YOu Want Me (How Can I Blame You?)
BONUS: He Blinded Me With Science (Coming Soon)

If you get an error message, it means someone else has recently downloaded all the songs and used up the bandwidth. Bookmark me and try back later!

LYRICS AND INERPRETATIONS



"My Hit Song"

First, take a bass line
Then add a drum loop
It should triger primevil movement
Then add a hook line
That manically repeats
It is infectious, it is contageous
(BRIDGE):
(I've been a waitress, a mail girl,
A shop girl, a psychic
And I saw the future and now...

(CHORUS):
This is my hit song, this is my one chance
TO be a rock star...come on, adore me!
This is my image; these are my dancers
COme on, promote me! COme on, adore me, adore me, adore me!

I got a cool band, we got a stylist
Our lyrics convey a certain youthful rage
And oh, how we're hungry
Oh how we want it
The market research says we will make it
(REPEAT BRIDGE/CHORUS)

(SECOND BRIDGE)
Just play it suitably, just wait and see
Video, radio, everywhere me
My demographic will spread far and wide
Is this my hit song? Now you can decide
(REPEAT CHORUS TWICE)

INterpretation
Well, this song isn't so very cryptic. A great opener to the album, it prepares the listener for the satirical bitterness that fills the recordings. It's obviously a biting commentary on the state of the music industry and it's need to create only moderately-talented, generic megastars out of nobodies. It's interesting how the song borders on becoming what it is lampooning. A music video was shot, very low-budget in style, featuring Melissa sneaking into a record executive's office and seducing him into giving her a record deal.

"...Now I Got Punk Rock Fever"

(BRIDGE):
Shoot it up, shoot it up
Shoot shoot shoot it up
Shoot it up, shoot it up
Shoot shoot shoot it up

Johnny plays in a real cool band
He carved "I Love You" across his hand
(Sunshine, you're so fine!
Kiss me in the summertime)
Jenny, now look at the mess you made
When you pierced your tongue with a razor blade
(Blue jean beauty queen
French perfume and mint Dentine)

(SECOND BRIDGE:)
Ah-ooh, who are you?
Ah-who are you?

(CHORUS:)
Sweet pop music's for kids
(...now I got punk rock fever)
Sweet pop music's for kids
(...now I got punk rock fever)

(REPEAT BRIDGE)

Baby, tell me, when you hit that vein
How long does it take to get to your brain?
(Read books, rollerblade
Wash that hair and get good grades!)
Bangin' my head on the bedroom wall
That's how I say "Just screw it all!"
(Milk, milk, lemonaide
'Round the corner fudge is made)

(REPEAT SECOND BRIDGE:)

(REPEAT CHORUS:)

Melody's for wussy-cats
Sweet pop music's for kids...
but not for me! (uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh)
but not for me! (uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh)
but not for me! (uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh)
Britney Spears sucks!

(THIRD BRIDGE:) Pop music's good for your soul!
Pop music makes you feel whole!
Pop music's good for your soul!
Pop music makes you feel whole!

(OVERLAP OF CHORUS AND THIRD BRIDGE TWICE:)

(REPEAT FIRST BRIDGE)

Interpretation:

This song seems to be Melissa's response to the way that the record industry has taken punk music and turned it into something lighthearted and marketable for the masses. The song seems to be questioning what the result of sending these mixed messages to kids will result in. The characters in the song (Johnny and Jenny, for practical purposes) are being told how cool sex, drugs and rock and roll are in one breath, and to be good students in another. A great second track that shows how double-edged Melissa's lyrics can be.

"Radio Rainbow"

Friday night and the feelin' is right
(All Right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)
Got my party dress on, and it's out of sight
(All Right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)
Everybody's talking but not to me
(All Right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)

(BRIDGE:)

I'm misfit, I just don't fit in at all
I'm misfit, I just don't fit in at all
I'm misfit...I think I'm trippin' 'cause...

(CHORUS:)

I see radio rainbow as I run from the party
I hear colors in the wind blow as I jump through the window
And I'll always remember whatever happened tonight
And I will for the rest of my life

(Mov, mov, mov, mov...)Movin' my limbs in a rhythmic fashion
(All right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)
Smiles everywhere and the lights are flashin'
(All right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)
Somebody tell me, are we having fun yet?
(All right! Ooo-ah, ooo-ah!)

(REPEAT BRIDGE?CHORUS:)

(SECOND BRIDGE:)
I remember thinking what
I was drinking tasted so strange
Like a hurricane to my brain
All my thoughts became rearranged

(REPEAT CHORUS TO FADE:)

Inrepretation:

This is the first song on the album that really shows how layered the meaning behind Melissa's song can be. On the surface, this upbeat sounding song is about a misfit girl who just feels left out at a teenage party. On closer listen, though, we realize something is very wrong. A surface level understanding may be just that she has had her first experience with booze and is a little out-of-it. However, with serious diagnosis the song is clearly about a young woman's date rape experience. What tips us off is the wording of the chorus. She should be HEARING the rainbow, and SEEING the colors; but this has been reversed. This is a typical description of the way the senses are affected by Roofies, a common date rape drug. When someone is waking up after taking this drug, they often see hallucinogenic traces of color and everything seems blurred and muted.
So, it seems the girl from the party "tasted something strange" in her drink, and suddenly her "thoughts became rearranged" - she was knocked unconcious. When she awoke, she fled from the party "through the window". She will always remember "whatever happened," though she doesn't know for sure. When you realize this deep meaning of the song, it's upbeat sound makes it very distubring to listen to. But this in itself is a clever representation of reality - the dark secrets that go on behind the guise of a fun party are represented by the dark meaning behind the funky beat. This is a tool Lefton uses throughout her album.

MORE COMING SOON!
EMAIL ME TO CONTRIBUTE LINKS, MP3S, PHOTOS OR ANYTHING RELEVANT! melissaleftoncentral@yahoo.com



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