The Genius of “Electra Heart”

In 2012, pop superstar Marina—then known by her stage name, Marina and the Diamonds—released her groundbreaking second album, “Electra Heart.” While it maintains the themes of sarcastic social commentary and young feminine rage of her successful debut album “The Family Jewels,” “Electra Heart” elevates the storytelling through the creation of tragic characters. Marina draws inspiration from famous women, ranging from Madonna and Britney Spears to Marilyn Monroe and Marie Antoinette, crafting a clever critique of power dynamics within relationships and the social expectations placed upon women throughout history. 

Marina establishes herself as a vintage beauty queen in the album’s first line, asserting that she has a “figure like a pin-up.” In the opening track, “Bubblegum Bitch,” she presents herself as both an airheaded ingenue and a clever seductress who enjoys toying with men’s hearts. Simultaneously sweet and vicious, she embodies the dual persona that women are expected to fit. In one verse, she casually tells the story of an ill-fated infatuation, but her flippant attitude fails to fully disguise her heartache for her failed relationship.  

In the second track, “Primadonna,” Marina portrays herself as a ridiculously spoiled gold digger who playfully asks her suitors to give her the world. While her demands are exaggerated for satirical effect, her lyrics betray an underlying desperation we all secretly harbor: to be adored. 

The third track, “Lies,” dives deeper into Marina’s desire for love. She is acutely aware that her partner does not love her and lashes out at his refusal to acknowledge the crumbling state of their relationship, but she herself chooses to remain in denial because she cannot tolerate the truth. Following this song is “Homewrecker,” which condemns the concept of romantic love as a whole: “We’re all very lovely ’til we get to know each other / As we stop becoming friends and we start becoming lovers.” 

The fifth track, “Starring Role,” reiterates Marina’s need to be the number one person in her partner’s life. But while “Primadonna” frames Marina’s feelings as selfish and egotistical, “Starring Role” explores how Marina feels undervalued within the relationship, with lines such as, “It almost feels like a joke to play a part / When you are not a starring role in someone else’s heart.” 

“The State of Dreaming” zooms out from the topic of relationships to encompass broader human struggles in society. Marina expresses that her entire life is a performance and she would “sell her soul to have it all.” She also points out her anxiety surrounding society’s belief that women lose their value as they age: “If only you knew my dear / How I live my life in fear / If only you knew my dear / How I know my time is near.” The seventh track, “Power and Control,” reflects the same cynical attitude towards relationships as “Homewrecker,” describing love as a strategic tug-of-war between men and women. Here, Marina vows that she will win the upper hand over the rogue man. 

The eighth, ninth and tenth tracks form a trilogy on existential dread. “Living Dead” wholeheartedly embraces Marina’s depression and frustration with the fruitlessness of life. Despite her glamorous lifestyle and the various relationships she describes in the previous songs, she admits that she has had few truly meaningful experiences, saying “I haven’t lived life; I haven’t lived love.” Next comes “Teen Idle,” a chillingly blunt depiction of coming of age. Marina feels disillusioned by the idealized media depictions of teenage life and struggles with society’s dual expectations for women. While “Bubblegum Bitch” glorifies the benefits of appearing both naïve and sensual, “Teen Idle” explores the exhaustion of trying to balance both personas, as Marina feels simultaneously too chaste and too promiscuous for the world she lives in. The tenth track, “Valley of the Dolls,” is named after Jacqueline Susann’s book about women in the entertainment industry who soon fall into addiction and toxic relationships. Its simple, repetitive verses drown the listener in Marina’s overwhelming feelings of emptiness that come from “living with identities that do not belong to me.” 

The penultimate track, “Hypocrates,” places Marina once again at the center of a heated standoff, but her opponent’s identity is unclear. She accuses this person of making her feel weak and trying to control her. This song marks a powerful turning point: it is this figure who has convinced Marina that love must be this difficult power struggle that she has explored throughout the entire album, and upon realizing that this person has tainted her perspective on love, she recaptures a glimmer of faith in humanity. 

Marina carries this perspective into the final song, “Fear and Loathing.” She admits that while she has suffered an empty, bitter life because she has had to play so many inauthentic roles, she no longer wants to hide herself just to gain others’ approval. She is also willing to try trusting others because she has now realized that most people do not intend to harm her. While she is still learning to unpack the beliefs she has internalized from her negative experiences with individuals and society, she will attempt to let go of her “fear and loathing” so she will not die in misery and untruth. 

Although “Electra Heart” uses hyperbole to create an epic drama, many of the lyrics directly address real-world issues that are relevant even today, 11 years since the album’s release. Marina’s songs are written for a world full of contradictions: the simultaneous elevation and degradation of famous women, the multifaceted archetypes women are expected to fill, the glorification of success and the vilification of ambitious women. What does a truly liberated woman look like? Do women gain sexual liberation by freely pursuing relationships, or is sexual liberation within relationships impossible in a society without gender equality? How do we deal with the everyday trauma of being a woman in a patriarchal world, and how can we still hold onto the power and beauty of womanhood?