189 replies to this topic

[J'net]

This week's Song of the Week is Drama Queen. Please use this thread to discuss your thoughts and feelings about the song.

This song hasn't been released yet. It was supposedly considered for 21st Century Breakdown but not included. Billie performed Drama Queen during his acoustic finale at the Pittsburgh show on July 22, 2009 and has sung it again since then, notably at Madison Square Gardens.

I've read lots of speculation about this song, so here's mine: I think Billie was inspired to write this by one of his friends who has a daughter (maybe Mike). It's about a father's feelings while watching his daughter grow up and experience everything that goes with growing up – searching for answers – maybe getting in trouble – getting hurt – etc.

Here's a youtube video of the Madison Square Gardens performance of Drama Queen on 7/27/2009. Of the videos I found, I thought this one had the best audio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idVyf2Sliio

Drama Queen Lyrics

She is my drama queen;
She is so wild and reckless (?)
There goes my drama queen;
She dangles from her necklace.

Daddy's little bundle of joy,
Out of a magazine.
There goes my drama queen;
She's old enough to bleed now.

There goes my drama queen;
Her life is now unfolding.
There goes my drama queen;
(Well) Do you think she's holding?
There goes my drama queen;
(Well) Did you find a savior?
There goes my drama queen;
You better call a lawyer.

Daddy's little bundle of joy,
Out of a magazine.
There goes my drama queen;
She's old enough to bleed now

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You can nominate songs for discussion as Song of the Week in the Song Discussions thread, which contains links to each previous Song of the Week from 9/14/2009 forward in its original post.

[Anja]

What can I say?
Great song, I can definitely imagine what it is about (or who) and I love the lyrics.. I've been listening to it a lot lately!

Great choice for SOTW!

Oh, and I love the high parts in this song, the falsetto or whatever it is called.

[dolce]

I had the pleasure of hearing that song at MSG, and it was one of the greatest highlights of the night. I had been listening via Youtube after they played it in Pittsburgh, and was really hoping Billie would play it at one of the two shows I attended this summer, and - he did. It was such an amazing moment. Billie's voice is just angelic for this song. There's something about the song that is so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

I do agree with J'Net's analysis of the song's meaning (that's the best one I've heard so far!). Billie sings it with such sadness that I really do think its about a father watching his child (or in this case daughter) grow up, as she grows up with the world at her feet, makes some bad choices, finds a person she's in love with, etc. It's touching. And, considering Billie doesn't have a daughter, for him to articulate those feelings so well is incredible.

[Punx89]

Yeah it's a great song!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that they will play this on dortmund's concert! 10/14..

[emmaILGD!]

Brilliant song choice. I love the falsetto and the melody of this song

[Juliette]

I'm in love with this song

[Eirik]

Aaaah, I completely and utterly love this song, it's just so amazing, the melody, the simple and suggestive lyrics, Billie's voice. All of it.

Oh, and it's "what do you think she's holding?"

[Ania.]

So simple, yet so beautiful. Hopefully I'll have a chance to hear it live.

And I completely agree with your interpretation, J'net


Daddy’s little bundle of joy

[Lauren]

Hey, that's me! Well at least I'm the runner up...

[Farah]

everytime i listen to this song it stays in my head for dayyyss.
but i love it.

[burnout_13]

I adore this song, I've been singing it and playing it on guitar constantly for about a week haha

[Mrs.Kerplunk]

simply beautiful. would be a perfect b-side single

[J'net]

Aaaah, I completely and utterly love this song, it's just so amazing, the melody, the simple and suggestive lyrics, Billie's voice. All of it.

Oh, and it's "what do you think she's holding?"

Eirik, if you listen to the Pittsburgh performance, he sings "Do you think she's holding?" and "Has she found a savior?" So on the MSG performance, as I listen to it, I think he's just added "Well" in front of those lines. So, sometimes he sings it, and sometimes he doesn't.

Edit: And just for anyone who might not know, "holding" is a term that has been used to refer to possession of drugs, which would imply using drugs.

[Mari91]

such a cute song

"Daddy's little bundle of joy"
so sweet

[musse]

Aww I wish they'll release this... It would be perfect ^^
Sounds a bit like James Blunt, I think. And I really like James Blunt.

[Advertising]

[Anja]

Hey, that's me! Well at least I'm the runner up...

I'm convinced they wrote that for you

I think it's interesting what Billie said about the song: "It's about obsession with celebrity and watching people self-destruct."

[Eirik]

Eirik, if you listen to the Pittsburgh performance, he sings "Do you think she's holding?" and "Has she found a savior?" So on the MSG performance, as I listen to it, I think he's just added "Well" in front of those lines. So, sometimes he sings it, and sometimes he doesn't.

Well, I'm hearing "*mumbling* do you think she's holding?" in the pittsburgh, as if he forgot there was supposed to be a word there, and a definite "What" in the MSG one, especially in the "DVD".

Oh, and I hear no "Well" before the savior line in the MSG one.

[misslyssx]

This is such a beautiful song. I listen to it on my IPod all the time along with When It's Time.
And Billie's voice in that video uhhh just amazing

[SweetVendetta]

wwhiiiii <3 DRAMA QUEEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love this song so freaking bad

[justcause]

I think this is a showbiz story. The sweet sound of it is at odds with the whole tone of the lyrics, which are pretty harsh and cynical. 'Daddy's little bundle of joy/ out of a magazine' sounds like daddy's been making a bundle of cash from his daughter's career. The second part of the song, where it goes from 'she is my drama queen' to 'there goes my drama queen' - well, it's like he's lost his investment or his stake. '(un)folding/holding' can have a number of meanings - like the drug reference J'net makes - but the first thing I think of is poker.
So, drama queen maybe finds a 'savior' - who or what is she being saved from? Maybe Daddy's control - what's for sure is that Daddy's rushing to find a lawyer and get this thing undone. 'She's old enough to bleed' is the refrain - I feel like that's a reference to how young girls in the spotlight are sexualized at such an early age. It's like this girl is basically 'fair game' once she crosses the line into puberty - she's pushed into an adult world, vulnerable and liable to be hurt, to 'bleed' emotionally. There's also the vibe that this girl is being 'bled' for money.

[Laura Rose]

I think this is a showbiz story. The sweet sound of it is at odds with the whole tone of the lyrics, which are pretty harsh and cynical. 'Daddy's little bundle of joy/ out of a magazine' sounds like daddy's been making a bundle of cash from his daughter's career. The second part of the song, where it goes from 'she is my drama queen' to 'there goes my drama queen' - well, it's like he's lost his investment or his stake. '(un)folding/holding' can have a number of meanings - like the drug reference J'net makes - but the first thing I think of is poker.
So, drama queen maybe finds a 'savior' - who or what is she being saved from? Maybe Daddy's control - what's for sure is that Daddy's rushing to find a lawyer and get this thing undone. 'She's old enough to bleed' is the refrain - I feel like that's a reference to how young girls in the spotlight are sexualized at such an early age. It's like this girl is basically 'fair game' once she crosses the line into puberty - she's pushed into an adult world, vulnerable and liable to be hurt, to 'bleed' emotionally. There's also the vibe that this girl is being 'bled' for money.

I never thought about it like that. But that could be true.

I just love this song and would love to hear a recorded version of this.

[Jenn123]

Love this song. They'd better release the studio version as a B-side at least.
I think hearing that version, without the crowd etc, would make my whole week.

[inferno]

I just love this song and would love to hear a recorded version of this.

yeah i hope they do a recorded version of it,its a very beautiful song
good choice for the week's song

[Tripe]

Excellent choice for Song of the Week.

I usually don't post on this thread but I will this week since I was remembering back to the Pittsburgh concert and what went through my mind when Billie Joe started playing this song at the end of the concert. It's funny - I was listening hard to the lyrics, trying to figure out what the song was, not sure if it was a cover of something I wasn't familiar with...and then I heard the words "Drama Queen" a little ways in and my brain connected! I had read that this song was played at a Sound Check prior to the Pittsburgh show (Philly, maybe?) so I was a little familiar with its existence, although of course no one knew the words at that point.

It's lovely. It was a unique performance in Pittsburgh, not just that it was played for the first time to a crowd there, but it was the only song played at any of the GD concerts I've gone to where absolutely no one was singing along!

I was so happy Billie Joe chose Pittsburgh as the place to perform this one.

[Clockwise]

I really really like this song.

I'm wondering if the recorded version is acoustic or not.

[GDKaddy]

I love this song, it's absolutely awesome.

[Lauren]

"She's old enough to bleed now."

Ew. ...but it makes sense in the song

[billiejoe1]

I freaked out when I heard this song being played at MSG. I seemed to be the only one in my section who reconized it though. I love this song. It needs to be recorded and released as a B-side

[PasalacquaBomb]

I'm lovin' it...

I think i'll call my girlfriend my little drama queen from now on

[Alan86]

Great song. According to Q magazine the song was intendend to be on act 3 (H&H) of the album, inbetween Horseshoes and Handgrenades and Static Age. If they release it as a b-side then thats exactly where it will be going on my Ipod. I wont feel i have the complete album till i have this song