manipulative!
Manipulative! is a synth pop song that tells of a pursue-then-abandon story by a manipulative partner. It serves as a warning for others to not fall into the same trap.
Triggerwarning: the song has mentions of suicide threats
behind the writing
This song has a standard three-act plot. First act is about how the manipulator lures his prey thru love-bombs and suicide threats. The second act is about how he does the same to abandon his captive. The third act is when the victim realizes and accepts the situation and is finally able to call for help and warn the whole town about the madman.
If you’ll notice, the chorus switches by the third time, switching from victim blaming to realizing they have been gaslit — that there is really only one person to blame, and it’s the one who abused his power.
behind the production
The production of this song takes inspiration from German New Wave acts like Falco and Peter Schilling. You will hear it in the instrumentation (synths, bass, drum machine, effects) and the staccato way of singing.
Each layer of music was crafted to support the storytelling. The warbled synth symbolizes the deceptive pursuer, while the gospel-sounding pads is the captive trying to catch up to its captor’s tricks.
The bridge is an outburst of light and dark effects that represents the coming to senses of the victim and the manhunt that ensues.
Finally, the outro gives the listener the chance to process the trauma dump they just received in the last 2 ½ mins.
