Poppy’s ‘I Disagree’: A Story Of Transformation
YouTuber and singer Poppy has described her latest album, I Disagree, as concerning “the end of the world” and “burning it down” or more simply “out with the old and in with the new.” However, upon closer inspection of the individual songs, a larger theme presents itself: transformation. Although she insists the album isn’t about her, the music inevitably feels related because of the story behind it.
For the uninitiated, Poppy began as a YouTuber creating unsettling, abstract, and sometimes satirical videos with her partner and boyfriend Titanic Sinclair. The two also collaborated in writing her first two albums, Poppy.Computer and Am I A Girl?.
Poppy and Sinclair split up in 2019 when the singer claimed he was manipulative and leaked personal photos to harm her self-esteem. I Disagree was released at the beginning of 2020 as a final close to her relationship. While all of this surely influenced the music, the ideas displayed go beyond one pop singer’s redemption arc.
The music alone exudes the idea of a metamorphosis from one thing to something completely different. A prominent feature is the juxtaposition of hard-hitting metal riffs with multicultural pop elements, and at times the two mix. In more academic circles, this technique is called text painting, where the music mimics the ideas of the words, and this album uses it masterfully.
Without yet considering the words, the listener is already being told that Poppy is considering who she was before and how she now wants to present. Her wish of expressing “burn it all down” is apparent through this already, and the words build on this idea.
The best example of transformation stems from the opening track Concrete where Poppy whispers “bury me six feet deep, cover me in concrete, turn me into a street.” This introduction is quiet and eerie, featuring sirens and harsh electronic tones, but slowly builds to a guitar breakdown which is quickly replaced chorus that sounds like a hook from Baby Metal:
Chewy chewy, yummy yummy yummy
Sharp and pointy, yummy yummy yummy
Break me off a piece of that tasty treat
Sugar in my teeth, demons in my dreams
Watch me while I sleep for eternity
The words continue that juxtaposition mentioned before, placing words “sugar” and “demons” side by side to show the change from the bubblegum pop Poppy and the new brutal Poppy. The break in the middle of Concrete only furthers this idea:
Some people like candy
Some people like coffee
But these lifeless flavors don’t satisfy me
I tried to eat ice cream
I tried to drink tea
But I need the taste of young blood in my teeth
This section explains how the sweet, catchy music she was known for no longer brings her joy, but what she truly needed was to show this darker, angrier side of her psyche. It’s when the song reaches its climax that the listener hears a bit of a contradiction.
Concrete culminates into a glorious mix of metal and pop that returns to the chant of burying Poppy in concrete. If this were meant to establish “out with the old and in with the new” then this would seem like an inappropriate end to the song as it’s not a scorched earth, but a new one that utilizes the burned remains.
Contrary to her intentions, the music seems to suggest that transformation cannot occur without some attachment to the old being. In a way, Poppy cannot completely sever the tie of who she was in creating her new image. Another song suggests that Poppy might recognize this fact as well.
In Anything Like Me the singer begins:
I feel her heart beating in me
Get her out of me
This could be interpreted as her having a conversation with herself. Poppy still sees the old version of her and desperately wants her removed so that she can reject the past. The chorus’ repetition of “you shouldn’t be anything like me” might suggest a constant struggle to free herself from the old Poppy.
A desire for freedom is a key concept theme in the following song, Fill the Crown. The lyrics suggest that some people promise freedom while secretly doing terrible things. The old Poppy might represent such a leader who promised freedom while caging her, so the new Poppy has to eliminate her.
However, Poppy can’t do this, as the old Poppy is as much a part of her as the new one. Trying to deny this is like “Bit[ing] your own teeth” (another song on the album). The closing songs Sick of the Sun and Don’t Go Outside are quieter and seem more defeated than the rest, suggesting that attempting a complete separation is impossible (implied most by the return of “let it all burn down” from I Disagree at the end of Don’t Go Outside).
I Disagree, as a whole, has an extremely deep message on personal transformation. Although people may desire to start over completely, one cannot deny the influence of the past in this pursuit. This would be akin to someone arguing that a caterpillar and butterfly are two unrelated beings.
Via her music, Poppy recognizes that the phoenix resurrecting is still a phoenix. While she could go the full metal route and dismiss her pop-influenced past, it would be futile, so she takes the ashes and uses them to create something truly unique to her. I Disagree shows that transformation is a journey that builds on foundations and not a singular event that decimates the past.
