As the first preview of just what kind of music “Mother Mary” makes in the upcoming film of the same name, Anne Hathaway, who plays the titular character, offered up “Burial” as the inaugural track from the soundtrack. One billed as Mother Mary: Greatest Hits. Though perhaps, in this case, it ought to be called Charli XCX: Greatest Hits, for it is she who co-produced the song with George Daniel and Jack Antonoff (since, sooner or later, it seemed even Charli wouldn’t be immune to working with the latter).
As such, it is her sound—moody and chaotic—that’s all over the three-minute-nine-second track, which commences with lulling, Ariel-from-The Little Mermaid vocals that harmonize as though Hathaway is singing in church (whether in the choir, or from one of the pews). Which, of course, is only natural considering the stage name of the character she’s playing.
One who seems to have forgotten, judging by the trailer, her “roots.” That is to say, her ability to be humble. Having ostensibly known fame for so long, it appears as if Mother Mary has allowed her ego to get the better of her. Thus, when she has to approach her “OG” costume designer, Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), to make her something for her upcoming tour, it looks as if she’s forced to come back down to Earth ever so slightly.
However, before doing that, she’s keen to embody the persona of someone with the audacity to sing such lyrics as, “I’ll kill you softly/So sweetly, kindly/I’m mesmerizing, it’s terrifying.” Indeed, Hathaway’s delivery of those words are done “sweetly” and “kindly.” Otherwise, they might have the aura of a song from Brat. It’s the pre-chorus that follows, however, that opts to channel more of a Lana Del Rey vibe instead, with Mother Mary acceptingly (rather than lamentingly) announcing, “This black suit fits like a glove/I was born to be the widow of love/Won’t lose myself to a touch/I was born to be the widow of love/This black suit fits like a glove/I was born to be the widow of love/My red heart free like a dove/But you tell me that it’s never enough.”
It’s the latter line that points to something deeper about women in general and women in the music industry specifically. Which is that, the freer or more “liberated” a woman comes across, the more that those around her (men and women alike) want to ensure that she doesn’t “fly too close to the sun.” In short, that she “knows her place.” For a woman, that means, on some level or other, being unhappy, bogged down and generally stressed out as a result of having to juggle too many responsibilities and too many “hats” (figuratively and, if one is a pop star, often literally). And when she “snaps” (a.k.a. shows a normal and healthy reaction) to such pressure, the media and public at large seize on the opportunity to pounce, writing her off as “crazy” or “a bitch” or both. It’s happened repeatedly throughout pop star history, with Madonna inarguably being the blueprint for drawing controversy and backlash.
And, speaking of “Lady M,” in a strange way, the “Burial” line “I was born to be the widow of love” has a parallel to Madonna’s (pop star extraordinaire and arguably where a pop star character name like “Mother Mary” would stem from) declaration on 2015’s “Messiah” (also in keeping with the religious correlation between Madonna and Mother Mary), “I’ll be the bride that’s married to life.” Whether widow or bride, both women are undeniably married to their careers.
Hence, the ways in which they’re vilified and, subsequently, perhaps can’t help but play into the role they’ve been assigned by society, only wanting all the more to get under people’s skin. Whether that’s by actually showing more skin or simply telling them, “This is your burial” (even though that mainly only applies to how her look has got the gays “deceased”), it doesn’t really matter. For every female pop star, sooner or later, is condemned to themselves be buried…by the avalanche of public opinion. Though, surprisingly, that has yet to happen to Charli XCX, who hasn’t experienced any kind of “Chappell Roan fallout” despite her own recent foray into the mainstream consciousness.
