Meaning of “Cellophane” by FKA twigs
FKA twigs’ “Cellophane” is about a romantic relationship the singer is in that seems to have its fair share of troubles. For instance, based on the chorus , it would appear that the narrator’s partner is not overly interested in her, despite the narrator being under the impression that she has gone all-out for him.
There also appears to be a considerable amount of external pressure on their union, as in people wanting to see the two of them “alone” and “apart” and consider her “not enough” for her partner. But as for the narrator, she is very much interested in keeping the relationship alive, with she and her boo belonging exclusively to each other.
However, all of the aforementioned anxieties are taking their toll. So now she perceives “the feelings that (they) had” as being “all wrapped in cellophane”. And what is a cellophane? It is a very thin cellulose based material that is transparent. It is often used to wrap food.
And while the meaning of this phrase is not stated outright, within the context of the song it likely alludes to their romance being in some type of unfavorable state in the eyes of the singer, as in the affection they held for each other previously now being inaccessible.
Are the lyrics of “Cellophane” autobiographical?
FKA twigs formerly dated “A-list celebrity” Robert Pattinson, and it is feasible that this track is based on her relationship with him and the pressures their romance went through due to his fame.
Facts about “Cellophane”
- This is the first solo song FKA twigs released since the track “Good to Love” in 2016.
- The music video to “Cellophane” features FKA pole dancing, which she had been practicing for a year specifically for that purpose.
- Twigs wrote this track “over a year” before its release on 24 April 2019 and states that “a visual narrative”, which involved her learning pole dance, “came to (her) immediately”.
- FKA wrote “Cellophane” without the use of any other co-writers.
- She also produced the track along with Jeff Kleinman and Michael Uzowuru.
I really appreciate this being posted. Thank you.
Cellophane is commonly used to wrap up food or leftovers to preserve them for later consumption.
I feel like she chose cellophane to imply that she doesn’t want her love to spoil so she’s wrapping it up maybe the relationship is strained because they are in different places and the timing is bad, too much food. So she’s thinking about maybe someday in the future she can have this love again. When they are hungry again. When they are ready.
Wow this reply got me
I really hope you have a good day Tommy
A little over a year later [since this^ reply], people like me still in awe at this realization just now.
Personally I felt cellophane was implying that the love wouldn’t last so she was trying to make it last by giving them more time but in the end the cellophane must be removed and the love will spoil
I love this explanation, thank you. 👌🏽
This song gives me Phantom of the Opera vibes.
Thank you for the explanations. This website has been a great resource a couple of times for me. Thanks!
Years later and years to pass.. song will be relevant in someone’s life. My turn right now.