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. 

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for FKA twigs's Cellophane at Lyrics.org.

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.

Lyrics of "Cellophane"

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.

10 Responses

  1. Leann says:

    I really appreciate this being posted. Thank you.

  2. Tommy says:

    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.

  3. Martin says:

    I love this explanation, thank you. 👌🏽

  4. Elina says:

    This song gives me Phantom of the Opera vibes.

  5. Sam says:

    Thank you for the explanations. This website has been a great resource a couple of times for me. Thanks!

  6. Believe me, I tried. says:

    Years later and years to pass.. song will be relevant in someone’s life. My turn right now.

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