Marilyn Monroe

"Marilyn Monroe" is a song recorded by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. The song was written by Minaj, Daniel James, Leah Haywood, Ross Golan and J.R. Rotem, while production was handled by J.R. Rotem and Dreamlab. Musically, "Marilyn Monroe" is an introspective mid-tempo ballad that contains an upbeat piano, synth beats, and features influences of bubblegum pop. Lyrically, the song alludes to oneself questioning the status of their relationship. The song makes frequent references to pop icon Marilyn Monroe, with many of her quotes woven into the song. "Marilyn Monroe" was generally well received by music critics, with some noting its crossover potential, while others felt like the song was too similar to other artists. The song has received comparisons to the 2011 singles "Disaster" by JoJo and "Stuttering" by Fefe Dobson, as well as Minaj's own 2010 single "Your Love" from her debut album Pink Friday. The album's high digital sales led "Marilyn Monroe" to chart on the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard charts. Production and composition Following the success of Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday, Cash Money co-CEO, Brian "Birdman" Williams announced to Billboard that Minaj was aiming for a first quarter release in 2012. In November 2011, Minaj announced on Twitter that the album would be released on February 14, 2012, though it was later delayed to April 3, 2012. The album focuses on Roman Zolanski, one of Minaj's alter egos that was first featured on Pink Friday. J.R. Rotem, who previously produced a track for Minaj's debut album, originally conceived "Marilyn Monroe". According to Minaj, "He hit me up and he said, 'I have a song that I think only an icon can sing'. I was like, 'Oh J.R., shut up!' We laughed a little bit on iChat." It was written by Minaj, Daniel James, Leah Haywood, Ross Golan and Rotem. Rotem and Dreamlab produced the track, with vocal production handled by Nicholas Cooper. Ariel Chobaz & Gelly Kusuma recorded and mixed "Marilyn Monroe" with assistance from Jon Sher at Conway Studios and Beluga Heights Studio, both studios in Los Angeles. Musically, "Marilyn Monroe" is an introspective mid-tempo ballad that contains an upbeat piano, synth beats, and features influences of bubblegum pop. The song is written in the key of E minor with a moderate pop tempo of 84 beats per minute. It follows the chord progression Em−C2 (no 3)−G−D, and Minaj's vocals span two octaves from G3 to D5.