“‘Brando’ refers to a very dramatic friend I had in high school whose whole personality was the media he consumed,” says Dacus. “He showed me a lot of amazing movies and music, but I think he was more interested in using me as a scrapbook of his own tastes than actually getting to know me. He claimed to know me better than anyone else but I started to feel like all he wanted from me was to be a scene partner in the movie of his life.”
[Verse 1]
You told me to skip school to go with you to the movies
You knew you were uncool but you thought you could fool me
They play oldies in the afternoon for the elderly and me and you
Fred and Ginger, black and white[1], I watch you watch It’s a Wonderful Life[2]
[1] Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the ‘it couple’ of the 30s. Consider them the Brangelina of the depression, besides the fact that they were never really together (does this even matter to the public though? And in this case, does it matter to Lucy’s ‘Brando’?)
Fred Astaire and Ginger Roberts, a professionally & mutually respectful working relationship
[2] It’s A Wonderful Life is consistently hailed as America’s favourite film. For the uninitiated, the film is essentially about a divine intervention by a guardian angel, to help a man in distress. Lucy ‘watches [Brando] watch’ It’s a Wonderful Life, while Lucy merely seems to be a side character in his movie and expected to play her role to help the protagonist.
[Verse 2]
You called me cerebral, I didn’t know what you meant
But now I do, would it have killed you to call me pretty instead?
I’m in a second story window and you’re yelling at me, “Stella!”[3]
And I’m laughing ’cause you think you’re Brando[4] but you’ll never come close
[3] A reference to the most iconic scene of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, where the protagonist (and abusive jerk) Stanley Kowalski yells a passionate plea for his wife Stella to take him back.
Stella seeks freedom from the clutches of Stanley, her husband in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
[4] Here, we arrive at the titular reference of Marlon Brando, widely considered the greatest actor of all time (Fun fact, even heartthrob James Dean was obsessed with Brando). With a career lasting over 60 years, Brando was able to capture hearts not just with his devastatingly good looks, but his timelessly brilliant talent. The fact that Brando is able to be empathetic and portray emotions is the main irony to Lucy’s ‘Brando’, who thinks being ‘cerebral’ is a compliment.
[Chorus]
All I need for you to admit is that you never knew me like you thought you did
You never knew me like you thought you did, like you thought you did [5]
[5] While not an obvious reference, we fully believe that the chorus is a reference to the ‘manic pixie dream girl trope, made popular by 500 Days of Summer, “a Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists to help the protagonist achieve happiness without ever seeking any independent goals herself”, essentially stripping her of identity and depth for the sake of a protagonist’s progress in his journey. This seems to be true to Lucy’s experience as she is continuously and unwillingly used as a projection of Brando’s desires, projecting his feelings and desires onto her like she wasn’t her own individual.
Tom & Summer in 500 Days of Summer
[Verse 3]
You say, “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid,”[6] thinking I wouldn’t understand the reference
You admit, you think we’re fated, I’ll be lucky if I’m your third wife
That’s only something you would say in the car
We’ve been breathing the same air for too long
If the snow wasn’t coming down so hard
I would open the door and walk home, it’s only a couple miles
What could go wrong if I hitch a ride with a guy in a pickup
Who doesn’t know left from right from wrong?[7]
[6] The iconic line in Casablanca, essentially meaning that Rick (the protagonist) will forever be looking at/ after Ilsa (his love interest), even if they were to never meet again. It’s an ironic line for Brando to quote here, considering the fact that he’s never actually looked at Lucy.
Rick looking at Ilsa in Casablanca
You never knew me like you thought you did, like you thought you did
[7] This references the inverted Hostile Hitchhiker trope, also known as Harmful To Hitchhikers trope (usually overlapping with the https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/