Desperado

Album: Broke With Expensive Taste (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Azealia Banks penned this song about a past abusive relationship. She explained to ES Magazine: "I was dating this guy from when I was 17 years old. He was much older than me and he had a wife and he lied to me and told me he was divorced so that I would fall in love with him. And then he told me he was going to get a divorce and I was like: 'I thought you were already divorced?' Then we broke up and I went to Montreal and wrote '212.'"

    However, Banks visa ran out, so she returned to New York and hooked up with the guy again. "He came back around again and tried to control me and put all these bad things into my head, just really f--k up my happiness and f--k up my good time," she recalled. "I said, 'No. You can't do that.' And then one day he just, like, bugged out. He would take testosterone and steroids and antidepressants. We got into a fight and he beat me up. He actually beat me up twice because I was stupid and went back."
  • The video for the title track of Banks' 2012 1991 EP was filmed the day after the abusive guy hit her. "I still had a cut on the inside of my lip," she said.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.