Grand Piano

Album: The Pinkprint (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This heartbreaking ballad finds Minaj utilizing her LaGuardia High School-trained vocals as she croons about a cold-hearted lover, who is playing with her affections like a grand piano.
  • Minaj was helped with the writing of the song by Kane Beatz, who previously co-penned her "Super Bass" hit tune and will.i.am, who featured on her Pink Friday cut "Check It Out."
  • The weeping violin solo at the end is borrowed from a Paula Abdul song. Nicki explained: "I asked the violinist to recreate Paula Abdul's 'Rush, Rush' at the end of 'Grand Piano.' That part always made me cry."

Comments: 1

  • Purrrri from ItalyI believe this song comes from a very deep heart break nicki might have experienced. She usually refers to herself as the “Queen”, however, in these lyrics she goes into self doubt and asks herself “Am i the queen of fools?”-“wrapped up in lies and foolish jewels”, which could mean she feels ‘foolish’ for letting all her guards down for this love, and the way this man showered her with money and the lavish lifestyle that only kept her blind to the lies. To add on to that, when she repeats “now the people are talking..”, she could be referring to how the truth is now surrounding her home, her friends, her family, her fans, the media- and she’s only being able to continue realizing that she played like a “grand piano”. She was played beautifully and elegantly by this man, in a way where her heart was broken with grace, so she would have never even noticed it happen.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.