"Michelle Pfeiffer" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Ethel Cain. Named after the actress of the same name, it features American rapper Lil Aaron. It was released on February 11, 2021, as the lead single from Cain's third EP, Inbred, via her own record label, Daughters of Cain. An indie rockpower ballad, it was written by the artists alongside Kora Puckett, who handled its production with Aaron. The song received positive reviews from music journalists.
Background
On February 11, 2021, the singer released "Michelle Pfeiffer" and announced her third extended play as Ethel Cain, Inbred, which was released on April 23.[1]
Composition and reception
"Michelle Pfeiffer" is a indie rock song, and was described by Pitchfork as "sawtoothed,[2] stylish, toxic, and beyond high off its own feelings".[3] A power ballad, it tells the story of "doomed lovers wasted on their own longing".[3] According to The Fader, Cain "glamorized" the "cinematic appeal" with the song.[4] Its lyrics "covers the pain of the kind of longing that makes you act truly recklessly".[5]Paper described it as "a haunting yet irresistibly moody track that elicits a sense of cinematic nostalgia".[6]
"This song was just a breath of fresh air from a fresh start," Ethel said. She also stated:
"It was my first time ever in LA, in a studio for the first time ever with Aaron, and it felt like I was finally being seen for the artist I'd been trying to be for years. I've always idolized Michelle Pfeiffer and thought she was a picture perfect bombshell so when I was in the back of my uber with the windows down, headed to the studio bright and early that first morning and humming a little chorus melody to myself, I felt like a bombshell of my own. It felt like my life had finally started."[1]
