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"Scorsese Baby Daddy" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from Lana (2024), the reissue of her second studio album SOS (2022). The title references Martin Scorsese, a director of several drama and crime films. In the lyrics, SZA expresses her desire to find a boyfriend who reminds her of the characters from Scorsese's filmography, who tend to be violent criminals. Backed prominently by an electric guitar, the song has elements of rock and punk music.

Background

SZA first teased a deluxe version of her second studio album, SOS (2022), on an Instagram post shared immediately after the album's release. In a 2023 invite-only concert, she announced that the deluxe edition had expanded into a bigger project akin to a "whole 'nother" album. SZA named it Lana.

On December 6, 2024, SZA shared a picture of a whiteboard that contained possible tracks from the reissue. All titles were obscured, except for the already-released lead single "Saturn". The full track list was revealed two weeks later, upon Lana's release. One of the songs is named "Scorsese Baby Daddy", a reference to filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese.

Music and lyrics

"Scorsese Baby Daddy" is a song with influences of rock and punk music, backed primarily by electric guitar strums. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone described the composition as "steamy Eighties-style cheese-rock".

In the lyrics, SZA uses a Martin Scorsese reference to portray herself as a woman who loves danger and drama. She alludes to his propensity for directing high-stakes crime films, which often have emotionally unstable or violent protagonists. The line "Scorsese baby daddy" refers to her desire to find a boyfriend who reminds her of those characters. Later in the song, she sings about wanting him to have her children: "I would pretend to do my favorite man, he’d call me tasty ... Furious lady, then I wonder if I could do, baby."

The song also has lyrics about self-reflection. Some lines explore how her love has worsened her emotional instability. She addresses it by telling the song's subject to let her be: "got a brand new reason to spiral out / Bad mood, baby, come work me out / Oh, I'ma crash out, baby, don't slow me down." In others, she considers changing her possibly self-destructive behavior: "One day, I'll understand all that it takes to be a lady."

Release

"Scorsese Baby Daddy" is the sixth track of Lana, released on December 20, 2024. A few days later, Scorsese's daughter Francesca used the song's audio on a video she posted on Instagram. In the video was Scorsese himself. Upon learning that he knew about the song, SZA reposted the video and said "the fact that this isn't AI", with a sobbing emoji.

Some reviewers wrote positively about "Scorsese Baby Daddy". Among those was Sheffield, who called the song an album highlight. Zachary Horvath of HotNewHipHop praised the composition, writing that "Scorsese Baby Daddy" improved upon the conventional "angsty teen pop" sound. Horvath also liked the lyrics' humor, an opinion that Elle's DeAsia Paige shared. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of Billboard and Jem Aswad of Variety were more critical. The former, who ranked "Scorsese Baby Daddy" the 12th-best track out of Lana's 15, thought that its length was too short. For Aswad, the song did not feel "fully realized".

References

1. Calfee, Joel (December 11, 2023). "SZA Teases New Music with Mysterious Farm Photos on Instagram". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
2. Aswad, Jem (March 27, 2024). "SZA to Release Leaked Songs as Deluxe Edition of 'SOS,' Will Remake Delayed 'Lana' LP 'From Scratch'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
3. Saponara, Michael (December 6, 2024). "SZA Teases 'SOS' Deluxe Edition Tracklist in the Studio". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
4. Siroky, Mary (December 20, 2024). "SZA Unveils New Album Lana (SOS Deluxe)". Consequence. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
5. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 21, 2024). "SZA Is at Her Most Streamlined and Direct on Lana". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
6. ^ Horvath, Zachary (December 24, 2024). "SZA Pens A Drama-Filled Relationship Epic with 'Scorsese Baby Daddy'". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
7. ^ Watts, Marina (December 23, 2024). "Francesca Scorsese Shares Photo of Dad Martin Set to SZA's New Song 'Scorsese Baby Daddy'". People. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
8. ^ Curto, Justin (December 20, 2024). "SZA Wants a 'Scorsese Baby Daddy'". Vulture. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
9. Weinberg, Lindsay (December 21, 2024). "SZA Admits She Wants 'Scorsese Baby Daddy' in New Album Lana". E! Online. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
10. Paul, Bryson (December 22, 2024). "SZA Geeks Out Over Receiving Actual Martin Scorsese Co-Sign After 'Scorsese Baby Daddy'". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
11. Pointer, Flisadam (December 21, 2024). "SZA Can Not Believe Her Martin Scorsese Name-Drop, Earned Her A Subtle Co-Sign from the Filmmaker Himself". Uproxx. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
12. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 20, 2024). "SZA's SOS Deluxe Lana: All 15 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
13. Kaufman, Anna (December 20, 2024). "SZA Drops Lana After Hourslong Delay: 'We Been Up for Days'". USA Today. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
14. Paige, DeAsia (December 23, 2024). "On Lana, SZA Unlocks a New Superpower: Self-Reliance". Elle. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
15. Aswad, Jem (December 22, 2024). "SZA's SOS Deluxe: Lana Is a Low-Key but Satisfying Collection to Tide Fans Over Until Her Next Chapter". Variety. Retrieved December 25, 2024.

• 2024 songs
• SZA songs
• Songs written by SZA
• Songs written by Michael Uzowuru
• Martin Scorsese