When you hear the song “Milkshake” by Kelis, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a delicious, creamy drink. But what is the real meaning behind the song? Many people have their own interpretation, but we’re going to explore what Kelis herself has said about it. Read on to find out!
The RNB singer Kelis has long been known and popular for her fans. Her single “Milkshake” peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 2003. This hit became her highest-charting single. The track was certified gold and sold over 880,000 times on the paid platform. It seems that the name is harmless, but if you watch the clip, then the cute milkshake turns into something bold and defiant. Children should not use it, it’s too early. But for guys who are already 18 years old, it’s already quite possible. What is the meaning behind the song “Milkshake” in Kelis’ world?
The story behind the song “Milkshake”
The track “Milkshake” was written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. The song itself was already in development when the interesting word “Tasty” was chosen as the album title. While creating the song, Kelis said that she really knew right away that it was a really good song, and she wanted it to be the first single from the album. Recording sessions took place at Hovercraft Studios in Virginia Beach. The history of the creation of the track is not connected with anything personal for the singer. It happened that the lines that she gave to her friend Farrell came to mind, and he wrote the track “Milkshake”.
What does “Milkshake” mean?
When the singer was asked about the song’s meaning, Kelis said at the time of an interview with one magazine that “Milkshake is what all people crave. It was an ordinary word that was randomly chosen, and then the song took on a life of its own”. After some time, the singer compared the milkshake with self-confidence. “The milkshake is what makes women special. It’s what gives us confidence and what makes us truly interesting to society”. According to Kelis, there is a secret hidden in the title of the song that can reveal any woman. And in order to understand the female secret, you need to listen to the entire track in full.
Those who don’t understand the essence of the song take “milkshake” at face value and think it’s about a woman who makes exceptional milkshakes. Ha, no matter how! Others believe that the song revolves around sexual overtones. Indeed, there are quite risky moments in the video for the song. Kelis is open to any fan interpretations of “Milkshake”. Once she commented on the meaning of the song like this: “My milkshake can be understood in different ways. And it’s really cool!”.
And here are some more words of the singer about her track. “The longevity of a song is due to its lyrical ambiguity. Like any other art, you can turn the metaphor into anything. And it will live on”.
Understanding the meaning behind song “Milkshake”
“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and their like. It’s better than yours” – there’re famous lines from the song. What are they about? What do these bold and defiant lines mean?
- The first thing that comes to mind is the figure of Kelis herself and her openness. She is not shy about what she has, she is proud of her natural abilities and is ready to talk about sexuality. It is in the first lines of the chorus that Kelis says that no one has forgotten her milkshake yet – and it is unlikely that this will be forgotten at all.
- Also, the character and tone in which the girl performs the track stands out. She is playful, alluring and not modest at all. Men love such women who are not afraid to be both a flexible cat and a bitch. The lines of Kelis’s chorus are a vivid proof of this. For example here “I can teach you and but I have to charge”. That is, before showing all her experience to a man, she needs to recharge a little, gain strength in order to pleasantly tire him completely. And how exactly she is going to tire him is a secret. Everyone thinks to the best of his promiscuity.
- “Just get the perfect blend, plus what you have within, then next his eyes are squint, then he’s picked up your scent”. Veiled lines about how the singer wants to quickly show what she can do herself. Are the lines about a real milkshake that is mixed with ice cream and milk served with a straw? It seems that the metaphors of Kelis really have a place to be.
Jake Nava directed the “Milkshake” video. In the video Kelis enters a cafe called Tasty’s Yard. She dances meaningfully and wraps her lips around the cherry, causing the mother to cover her child’s eyes. The chef, played by rapper Nas, starts serving milkshakes to customers as Kelis dances. The milkshake machine then starts spraying milkshake on all the patrons, and more and more people enter the “courtyard”. The clip was voted the 73rd sexiest music video of all time and commented as follows: “Here, the singer is supported by a group of dancers dressed in tiny diner uniforms. The way she drinks a milkshake and bites a cherry is just unreasonably sexy.” Here is another hint of what the track “Milkshake” is all about. It seems that something adult is being started here that can give a great pleasure.
Milkshake is so good that it collects all the guys in the district. Is this the literal meaning? Do the guys really get together because of some delicious cocktail that is impossible to put down? There are several other meanings of the track after all.
- Never be ashamed of your own desires. As they say, what is natural is not ugly. In other words, the track is about the fact that ordinary human desires must always be satisfied.
- Every girl has an ace up her sleeve – and this is a milkshake that absolutely every beauty in the world can make. Moreover, no one knows how to make cocktails like girls.
- Adult intimate hobby. It doesn’t even need to be voiced, everything becomes clear anyway. And the milkshake fits perfectly as a metaphor for adult foreplay for a man. And as you know, every man loves to get a milkshake from a girl.
- If you seduce a man, then do it correctly, neatly and femininely. For example, include in your flirting not only words, but also language bodies. Or, for example, try your best so that the man remembers you 100%.
Now let’s go through the individual phrases from the song.
“They lose their minds the way I wind, I think it’s time”. Men literally lose their minds, become crazy, because Kelis appears next to them. Her one look is able to penetrate into the very heart and punish everyone who does not pay attention to her. And also to really encourage everyone who devours it with their eyes.
“Warm it up. The boys are waiting”. These words are about the fact that the boys are in a state of expectation, when the female will begin to flirt with them. In order to be fully prepared, you need to warm up and recharge, take the starting position and just wait for the command.
“Techniques that freaks these boys, it can’t be bought. Just know, thieves get caught, watch if you’re smart”. And again, the hit singer tells secrets that no one knows how to do milkshake except her. No, she doesn’t brag. She only talks about how half the yard is in a pleasant shock from who she is, how skillfully she knows how to own her milkshake. Kelis is sure that she drives everyone crazy who manages to see a milkshake.
“You must maintain your charm, same time maintain your halo”. The girl gives practical advice to all female representatives on how to behave with men in order to be remembered for a long time. Kelis assures that charm and attractiveness are the key to the success of each. But will the girl be able to take advice and become a shy charmer at the same time?
Hidden secrets in the clip “Milkshake”
After the clip, requests for a milkshake at the cafe where the video was filmed increased. 2 days after the release of the video, on one milkshake the cafe made half of the money that it produces in a month.
At the end of the clip, the milkshake literally overflows. Does this scene remind you of anything, if you compare it with intimacy between a man and a woman? After all, this is exactly what happens when the night comes to an end. And in this track Kelis seems to hint.
The half-naked top, in which the entire clip is the girl, fits her chest and emphasizes her excellent figure. Thin straps, light colour, bare shoulders – all this only lures the guys in the area to try what Kelis sings about. She, in turn, often runs her hands over her chest and waist, hinting that she is ready to seduce anyone and give him what he wants so much.
Did the boys want a milkshake? They got it! Splashes from the sweet mixture are all over the place. And if all this is also presented in a more perverted form, understanding the cocktail metaphor correctly, then you would definitely understand what Kelis’s song “Milk Shake” is all about.
