Octavia Venn - Matrioshka (1980) #ArtPop #Disco #80s

Released in 1980, “Matrioshka” finds the enigmatic Elara Vale turning the dance floor into a hall of mirrors. Built around the image of the Russian nesting doll, the song plays with identity, appearances and the uncomfortable question of whether there is ever a single, definitive self hiding underneath all the others. Over a persistent disco pulse, dramatic piano, sweeping strings and a restless bass line, Elara challenges a lover who believes he knows her “inside out.” Every layer he uncovers only reveals another version of the woman he thought he understood. By the hypnotic breakdown — “Smaller... Deeper... Closer to the heart” — even Elara begins to question which of those identities is really hers. Musically, “Matrioshka” belongs to that fascinating moment around 1980 when disco was colliding with increasingly adventurous British art-pop and new wave. Its theatrical female vocal, eccentric phrasing and psychological tension recall the dramatic imagination of Kate Bush, while echoes of Lene Lovich, Toyah, Hazel O’Connor and Nina Hagen place it firmly in the stranger, more flamboyant corners of turn-of-the-decade pop. Beneath all that theatricality, however, is an irresistible dance pulse that never quite lets the song escape the nightclub. The result is simultaneously playful and unsettling: a disco record about a woman who appears to know exactly who she is — until she looks inside herself. “Who do you think I am?”. But by the final fade, the question has changed: “Who do I think I am?” MATRIOSHKA Ah-ah-ah... Who do you think I am? You say you know me inside out You know the things I dream about You know the way I cross the floor The way I laugh, the dress I wore But darling, you've been much too sure You think you've found me at the core You pull me close, you call my name But look again I've changed the plan Take me apart One by one Just when you think That you are done Like a matrioshka There's another me inside Like a matrioshka Can you see what's left behind? But you open one And then another Thinking you've discovered me Like a matrioshka I'm never only what you see (Mat-ri-osh-ka!) Last night I wore my quiet face Tonight I'm dancing out of place Tomorrow I may disappear And leave another woman here You want the answer neat and small One little truth to explain it all But every layer that you find Leaves one more mystery behind Take me apart One by one Just when you think That you are done Like a matrioshka There's another me inside Like a matrioshka Can you see what's left behind? But you open one And then another Thinking you've discovered me Like a matrioshka I'm never only what you see Smaller... Deeper... Closer to the heart You keep looking I keep wondering Where do I start? Deeper... Smaller... Which one is really me? Ah-ah-ah... Tell me What do you see? Like a matrioshka I look like one from the outside Like a matrioshka I hide so many deep inside You open one And then another Still believing you'll find me Like a matrioshka I'm never only what you see (Mat-ri-osh-ka!) Another me! (Mat-ri-osh-ka!) Inside of me! (Mat-ri-osh-ka!) Another me! Ah-ah-ah... Who do you think I am? Who do I think I am? Elara Vale Matrioshka 1980, Elara Vale Matrioshka song, Matrioshka 1980 single, Matrioshka Elara Vale, 1980 art pop song, 1980 female art pop, 80s eccentric art pop, British art pop 1980, Kate Bush style music, songs like Kate Bush Babooshka, Babooshka style song, Kate Bush inspired art pop, 1980 theatrical pop, 1980 disco art pop, female art pop singer 1980, obscure 1980s music, forgotten 80s songs, lost 1980s single, retro 80s female singer, vintage 1980 pop music, eccentric female new wave, theatrical female new wave, 1980 new wave disco, art pop disco song, dramatic 80s pop, disco with strings and piano, quirky 1980s music, experimental pop 1980, female fronted 80s music, early 80s alternative pop, psychological art pop song, Russian doll song, Matrioshka song, nesting doll song, retro art pop music, CoolTracks 1980, CoolTracks art pop #ElaraVale #Matrioshka #1980 #80sMusic #ArtPop #Disco #ArtDisco #NewWave #BritishArtPop #EccentricPop #TheatricalPop #RetroPop #VintagePop #KateBush #LeneLovich #Toyah #HazelOConnor #NinaHagen #FemaleVocals #80sDisco #Obscure80s #Forgotten80s #Lost80s #RetroMusic #Alternative80s #ExperimentalPop #PostDisco