# Scorsese Baby Daddy

"Scorsese Baby Daddy" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from Lana (2024), the reissue of her second studio album SOS (2022). It is a psychedelic rock song, incorporating a groovy guitar rhythm and elements of soul music. Its title references Martin Scorsese, a filmmaker and director. 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.
The song was released on December 20, 2024. Shortly after, Scorsese's daughter Francesca showed the song to him, to which he expressed his subtle approval; SZA saw his reaction on social media and responded positively. In reviews of Lana, some critics wrote favorably about "Scorsese Baby Daddy" and focused on the lyrics' humorous and lighthearted tone. More critical reviewers commented on the music, deeming the production too short or generic.

## 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 titles of possible tracks from the reissue. All names 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 psychedelic rock song, containing a groovy guitar rhythm and elements of soul music. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone describes the composition as "steamy Eighties-style cheese-rock", whereas Craig Jenkins of Vulture writes that it recalls the "shouty, washed-out abandon of 2010s indie rock". Adding to his description, Jenkins notes that fervent fans of singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez compare the song's musical style to that of her 2023 album Portals (2023). "Scorsese Baby Daddy" was written by SZA alongside its producers Tyler Johnson and Michael Uzowuru. SZA's vocal performance is melodic, and her loudness occasionally overpowers that of the instrumental.
In the lyrics, SZA uses the Martin Scorsese reference to portray herself as a woman who loves danger and drama. She alludes to a specific character archetype present throughout his films: criminals who are emotionally unstable or violent. 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 to have his children: "I would pretend to do my favorite man, he'd call me tasty ... Furious lady, then I wonder if I could do, baby."
Whether or not SZA should control her base urges is also explored in the song. In some lines, she decides to let her emotional instability and recklessness consume her: "I rolled up all my problems / And then I smoked about it / I could've called my mom up / I'd rather f*ck about it." SZA tells the subject of the song to let her "crash out", an African American Vernacular English phrase that means to have a mental breakdown. In other lyrics, she considers changing her possibly self-destructive behavior, saying "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 day later, Scorsese's daughter Francesca used the song's audio on a video she posted on Instagram. In the video was Scorsese himself, subtly expressing his approval of the song. Shocked that he reacted to it so soon, SZA reposted the video—captioned with a sobbing emoji—and wrote "the fact that this [video] isn't AI, and it is actually Martin Scorsese". SZA has teased a music video for the track.
"Scorsese Baby Daddy" peaked at number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Elsewhere, the song reached peaks of number 66 in Canada, 67 in Ireland, and 75 in the UK. On the Billboard Global 200, it peaked at number 140.

## Critical reception

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. Referring to the lyrics' expression of love for drama, Horvath praised SZA's sense of humor in the song. Journalists Cyclone Wehner of NME and DeAsia Paige of Elle also commended the humor.
Other reviewers, like Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of Billboard and Jem Aswad of Variety, were more critical of the song. 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". In contrast to Horvath, fellow HotNewHipHop reviewer Gabriel Bras Nevares thought the rock production felt too generic and was carried only by SZA's melodic vocals.

## Credits

Adapted from Tidal
* Solána Rowe (SZA) – songwriting
* Tyler Johnson – songwriting, production
* Michael Uzowuru – songwriting, production, programming
* Tyler Page – additional production, engineering
* Owen Stoutt – additional production, engineering
* Hector Castro – engineering
* Sean Matsukawa – engineering
* Brittney Orinda – engineering
* Daniel Escobar – assistant engineering
* Kyle McAulay – assistant engineering
* Tommy Turner – assistant engineering
* Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
* Dale Becker – mastering
* Adam Burt – assistant mastering
* Noah McCorkle – assistant mastering

## Charts

Chart performance for "Scorsese Baby Daddy" :
| Chart (2024–2025) | Peak position |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 66 |
| Global 200 (Billboard) | 140 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 67 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 75 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) | 31 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 41 |