I think this song is about a fake, pretentious hipster guy that the singer hangs around, hoping that he actually cares about her or their relationship. Even though she knows that someone else will treat her better, she can't help but want to be around him anyway. The song also seems to hint that this "Johnny" guy is only really interesting after he does cocaine ('praying" in bathroom stalls to make him a "real boy" sounds like a thinly veiled metaphor for snorting cocaine off of a toilet seat, in the bathroom of a club or maybe a bar). Or else he's only fun to be around when he's drinking ("praying" could also be throwing up after having too much alcohol).
Johnny and all of his friends feel "above" everyone else because they're rich, famous artsy types who think they can see beauty in ways that other people can't (hence, being "sons of somebody"-- they see themselves as more important than anyone else). In actuality, they're just a bunch of boring snobs who get high and sleep around with each other. From the outside looking in, it's probably a romantic, bohemian lifestyle, but now that the singer hangs around these people, she sees that other people are more genuine and will treat her better.
Despite all of her observations about how everyone in her circle of friends (particularly "prince" Johnny, the leader of the pack) are just fake and disappointing, at the end of the song, she finds herself joining in "prayer" with the rest of them. It's an admission that even though she could do better, she still wants to feel like royalty with the rest of them. It's actually a very ironic, self-aware song about true friendship in young adulthood.
I think this song is about a fake, pretentious hipster guy that the singer hangs around, hoping that he actually cares about her or their relationship. Even though she knows that someone else will treat her better, she can't help but want to be around him anyway. The song also seems to hint that this "Johnny" guy is only really interesting after he does cocaine ('praying" in bathroom stalls to make him a "real boy" sounds like a thinly veiled metaphor for snorting cocaine off of a toilet seat, in the bathroom of a club or maybe a bar). Or else he's only fun to be around when he's drinking ("praying" could also be throwing up after having too much alcohol).
Johnny and all of his friends feel "above" everyone else because they're rich, famous artsy types who think they can see beauty in ways that other people can't (hence, being "sons of somebody"-- they see themselves as more important than anyone else). In actuality, they're just a bunch of boring snobs who get high and sleep around with each other. From the outside looking in, it's probably a romantic, bohemian lifestyle, but now that the singer hangs around these people, she sees that other people are more genuine and will treat her better.
Despite all of her observations about how everyone in her circle of friends (particularly "prince" Johnny, the leader of the pack) are just fake and disappointing, at the end of the song, she finds herself joining in "prayer" with the rest of them. It's an admission that even though she could do better, she still wants to feel like royalty with the rest of them. It's actually a very ironic, self-aware song about true friendship in young adulthood.