Lorde’s “Melodrama” - A Landmark of Pop Music

by M.A. Raechel Verghese (20/UCEA/102)

“Melodrama”, the second studio album by New Zealandian singer-songwriter Ella Yelich O'Connor (better known by her stage name Lorde) is an example of what music experts and casual pop music enjoyers call a career-defining masterpiece. Released on 16 June 2017, the album was inspired by the songwriting of Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins.

Expanding on the bedroom pop of her debut album Pure Heroine (2013), Lorde has teamed up with producers Jack Antonoff, Joel Little, Frank Dukes and Andrew Wyatt to create a concept electro-pop album inspired by the sensationalised emotions and intensity of teenage heartbreak. This album, in my opinion, is a classic because of how consistent the music and lyrics are, and how they all talk about disillusionment and temporary, and confusing euphoric happiness.

In short, everything a teenage girl would feel in a world that fetishises and uses their temperaments as an art form but minimises their perspectives. Dealing with rapid physical and emotional changes, only for the world to say that they are not yours to experience and control. (Anderson) "Melodrama" is Lorde taking back the narrative in the most segregated, dramatic way possible and has pulled it off flawlessly. Here is my track-by-track review of this 11-track album.

1. Green Light:

Written by: Lorde, Jack Antonoff, Joel Little

The pulsing disco-pop lead single of the album is a standout upon first listen. The title comes from the narrator hopelessly waiting for a “green light” to move on from a relationship that ended badly. The memories of even the smallest of white lies about beaches and white sharks prevent her from gaining closure.

Best line: “Well, those rumours, they have big teeth / Hope they bite you.” (Lorde 0:30)

2. Sober:

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

Sober takes an alternative step towards R&B, with a section in the chorus meant for horns, signifying that the celebration has begun. The ringing question remains throughout the descriptions of booze-induced rush, what will they do when they’re sober? Moreover, we’re eager to find out if they can keep up the ruse.

Best line: “King and Queen of the weekend / Ain’t a pill that could touch our rush.” (Lorde 0:47)

3. Homemade Dynamite:

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff, Jakob Jerlstrom, Ludvig Soderberg, Tove Lo

A direct sequel to Sober that is probably my favourite on the album. Lorde takes teenage infatuation and compares it to the chemical explosion of dynamite, manufactured between two people who can’t seem to be drawn toward each other but are afraid to acknowledge the depth of their attraction.

Best line: “I’ll give you my best side / give you all my best lies.” (Lorde 0:22)

4. “The Louvre”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

An instant fan favourite, with inspirations drawn from Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, probably because of how down-to-earth this love song is, even in the midst of the madness in the rest of the album. It really takes a one-of-a-kind, straightforward songwriter to hang a romance in something as grandiose as the Louvre.

Best line: “Blow all my friendships to sit in hell with you.” (Lorde 1:42)

5. “Liability”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

A simple yet heart-wrenching piano ballad acknowledging the scrutiny and mental struggles of the famous and those associated with said fame. Extra points go for the brutal honesty that you really can’t trust anyone but yourself, when it comes to show biz.

Best Line: “They’re gonna watch me disappear into the sun.” (Lorde 2:25)

6. “Hard Feelings/Loveless”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

Ella Yelich O’Connor, better known to the world as Lorde was born on November 7 1996, making her one of the last millennials and one of the first of Gen Zs. My personal interpretation was that this song was meant to be a blend of both, the vulnerability of the millennials and the vengeance of Gen Z. Personally I think it could have been shorter, and the vocals clearer, as they tend to get lost in the instrumentals.

Best Line: “I remember the rush when forever was us” (Lorde 0:37)

7. “Sober II”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

A more energised reprise of track 2, as a description and callout of what happens when the party and the excitement that comes with it is over. The narrator owns herself, with all of her drama and melodrama.

Best Line: “All the glamour and the trauma, and the f***** melodrama” (Lorde 1:19)

8. “Writer in the Dark”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

The violins soar in the background of this song, sung by an apologetic and heartbroken narrator who misses her former flame, and believes that they regret being with a writer like her, who will use these experiences for a song. And yet, this talent is her superpower, and what will help her move on one day.

Best line: “But in my darkest hours / I stumbled on a secret power / I’ll find a way to live without you, babe.” (Lorde 1:07)

9. “Supercut”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

For all the non-film buffs out there, a supercut is more or less a montage or a highlight reel of scenes in a film of the same concept or character, meant for entertainment purposes. Now take only the happiest moments of a past relationship, and stitch them together, leaving behind all the difficult moments, what are you left with? If you are Lorde, the answer is synthpop perfection.

Best Line: “In my head, I do everything right.” (Lorde 1:17)

10. “Liability (Reprise)”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

Maybe the writers of The Good Place (spoiler alert!) took inspiration from this track. People spend most of their lives escaping and finding freedom from the intensity that acts like a prison, and the rest of it realising that that very journey is what life is all about anyway.

Best Line: “Maybe all this is the party / Maybe the tears and the highs we breathe.” (Lorde 1:02)

11. “Perfect Places”

Written by: Lorde, Antonoff

A triumphant (or not, depending on how you look at it) conclusion to what was a breathtaking journey of escapism - ironically, a song about running away. The constant need to disappear and flee and drown in melodrama will fade one day, and we all have to face reality.

What will we do when we’re sober? No one can give you a definitive reply to that puzzle, but half of it is already solved just by asking that question.

Best line: “Every night, I live and die / Feel the party to my bones” (Lorde 0:05)

Lorde performing at her Melodrama World Tour in 2018

2017 was quite the tragic year for pop music - in the sense that mood music and eccentricity was beginning to make a comeback, with Kendrick Lamar's politically conscious Pulitzer-winning album DAMN, Selena Gomez continuing to make a splash with her back-to-back droplet releases and Taylor Swift's record-breaking comeback Reputation. And yet, Melodrama manages to stand out in all its intensity and self-awareness, the same way Pure Heroine dared to make a statement in the very camp year of 2013, the year of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

Melodrama had made Lorde the only woman to be nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 Grammys, and her loss to Bruno Mars making more headlines than 24K Magic's win should tell you everything, really.

I give Melodrama a grade of A+.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Stacey. “Lorde: Melodrama.” Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 16 June 2017,

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lorde-melodrama/.

Lorde. Melodrama, Republic Records, 16 June 2017. Spotify.