I was in the car with my parents and brother the first time I heard Royals on the radio, and I instantly knew it had just become one of my favorite songs. At the time, no one else in the mainstream sounded like Lorde, and my husband and I still say that Lorde walked so that artists like Billie Eilish could run. I'm still a huge Lorde fan, and each time she's released new music it's been exciting to hear how she's grown in her artistry and her sound.
As usual, here's the fact dump (information current as of December 2024):
-Given name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor
-28 years old (she's a Scorpio)
-Born in Auckland, New Zealand (she has dual citizenship there and in Croatia)
-Singer, songwriter
-Vocalist
-Primary genres are electropop, alt pop, dream pop, indie pop, and art pop
-Has won 44 total awards, including 2 Billboard Music Awards and 2 Grammys
-Has released 3 solo studio albums
Like you could probably guess, we're going to focus on Lorde's solo albums for this post, choosing our favorite three songs from each. Let's get started!
Pure Heroine (2013)
Lorde's debut electronica/alt pop/dream pop/electropop album was released September 27th, 2013 by Universal, Lava, and Republic when she was 16 years old and has been said to have been influenced by alcohol (each of her albums is supposed to be inspired by a different "substance"). With a run time of 37:07, the album had four singles released: Royals (6/3/13); Tennis Court (6/7/13); Team (9/13/13); and Glory and Gore (3/11/14). Pure Heroine peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, has been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA, and won Lorde 2 Grammys in 2014. This album is honestly still so great, with a track list full of absolute bangers. Even after listening to it for almost twelve years, I haven't yet gotten tired of it, and especially since it has one of my favorite songs ever on it. Here's my Top 3 for this debut:
Track 3: Royals (written by J. Little, E. Yelich O'Connor)
I am still so obsessed with this song, and it's a permanent member of my Do Not Skip List. I've yet to hear a version of it I don't like, and Pentatonix's is another all-time fave. It's an iconic song that'll be around for a good long time.
I’ve never seen a diamond in the flesh/I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies/And I’m not proud of my address/In a torn up town, no post code envy, but every song’s like/Gold teeth, Grey Goose, tripping in the bathroom/Blood stains, ball gowns, trashing the hotel room/We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams, but everybody’s like/Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece/Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold lash/We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair/And we’ll never be royals, it don’t run in our blood/That kind of luxe just ain’t for us, we crave a different kind of buzz/Let me be your ruler, you can call me Queen Bee/And baby, I’ll rule, let me live that fantasy
Track 6: Team (written by J. Little, E. Yelich O'Connor)
This song is an absolute vibe, with a great beat and an overall cool vibe. The intro is still so memorable, and aren't we all kind over being told to throw our hands up in the air? Hey, Lorde said it, not me.
Call all the ladies out, they’re in their finery/A hundred jewels on throats, a hundred jewels between teeth/Now, bring my boys in, their skin in craters like the moon/The moon we love like a brother while he glows through the room/Dancing around the lies we tell, dancing around big eyes as well, oh/Even the comatose, they don’t dance and tell/We live in cities you’ll never see onscreen/Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things/Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams/And you know we’re on each other’s team/I’m kinda over getting told to throw my hands yup in the air/So there
Track 7: Glory and Gore (written by J. Little, E. Yelich O'Connor)
This one has always given me serious Hunger Games vibes, and as a fan of that series it gets a point from me for that. It's got that thrumming, steady beat and a kind of spooky aura that help add to its ambience. It's a staple on my Halloween playlist, too.
There’s a humming in the restless summer air/And we’re slipping off the course that we prepared/But in all chaos, there is calculation/Dropping glasses just to hear them break/You’ve been drinking like the world was gonna end, it didn’t/Took a shiner from the fist of your best friend, go figure/It’s clear that someone’s gotta go/We mean it, but I promise we’re not mean/And the cry goes out, oh/They lose their minds for us and how it plays out, oh/And now we’re in the ring and we’re coming for blood/You could try and take us, but we’re the gladiators/Everyone a rager, but secretly they’re saviors/Glory and gore go hand in hand, that’s why we’re making headlines/You could try and take us, but victory’s contagious
Melodrama (2017)
Lorde's sophomore electropop/art pop album was released June 17th, 2017 by Universal, Lava, and Republic when she was 20 years old and was allegedly influenced by ecstasy. With a run time of 40:59, the album had three singles released: Green Light (3/2/17); Perfect Places (6/1/17); and Homemade Dynamite (9/16/17). Melodrama peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 Grammys. This album is still really cool to listen to, and it's much more full of color than Pure Heroine. Not every song blows me away, but I still love it, and it was a great showing of how Lorde had already grown as an artist. Here's my Top 3 for this one:
Track 1: Green Light (written by J. Antonoff, J. Little, E. Yelich O'Connor)
I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking, "Wow, I like it, but are we sure this is Lorde?" It's much more uptempo than anything from her first album, but in no way does it feel out of place in her repertoire. I still listen to this song a lot, even almost eight years later.
I do my makeup in somebody else’s car/We order different drinks at the same bars/I know about what you did and I wanna scream the truth/She thinks you love the beach, you’re such a damn liar/Those great whites, they have big teeth/Hope they bite you, thought you said that you would always be in love/But you’re not in love no more/Did it frighten you, how we kissed when we danced on the light up floor/On the light up floor/But I hear sounds in my mind/Brand new sounds in my mind/But honey, I’ll be seeing you ‘ever I go/But honey, I’ll be seeing you down every road/I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it/‘Cause honey, I’ll come get my things, but I can’t let go/I’m waiting for it that green light, I want it/Oh, I wish I could get my things and just let go/I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it
Track 4: The Louvre (written by J. Antonoff, E. Yelich O'Connor)
This is for sure my favorite song from Melodrama, hands down. I'm not sure if it's the beat or the lyrics or what, but the whole package just works for me. I'll always save a spot for it on my phone.
Well, summer slipped us underneath her tongue/Our days and nights are perfumed with obsession/Half of my wardrobe is on your bedroom floor/Use our eyes, throw our hands overboard/I am your sweetheart psychopathic crush/Drink up your movement, still I can’t get enough/I overthink your p-punctuation use/Not my fault, just a thing that my mind do/A rush at the beginning/I get caught up just for a minute/But lover, you’re the one to blame, all that you’re doing, can you hear the violence/Megaphone to my chest/Broadcast the boom, boom, boom, boom and make ‘em all dance to it
Track 9: Supercut (written by J. Antonoff, E. Yelich O'Connor)
Something about these lyrics just hits for me every time. I'm admittedly a stranger to romantic loss, but I've had a few friendship splits that I still play my own supercuts of in my brain sometimes. This is a great track later in the list, so don't miss it.
In my head, I play a supercut of us/All the magic we gave off, all the love we had and lost/And in my head, these visions never stop/These ribbons wrap me up, but when I reach for you, there’s just a supercut/In your car, the radio up, in your car, the radio up/We keep trying to talk about us, I’m someone you maybe might love/I’ll be your quiet afternoon crush, be your violent overnight rush/Make you crazy over my touch, but it’s just a supercut of us/Supercut of us/Oh, it’s just a supercut of us/Supercut of us
Solar Power (2021)
Lorde's third indie folk/folk pop/psychedelic pop/psychedelic folk album was released August 20th, 2021 by Universal when she was 24 years old and was influenced by marijuana. With a run time of 50:28 on the deluxe edition, the album had four singles released: Solar Power (6/11/21); Stoned at the Nail Salon (7/22/21); Mood Ring (8/18/21); and Fallen Fruit (11/2/21). Solar Power peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200. I just found out a good amount of people weren't crazy about this album, which is crazy to me because I love it. It's so chill, relaxed, and gives eternal summer vibes, and Lorde showcases a different side of her voice that I loved getting to hear. This Top 3 was difficult for me, but here they are:
Track 6: Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen it All) (written by J. Antonoff, E. Yelich O'Connor)
This is my favorite song from Solar Power by a mile. I love the lyrics here, and the feel of it being less "produced" is a refreshing take for Lorde's music. It's so full of light and self-reflection, and feels like an "I've come of age already, time to impart wisdom"type of song.
Dancing with my girls, only having two drinks then leaving/It’s a funny thing, thought you’d never gain self-control/Guess it’s been a while since you last said sorry, crying in the dark at your best friends’ parties/You’ve had enough, gotta turn the lights up, go home/Couldn’t wait to turn fifteen, then you blink and it’s been ten years/Growing up a little at a time then all at once/Everybody wants the best for you, but you gotta want it for yourself, my love/You can take ‘em if you want ‘em, these are just/Secrets from a girl who’s seen it all/Secrets from a girl who’s seen it/Secrets from a girl who’s seen it all/Secrets from a girl who’s seen it all
Track 8: Dominoes (written by J. Antonoff, E. Yelich O'Connor)
The acoustic feel to this one is what draws me in. It feel's like Lorde's take on Mr. Perfectly Fine, or like a more scaled back Green Light, and I'm here for it. I can practically see her with an acoustic guitar singing this on her porch.
I heard that you were doing yoga/With Uma Thurman’s mother just outside of Woodstock/Now you’re watering all the flowers/You planted with your new girlfriend outside on the rooftop/Just another phase you’re rushing on through/Go all New Age, outrunning your blues/Fifty gleaming chances in a row and I watch you flick them down like dominoes/Must feel good being Mr. Start Again
Track 11: Mood Ring (written by J. Antonoff, E. Yelich O'Connor)
Gosh, I just like so many of these songs for the lyrics. I never had a mood ring, but I did have a mood watch growing up and spent many an hour watching for it to change color. The production here feels a little more familiar to her earlier sounds, but not out of place with the rest of the album at all.
I’m tryna blow bubbles, but inside, can’t seem to fix my mood/Today it’s as dark as my roots if I, if I ever let them grow out/Now all of my oceans have riptides, can’t seem to find what’s wrong/The whole world is letting me down, don’t you think the early 2000s seem so far away/Ladies, begin your sun salutations/Transcendental in your meditations/You can burn sage and I’ll cleanse the crystals/We can get high, but only if the wind blows/I can’t feel a thing/I keep looking at my mood ring/Tell me how I’m feeling/Floating away, floating away
Thanks for joining me in looking through Lorde's music catalogue today - I hope you had as good a time as I did. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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