07. Liability ~ 9.00

 

Better on my own

 

Onto the 9s now and kicking off with Liability from Melodrama. Lyrically, this is one of Lorde's most heartfelt and poignant moments. A stunning ballad featuring organs and guitar strums in the background, the song deals with feelings of being too much, taking too much space in someone's life, and feeling like you are not worthy for others to love. It was released as the album's first promotional single and Lorde describes it as her first ballad written. It came from a moment in which the singer felt "so overcome with anger and emotion", following which she cried and listened to Rihanna's 'Higher' and reflected on how she felt she was "too much for somebody". The beautiful song is a stark contrast from many other songs in the countdown and for that reason it stands out as being a "hear-a-pin-drop" moment amongst the louder, more brash moments.

I remember connecting with 'Ribs' straight away, that definitely deserved better here! :wub: on the other hand I didn't get 'Liability' at first but that one needed time. I think I was thrown off by how stripped back it was, especially coming after 'Green Light'. The instrumental was nice but uninteresting compared to what I knew from her. But yeah, I got there in the end. Lovely song if not an absolute favourite.

'Liability' quite easily my favourite single from 'Melodrama', an absolute beauty of a song, happy it has been recognised as such here <3

 

06. Supercut ~ 9.03

 

We were wild and fluorescent

 

We have two songs with the same number of points, so I have looked at which received the least top scores. Both songs received the same number of 11s and the same number of 10s and the same number of 9.5s :drama: This song received less 9s and so just falls short of the top 5!

 

It's Supercut. An electrifying, synth-pop song that soars throughout, 'Supercut' is about reliving the happy and positive moments of a past relationship, but realising that these are no more. The song was borne during a night when Lorde left a party late at night and drove around in a taxi listening to Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland. During this, she also heard music playing from nearby bars. The song represents wanting to "dance through the walls of a party". She describes the song as the "sister song" to 'Ribs' from the previous album. The glorious song explodes throughout before the contemplative and meloncholic end and it's a complete blurring of emotions, not knowing whether to be elated or mournful or everything in between.

 

05. Team ~ 9.03

 

We were wild and fluorescent

 

That means that Team just narrowly sneaks into 5th place. It's the highest representation from the debut album! The second single in the UK, it is a synth-pop song featuring an infectious drum beat throughout. Described as a "tribute to her friends and country", it's a rousing anthem of identity and empowerment. Lorde stated that her home of New Zealand was unknown to most of the world and yet she grew up there and tried to become a fully realised person within its mysterious and hidden walls. A song for minorities and those wanting a boost of encouragament, and the music video exemplified the battles of teenagers finding their place in the world. The song also addresses Lorde's disdain for modern music as she states how tired she is of being told to put her hands up in the air. 'Team' went on to be a big hit in various countries including the US and it's a staple song from her now. Here, it is the most loved track from Pure Heroine by some distance and put up a good fight against the Melodrama tracks, but with it out now, it leaves a top 4 exclusively made up of songs from the 2nd album!

Happy that at least one song from 'Pure Heroine' did make the top 5! Some really unexpected results in the order of the tracks from her debut.

 

Gagged that 'The Louvre' is actually still in this.

Omg I can't believe I missed this. Absolutely gutted at seeing Yellow Flicker Beat, Magnets, Meltdown and Tennis Court so low! Sober and Team also deserve to be in the top 4!

 

God, I NEED new Lorde music!

Edited November 19, 20204 yr by diva thin muffin

 

04. Homemade Dynamite ~ 9.09

 

I think that you might be the same as me

 

Homemade Dynamite explodes into the top 5 with its R&B, trippy, reverbrated, synthing vibes. Co-written by a dream team featuring Tove Lo(!) who also felt the non-stop party vibes that Lorde did at the time, the song is about experiencing euphoria at a house party. It was premiered at the Coachella Festival and it was performed at the 2017 MTV VMAs, through interpretive dance - she had a fever and so was unable to sing the song live. A remix featuring Khalid, Post Malone, and SZA was released as the 3rd single from the album but didn't quite match the success of some of the former singles. In the early days of the era, it was rumoured that this song was being teased as a single, however after the Manchester bombings, its release was pushed back. Lorde described that the song details the euphoric moments of a party before the harder, more difficult moments begin to arise. The lyrics detail a car crash, lost loves, liberating dancing and a continous vibe of joyous explosions.

That is definitely too high, in fact I'd forgotten it was still to come. I do like it but it's among my least favourites on the album. Amazing that the Louvre is top 3 though *.*

 

yeah as much as I love it, it's way too high! All the singles and Ribs from Pure Heroine should be above this! Guess it barely has any haters which helped it's cause! Probably unpopular opinion but I prefer listening to the remixed version with additional features! Feels a bit empty otherwise.

On the contrary, 'Homemade Dynamite' is excellent, glad it has performed so well :wub:

'Homemade Dynamite' is one of my faves from 'Melodrama' too, I thought it had a chance to be a hit single but then I guess it probably would never have attracted radio play given the unfortunate timing of its release/title oops.

 

The remix was fine but not an improvement on the original imo. I seem to remember at the time people thought SZA was the 'big name' feature which did not age very well considering she's by some distance the least successful of the 3 features these days :lol:

 

A late shoutout btw to the other probably less remembered remix of the era, the El-P remix of 'Supercut', which I also don't think is better than the original but was at least more of a reinvention of the song than the 'Homemade Dynamite' remix was so has a bit more reason to go back to imo ~

 

'The Louvre' officially her highest album track! *.* I'd really love for it to be in the top 2 but not sure I can see it. Seems pretty clear what the winner will be now, as if it wasn't already from the beginning.

 

03. Perfect Places ~ 9.19

 

I can't stand to be alone

 

Taking home the bronze medal, it's Perfect Places. The second single from Melodrama is a glorious synth-pop anthem with captivating drum beats and Lorde's heavenly vocals. In the song, she sings of how her partying lifestyles leaves her wondering about perfect places; how to reach them and where they are. The music video shows Lorde alone on a beach, in a bar and on a boat. The song didn't really set alight the charts, but it's become a staple now, amassing a very impressive average here. The song had a complex journey before being finalised - Lorde's search for the perfect track meant it changed constantly and evolved through its production process. The final result is a song that seeks to find solace and peace amongst a loud and frantic world, but this is never found. It's a beautiful song with an emotional, bittersweet message.

Absolutely adore it, thrilled to see it in the Top 3!

 

what the f*** are perfect places anyway :heart:

what the f*** are perfect places anyway

Chromatica

I almost wish Perfect Places had been my 11. Probably the one song on Melodrama I've never remotely tired of :wub: I just love the tone it sets to end the album!

I like Perfect but for me it's not Lorde's best, I much prefer the 3 singles from the debut plus most of Melodrama

Glad Homemade Dynamite did so well, wasn't expecting that, #2 best from Melodrama for me

I really don't know why but 'Perfect Places' is her one single that's never properly clicked with me - I don't dislike it, I just don't really see what's so special about it, easily one of the weakest songs across both of her albums for me :(

 

I wonder if my votes alone may have made the difference for 'The Louvre' to end up ahead of that...!

 

02. The Louvre ~ 9.24

 

Broadcast the boom, boom, boom, boom

 

In second place, the highest rated album track in the countdown and one of the most beautiful songs in it. Lorde takes us on a trip to The Louvre here, comparing a new relationship to the masterpieces of the French gallery. The song deals with the themes of infatuation, adoration and obsession as Lorde becomes enamoured with her love interest, but it is a relationship that is eventually doomed to fail. With varying sounds throughout, including acoustic guitar moments and more glitchy electro-pop moments, it's a true journey of a song, and you can almost imagine walking the corridors of the gallery as it plays around you. Lorde claims that she tried to evoke the feelings of the "big sun-soaked dumbness of falling in love" and the instrumentation helps to create this vibe of being so effortlessly laid-back. The song received huge critial acclaim, placing well on many end of year lists and it cemented itself as one of the finest deep-cuts of the 10s decade. Here it falles narrowly (:o) short of the top spot, only being beaten by a small percentage.

 

01. Green Light ~ 9.34

 

I wanna scream the truth

 

Which means in first place, with an incredible average (but only just ahead of the #2 song), it's the lead single from the era that has dominated this countdown! Green Light is an electro-dance-pop song with a glorious chorus and a powerful message of moving on in a relationship. The green light of the title, is a pass given to Lorde to allow her to move on from a situation and she does this with vigour and power. The song was a critical success, amassing heaps of love from publications and the general public that saw her return to the charts in explosive fashion. The music video shows Lorde leaving a club and walking the streets of the city moving on from a break-up. Before its release, she described to her fans that the song would be complex and funny and sad and joyous and it'll make you dance" and that perfectly encapsulates the array of emotions that the song leaves you with. It's a high-octane number, filled with emotional lyrics and heartbreak pains felt throughout - but this is dissected with the joyous euphoria of being able to move on from the pain and be renewed. Here, it has earned the title of Buzzjack's favourite Lorde song and it sits on top of the lord's thrown shining its light brighter than all others!