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Royals (song)

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"Royals" is the debut song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde from her extended play The Love Club EP (2013) and debut album, Pure Heroine (2013). The song was released on March 8, 2013, as the lead single from the album, after she was spotted at the age of 12 by A&R scout Scott Maclachlan, who signed her to Universal records. Lorde and Joel Little co-wrote and produced "Royals". The song is a Art pop, minimal song that draws influence from rapper Kanye West and singer Lana Del Rey.

"Royals"
Song

Upon release "Royals" was met with acclaim, critics compared the song to that of British singer Adele's music and called the song "One of the best releases of the year." "Royals" has so far peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It peaked at number one in New Zealand and was twice certified platinum by Recorded Music NZ. In August 2013, Lorde became the first female solo act to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart since Tracy Bonham in 1996.[1] Joel Kefali directed the song's music video, which portrays normal teenagers doing unexceptional things in slow motion. An international version of the video was released which features small appearances of Lorde. "Royals" has been remixed by artists including The Weeknd and Gilbere Forte.[2]

Background and release

“I started writing songs when I was 13 or 14 because I’ve always been a huge reader. My mum’s a poet and we’ve always had so many books, and that’s always been a big thing for me, arguably more so than music.”

 —Lorde, talking about taking her songwriting style.[3]

Lorde spent much of her early life working with Universal to develop her sound and artistic vision. She was spotted at the age of 12 by A&R scout Scott Maclachlan, after he saw a video of her singing in a talent show at her school, Belmont Intermediate.[4] Maclachlan later signed her to Universal at the age of 13 and began working with songwriters at 14. Yelich-O'Connor began writing songs at the age of "13 or 14" using her guitar.[5][6]

"Royals" is a single from The Love Club EP, which was first released for free in November 2012, because "being teenager, and not having a credit card—I mean, who has a credit card at 16?!—I just thought people my age would appreciate it."[7] It was later officially released digitally in March 2013, and on CD in May 2013.

Writing and composition

Lorde had thought of writing a song about the luxury of pop musicians after seeing a National Geographic image. The picture showed a baseball player signing baseballs, with his shirt displaying Royals. According to Lorde, "It was just that word. It’s really cool." Other historical real-life "royals" and aristocracy were also inspirations.[8]

Lorde wrote the lyrics to "Royals" at her house in only half an hour.[9] She said, “When I wrote Royals, I was listening to a lot of rap, but also a lot of Lana Del Rey, because she’s obviously really hip-hop influenced, but all those references to expensive alcohol, beautiful clothes and beautiful cars – I was thinking, ‘This is so opulent, but it’s also bullshit.’”[10] Lorde later went to the studio to show the lyrics to producer Joel Litle, who said "Yeah, this is cool", and "Royals", along with two other songs from The Love Club EP, was produced in a week.[9]

"Royals" is a minimal art pop song of an experimental nature; it incorporates elements from different genres to create a new sound. Along with mainly chillwave, the song is influenced by indie pop, pop, downtempo, ambient, and blues.[citation needed] It follows the typical blues chord progression of D-C-G and is written in the key of D major. It plays in common time at a slow tempo of 85 BPM.[11] The track has a similar rhythm to a snap song, with its instrumentation of "fingersnaps and toe-tapping bass."[12]

The lyrics are described as turning "the aspirationalism of hip-hop culture on its head". The song concerns the luxury and lifestyle of pop artists.[12] The first verse focuses on her early life and sorrow over pop growing up in Auckland. The concept is introduced in the pre-chorus “But every song’s like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom / Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room / We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams.", which also addresses the reason for this expression.[13][12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com     [14]
Common Sense Media     [15]
The Corner7.5/10[16]

"Royals" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Bill Lamb rated it five stars, comparing Lorde to Adele, "However, a unique element about Lorde is that her song sounds like it's seeking to gather together a movement of fellow teens that are being raised outside the realm of wealth. This is a brilliant song of solidarity for a new generation." Bill Lamb also named it as "One of the best releases of the year".[14] Digitalspy gave the song five out of five stars praising the song saying it has an "addictive hook that thrives on its simplicity" continuing to comment saying "Lorde's success is here to stay."[17]

In September 2013, Ella Yelich-O'Connor and cowriter Joel Little were shortlisted for "Royals" in the 2013 APRA Silver Scroll Award, which honours outstanding achievement in songwriting of original New Zealand pop music.[18]

Commercial performance

"Royals" debuted at number 1 on the New Zealand Top 40 on 15 March 2013 and remained in the top position for three weeks.[19] In August 2013, Lorde became the first woman to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States since Tracy Bonham in 1996.[1] Following the release of "Royals" in the United States in June 2013, 85,000 copies were sold during a single week in July. In a subsequent interview, Lorde stated, "I had a sneaking suspicion that it might do all right".[20] The song became the longest number one on the chart with six weeks in total, Royals surpassed Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (1995) which spent five weeks at number one.[21]

Music video

The official video for "Royals" was directed by Joel Kefali and released on Lorde's official YouTube channel on 12 May 2013[22] with a US version released on 18 June 2013 on her VEVO account.[23] In line with the subject of the song, the video for "Royals" mostly consists of normal teenagers doing unexceptional things in slow motion. In the international version, with the exception of one extended frame of Lorde singing, Lorde herself rarely appears in the video. On her lack of appearance in the video, Lorde said, "The music video for me was about creating a piece of art and I wanted it to feel cinematic and like it's something you can immerse yourself in. Having me in it didn't feel like something that was necessary to create that world. So I'm just in it for just a little bit. I think it works well."[24] The US version of the song uses the same clips as the international, however it intersperses clips of Lorde singing.

Covers and remixes

American singer Selena Gomez gave an acoustic live rendition of the song during her Stars Dance tour in Vancouver on August 14, 2013.[25] Band Saints of Valory covered the song and addead a "country-tingled rock twist" to the song.[26] Producer RAAK, released a remix of the song that included guest vocals from Gilbere Forte.[27] This was followed by a remix from Canadian rapper The Weeknd.[28] Recently, American Girl Group Fifth Harmony covered Royals on the I Wish Tour. New Zealand girl-group Gap5 covered this on X Factor NZ.

Track listing

Digital download
  1. "Royals" – 3:09

Charts and certifications

See also

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United States[43] 8 March 2013 digital download Universal Music
Australia[44]
New Zealand[45]
United Kingdom[46] 20 October 2013

References

  1. ^ a b "Lorde First Woman in 17 Years to Top Alternative with 'Royals'". Billboard (magazine). 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  2. ^ http://www.rap-up.com/2013/09/13/new-music-lorde-team/#more-167791
  3. ^ Pinckney, Jim (23 March 2013). "Lorde moves in mysterious ways". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  4. ^ Etheridge, Jess (2 August 2013). "Singer now on centre stage: Shore kid makes good at Splendour in the Grass". North Shore Times (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  5. ^ White, Caitlin (21 May 2013). "Taking Flight: 16-Year-Old Ella Yelich-O'Connor vs. Lorde, Popstar". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  6. ^ White, Caitlin (21 May 2013). "NZ newest pop star". Tom Cardy. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Discovery: Lorde". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  8. ^ O'Keefe, Meghan (3 September 2013). "VH1 You Oughta Know Artist Lorde Explains What Being "Royal" Means To Her". VH1. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  9. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (10 September 2013). "Lorde Q&A: New Zealand Star On Next Single, Nicki Minaj & Staying Mysterious". Billboard (magazine). Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  10. ^ "NZ Music Sensation, Lorde, Releases First Music Video For "Royals"". The Diplomat. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  11. ^ Lorde "Royals" Sheet Music - Download & Print. musicnotes.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  12. ^ a b c Lansky, Sam (29 April 2013). "Pop Goes The World: Meet Little Nikki, Tove Lo, Suvi, Laurel & Lorde". Idolator. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  13. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (12 September 2013). "Lorde "Royals" Lyrics Meaning: Will Becoming "Royal" Come Back to Haunt Her". Popdust. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  14. ^ a b http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/Lorde-royals.htm
  15. ^ Montogomery, Grace. ""Royals" (CD Single) Music Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Great Sounds Great; Bad Sounds Bad: Lorde 'Royals'". The Corner. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  17. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/review/a516418/lorde-royals-single-review.html#ixzz2fFcTSsgL
  18. ^ "APRA Silver Scroll Awards 2013 Finalists Announced". The Corner. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  19. ^ "Lorde - Royals". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  20. ^ Iain Sheddon (29 July 2013). "Lorde's calling delivers her to splendour". The Australian. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  21. ^ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5695480/lorde-links-longest-alternative-songs-reign-by-a-woman-with-royals
  22. ^ LORDE - Royals,
  23. ^ Lorde - Royals (US Version)
  24. ^ Michelson, Noah (24 July 2013). "Lorde, 16-Year-Old New Zealand Musician, Talks 'Royals' Video, Feminism And More". Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  25. ^ http://idolator.com/7477939/selena-gomez-royals-cover-lorde-live
  26. ^ http://idolator.com/7476133/saints-of-valory-royals-lorde-cover
  27. ^ http://idolator.com/7475885/lorde-royals-raak-gilbere-forte-remix
  28. ^ http://idolator.com/7478562/lorde-royals-remix-the-weeknd
  29. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ^ CANADA: ALTERNATIVE ROCK 30 July 2013
  31. ^ "Lorde – Royals". Tracklisten. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  32. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Lorde" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  33. ^ "Lorde – Royals" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  34. ^ "Lorde – Royals". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  35. ^ "Lorde – Royals". Swiss Singles Chart.
  36. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  37. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Lorde Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  41. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Lorde – Royals". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 June 2013.[dead link‍]
  42. ^ Grein, Paul (18 September 2013). "Week Ending Sept. 15, 2013. Songs: Miley Twerks To The Top". Nielsen SoundScan. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  43. ^ The Love Club - EP by Lorde. iTunes US. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  44. ^ The Love Club - EP by Lorde. iTunes Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  45. ^ The Love Club - EP by Lorde. iTunes New Zealand. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  46. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/new-music/10296479/Lorde-New-Music.html

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