"Yellow Flicker Beat" was well received by music critics, who praised its lyrical content for being more mature than that of Lorde's previous releases. Commercially, the song peaked at number 34 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and entered the record charts of several nations, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A music video for the song, directed by Emily Kai Bock, was released on 7 November 2014. Four days later, a remix of the song titled "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)" co-produced by Lorde and Kanye West was released. Lorde performed the original version at the 2014 American Music Awards on 23 November 2014. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards and Best Song at the Critics' Choice Awards.