Melodrama

## Singles

1. "Green Light"
Released: 2 March 2017
2. "Perfect Places"
Released: 1 June 2017
3. "Homemade Dynamite"
Released: 16 September 2017

***Melodrama*** is the sophomore studio album by Lorde released on June 16th, 2017. "Green Light" , "Perfect Places", "Sober" and "Liability" were announced to be singles and promotional singles from the album, respectively.

Writing for the album began as early as December 2013 and continued through "false starts, fruitless detours and stretches of inactivity" as Lorde stepped back from the public spotlight, taking shape after her breakup from her longtime boyfriend in 2015. *Melodrama* is described as a loose concept album that explores the theme of solitude, in the framework of a single house party with the events and moods that entail it.

The album was met with universal acclaim, earning the #1 spot in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and earning a 91 on Metacritic.

## Background

In 2014, Lorde announced that she was writing another album. She said it was "totally different" from her previous album. On November 7th, 2016 (Lorde's 20th birthday), Lorde wrote a sentimental note on Facebook, saying "Writing *Pure Heroine* was my way of enshrining our teenage glory, putting it up in lights forever so that part of me never dies, and this record - well, this one is about what comes next. ...The party is about to start. I am about to show you the new world." about the album. Previously, she had responded to a fan on Twitter who asked about her new album, saying the album was in production stages and to give her time.

On 16 February 2017, her recording label, Republic Records, published a date of 3/7 under "Confidential Title" that revealed her much-anticipated sophomore record, which later was cleared by the label. Later, she announced an ad which featured Lorde sipping a drink in the back of a train, with piano in the background, with the words "*3.2.17 NYC and 3.3.17 NZ"* appearing at the end. This was followed by two other ads. The second featured Lorde walking down a street, with the background music of "Green Light" appearing in the background. The third and final featured Lorde in a pink dress dancing uncontrollably to music, and the lyrics "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" in the background. This was posted to a site with a title "M\*\*\*\*\*\*a", which teased the new album. Two days prior to Green Light's release, Lorde announced on her twitter she was joyful to announce that the single would be named Green Light and would be "different, and kinda unexpected. Complex and funny and sad and joyous and it'll make you DANCE." A week after Green Light's release, Liability was released as a promotional single. Along with Liability, Lorde announced the album's official release date, June 16. "Perfect Places" and "Sober" were released as the albums second single and promotional single, respectively. Lorde later commented on the tracks that didn't make the cut, saying they could see the light of day someday.

In August, a user on Instagram made a claim saying Taylor Swift co-ghost wrote "Supercut" with Lorde and Jack Antonoff and an unreleased song titled "Never Again", to which responded with "Just me n j :-)", and also clarified "also i have never written a song called never again lol". Later in October, she posted a snippet of an unreleased song from Melodrama, prompting rumors of a deluxe edition. She later revealed there wasn't going to be an extended edition, saying: "No extended we said it all with the orig".

### Writing and composition

During an interview with the New York Times, Lorde revealed "With Melodrama, I went to the party and got drunk.” She also revealed that she made a different color code for each song. She decided that “Melodrama” would tell the story of a single house party. This conceit, impressionistic rather than schematic, would allow her to organize a variety of moods into a tense but cohesive whole. “With a party, there’s that moment where a great song comes on and you’re ecstatic, and then there’s that moment later on where you’re alone in the bathroom, looking in the mirror, you don’t think you look good, and you start feeling horrible.” She said the album wasn't "about a breakup, it's about being alone. The good parts and the bad parts." It has been noted as "masterful study of being a young woman" and a great comeback for Lorde. Though she did call "Green Light" a traditional break-up song: "with all of my favorite artists, I’d much rather hear a story about the breakdown of a marriage than do the Googling about it. I love when artists are more mysterious"

## Colors

Lorde revealed on an interview with New York Times that each song is color coded. She revealed, "A song about partying would get a certain color, but it might be a sad song, and that got its own color, too.”

## Tracklist

There are 11 songs on the album, all with confirmed titles and digitally released. There is an additional bonus track on the Japanese version.

## Reception

### Critical Reception

Stacey Anderson of *Pitchfork* called it a  "masterful study of being a young woman, a sleek and humid pop record full of grief and hedonism, crafted with the utmost care and wisdom", giving it an 8.8. Meanwhile for *Rolling Stone*, Will Hermes called it a "tour de force" saying "It's emblematic of a modern pop record that prizes old-school intimacy, and lingers well after the house lights have gone up." *Slant Magazine*'s Sal Cinquemani described "Hard Feelings" as an "industrial-infused" song, and "Loveless" as "the most shamelessly poppy track that Lorde has recorded to date, peppered with prickly bon mots". It did well overall, with a score of 92/100 on Metacritic, along with a 4/5 on Rolling Stone and 5/5 on NME.

Nolan Feeney of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a rating of 'A', writing that "Lorde makes partying sound holy" and that "the shape-shifting compositions give Melodrama a richer, more dynamic palette than the muted, minimalist beats of Pure Heroine". Feeney also notes, "The tracks are in constant dialogue with themselves: Motifs of riding in cars and the "ribbons" that bind her to a lover repeat throughout the album, adding layers to the story." Pitchfork writer Stacey Anderson writes, "Lorde captures emotions like none other. Her second album is a masterful study of being a young woman, a sleek and humid pop record full of grief and hedonism, crafted with the utmost care and wisdom." Slant Magazine wrote "whether it's a party record disguised as a breakup album or a breakup album disguised as a party record, it's cathartic, dramatic, and everything else you could want an album titled Melodrama to be". Writing for Drowned in Sound, Joe Goggins stated: "[Lorde] is intensely self-aware and, accordingly, is able to take all the inelegancies of youth–the stumbles out of nightclub doors, the clothes strewn across the bedroom floor, how apocalyptic that first heartbreak feels-–and turn them into something exquisite".

### Chart Performance

Melodrama debuted at number one in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States, where it debuted with 109,000 album-equivalent units of which 82,000 were pure album sales. In Australia it debuted at number one with first-week sales of 12,001. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five, selling 17,026 copies in its first week. In the US, the album dropped to number 13 the following week.

"Melodrama" was submitted for three Grammy awards (Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal, Best Pop solo) in October, with the official nominations being released November 28.

## Tour

*See Also: Melodrama World Tour*

In May, Lorde announced the Europe tour dates for her upcoming world tour to promote Melodrama. On June 9, she released the dates for North America, she also released Sober the same day. The tour began on 26 September 2017 in Manchester. It will play 63 concerts across North America, Europe and Oceania. Khalid was the opener for the European leg, George Maple will open for the Australian leg, and the North American leg will be supported by Run the Jewels, Tove Styrke and Mitski.

## Album Art

About the album art, the artist, Sam McKinniss, said:

"The album cover is all about her—it’s all about her album and her vision—but she caught me at a really special time for my work…we chatted a lot and I listened to some demos of some early songs, which were really great and exciting and fresh…there were some youthful, nighttime attitudes she was really chasing after and really trying to get into the songs. So what she asked me to do was to meet her [at her studio] and create a kind of colorful teenage restlessness and excitement and energy and potential—to put that into color and put it in my hands."

Main front artworkBack cover
## Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Melodrama.

* Lorde – vocals, production, executive production
* Jack Antonoff – executive production, production (tracks 1–2, 4–11), mixing (track 6)
* Brandon Bost – assistant mix (tracks 5, 7–8, 10)
* Tom Coyne – mastering (tracks 1, 5)
* Frank Dukes – production (tracks 1, 3, 7), additional production (tracks 6, 9, 11)
* Jean-Benoît Dunckel – additional production (track 9)
* Greg Eliason – assistant engineer (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11)
* Tom Elmhirst – mixing (tracks 5, 7–8, 10)
* Eric Eylands – assistant engineer (tracks 3–7, 10–11)
* Flume – additional production (track 4)
* Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6, 9, 11)
* John Hanes – engineered for mix (tracks 1–4, 6, 9, 11)
* Kuk Harrell – vocal production (tracks 1–3), additional vocal production (track 7)
* Joel Little – production (track 9)
* Malay – production (track 2), additional production (tracks 4, 9)
* Barry McCready – assistant engineer (tracks 1–2, 4–11)
* Randy Merrill – mastering (tracks 2–4, 6–11)
* Brendan Morawski – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 6)
* Seth Paris – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 8, 10–11)
* S1 – additional production (track 7)
* Ben Sedano – assistant engineer (tracks 7, 9, 11)
* Laura Sisk – engineering
* Joe Visciano – assistant mix (track 5)
* Andrew Wyatt – production (track 11)

**Design and management**

* 12:01 – art direction, design
* Jonathan Daniel – management
* Trieste Douglas – A&R administration
* Sam McKinniss – cover artwork
* Bob McLynn – management
* Ron Perry – A&R
* Alex Sarti – management
* Theo Wenner – photography
* Rebekah Woods – A&R administration
* World of McIntosh Townhouse – pool shots

## References

1. ↑ "Lorde Announces New Album Melodrama" - *Pitchfork*.
2. ↑ "All you need to know about Lorde's new single, Green Light" - *BBC News*.
3. ↑ "Listen to Lorde's New Song "Liability"" - *Pitchfork*.
4. ↑ "The Return of Lorde" - *The New York Times*.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Return of Lorde - New York Times
6. ↑ Reviews and Tracks for Melodrama by Lorde - Metacritic
7. ↑ "Lorde Pens Heartfelt Letter to Celebrate Her Birthday as a 'Newborn Adult' and Hints at New Album" - *Billboard*.
8. ↑ Revealed on Lorde's Twitter
9. ↑ Revealed on Republic Records Website
10. ↑ Revealed on Lorde's Twitter
11. ↑ Revealed on Lorde's Twitter.
12. ↑ Yes, Lorde’s New Songs Are Definitely About Her Personal Life - Vanity Fair
13. ↑ Revealed on iTunes Store.
14. ↑ 【CD】メロドラマ Lorde" [Melodrama Lorde] (in Japanese) - Tower Records
15. ↑ Album Review : Lorde - Melodrama - drownedinsound
16. ↑ Lorde Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Melodrama' - Billboard
17. ↑ Lorde succeeds where Katy Perry failed by knocking Ed Sheeran off the top of the ARIA album chart - News Corporation Australia
18. ↑ Official Charts Analysis: Royal Blood score second chart-topper - Music Week
19. ↑ Lorde's 'Melodrama' has short reign at top of the US charts, falling to No. 13 - Stuff.co.nz
20. ↑ Melodrama - Genius Lyrics
21. ↑ Melodrama (Media notes) -Lorde, Lava Records / Republic Records, 2017.

## Navigation

### Explore more of Melodrama

* Booklet
* Lyrics
* Theories

 **Promotional Singles** | "Ribs" • "Buzzcut Season" • "No Better" • "Bravado" • "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)" • "Liability" • "Sober"