Perfect Places

## Music Video

"**Perfect Places**" is the second single from Lorde's sophomore album, *Melodrama*.

## Background

### Composition

Lorde revealed the meaning of the song is about going to parties and hooking up, in which she pierces an atmosphere of hedonism with stabs of melancholy. Lorde also revealed

> “It’s lived a million lives, we’ve tried it at different tempos, used different voicings, took it half time, made it weird and druggy, but that didn’t work. A big problem is that there’s so much to the song. The other day I had a breakthrough: What if we delete the entire prechorus? Just take it out, and I never have to hear it again in my life? We did, and now the whole thing follows a much simpler trajectory. But we still haven’t cracked the code.”
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Lorde revealed the idea for the multitracked voices 'belting out the words together beneath the main vocal like a choir of clones' came to her and Jack Antonoff while recording. Antonoff reportedly asked her to “do some shouty, bratty ones,[...] In the room it’ll sound crazy, but in the mix it’ll sound like a bunch of kids.”

The song was also written by Andrew Wyatt, alongside Antonoff and Lorde.

She later released the track list for Melodrama which showed "Perfect Places" was the 11th song on the track list. She teased the single by releasing a series of three photos, the first reading:

"*FRIDAY JUNE 2, 2PM NYC, 6AM NZ*"

The second read:

"Every night I die, feel the party to my bones", and the third "Watch the wasters blow the speakers, spill my guts beneath the outdoor light, it's just another graceless night". The song was then released on June 1st as a single.

## Reception

### Critical Reception

"Perfect Places" received critical acclaim. Jenn Pelly of *Pitchfork* gave it the title of "Best New Track". Winston Cook-Wilson of *Spin* compared the song to "Green Light", where Lorde is "broadcasting to us from the middle of some strobe-illuminated party: feeling rebellious, listening to radio hits so loud they threaten to "blow the speakers", then spitting those songs' sentiments back out at us her own way." He added,

> "There is a charm to the imperfectness of "Perfect Places", in that this is a song very much about not knowing what the f--k you are doing or why... There's no one perfect place or perfect song; there's no muse to follow except your own, even when pursuing it leaves you feeling just as lost ("young and ashamed") as you were at the start."
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### Chart Performance

In the US, the song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, #29 on Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and #27 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Every night, I live and die

Feel the party to my bones

Watch the wasters blow the speakers

Spill my guts beneath the outdoor light

It's just another graceless night

I hate the headlines and the weather

I'm 19 and I'm on fire

But when we're dancing I'm alright

It's just another graceless night

[Pre-Chorus]

Are you lost enough?

Have another drink, get lost in us

This is how we get notorious, oh

'Cause I don't know

If they keep tellin' you where to go

I'll blow my brains out to the radio, oh

[Chorus]

All of the things we're taking

'Cause we are young and we're ashamed

Sends us to perfect places

All of our heroes fading

Now I can't stand to be alone

Let's go to perfect places

[Verse 2]

Every night, I live and die

Meet somebody, take 'em home

Let's kiss and then take off our clothes

It's just another graceless night

[Chorus]

'Cause all of the things we're taking

'Cause we are young and we're ashamed

Sends us to perfect places

All of our heroes fading

Now I can't stand to be alone

Let's go to perfect places

[Outro]

All the nights spent off our faces

Trying to find these perfect places

What the f--k are perfect places anyway?

All the nights spent off our faces

Trying to find these perfect places

What the f--k are perfect places anyway?

All the nights spent off our faces

Trying to find these perfect places

What the f--k are perfect places anyway?

## Music Video

### Background

On June 21, she wrote an open letter that she was filming a music video and then on August 1, she gave a hint on Instagram that she would be releasing it on Thursday, August 3, with Grant Singer directing it, who also penned Green Light. The video is most likely filmed in Japan.

### Synopsis

In the video, Lorde is seen in a number of different locations, including a tropical waterfall, a deserted beach and a grassy field.

## Live Performances

Lorde performed the song on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* on 16 June 2017, the same day *Melodrama* was released. She has also performed the song at the Much Music Video Awards on 18 June 2017, and a stripped down version accompanied with a choir at *Late Night with Seth Meyers* on 17 July 2017.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Return of Lorde - The New York Times
2. ↑ Revealed on Lorde's Twitter
3. ↑ Lorde Shares New Song “Perfect Places”: Listen - Pitchfork

## Navigation

"**Sober**"
"Homemade Dynamite"
"The Louvre"

"Hard Feelings/Loveless"
"Sober II (Melodrama)"
"Writer in the Dark"

"Liability (Reprise)"
"****Perfect Places****"
"**Homemade Dynamite (Remix)**"