Bravado

* Japanese Version
* Extended Version
* The Love Club EP

## Audio

"**Bravado**" is the debut promotional single from Lorde released on September 6, 2013. It was included on *Tennis Court EP* and later on an extended version of *Pure Heroine*.

## Background

"Bravado" was written by Lorde (credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) and Joel Little, while production for the song was handled by the latter. The track was written and recorded in 2012 at Little's Golden Age Studios in Auckland. Within a week, Lorde had finished recording "Bravado" alongside "Royals" and "Biting Down " during a school break. Chris Schulz, from *The New Zealand Herald*, described "Bravado" as a chamber pop piece, while *The Village Voice*'s Brittany Spanos called it an electropop song.

### Composition and writing

Running for a duration of 3:41 (three minutes and 41 seconds), the track is composed on electronic beats in the key of B minor and plays in common time at a moderate tempo of 88 beats per minute. Lorde's vocal range on the song spans from F♯3 to D5. The lyrics of "Bravado" address the idea "of false confidence delivering real confidence" and of Lorde stepping into a line of work where, she said, "everyone would be watching me, and everyone would want to talk to me and confront me". Lorde cited the line "Me found bravery in my bravado" from Kanye West's song "Dark Fantasy" as an influence.

About the inspiration of the song, she commented:

> "I am quite reserved in general and I’m not a very confident person. But I knew I was about to be entering an industry where you have to be. And so it was kind of my personal pep talk. Like kind of coming to a point where I could put on confidence."
>
>

## Reception

### Critical Reception

"Bravado" was well received by music critics. Chris Schulz from *The New Zealand Herald* picked the song and "Million Dollar Bills" as the two best tracks from *The Love Club EP*. Jason Lipshutz, writing for *Billboard*, described the track as "delightfully spooky". In a review published in *The Dominion Post*, Tom Cardy compared the track's style to that of works by Florence Welch and Marina Diamandis, labelling it a "sharp, refreshing and smart" song.

### Chart Performance

The song peaked at number five on the New Zealand National Singles and number twenty-nine on the US Hot Rock Songs chart.

## Lyrics

All my life, I've been fighting a war

I can't talk to you or your friends

It's not only you

My heart jumps around when I'm alluded to

This will not do

Cause I was raised up to be admired, to be noticed

But when you're withdrawn, it's the closest thing to assault when all eyes are on you

This will not do

I'm faking glory

Lick my lips, toss my hair

And turn the smile on

And the story's brand new

But I can take it from here

I'll find my own bravado

It's a switch flipped, it's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipse

And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this

It's in your bloodstream, a collision of atoms that happens before your eyes

It's a marathon run or a mountain you scaled without thinking of size

I was frightened of every little thing that I thought was out to get me down

To trip me up and laugh at me but

I learned not to want the quiet of a room with no one around to find me out

I want the applause, the approval, the things that make me go oh

It's a switch flipped, it's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipse

And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this

It's in your bloodstream, a collision of atoms that happens before your eyes

It's a marathon run or a mountain you scaled without thinking of size

I was frightened of every little thing that I thought was out to get me down

To trip me up and laugh at me but

I learned not to want the quiet of a room with no one around to find me out

I want the applause, the approval, the things that make me go oh

## Live Performances

In November 2013, Lorde performed the song on the *Late Show with David Letterman* to promote *The Love Club EP* and *Pure Heroine*. Throughout the show, she was only backed by a drummer and a keyboard player. "Bravado" was additionally performed during Lorde's debut concert tour throughout 2013 and 2014. In 2014, she performed the track at Silo Park, Auckland on 29 January 2014 as part of her make-up show for the 2014 Laneway Festival, and at the Brazil edition of the Lollapalooza.

## Fffrrannno remix

A remix of the song named the Fffrrannno remix was released on March 8, 2013. The song is the final track of the Japanese Version of Pure Heroine.

### Track listing

All songs were written by Lorde and Joel Little, and produced by Joel Little.

1. Bravado (Fffrrannno remix) - 3:42