WVAU’s #4 AOTY: Melodrama by Lorde

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Maria Carrasco

Ella Yelich-O‰’Connor, or better known as Lorde, released her sophomore album, Melodrama in the summer of 2017. This album touched upon her life and served to tell her coming of age story. From that, Lorde experiments with her sounds, from making songs that are heart-wrenching to really synth heavy.

Her lead single “Green Light‰” is where you really see Lorde experiment with her music. It‰’s the most synth heavy song on the record with a booming kick drum playing throughout this song. Additionally you get Lorde‰’s dark vocals, which is essentially a breakup song. She sounds angry and upset about her ex and writes about going through the changes when you do break up with someone.

“I do my makeup in somebody else’s car / We order different drinks at the same bars / I know about what you did and I wanna scream the truth / She thinks you love the beach, you’re such a damn liar‰Û

And the chorus to this song is catchy and electric.

“’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 / Oh, I wish I could get my things and just let go / I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it‰Û

But what really shines through in this album is her ballad, “Liability.‰” This song is heart-wrenching and what Lorde does here is very unique – she touches upon how she feels like a burden to others, how she‰’s a liability. She‰’s too much for others. And she recognizes that. And for someone like myself who does feel like a burden to others often, this song resonated with me. The beginning vocals are so tender.

“Baby really hurt me / Crying in the taxi / He don’t wanna know me / Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm / Says it was poison / So I guess I’ll go home / Into the arms of the girl that I love / The only love I haven’t screwed up / She’s so hard to please / But she’s a forest fire‰Û

But more than just “Liability,‰” you see Lorde open up more about herself and her transition from teen to a young adult. And again, I‰’m going through the same thing, so a lot of this album resonates with what I currently feel.

And that‰’s what a lot of other young adults feel about this album. From songs about partying like “Perfect Places‰” to “Homemade Dynamite‰” to songs about love and loss like “Writer in the Dark‰” and “Hard Feelings/Loveless‰” to songs about love like “the Louvre‰” and “Supercut,‰” Lorde highlights themes evident in my life. And I think that‰’s what makes this album special to me.