Music Review: Lorde "Team"

Lorde

Team

Album: Pure Heroine

Year: 2013

                 Lorde has accepted she’ll always be ordinary in the lingering   “Team.”

               Lorde’s pragmatic vocals open the single, setting a stark tone.   In the spoken intro, she stands behind the stage watching her classmate curtsy at her escort. She remembers her classmate remarking to her that her parents put her up to it, finding the practice old-fashioned. The adults will applaud and talk of their bright futures. Tomorrow, though, her classmate will return to ignoring her in the halls. (“Wait 'til you’re announced/We’ve not yet lost all our graces/The hounds will stay in chains/Look upon your greatness/That you’ll send/The call I'll send.”)

            She adjusts her white gloves one more time once she hears her name. Like the rest of her peers, she’s wearing a custom-made gown made by a well-known fashion designer. Her ears and neck are ornamented with countless diamonds. While her escort bows to her, she notices dark red spots above his lip, nose and by his temple. Their youth creeps in, despite being presented as the new leaders of the community. (“Call all the ladies out/They’re in their finery/A hundreds jewels on throats/A hundred jewels between teeth/Now bring my boys in/Their skin in craters like the moon/The moon we love like a brother, while he glows through the room.”)

             In the pre-chorus, her escort takes his hand in hers. In one of the speeches, they were told of the impact they will make on society. They will enrich the community with great ideas, embarking the world with heads held high. Some of her classmates swallow the words on the speech, not even tasting the grit from the sugar inside their teeth. Some fear of not being able to reach the expectations set up for them. Meanwhile, some have numbed themselves to any feeling, knowing the future has already been planned for them. (“Dancin' around the lies we tell/Dancin' around big eyes as well/Even the comatose they don’t dance and tell.”)

           In the chorus, most people have heard of her city in passing. The only time it’s gets mentioned in the press if something outrageous happens or if a celebrity decides to visit. Around the city, buildings are in need of repair. A few notable landmarks exist. However, nothing tourists determine as a must-see. They aspire to leave the city behind and create their own vision of themselves. (“We live in cities you'll never see on screen/Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run free/Living in ruins of the palace within my dreams/And you know, we're on each other's team.”)

            In the bridge, she is ready to move on. At 18, she has become tired of the posturing and the faddish music people will be embarrassed by five years later. The partying is the same every weekend. Somebody’s house gets damaged in the process but the parents will pay for it quietly. She hears of her classmates sleeping around and sees them making out in between classes. However, it’s only for self-preservation, a way to escape the alienation. (“I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air, so there/So all the cups got broke shards beneath our feet but it wasn’t my fault/And everyone’s competing for a love they won't receive/'Cause what this palace wants is release.”)

             The chorus is sung again.

           In the second bridge, she notes she stopped partying year or so ago. Her rebellion against what is expected of her has begun. (“I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air/So there/I’m kinda older than I was when I revelled without a care/So there.”)

              The chorus is sung again.

              A variation on the chorus is sung again to close the single. (“We're on each other's team/And you know, we're on each other's team/We're on each other's team/And you know, and you know, and you know.”)

            Lorde’s stone vocals have crushed her own dreams with both hands, seeing them as useless pieces. Her advantages will take her so far. Possibilities are blocked without any intention of being lifted soon. Her name won’t be known outside the community where she resides. She will forever be anonymous.

          The credible “Team” faces a truth others may never see.