So, each week in my blog, I’ll be doing my best to provide my honest opinion on an album of my choosing. In celebration of Lorde’s new release, Melodrama, I’ll be discussing her debut album, Pure Heroine (I would review Melodrama but there’s never enough time to truly listen at night before I go to bed). Unlike most other albums, this one draws me in every time I hear the first few notes. I’m not one for letting a song play the whole way through, but Ella’s characteristic tone convinces me not to skip.

Pure Heroine overall displays a theme of indifference to the newfound fame of the singer’s life. She regularly mocks the lavish lifestyle of the Hollywood elite in songs like “Royals” and “Team”, and she reveals the difficulties of growing up too quickly in “The Love Club”. The thing I most love about this album is the honesty and realness that I can sense. On top of all that, she was only sixteen years old when she wrote all of the lyrics and co-wrote the music for this album. I’ll only review my favorites here for the sake of length.

“400 Lux”- In this song, Ella tells a story of just spending time with someone she loves. There’s a steady drum in the background like a heartbeat. Her voice sounds pleasant here and you can tell the lyrics come from her heart. My favorite part is this line where she says “You buy me orange juice” in the background, and it’s kind of a bizarre line that I always thought was funny. She’s not trying to paint a fake picture of her relationship, it’s just a small statement about a sweet little thing in her relationship.

 

“Royals”- It’s a song we all know, the song that vaulted Lorde to fame, but ironically it created the fame for her that she fought so hard against. However, the true message that she gives here is that you can fantasize about riches and luxury, but you don’t have to pursue them. There is a unique sound to this song that makes it very different from the music usually playing on the pop stations, speaking to her ability to innovate in the studio.

 

“Still Sane”- Lorde takes on a more serious tone here, reflecting that her new lifestyle of “all work and no play” has not worn her out yet. The key word here is “still”, because I think she is wary of how being a musician could affect her. This track is my second favorite on the whole album, in part due to when she sings “Only bad people live to see their likeness set in stone/ What does that make me?”

 

“A World Alone”- Last but not least, this is my favorite song on the album. There’s so much emotion in it, and I think anyone who listens to it can relate to the lyrics. She sings about her and her boyfriend and all the other people in the world who will gossip about them, but they don’t care because they’re in their own world. My favorite line is “You’re my best friend and we’re dancing in a world alone, world alone, we’re alone” because it’s such a romantic thought. The song fades out with the noise of people in the background

 

Now, after taking the time to truly think about this album, I realize that the first song, “Tennis Court”, begins with the line “Don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk?” and the last song “A World Alone” ends with Lorde saying (fittingly) “Let ‘em talk”.  She has come full circle.