Lorde’s new single ‘Green Light’ is about her first "major heartbreak".
The 20-year-old singer dropped her eagerly-anticipated first song since 2014’s ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ on Thursday (02.03.17), and has now revealed the lyrics were her way of processing her feelings towards an ex-boyfriend.
The ‘Royals’ hitmaker says the contrast between the "intense" words and the "happy" dance sound is because she imagined herself being the "drunk" girl at a party drowning her sorrows.
Speaking about meaning behind the track, which will feature on her second studio LP, "Melodrama’, she told Zane Lowe on his Apple Beats 1 Radio show: "The song is actually about a heartbreak. And it’s not something that I really am used to writing about. It took me a while to be able to figure out how to write about that. It was my first major heartbreak. And the song is really about those moments kind of immediately after your life changes and about all the silly little things that you gravitate towards. I say, ‘She thinks you love the beach, you’re such a liar’. What the f**k, she thinks you like the beach?! You don’t like the beach! It’s those little stupid things. It sounds so happy and then the lyrics are so intense obviously. And I realised I was like, ‘how come this thing is coming out so joyous sounding?’ And I realised this is that drunk girl at the party dancing around crying about her ex-boyfriend who everyone thinks is a mess. That’s her tonight and tomorrow she starts to rebuild. And that’s the song for me."
Lorde – whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor – says it’s a really "special" record for her to listen to as it reflects her transition from a teenage to an adult.
She explained: "I think I had that year. Everyone has that first year that feels like the first proper year of adulthood. I moved out of home and all of a sudden I was kind of figuring out who am I when I’m alone? Who am I when I’m doing things just for myself? And I feel like you can really hear that on this record. There’s definitely moments where it’s like ‘oh, she really went there.’ That’s what that is. I had to tell the truth so starkly to myself and to my friends and people around me. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s amazing actually listening to this body of work and being like, ‘wow, that is that year of my life in all of its kind of glory and disgusting …’ All the gross moments, all great moments. It’s really special for me to listen to."
‘Green Light’ is the lead track from her follow-up to 2013’s ‘Pure Heroine’ and is slated for release this summer.
Lorde’s Green Light is about her first ‘major heartbreak’
