THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

332-Lorde-Royals.

2013-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 0.45. I would imagine that for the convenience of saving time, that when a fan asks for an autograph, she signs Lorde, rather than Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor.

Lorde (pronounced Lord) was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, on November 7th, 1996, in Auckland, New Zealand, she chose her stage name from her interest in history, and the aristocracy, adding the ‘E’ on to Lord, in order for it to sound feminine. When she was a child one of her school teachers suggested to her mother that she may have above average intelligence, and after tests it was concluded that at the age of six she indeed was a gifted child. In her early teens Lorde attended ‘Belmont Intermediate School’ in Auckland, where she and some of her fellow students finished runners up in the 2009 ‘Kids Lit Quiz,’ World Finals, which is a global literature competition for students aged 10 to 14. In May 2009 Lorde and her friend Louis McDonald won the ‘Belmont Intermediate School’ annual talent show, leading to an appearance on the Jim Mora show on ‘Radio New Zealand.’ Louis McDonald’s father sent recordings of the duo to Scott Maclachlan of the ‘Universal Music Group,’ leading to Maclachlan signing Lorde to the label. It was Maclachlan who paired Lorde with this songs co-writer, and producer Joel Little.

The discography of Lorde includes three studio Albums released between 2013-2021, and 12 singles released between 2013-2024, she has also appeared on a further two singles as a featured artist, and released four extended plays, (EP’s) and one soundtrack Album. In New Zealand on the ‘Official Aotearoa Music Charts,’ all three of her studio Albums have reached Number 1, and she has had 23 top 40 entries on the singles chart, including promotional singles, and appearing as a featured artist, with three of those tracks including ‘Royals’ reaching the Number 1 position. In the UK, Lorde has had five top 40 hit singles, with ‘Royals’ peaking the highest at Number 1, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, she has had four top 40 hits, with ‘Royals’ also charting the highest at Number 1.

‘Royals’ which was co-written by Lorde and Joel Little, who also produced the song, first appeared as one of the five tracks on ‘The Love Club EP,’ which was the debut release from Lorde, from November 2012, it was next issued as an official single in June 2013, and then appeared as the first of four singles taken from ‘Pure Heroine,’ the debut studio Album by Lorde, from September 2013. Joel Little was born on February 13th, 1983, in Aukland, New Zealand, he is a music producer, songwriter, and musician. Prior to teaming up with Lorde in 2012, Joel Little had been the singer and guitarist with the New Zealand ‘Pop/Punk’ band ‘Goodnight Nurse,’ of which he was a founding member in 2001, the group remained active until 2010, releasing two studio Albums, and 11 singles, six of which made the New Zealand ‘Official Aotearoa Music Charts,’ top 40. Goodnight Nurse are remembered as New Zealand’s answer to American ‘Pop/punk’ bands such as Green Day, (see also best songs 722) and Blink-182. Joe Little has since gone on to write and produce for many other high profile artists, including Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, and Taylor Swift, with whom he co-wrote four tracks on her seventh studio Album ‘Lover’ in 2019.

‘Royals’ is considered to be a very influential song and seen ‘as a precedent for mainstream Pop music’s transition to minimalist, dark, pop sounds.’ Some sources have said it paved the way for other alternative-leaning female Pop artists such as Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Olivia Rodrigo, completely rewriting the rules for young women making radio-friendly Pop music. Lorde has said that she always loved the word ‘Royal’ and wrote the song around the word, writing some of the lyrics at the age of just 12. She has stated that she was also inspired to write the lyrics after listening to the Kanye West and Jay Z collaborative Album ‘Watch the Throne,’ (see also best songs 477.) ‘Royals’ is a take down of the luxurious lifestyle that ‘Hip-Hop’ artists brag about. Lorde has said, ‘All those references to expensive alcohol, beautiful cars, I was thinking, this is opulent, but it’s also bullsh#t.’ She has recalled writing the song, ‘I was just at my house, and I wrote it before I went to the studio. I wrote it in like half an hour – the lyrics, anyway. I wrote all the lyrics and took them to the studio and my producer (Joel Little) was like, ‘Yeah, this is cool.’ We worked on that and on two other songs on the EP in a week, and just did a little bit every day.’ On being told the news that the song had reached Number 1 on Billboard she said, ‘It feels like a combination of my birthday, Christmas and washing my hair after a month of not doing so.’

At the age of 16 years and 11 months Lorde became the youngest female artist to achieve a Billboard Number 1 single with ‘Royals,’ since Tiffany, who was also 16 years old when reaching Number 1 with ‘I Think Were Alone Now’ in 1987 (see also best songs 364.) Lorde also became the first artist born in New Zealand to top the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. The song also made Lorde the youngest solo artist ever to write, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 chart topper.

‘But every songs like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom, bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room. We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams.’