Lorde Figurative Language

In 2013 a truly inspiring song hit the charts across the world. A young Grammy Award-winning New Zealand performer by the real name, Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, and by the stage name, Lorde, dropped her first single “Royals” in 2013 along with her first debut album 'Pure Heroine.' The song, written by Lorde herself and John Little, hit the number one charts in the UK and in many other counties. Lorde was only 16 when "Royals" hit the charts, making her the youngest solo artist in modern day music. In this essay, I will be analyzing the lyrics to her hit single "Royals." I will underline the figurative language Lorde uses throughout the song, the mood she creates and the irony I found within the lyrics as well. Throughout the song,

First Lorde uses a metaphoric device in the first lines of the song, “I've never seen a diamond in the flesh. I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies.” According to author Thomas Van's, The Philosophy of Everything, he states, “Cutting her teeth on wedding rings in the movies is a way to say she learned about wedding rings and fancy things from watching movies (Thmoas Van, December 2013, The Philosophy of Everything, thomasvan.com).” Lorde is “cutting her teeth” or gaining experience. this used as a metaphor to underline that she has learned about a fancy lifestyle through television instead of experiencing the lifestyle in reality. Most of the song is exaggerated. Lorde uses a few examples of hyperbole within the chorus, “But everybody's like... Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.” Lorde did an interview with a writer, Lisa Robinson of Vanity Fair Magazine. Lorde tells Lisa, “'... I have no qualms about walking into a conference room and shooting down a bunch of million-dollar ideas' (Lisa Robinson, summer 2017, vanityfair.com).” This clearly means she is not comfortable with a materialistic lifestyle. She exaggerates this fact by stating that the rest of the materialistic celebrities who

In the lyrics, “We aren't caught up in your love affair.” Lorde gives a mood of carelessness. In the article Thomas wrote he explains, “... they are not attached to this type of lifestyle and don't need it (Thmoas Van, December 2013, The Philosophy of Everything, thomasvan.com).” This clearly means Lorde could careless about the stereotypical, rich and fame, celebrity lifestyle. Lorde shows this mood of carelessness once again in the lyrics, “... we count our dollars on the train to the party and everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this we didn't come from money.” According to Lorde's biography, “Lorde... raised in the suburbs of Auckland with her two sisters and brother (Lorde Biography, February 2018, biography.com).” This states that Lorde knows she didn't come from a rich neighborhood. She isn't embarrassed and is okay with counting her money just like any other person would expect stereo-typically, celebrities would not. This carelessness is feeling she expressing once again the lyrics, "Life is great without a care." This lyric is quite obvious she simply does not care about fame. In an interview the with Craig McLean, Lorde tells him, "'I’m never going to not think it’s weird. I can’t imagine wanting fame (Craig McLean, Dec 2014, telegraph.co.uk).'" Her overall mood she's trying to portray is clearly carelessness about fame and