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"Team"
Song

"Team" is a song by New Zealand recording artist Lorde, taken from her debut studio album, Pure Heroine (2013). The song was released on 13 September 2013 as the album's third single internationally (second single in the UK) by Universal Music Group, and the second in the United States by Lava and Republic Records. The track was written by Lorde and Joel Little and produced by Little, with additional production from Lorde herself. "Team" is a hybrid of pop, rock, EDM and electrohop featuring synthesizer, bass and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. Lyrically, the track is a "tribute to her friends and country".[1]

"Team" was generally well received by most contemporary critics, who praised its musical style, lyrical content and Lorde's vocal delivery on the track. The single garnered moderate successes on charts worldwide, peaking at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was more successful in Oceania, peaking at number 19 in Australia and debuting and peaking number 3 in New Zealand. "Team" was certified platinum by both the Australian Recording Industry Association and Recorded Music NZ.

A music video for the song was directed by Young Replicant and was released on 4 December 2013. Filmed in an abandoned building named Red Hook Grain Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the video's content was inspired by Lorde's dream of an own world for teenagers. Upon its release, the clip crashed Vevo's channel due to a high number of views. To promote "Team" and Pure Heroine, Lorde performed the song on several occasions, including on Late Show with David Letterman and at the ARIA Music Awards of 2013.

Production and composition

"Team" was written by Lorde and Joel Little while Lorde was travelling the world.[2] The track was recorded, produced and mixed by Little at his Golden Age Studios in Morningside, Auckland, with Lorde providing additional production.[3][4][5] The song was produced using the software Pro Tools.[6]

"Team"
A mid-tempo song, "Team" draws from the genres of pop, rock, electronic dance and electrohop.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Team" is a hybrid of pop, rock, EDM and electrohop.[7][8] Written in the key of G-flat major, it has a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute.[9] "Team" features synthesizer,[10] bass,[11] and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat.[12][13][14] Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine and Maura Johnston of Spin likened the chorus of the song to that of Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" (2011),[15][16] while Drowned in Sound's Sammy Maine compared the beats to works produced by Timbaland for Missy Elliot.[17] Lorde's vocal range spans from F♭3 to D♭5.[9]

Lyrically, "Team" is a "tribute to her friends and country".[1] During an interview with Billboard, Lorde described the song as "her take on most modern music" and explained, "no one comes to New Zealand, no one knows anything about New Zealand, and here I am, trying to grow up and become a person."[18] Lorde explained that the line "We live in cities you'll never see on screen" was "to be speaking for the minority" from small cities.[19] She also expresses distaste in common contemporary popular music lyrics telling listeners to "put your hands in the air".[11][14] Writer Lily Rothman for the magazine Time commented that the lyrics "we sure know how to run things" in "Team" was a response to the lyrics "we run things, things don’t run we" in Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" (2013).[20]

Release and reception

Distribution

On 13 September 2013 "Team" was leaked, justifying an earlier rush out release.[21][22] Within hours the audio was uploaded on YouTube and Universal Music Group released the digital download single for sale in Australia and New Zealand.[23][24] On 19 November 2013, the track was sent to US contemporary hit radio by Lava and Republic Records.[25] The song was released for digital download in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2014.[26]

Reception

"Team" received critical acclaim from music critics. Brenna Ehrlich from MTV News lauded it as an "insanely catchy jam".[27] PopCrush's editor Amy Sciarretto rated "Team" four stars out of five, praising Lorde's vocal delivery and the track's lyrical content.[28] The AV Club critic Kevin McFarland labelled "Team" as a "club-ready" and "sparkly thumper",[29] while Nathan Jolly from The Music Network simply described it "interesting".[30] John Murphy, in his review of Pure Heroine for musicOMH, commended the lyrics "I'm kinda over getting told to throw my hands up in the air" for being catchy.[31] Marlow Stern writing for The Daily Beast listed "Team" as the fifth best song of 2013.[32]

On 23 September 2013, "Team" debuted at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming Lorde's third consecutive top-three single in the country following number-one singles "Royals" and "Tennis Court".[33] Recorded Music NZ certified the single platinum due to the sale of over 15,000 copies in the country.[34] "Team" peaked at number 19 on the Australian Singles Chart,[35] and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[36]

Following its impact on US radio stations, "Team" debuted at number 32 on the Billboard Rock Airplay, and topped the chart on 7 October 2013.[37] It also charted at number 10 on the Mainstream Top 40, number 3 on the Hot Rock Songs and number 2 on the Alternative Songs.[38] On the Billboard Hot 100, "Team" peaked at number 8, becoming her second US top-ten hit since her debut number-one hit "Royals".[38] The song has sold over a million copies in the US as of January 2014.[39] The single also reached number 6 on the Canadian Hot 100.[38]

Music video

Lorde's image in "Team" was compared to Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.

The music video for "Team" was directed by Young Replicant.[40] Filmed in an abandoned building named Red Hook Grain Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn,[41] the video was inspired by Lorde's dream of "teenagers in their own world, a world with hierarchies and initiations, where the boy who was second in command had acne on his face, and so did the girl who was Queen".[42] The director explained that Lorde was one of the "kids who have a unique look", which fitted the clip's "sad story" concept.[40]

The video begins with shots of the ocean; The Daily Beast's editor Marlow Stern draw comparisons between the shots to Paul Thomas Anderson's drama film The Master (2012).[43] The scene revealed an unseen city with ruins of factories on an island and full of teens "without any parental guidance".[44][45] On Lorde's Facebook account, she further explained that world was "so different to anything anyone had ever seen, a dark world full of tropical plants and ruins and sweat".[42] Inside the ruins, she is seen as the "self-anointed" queen of the city's citizens in a "blue, foliage-filled universe".[43][44] Stern compared her image to that of The Hunger Games' fictional character Katniss Everdeen.[43] A young boy is transported to the island;[45] following his arrival, he must joust on a motorbike to become a part of Lorde's "team".[40][46] He loses;[46] Lorde commented that "sometimes the person who loses is stronger".[42]

On 4 December 2013 the video was released on Lorde's official VEVO channel on YouTube at 10 AM (New Zealand time).[47] Upon its release, the video crashed Vevo's channel due to a high number of views.[48] Lily Rothman from Time magazine compared the video for "Team" to Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" music video for their same "mythical settings" – a party ("We Can't Stop") and an island ("Team").[20]

Live performances

On 12 November 2013, Lorde performed several songs from Pure Heroine during the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album, including "Team".[49] The track was also performed by Lorde during the ARIA Music Awards of 2013.[50]

Track listing

Digital download[24]
  1. "Team" – 3:13

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[65] Platinum 80,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] Platinum 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Reilly, Dan (13 September 2013). "Lorde Is Too Old for This Rebellion Crap on 'Team'". Spin. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ Murray, Robin (13 September 2013). "Lorde Prepares New Single 'Team'". Clash. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  3. ^ Jenkin, Lydia (19 September 2013). "Joel Little: Doing the Lorde's work". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  4. ^ Ryan, Charlotte (2 May 2012). "Lorde: Behind the success story (+audio)". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  5. ^ Pure Heroine (Media notes). Universal Music Group. 2013. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Tighe, Robert. "Decmeber 2013". The Red Bulletin. p. 44. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  7. ^ Ortiz, Edwin (13 September 2013). "Listen: Lorde 'Team'". Complex. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  8. ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (30 September 2013). "Lorde – Pure Heroine". Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Lorde "Team" Music Sheet". EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  10. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (25 September 2013). "Lorde, 'Pure Heroine': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  11. ^ a b Zeichner, Naomi (13 September 2013). "Stream: Lorde, 'Team'". The Fader. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  12. ^ Coplan, Chris (13 September 2013). "Listen to Lorde's triumphant new single, 'Team'". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  13. ^ Lansky, Sam (12 September 2013). "Lorde's 'Team': Hear The Triumphant New Single". Idolator. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  14. ^ a b Rubenstein, Jenna Hally (13 September 2013). "Lorde Is Totally Anti-Fist Pumping In Her Latest Song, 'Team'". MTV Networks. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  15. ^ Dobbins, Amanda (14 September 2013). "Lorde's 'Team' Is Better Than Your Team. Listen To Her New Single". New York. Retrieved 20 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Johnston, Maura (27 September 2013). "Lorde's 'Pure Heroine' Is Awash in (Possibly Fake) Teen-Pop-Star Ennui". Spin. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  17. ^ Maine, Sammy (24 October 2013). "Lorde – Pure Heroine". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  18. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (10 September 2013). "Lorde Q&A: New Zealand Star On Next Single, Nicki Minaj & Staying Mysterious". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  19. ^ Zeichner, Naomi (8 August 2013). "Interview: Lorde". The Fader. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  20. ^ a b Rothman, Lily (5 December 2013). "New Lorde Music Video: A Warning to Teens?". Time. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  21. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (13 September 2013). "Lorde Unveils 'Team' Single: Listen To The 'Royals' Follow-Up". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  22. ^ "Lorde releases new single". One News. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  23. ^ "Team – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Team – Single". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013.
  25. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  26. ^ Corner, Lewis (24 January 2014). "Lorde: 'Team' - Single review". Digital Spy.
  27. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (23 September 2013). "Lorde's Pure Heroine: The Early Reviews Are In!". MTV News. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  28. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (13 September 2013). "Lorde, 'Team' – Song Review". PopCrush. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  29. ^ McFarland, Kevin (8 October 2013). "Lorde: Pure Heroine". The AV Club. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  30. ^ Jolly, Nathan (26 September 2013). "Lorde: Team". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  31. ^ Murphy, John (24 October 2013). "Lorde – Pure Heroine". musicOMH. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  32. ^ Stern, Marlow (28 December 2013). "The 13 Best Songs of 2013". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  33. ^ a b "Lorde: Team". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 January 2014. Cite error: The named reference "nz" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  34. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart: Archive (16 December 2013)". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  35. ^ a b "Lorde: Team". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 2 January 2014. Cite error: The named reference "aus" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  36. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  37. ^ Trust, Gary (7 October 2013). "Chart Highlights: Lorde's 'Team' Wins Way In At Rock; Backstreet's Back On Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  38. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Lorde: Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2014. Cite error: The named reference "rock" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  39. ^ Grein, Paul (29 January 2014). "Chart Watch: Katy Perry Ties Rihanna's Record". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  40. ^ a b c Ehrlich, Brenna (4 December 2013). "Lorde Doesn't Like 'Vanilla': Her 'Team' Director Explains". MTV News. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  41. ^ "Lorde's new video 'crashes Vevo'". Stuff.co.nz. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
  42. ^ a b c Anderson, Kyle (3 December 2013). "Lorde rules a city of her own in 'Team' video: Watch it here". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  43. ^ a b c Stern, Marlow (3 December 2013). "Watch Lorde's Magical New Music Video For Her Song 'Team'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  44. ^ a b Grow, Kory (3 December 2013). "Lorde Dreams Up a Different World in 'Team'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  45. ^ a b Ehrlich, Brenna (3 December 2013). "Watch Lorde Get All 'Lord Of The Flies' In 'Team' Video". MTV News. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  46. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (3 December 2013). "Lorde's 'Team' Video: 'Royals' Follow-Up Features Motorcycle Jousting". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  47. ^ "Demand for Lorde's new video 'crashes Vevo'". New Zealand Herald. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  48. ^ Carpenter, Cassie (4 December 2013). "Take note Miley! Pop sensation Lorde proves you don't have to be scantily-clad to crash Vevo as she premieres motorbike-jousting music video for Team". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  49. ^ Weinstein, Max (13 November 2013). "Lorde Turns Heads With Her 'Letterman' Performance". Vibe. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  50. ^ Vincent, Peter (1 December 2013). "Live: 2013 ARIA Awards". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  51. ^ "Lorde – Team" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  52. ^ "Lorde – Team" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  53. ^ "ARC 100 – datum izlaska: 27. siječnja 2014" (in Croatian). HRT. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  54. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 05. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  55. ^ "Lorde – Team" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  56. ^ "Chart Track: Week 05, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  57. ^ "Archive Chart". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  58. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Lorde" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  59. ^ "Lorde – Team" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  60. ^ 3fm Mega Top 50 : 25/01/2014 (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  61. ^ "Ukrainian Chart" (in Ukranian). FDR. Retrieved 30 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  62. ^ "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  63. ^ "Rock Airplay". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  64. ^ "Lorde Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  65. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Lorde – Team". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
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