Perfect Places

Album: Melodrama (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The closing track of Melodrama is an atmospheric electro-pop anthem about a hedonistic teenage party. However, Lorde pierces the fun-filled scenes detailing dancing, drinking and sex with stabs of melancholy. She wants to say that however euphoric these shindigs might feel, there's no escaping the late teenage years are far from perfect.

    All of the things we're taking
    'Cause we are young and we're ashamed
    Send us to perfect places
    All of our heroes fading
    Now I can't stand to be alone
    Let's go to perfect places
  • The song features co-production from Jack Antonoff, who worked extensively with Lorde on Melodrama. Lorde explained the track's inspiration in a Facebook post:

    "I was living in New York during summer last year, writing Melodrama. I'd ride across the Brooklyn Bridge every day, or sit on the subway uptown in the heat, then go back home to New Zealand winter for a week at a time to party with my friends. My life was like a weird little etch-a-sketch I kept scribbling on and resetting. And all last summer, I couldn't shake the feeling that everyone I knew or saw was searching for something - trying to transcend the news and the screaming pavements, drinking that one drink hoping it'd get them someplace higher. This song comes from that endless cycle of evenings and the violent heat of the summer. It took us a very long time to get right, from an aching piano demo to where is it now. It's close to my heart."
  • The Melodrama album tells the story of a single house party and this song summarizes the record's message. Lorde explained to Genius:

    "Another big realization of the last year for me – 'I think I'm partying so much because I'm just dreading sitting at home by myself hearing my thoughts hit the walls.'

    I think parties are a really interesting mental exercise/take on a few different layers when you're feeling like this. Kind of what the album is about."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.