"Team" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, serving as the sixth track on her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. It was released as the album's third single on September 13, 2013, through Universal Music New Zealand, Lava Records, and Republic Records.
"Team" was well received by contemporary critics, who praised its musical style, lyrical content and Lorde's vocal delivery on the track. The single garnered success on charts internationally, peaking at number 1 in Lebanon, number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and at number 3 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. In Oceania, it peaked at number 19 in Australia and debuted and peaked at number 3 in New Zealand. "Team" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association and Recorded Music NZ, and was certified quintuple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Background[]
"Team" was written by Lorde and Joel Little while Lorde was traveling internationally. The track was recorded, produced, and mixed by Little at his Golden Age Studios in Morningside, Auckland, with additional production provided by Lorde. It was produced using the digital audio workstation Pro Tools. On September 13, 2013, the song leaked online, prompting an accelerated release. Within hours, the audio was uploaded to YouTube, and Universal New Zealand made the digital single available for purchase in Australia and New Zealand. The track was later sent to U.S. modern rock radio on September 30, 2013, followed by contemporary hit radio on November 19, 2013 through Lava and Republic Records. It was also serviced to U.S. rhythmic contemporary radio on January 6, 2014.
Composition[]
"Team" is a hybrid of alternative pop and electro hip-hop. Written in the key of G-flat major, "Team" features synthesiser, bass, and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. 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), while Drowned in Sound's Sammy Maine compared the beats to works produced by Timbaland for Missy Elliott. Lorde's vocal range spans from B♭2 to D♭5. The song moves at a tempo of 100 beats per minute.
Lyrically, "Team" is a "tribute to her friends and country". 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." 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. She also expresses distaste in common contemporary popular music lyrics telling listeners to "put your hands in the air" through the verse "I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air". Writer Lily Rothman for the magazine Time commented that the lyrics "we sure know how to run things" in "Team" were a response to the lyrics "we run things, things don’t run we" in Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" (2013).
Critical reception[]
"Team" received critical acclaim from music critics. Brenna Ehrlich from MTV News lauded it as an "insanely catchy jam". The A.V. Club critic Kevin McFarland labelled "Team" as a "club-ready" and "sparkly thumper", while Nathan Jolly from The Music Network simply described it "interesting". Marlow Stern writing for The Daily Beast listed "Team" as the fifth best song of 2013.
Chart performance[]
On September 23, 2013, "Team" debuted at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming Lorde's third consecutive top-three single in the country following her number-one singles "Royals" and "Tennis Court". Recorded Music NZ certified the single double platinum for sales exceeding 30,000 copies in the country.
In Australia, "Team" peaked at number nineteen on the Australian Singles Chart and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Following its impact on US radio stations, "Team" debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard Rock Airplay chart and reached number one on October 7, 2013. It also topped the Adult Top 40, and charted at number two on the Mainstream Top 40, Hot Rock Songs, and Alternative Songs charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, "Team" peaked at number six, becoming her second US top-ten hit after her debut number-one single "Royals".
By April 2014, the song had sold over two million copies in the US, and by December 2014, it had reached 2.45 million copies. The single also reached number three on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by Music Canada, denoting 160,000 downloads.
Live performances and other usage[]
On November 12, 2013, Lorde performed several songs from Pure Heroine on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album, including "Team". The track was also performed during the ARIA Music Awards of 2013. It appeared in Grey's Anatomy during April Kepner's bridal shower in "Man on the Moon", the eleventh episode of the tenth season, which aired in December 2013.
At the 2014 MuchMusic Video Awards, Lorde performed a Goth-influenced medley of "Tennis Court" and "Team".
American alternative rock band Local H recorded a cover version of "Team" at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois. The Local H version was released as a single on April 21, 2014.
J Gramm released a remix of "Team" in December 2013. Noisey gave the remix a positive review, stating that J Gramm
"turns the ballad up a notch—with some triumphant drums and overall, a more victorious feel for the stories of the cities she's dreaming up."
In November 2020, Chanel featured a cover of the song, performed by French actress Marion Cotillard, in their Chanel No. 5 perfume advertisement.
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
Wait till you're announced
We've not yet lost all our graces
The hounds will stay in chains
Look upon Your Greatness and she'll
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
Send the call out, send the call out
[Verse 1]
Call all the ladies out
They're in their finery
A hundred jewels on throats
A hundred jewels between teeth
Now bring my boys in
Their skin in craters like the moon
The moon we love like a brother
While he glows through the room
[Pre-Chorus]
Dancin' around the lies we tell
Dancin' around big eyes, as well
Even the comatose
They don't dance and tell
[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on-screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team
[Post-Chorus]
I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air
So there
[Verse 2]
So all the cups got broke
Shards beneath our feet
But it wasn't my fault
And everyone's competing
For a love they won't receive
'Cause what this palace wants is release
[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on-screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team
[Post-Chorus]
I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air
So there
I'm kind of older than I was when I reveled without a care
So there
[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on-screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team
[Outro]
We're on each other's team
And you know, we're on each other's team
We're on each other's team
And you know, and you know, and you know
Music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Premiere | December 3, 2013 |
| Filmed | Red Hook Grain Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn | |
| Director | Young Replicant | |
| Producer | Moise Morancy | |
| Production co | ||
| Exec. producer | Jordan Harkins | |
| Editor | Jordan Harkins | |
| Choreographer | ||
| Length | 3:20 | |
Background[]
The music video for "Team" was directed by Young Replicant. Filmed at the disused Red Hook Grain Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, 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". The director explained that Lorde was one of the "kids who have a unique look", which fit the clip's "sad story" concept.
On December 4, 2013, the video was released on Lorde's official Vevo channel on YouTube at 10 am (NZDT). 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").
Synopsis[]
The video begins with shots of the ocean; The Daily Beast's editor Marlow Stern drew comparisons between the shots to Paul Thomas Anderson's drama film The Master (2012). The scene revealed an unseen city with ruins of factories on an island and full of teens "without any parental guidance". 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". Inside the ruins, she is seen as the "self-anointed" queen of the city's citizens in a "blue, foliage-filled universe". Stern compared her image to that of The Hunger Games' fictional character Katniss Everdeen. A young boy is transported to the island; following his arrival, he must joust on a motorbike to become a part of Lorde's "team". He loses; Lorde commented that "sometimes the person who loses is stronger".
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