Melodrama
by Lorde
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Jun 16, 2017
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 4504 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,063 out of 4504
  2. Mixed: 88 out of 4504
  3. Negative: 353 out of 4504
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  1. JhosepKingsley
    Jul 22, 2018
    10
    Lorde was overcome by a lot and proved to have one of the best albums of his year and history. Each song conveys a feeling that only she can make you imagine. Fantastic production, wonderful lyrics and perfect concept. Less is more and these 11 songs are great by themselves.
  2. daviduwuxd
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    lorde has changed a new style and it pleases the people who are going to listen to their new work. The album is really good with really good sounds and the rhythms are the best of the album. It is very recommendable to listen to all this piece of art
  3. KCZielinski
    Feb 4, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Though this is only Lorde's second studio album, I think that this is her bet yet. Written by both her and Jack Antonoff, the album is poetic, meaningful, and relatable to listeners all while being backed by catchy tunes. Lorde sings beautifully of what her adolescence/early adulthood venture is like, making it al the more relatable to her listeners and fans. 'Green Light' makes you want to speed down the highway in the middle of the night with the windows down, while 'Hard Feelings/Loveless' reminds the listener of the love that they lost, but how they are moving on.

    Keep in mind, Melodrama was also nominated for a Grammy for being the Album of the year. Though Lorde did not take the award home, she did in my opinion. Lorde has become one of the most anticipated artists while performing, accompanied by her crazy exciting dance moves across the stage. Melodrama taking the stage on her upcoming tour is going to be epic and should not be missed by any fans of her or the album.

    I think that Lorde did a great job with this album. It's relatable, strikes a chord with listeners, and is overall full of jams.    … Expand
  4. luis1_valle
    May 25, 2019
    10
    Melodrama is a piece of art, is the best album of the 2017. Production and lyrics are really fresh to the soul, melodrama carries you to another world, Lorde is a genius.
  5. prestonhung
    Aug 4, 2019
    7
    'Melodrama' is melodically plain and uninteresting but still consists of a number of strong tracks that greatly support the album overall. Tracks such as "Homemade Dynamite" and "Writer In The Dark" are definitely crucial in order for the album to achieve this score.
    Strongest Tracks: "Green Light", "Homemade Dynamite", "Writer In The Dark"
    Weakest Tracks: "The Louvre", "Sober II",    'Melodrama' is melodically plain and uninteresting but still consists of a number of strong tracks that greatly support the album overall. Tracks such as "Homemade Dynamite" and "Writer In The Dark" are definitely crucial in order for the album to achieve this score.
    Strongest Tracks: "Green Light", "Homemade Dynamite", "Writer In The Dark"
    Weakest Tracks: "The Louvre", "Sober II", "Perfect Places", "Homemade Dynamite (REMIX)"*
    *The REMIX version of "Homemade Dynamite" typically destroys the original track's unique melody and flow. definitely unessential and wasteful.    … Expand
  6. mschulz
    Mar 6, 2018
    10
    In 2013, an unknown artist named Lorde released the song Royals, which became a hit globally. This led to her debut album Pure Heroine, a pop album that is filled with songs that cover Lorde’s teenage emotions. After a four-year hiatus, Lorde released her second album, Melodrama. This album was worth the four years wait.
    Melodrama is a self-reflection on the past years of her life after    In 2013, an unknown artist named Lorde released the song Royals, which became a hit globally. This led to her debut album Pure Heroine, a pop album that is filled with songs that cover Lorde’s teenage emotions. After a four-year hiatus, Lorde released her second album, Melodrama. This album was worth the four years wait.
    Melodrama is a self-reflection on the past years of her life after the overnight fame she gained with Royals, with solitude and heartbreak being the main themes of the album. In the duration of this album, Lorde embraces herself lyrically and accepts that sometimes she may be alone as she grows from teenager to young adult, as seen throughout each song’s lyrics.
    The songs on Melodrama are very much like the album’s title, melodramatic, with grand lyrics and production throughout. The album’s first track, “Green Light”, is a great example of this and sets the stage for the rest of the album. On Green Light, Lorde sings with passion of her frustrations with a past lover and being ready to move on from them. The production from Jack Antonoff accelerates this song even further adding more “grandness” to the song with multiple background instruments.
    The lyrics throughout Melodrama are wonderful and each song is written by Lorde herself. While the production throughout most of the album is poppy and upbeat, the lyrics hidden in plain sight say otherwise. For example, casual listeners of the song “Sober” might see the song as Lorde claiming she and her lover cannot be broken apart, but within the same song, she wonders what will become of them after they are no longer intoxicated at a party.
    Again, one of Lorde’s greatest strengths as a songwriter is her multidimensional lyrics that relate to all her listeners, even if they wouldn’t like to admit it. A song that showcases this strength is the ballad “Liability”, where Lorde is at her most vulnerable on Melodrama. On Liability, Lorde sings about feeling useless as well as being like a toy that will eventually be thrown out after one is bored with it, which reflects Lorde’s status as a pop star and the general public’s image of her but can also relate to listeners own potential insecurities and how they feel about their own relationships and friendships.
    Lorde is a once in a generation artist and Melodrama proves this, the lyrics are relatable and beautiful, and Jack Antonoff’s production helps add to Lorde’s voice even further. Even if listeners cannot commit their time to listen to this album for the full forty-one-minute duration, I still highly recommend listening to any song off Melodrama just to expose themselves to a taste of what Lorde brings to the pop genre with this album. Melodrama was one of the best albums of 2017 and is now personally one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s honestly amazing how talented Lorde is at such a young age. Being a Grammy-nominated and Billboard-topping album doesn’t even come close to the recognition this album deserves.    … Expand
  7. Ldelrey
    Mar 11, 2018
    10
    De longe o melhor album pop de 2017, lorde apresenta um amadurecimento musical incrivel com faixas intensas e intimistas , nitidamente retratando a transição da juventude para a vida adulta.Uma obra prima do cenário pop atual.
  8. RomanVendy
    Aug 31, 2018
    10
    шедевр который не заслужило человечество
  9. matieu
    Apr 2, 2018
    10
    Such an indescribable, cohesive and well-arranged album. She has put all her creativity and sense of pop imagery into it, showing us how far she can go. As previously said, there are no hyperbeat or radiophonic songs on this album, but it's still enjoyable. Once I thought "Pure Heroine" could be her best because of "Glory and Gore" and "Team", she went too far giving us "Sober" andSuch an indescribable, cohesive and well-arranged album. She has put all her creativity and sense of pop imagery into it, showing us how far she can go. As previously said, there are no hyperbeat or radiophonic songs on this album, but it's still enjoyable. Once I thought "Pure Heroine" could be her best because of "Glory and Gore" and "Team", she went too far giving us "Sober" and "Homemade Dynamite".… Expand
  10. partyfavor
    Apr 22, 2018
    9
    This album showed cohesiveness in sound and beauty graced throughout the whole time I listened and immersed myself into it. Every track has its own flavor and all of it didn't disappoint. Although for me honestly, the lyricism of Melodrama is a step backward from her debut album, Pure Heroine. But the overall vibe and vulnerability of the artist expressed in this album only further provedThis album showed cohesiveness in sound and beauty graced throughout the whole time I listened and immersed myself into it. Every track has its own flavor and all of it didn't disappoint. Although for me honestly, the lyricism of Melodrama is a step backward from her debut album, Pure Heroine. But the overall vibe and vulnerability of the artist expressed in this album only further proved that Lorde is undoubtedly one of the artists that are remarkable at this time.… Expand
  11. adrian-zea
    Apr 27, 2018
    10
    it's amazing, Lorde knows the way to get attention with a single album, an interesting comeback, I deserved the grammy, it's an alternative pop album but it's one of the best in my life
  12. giliardynery
    Aug 23, 2021
    10
    One of the best albums I've ever heard. Liability is simply everything in my life.
  13. nicolasfederick
    May 22, 2018
    9
    just... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  14. PlatinumPipes28
    May 28, 2018
    10
    Very rarely after an artist releases a debut masterpiece do they follow it up with something just as good. This did not happen. Melodrama unprecedentedly EXCEEDS it's predecessor "Pure Heroin" and is the perfect follow-up. Lorde is a forest fire.
  15. thejandrade
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Memorável. Incrível. Espetacular. Lorde será lembrada sempre por esse álbum incrível. Será que ela consegue superar uma obra-prima dessa?
  16. C_dot
    Feb 14, 2019
    9
    Lorde's unique style keeps her on top of the electropop genre. She explores the dark side of partying, the side you do not see, in a creative and unique way. She co-produces the entire album, creating beats that fit her powerful vocals flawlessly.
  17. thegreekguyraul
    Jun 21, 2018
    10
    It would be an understatement to call this album a masterpiece. This is not a masterpiece. This is a monumental album dipped in opulent quality. An album with so much emotional violence, lyrics straight out of a poem and unconventional rhythms that seem to somehow bring such a breathtaking cohesion in every second. Everything is carefully placed. And while artists proclaim their albums toIt would be an understatement to call this album a masterpiece. This is not a masterpiece. This is a monumental album dipped in opulent quality. An album with so much emotional violence, lyrics straight out of a poem and unconventional rhythms that seem to somehow bring such a breathtaking cohesion in every second. Everything is carefully placed. And while artists proclaim their albums to be personal or to follow a new direction in their sound, they never seem to quite execute that in their delivery. Lorde seems to fly way ahead of that, instead directly demonstrating her peers how she can deliver such raw and genuine emotion into eleven tracks. You see a story of a young adolescent transitioning into adulthood captured so vividly, as if one were there with her. She is the first pop artist to be able to do this so well in the longest time. And while Lorde herself has denied that this is in fact a concept album, although simply a loose narrative, it feels like what many artists have stated their albums to be (i.e. Halsey). Where Halsey terribly fails in understanding what a concept album means, Lorde innately understands it to the best of her ability. This is the artist that blew the critics away with her incredible Pure Heroine at merely 16 years old and they were right. Lorde is a force to be reckoned with. An ambitious artist who knows how to execute everything she feels.… Expand
  18. jemesc
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    A truly amazing album. Lorde is a genre of her own.

    Strongest Tracks: Sober Ii (Melodrama), The Louvre, Supercut, Perfect Places

    Weaker Tracks: Liability (Reprise)
  19. taylervu
    Jun 24, 2018
    10
    This is the best album of 2017, it's a story that been written by music, It began with the sadness in Green Light, Sober then the joy in Homemade Dynamite, The Lourve but don't stop at that, a terrible sadness in Liability and Hard Felling and the Anger in Loveless, after the anger is the sadness again but it's softer than the beginning in Sober II (Melodrama) and then the maturation inThis is the best album of 2017, it's a story that been written by music, It began with the sadness in Green Light, Sober then the joy in Homemade Dynamite, The Lourve but don't stop at that, a terrible sadness in Liability and Hard Felling and the Anger in Loveless, after the anger is the sadness again but it's softer than the beginning in Sober II (Melodrama) and then the maturation in Supercut, Writer In The Dark, Liability (Reprise) and finish the story with Perfect Places.... It's not just a story about the lost of love but it's also the criticism of "melodrama" in the teenagers nowaday, a debauched life style... The rhythm is new and different from her debut album "Pure Heroine" stronger, harder, more emotional.... It's the a masterpiece… Expand
  20. notAvillan
    Jul 14, 2018
    10
    From all the trash from 2017, this is such a refresher. The unique production to Lorde's personality is something we don't deserve honestly. Clever song writing and the emotion put into this album is overwhelming. It feels rather pure and authentic. It doesn't feel manufactured by some label company.
  21. BladeLover2049
    Aug 17, 2018
    10
    One of the most complex albums I've found. Not only talk about loneliness and lack of love, but also delves into the mind of the artist, and how reality is reflected in the psyche the elements that make up the art and feelings that are reflected in the material world. The best album of the century.
  22. Miserybiich
    Oct 22, 2018
    10
    Wig: gone, snatch, disintegrated, pulverised, destroyed by this amazing album. don't mind me i just love her so much,
  23. SKSK
    Aug 7, 2018
    10
    The atmosphere created for this album is incredible. The album exposes Lorde's emotions in a magnificent way. Certainly the best album of 2017.
  24. camp3stre
    Jul 24, 2019
    10
    Maravilloso, excepcional, brillante y muy melodramático. Todas las canciones cumplen con su función que es hacer que todos los sentimientos de Ella te lleguen al corazón, que te choquen y te exponga a la realidad del amor y la vida. Álbum favorito de la vida.

    Green Light: 10/10 Sober: 10/10 Homemade Dynamite: 10/10 The Louvre: 10/10 Liability: 10/10 Hard Feelings/Loveless: 10/10    Maravilloso, excepcional, brillante y muy melodramático. Todas las canciones cumplen con su función que es hacer que todos los sentimientos de Ella te lleguen al corazón, que te choquen y te exponga a la realidad del amor y la vida. Álbum favorito de la vida.

    Green Light: 10/10
    Sober: 10/10
    Homemade Dynamite: 10/10
    The Louvre: 10/10
    Liability: 10/10
    Hard Feelings/Loveless: 10/10
    Sober II (Melodrama): 10/10 (fav)
    Writer In The Dark: 10/10
    Supercut: 9/10
    Liability (Reprise): 10/10
    Perfect Places: 10/10

    Overall: 9,9    … Expand
  25. yurifreitas
    Aug 17, 2018
    10
    Álbum perfeito, produção perfeita, letras perfeitas, vocais perfeitos. Album of The Year 2017, sem dúvidas uma das melhores expressões artísticas deste século da artista denominada "Artista do Futuro"!
  26. ewhite
    Mar 29, 2019
    10
    One of the BEST albums i've ever heard. Lorde did what needed to be done. A true masterpiece.
  27. KatrinaAirlines
    Aug 27, 2018
    9
    Этот альбом берет за душу своими прекрасными исполнениями.
  28. CasketAirlines
    Aug 28, 2018
    9
    Абсолютно новое звучание, какого я никогда до этого альбома не слышал, Sober и Liability это вообще другая история. Замечательный альбом.
  29. mattiazisa
    Sep 16, 2018
    10
    1 year after the publication of "Melodarama" , it's still fresh and new.
    Lorde made maybe one of the best pop albums of the century so far, introducing new topics and new sounds. The vibe is incredibly catchy and the lyrics are are marvelous.
    Lorde couldn't do any better.

    My top 3 songs are:
    1. "Sober"
    2. "Sober II (Melodrama)"
    3. "Hard Feelings/Loveless"

    10/10
  30. hornysoul
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    "Melodrama" é um álbum muito coesivo e bem trabalhado. As letras são profundas e dão-nos a sensação de flutuar nas nuvens. Apesar de nenhuma música do álbum ter o apelo comercial, como muitas músicas pop fúteis, esta coleção deveria ser ouvida pelo menos uma vez na vida. Uma das melhores produções musicais de 2017!
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Album of 2017
4
#4 Most Discussed Album of 2017
5
#5 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Jul 10, 2017
    80
    There are no gimmicks. There’s nothing screaming for acceptance. Melodrama is a raw, real album under its sparkly clean production. One written for the masses but able to resonate with each individual listener.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Jul 6, 2017
    80
    Lorde's biggest achievement is retaining her emotional insight into herself and her generation despite her utterly transformed life. [Aug 2017, p.100]
  3. Prefix Magazine
    Jul 6, 2017
    85
    Still only 20 years old, Lorde could have been forgiven for floundering under the weight of expectation. Instead she’s reasserted her status as today’s ultimate alt-pop artist with a record that balances the contemporary with the classic in typically immaculate style.
    Read full review
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