“The Path” by Lorde

“The path” that Lorde is referring to would be something like the road to mass fulfillment, i.e. your quintessential spiritual journey, if you will, which any dedicated adherent could partake of. And she recognizes that some people believe that she understands or has traversed “the path” because of who she is. So she sets about clarifying the matter by detailing rather how she perceives herself.

Lorde sheds light on her success

And for starters, the songstress reveals, in a roundabout way, that she was born in 1996. Moreover, she was “raised in the tall grass”, likely an allusion to the fact that she comes from New Zealand, which is still a relatively naturalistic country. Then, Lorde notes how she became a “teen millionaire”. But also pointed out is how that reality had its negative psychological effects also.

The second verse harps back to the 2016 MET Gala in New York City, which she attended. And the stuff about her jacking a fork from the event to show to her mom and “supermodels… dancing around a pharaoh’s tomb” actually happened, reportedly, at this venue. 

So most simply put, Lorde presents herself as someone who ascended from humble beginnings in the outback to becoming a superstar, albeit a down-to-earth one.

I’m not a god!

However as noted earlier, others may perceive her as more than that. Or as the songstress herself has explained, “we’re taught to view famous people as gods”. Well, she doesn’t want people perceiving her – or apparently celebrities in general – in such a manner. 

And she feels that one of the reasons people are compelled to do so is “because we’re all broken and sad”, i.e. looking for some type of relief from rampant everyday depression. Thus she clarifies that if a fan for instance is looking up to her as some type of a “savior”, admittedly she’s not the one. 

Rather, she puts her hope in “the sun” – or let’s say some currently unidentifiable source, so to speak – to “show us the path” to true happiness, enlightenment or what have you.

In Conclusion

So conclusively, Lorde is able to recognize there is a, shall we say religious need in the world. And due to her celebrity status, many people may see her as fulfilling such a call. However, this is not how she views herself. Instead, Lorde blew up at a time when she was really too young to understand what it all entailed. 

And even then, she’s content with just enjoying the minute details of being a bush girl turned pop star as opposed to having the desire to lead anyone.

Facts about “The Path”

“The Path” is the opening track from Lorde’s third full-length album, “Solar Power”.

The mutli-faceted Lorde wrote and co-produced this track herself. And the other producer is a name that pops up frequently in the research of contemporary pop songs, American song master Jack Antonoff.

Lorde

Meanwhile Lorde herself, as noted earlier, is a musician from New Zealand. Her debut single, Royals, was one of the biggest hits of 2013 and pretty much instantly made her a global superstar. 

And thus far her first two full-lengths, Pure Heroine (2013) and Melodrama (2017), have both scored within the top 5 of the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200, as well as the pair topping the New Zealand Albums Chart.