"Meltdown" is a song by Belgian artist

Stromae Paul van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music. Stromae came to wide public attenti ...

featuring additional vocals from New Zealand singer

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

, American hip hop artist

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

, American rapper Q-Tip and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Haim The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...

. It was released on 17 November 2014 as the opening track for the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

of the motion picture '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1''. "Meltdown" uses the instrumentation of "Merci", taken from Stromae's second studio album ''

Racine carrée Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

'' (2013), which was produced by the lead artist,

Thomas Azier Thomas Azier (born in Leiderdorp, Netherlands, on 14 August 1987) is a Dutch avant-pop singer and musician. Azier studied at the Academie voor Popcultuur in Leeuwarden in 2005. At age 19, he moved to Berlin, Germany, where he performed in vario ...

and Aron Ottingnon. It was well received by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

and charted at the top spot in several of Stromae's native charts.

Background and composition

"Meltdown" was written by

(credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor),

Joel Little Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter.

Kamaal Ibn John Fareed Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (born Jonathan William Davis, April 10, 1970), better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and DJ. Nicknamed The Abstract, he is noted for his innovative jazz rap, jazz-influenced ...

, Terrence Thornton, and Este Haim,

Danielle Haim Danielle Sari Haim (born February 16, 1989) is an American musician. She is the lead guitarist and vocalist of the pop rock band Haim, which also consists of her two sisters, Este Haim and Alana Haim. Danielle also serves as the group's drummer i ...

and Alana Haim from the indie rock band

. It was released on 17 November 2014 as the opening track for the

of the 2014 motion picture '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1''. The song was taken from "Merci", an instrumental track from Stromae's second studio album ''

'' (2013). Melissa Locker from ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' described "Meltdown" as a "dark synth dance track" and "an '

80s Ribosomes are a large and complex molecular machine that catalyzes the synthesis of proteins, referred to as translation. The ribosome selects aminoacylated transfer RNAs (tRNAs) based on the sequence of a protein-encoding messenger RNA (mRN ...

-influenced kinetic earworm", while ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called it a "bombastic electro stomp." ''

Exclaim ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' described "Meltdown" as having a "propulsive pulse that spans hip-hop and pop" and ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' characterized it as a "piano-laced, drum pounding production" track. Stromae explained that the song came together after Lorde called his manager to "get a track (for the ''Hunger Games: Mockingjay'' soundtrack)". Although the song was from Stromae's album ''Racine carrée'', Lorde "decided to do a new track with it". Stromae said he was touched with how important it was for her to have his opinion, even with invited guests on the track. He described Lorde as being "human, simple and really nice". At one point in the song, Pusha T calls out the film's "image-obsessed

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

of the

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

" which ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described as "language that would be just as appropriate for real-life society". In his verse, he sings: :We're all tryna be somebody else :You can't hide your tears in wealth :When your heart knows you hate yourself

Reception

"Meltdown" received generally positive reviews from

with several critics praising Lorde and Haim's vocal delivery but criticizing the latter's lack of vocals on the song. Jon Dolan from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called it a "thick, agitated groove that sounds like an all-night dance party in war-torn

District 13 ''District 13'' ( French title ''Banlieue 13'' or ''B13''), is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It depicts parkour in several stunt sequences completed without wires or computer-generated ...

." ''

'' editor Melissa Locker stated that "Meltdown" would make "people obtheir heads from here to

Panem ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...

." Other critics shared mixed to positive opinions. ''

'' praised the song but criticized Haim's contribution which was described as "limited" to backing vocals. Alex Hudson from ''Exclaim'' also noted Haim's "fairly low" contribution but were pleased when their "distinctive harmonized

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

s come to the fore in the final passage." Despite "Meltdown" not charting in many countries, it was commercially successful in Belgium. Shortly after the film's release, the song debuted and peaked at number seven in Belgium's Flanders chart component, which records music sales for the north part of the country. In Wallonia, Belgium's southern chart component, "Meltdown" peaked at number 5. It charted at number one on Belgium's Urban chart. In France, "Meltdown" had a minor chart placement at 107.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2014 songs The Hunger Games music Lorde songs Haim (band) songs Stromae songs Songs written by Stromae Songs written by Lorde Pusha T songs Songs written by Pusha T Q-Tip (musician) songs Songs written by Q-Tip (musician) Songs written by Danielle Haim Songs written by Este Haim Songs written by Alana Haim Songs written by Joel Little