"Yellow Flicker Beat" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter

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 ...

released on 29 September 2014 as the lead single from the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

for '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

. Written by Lorde and

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

and produced by Little and

Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member o ...

, it is as an

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

song with minimal

synthesiser A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

s, drums, and vocal samples in its production. Music critics compared its instrumentation style to the singer's work on her 2013 debut album ''

Pure Heroine ''Pure Heroine'' is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was released on 27 September 2013 by Universal Music Group, Universal, Lava Records, Lava, and Republic Records. After several unsuccessful sessions with song ...

''. The track's lyrics refer to the rise of

Katniss Everdeen Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character and the protagonist of ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. Her name comes from a plant with edible tubers called ''Sagittaria'' (katniss), from Sagittarius the Arche ...

, the heroine of ''

The Hunger Games ''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 ...

'' (2008–2010)

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

novel trilogy. "Yellow Flicker Beat" 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 ...

, who praised its lyrical content for being more mature than that of Lorde's previous releases. Commercially, the song peaked at number 34 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and entered the

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...

s of several nations, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song, directed by

Emily Kai Bock Emily Kai Bock (born 1983 or 1984) is a Canadian writer and film director. In 2017, her short film '' A Funeral for Lightning'' was included in TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list of the top 10 Canadian short films of the year, selected by a pane ...

, was released on 7 November 2014. Four days later, a remix of the song, titled "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)" and co-produced by Lorde and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, was released. Lorde performed the original version at the

2014 American Music Awards The 42nd Annual American Music Awards ceremony was held on November 23, 2014, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums of 2014. Iggy Azalea led the nominees with six categ ...

on 23 November 2014. The song was nominated for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and Best Song at the

Critics' Choice Awards The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...

Composition and release

"Yellow Flicker Beat" was written by

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

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

and produced by Little and

. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, the track is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: : Changes ...

and follows the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

Am–Dm–Am–E and in the common time signature. The song moves at a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 96

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

, and Lorde's vocals span a range of E₃ to E₅. "Yellow Flicker Beat" is an

and

song, with minimal

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, and vocal samples in its production. The song's lyrics refer to the rise of

, the heroine of ''

'' (2008–2010)

novel trilogy. Beginning in a slow and measured way, the song features the "touched by pain" lyrics—"I'm a princess cut from marble / smoother than a storm." As the drums start, Lorde sings "This is the start". Zuel opined that the line was "also the beginning of the end of something". Carley noted that the lines, "The scars that mark my body / They're silver and gold" and "My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones" showcased "a big step towards more mature lyrics" on Lorde's part. Music critics compared its production to the singer's work on her 2013 debut album ''

''. On 31 July 2014, it was announced that Lorde would be the

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

for the

of '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' (2014) after a recommendation from her publisher. On 23 September 2014, Lorde announced that the song, titled "Yellow Flicker Beat", would be released on 29 September 2014. "Yellow Flicker Beat" was recorded at the Lakehouse Recording Studios in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

on 28 and 29 August 2014. The song was engineered by Matt Wiggins and

Erik Kase Romero Erik Kase Romero is an American record producer, recording engineer and session instrumentalist. Work As a producer and engineer, Kase Romero began working primarily at the Lake House Recording in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in the early 2010s, ...

. The song was released digitally on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

s worldwide by

on 29 September 2014. The same day, it was sent to Italian

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

and US

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...

(AAA) and

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

stations.

Critical reception

"Yellow Flicker Beat" received mostly positive reviews from

. Writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', Carley praised the song's metaphorical and mature lyrics. ''

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 ...

'' writer Ryan Reed praised the track's production, writing that it "fits comfortably within the 17-year-old's sonic wheelhouse", while ''

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 ...

'' editor Steven J. Horowitz opined that Lorde's vocals complemented the song's "synth-blotched beat" well, and rated it three and a half out of five stars. Conversely, Chris Schulz of ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' wrote that "Yellow Flicker Beat" sounded too similar to Lorde's previous releases and lamented the lack of a catchy hook and chorus. Echoing Schulz's statements, Lydia Jenkin, also from the ''Herald'', noted that while its sound was reminiscent of the singer's early works, it was still "a perfect musical depiction of Katniss Everdeen". "Yellow Flicker Beat" was nominated for

at the

72nd Golden Globe Awards The 72nd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2014, was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 11, 2015, by NBC. The ceremony was produced by Dick Clark Production ...

, and Best Song at the

20th Critics' Choice Awards The 20th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 15, 2015 at the Hollywood Palladium, honoring the finest achievements of 2014 filmmaking. The ceremony was broadcast on A&E and hosted by Michael Strahan. The nominees were announced on D ...

. The song was ranked the 18th greatest song of 2014 by Australian alternative music station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Yellow Flicker Beat" debuted at number 17 on the ''Billboard''s

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. In doing so, Lorde logged the highest launch by a female artist on the chart since 1995 when

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls (band), Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Julia ...

's "

Universal Heart-Beat ''Only Everything'' is a solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1995. Two singles with accompanying music videos were released from the album: "What a Life" and "Universal Heart-Beat." "Universal Heart-Beat" peaked at #5 on Billboard's Mod ...

" also debuted at number 17. The single also appeared on the

Adult Alternative Songs Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by ''Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radi ...

at number 19 with 5.2 million radio audience impressions in its first week. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the single peaked at number 34. "Yellow Flicker Beat" also charted on several national

s, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The single was a success in New Zealand, peaking at number four on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

. It was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the Recorded Music NZ, and the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) for selling 15,000 and 70,000 units, respectively.

Music video

The

for "Yellow Flicker Beat" was directed by

, and was released on 7 November 2014 at midnight (

NZDT Time in New Zealand is divided by law into two standard time zones. The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), 12 hours in advance of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) / military M (Mike), while the outlying Chatham Islands use Cha ...

), when Lorde turned eighteen years old. Lorde contacted Bock via email after they met through Devon Welsh, the frontman of

Majical Cloudz Majical Cloudz was a Canadian music group from Montreal consisting of singer-songwriter Devon Welsh and Matt Otto. The group disbanded in March 2016. History Welsh, the son of actor Kenneth Welsh and Corinne Farago,Pure Heroine Tour The Pure Heroine Tour was the inaugural concert tour by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, in support of her debut studio album, ''Pure Heroine'' (2013). Her first performance was at the Splendour in the Grass music festival as a last-minute ...

. The video was filmed in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and at

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The inst ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

during

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

in between shows by American designers

Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...

and

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...

. Lorde's production team built each set and shot the video in one day. The concept of the video was inspired by a 1976 interview from ''

The Dick Cavett Show ''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: * ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning'' * ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...

'' with American actress

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

. The video begins with Lorde singing in a faintly lit motel room, with a television displaying static and an unattended running car facing the window. The singer is styled in a white dress shirt, black slacks and her hair in a pompadour. The clip then showcases Lorde looking away from the camera in a room surrounded with potted plants. The camera moves away towards a dark, abandoned road filled by smoke with only one street light beaming on the singer. As the chorus begins, a group of teenagers form a circle and point a flashlight at Lorde as she dances inside a

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

, which critics described as "twitchy" and "witchy". In the next scene, the singer sits alone on the edge of a dark-lit public swimming pool. She then arrives at a

cocktail party A cocktail party is a party at which cocktails are served. It is sometimes called a cocktail reception. A cocktail party organized for purposes of social or business networking is called a mixer. A cocktail hour is sometimes used by manag ...

where she falls into what critics described as a "surreal cliff"; the singer revealed that she cut her foot filming this scene. The next shows her dancing besides a white curtain. The video ends with her sitting alone on a bus stop bench as the camera pans away. The video received positive reviews from critics; it was praised for its concept but criticised for not incorporating footage from the film. Its visual direction was compared to the works of Australian director

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

and American filmmaker

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

. The singer's fashion was likened to that of American musician

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, while her dancing drew comments to Swedish singer

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

. ''Billboard''s Zach Dionne praised the fashion choices on the video, calling it "awesome".

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's Abby Devora wrote that Lorde "is ..truly coming into her own" calling the visual a welcome change from her earlier videos, while ''

Slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant d ...

'' writer Alexa Camp stated that her performance in the video showed "elegance and sophistication." The scene where Lorde and other guests smile toward a camera at a cocktail party was compared to the ending of the 1980

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

'' The Shining''.

Live performances

On 2 October 2014, Lorde performed "Yellow Flicker Beat" for the first time at

Hearst Greek Theatre The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, known locally as simply the Greek Theatre, is an 8,500-seat amphitheater owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, USA. The Greek Theatre hosts The Berkeley ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. Later that month, she sang the song at the

Austin City Limits Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/ PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...

. The overall performance was praised. It was also performed as part of Lorde's

Melodrama World Tour The Melodrama World Tour was the second concert tour by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, undertaken in support of her second studio album, '' Melodrama'' (2017). Lorde headlined several music festivals before commencing the tour, and went ...

(2017–2018) during the North American arena leg. Lorde performed the song at the

on 23 November 2014. She began the performance by singing inside an "orange-lit box". Halfway through the song, the box was lifted, revealing Lorde wearing a white crop top and black pants outfit to the audience. She was accompanied by a group of white-clad dancers. She ended by smearing her lipstick on-stage. The performance was highly praised, particularly Lorde's stage presence and was considered one of the night's best by several publications.
Miles Raymer of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the performance an A, writing that despite being the show's "most awkward moment", Lorde delivered a "dose of bracing weirdness". ''Rolling Stone'' compared her "thrashing and headbanging" to the music video of

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

' 1994 song "

March of the Pigs "March of the Pigs" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their second studio album, ''The Downward Spiral'' (1994). It was released on February 25, 1994 as the album's lead single. Composition "March of the Pigs" has ...

". The publication also praised the singer's "exquisitely intimate and intense" moments inside the box in which she performed.

Kanye West rework

Lorde and American rapper

produced a version of the song titled "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)", included on the film's soundtrack album, at a studio in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

. The track was made available for purchase on 11 November 2014. The pair first met in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

after they made an appearance on '' Later... with Jools Holland'' in 2013. Talking about the collaboration with West, Lorde commented, "He's so private I feel weird talking about how he does stuff. I feel lucky to even be in a room with him." "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)" was described as a

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

and

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

song with bass, piano,

electronic drum Electronic drums is a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sounds ...

s, and synthesizers in its production. The track slows the tempo of the original song, incorporates a choir, but does not feature West's vocals. Several music critics compared its production to West's work on his 2013 album ''

Yeezus ''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...

''. Christopher Hooton, writing for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', called it "understated and beautiful". ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' writer James Rettig described the rework as "grandiose and ominous". ''Billboard''s Zach Dionne compared its instrumentation to West's singles "

Clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

" (2012) and " Runaway" (2010). ''Spin'' ranked the track at number 69 on their list of the 101 Best Kanye West-Produced Songs That Don't Feature Kanye.

Track listings

;Digital download # "Yellow Flicker Beat" – 3:52 ;Kanye West rework # "Flicker (Kanye West Rework)" – 4:12

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. Recording and management * Recorded at Golden Age Studios (

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) and Lake House Recording Studios (

) * Published by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

LLC, Songs Music Publishing Personnel *

Ella Yelich-O'Connor 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 ...

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

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

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Matt Wiggins – mixing *

– production * Hassan Rahim –

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Lorde songs Art pop songs 2014 singles 2014 songs The Hunger Games music Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Joel Little Song recordings produced by Paul Epworth Songs written by Joel Little Songs written by Lorde Songs written for films Songs about fictional female characters