"Team" 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 ...

, taken from her debut studio album, '' Pure Heroine'' (2013). The song was released on 13 September 2013 as the album's third single in Australia and New Zealand by

Universal Music New Zealand Universal Music New Zealand is the New Zealand subsidiary of the Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company. Universal Music New Zealand's corporate headquarters are located in Auckland, New Zealand. Universal Music New Ze ...

, and the second in the United States and the United Kingdom by

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...

and

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 ...

. The track was 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, with additional production from Lorde herself. "Team" is a hybrid of

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

and

electro hop Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s. British group the Beatmaster ...

featuring synthesiser,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

instrumentation over a

handclap A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), ...

-based beat. Lyrically, the track is a "tribute to her friends and country". "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 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number 3 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record ...

chart. In Oceania, it peaked at number 19 in Australia and debuted and peaked at number 3 in New Zealand. "Team" was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

platinum by both 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 replac ...

and

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

. A music video for the song was directed by Young Replicant and was released on 4 December 2013. Filmed in an abandoned building named

Red Hook Grain Terminal The Red Hook Grain Terminal is an abandoned grain elevator in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, adjacent to the mouth of the Gowanus Canal. It is 12 stories tall, wide, and long, containing fifty-four cement silos. As ...

in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the video's content was inspired by Lorde's dream of teenagers in their own world. Upon its release, the clip crashed

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

's channel due to a high number of views. To promote "Team" and ''Pure Heroine'', Lorde performed the song on several occasions, including on ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'' and at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2013 The 27th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2013 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

. It was later featured on a season 10 episode of ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

'' which aired in December 2013.

Background and composition

"Team" was written by Lorde and

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

while Lorde was travelling the world. The track was recorded, produced and mixed by Little at his Golden Age Studios in Morningside, Auckland, with Lorde providing additional production. The song was produced using the software Pro Tools. On 13 September 2013 "Team" was Music leak, leaked, justifying an earlier :wikt:rush out, rush out release. Within hours the audio was uploaded on YouTube and

released the music download, digital download single for sale in Australia and New Zealand. On 30 September 2013, the track was sent to US modern rock radio on 30 September 2013, and to US contemporary hit radio on 19 November 2013 by

and

. "Team" was also sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio on 6 January 2014. "Team" is a hybrid of alternative pop and Electro hop music, electro-hop. Written in the key (music), key of G-flat major, "Team" features synthesiser,

, and

instrumentation over a

-based beat.

Amanda Dobbins of ''New York (magazine), New York'' magazine and Maura Johnston of ''Spin (magazine), Spin'' likened the chorus of the song to that of Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die (song), 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♭ (musical note), B♭₂ to D♭ (musical note), 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 (magazine), 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 (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).

Reception

"Team" received critical acclaim from music journalism, 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". John Murphy, in his review of '' Pure Heroine'' for musicOMH, commended the lyrics "I'm kinda over getting told to throw my hands up in the air" for being catchy. Marlow Stern writing for ''The Daily Beast'' listed "Team" as the fifth best song of 2013. In 2019, ''Uproxx'' named the song the thirteenth best song of the 2010s. On 23 September 2013, "Team" debuted at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming Lorde's third consecutive top-three single in the country following number-one singles "Royals (song), Royals" and "Tennis Court (song), Tennis Court".

certified the single double platinum due to the sales figure of over 30,000 copies in the country. "Team" peaked at number nineteen on the Australian Singles Chart, and was certified double platinum by the

(ARIA). Following its impact on US radio stations, "Team" debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard charts#Rock, ''Billboard'' Rock Airplay, and topped the chart on 7 October 2013. It also topped the Adult Top 40, and charted at number two on the Mainstream Top 40, number two on the Hot Rock Songs and number two on the Alternative Songs. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Team" peaked at number six, becoming her second US top-ten hit (following her debut number-one hit "Royals"). The song reached over two million in sales in the US by April 2014. By December 2014, "Team" had sold 2.45 million copies in the US. The single also reached number three on the

, and was certified double-platinum by Music Canada, which denotes 160,000 downloads.

Music video

The music video for "Team" was directed by Young Replicant. Filmed at the disused

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 fitted the clip's "sad story" concept. 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 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 (film series), 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". On 4 December 2013, the video was released on Lorde's official

channel on YouTube at 10 AM (Time in New Zealand, 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").

Live performances and other usage

On 12 November 2013, Lorde performed several songs from ''Pure Heroine'' during the ''

'' to promote the album, including "Team". The track was also performed by Lorde during the

. At the 2014 MuchMusic Video Awards, Lorde performed a Goth-influenced medley of "Tennis Court (song), 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 21 April 2014. J Gramm released a remix of "Team" in December 2013. ''Vice (magazine), 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.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs 2014 singles APRA Award winners Lorde songs Local H songs Songs written by Joel Little New Zealand hip hop songs Electronic dance music songs Lava Records singles Songs written by Lorde Songs about New Zealand