Tennis Court (song)
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"Tennis Court" is a song recorded by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. She co-wrote the song with
Joel Little Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter.
, with production handled by the latter.
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
(UMG) released the song as the second single from her debut studio 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, Lava, and Republic Records. After several unsuccessful sessions with songwriters, Lorde was paired with Jo ...
'' (2013) in Australia and New Zealand on 7 June 2013. On the same day, the label released an
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP) of the same name containing three additional tracks throughout Europe. It combines
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 ...
,
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
downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may b ...
music over hip hop beats,
minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...
synthesisers, and an
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the n ...
. Inspired by Lorde's fresh insights into the music industry, the lyrics address her newfound fame and nostalgia for
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
. "Tennis Court" received positive reviews from music critics, with some highlighting the song's production and lyrical content. It was a commercial success in Oceania, reaching number one in New Zealand and number 20 in Australia. Elsewhere, the single achieved modest chart success throughout Europe and North America. "Tennis Court" earned platinum certification in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and triple platinum certifications in
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 Australia. Joel Kefali directed the song's accompanying music video, a one shot in which Lorde stares at the camera throughout. "Tennis Court" was included on the set list of Lorde's Pure Heroine Tour (2013–14) and
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 on ...
(2017–18).


Background and production

New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde (born 1996 as Ella Yelich-O'Connor) was interested in performing live at local venues around her home city of Auckland during intermediate school years. Scott Maclachlan, an A&R executive of
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
(UMG), discovered Lorde upon witnessing her performance at her school talent show when she was 12. Maclachlan subsequently signed Lorde to UMG for development and paired her up with
Joel Little Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter.
, a songwriter and record producer. In December 2011, the pair finished their first collaborative effort, a five-track
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP) titled '' The Love Club''. Lorde then self-released the EP for free download via her
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
account in November 2012. Upon completion of ''The Love Club'', Lorde and Little quickly collaborated again, initially planning to release another EP. The pair recorded materials at Little's Golden Age Studios in Morningside and started writing "Tennis Court" in January 2013. They also recorded several additional tracks and ultimately decided to work on a full-length studio album instead. Little acted as the song's sole producer, using audio software
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture ( sound design, audio post-produ ...
. Songwriting for "Tennis Court" was different from how Lorde usually writes songs; by and large, she would have a lyric forming before going into the studio to record. For this song, Little and Lorde first wrote the music and the beat, and the lyrics were built on the instant instrumental. Speaking to '' Billboard'' in November 2013, Little appreciated Lorde's developed songwriting skills on "Tennis Court", for which Lorde wrote the melody and the whole chorus, praising her as "an amazing songwriter".


Release

On 7 June 2013, Universal Music Group released "Tennis Court" for digital download as Lorde's second single following " Royals" in Australia and New Zealand, where Lorde's cover of The Replacements' 1985 song "
Swingin Party "Swingin Party" is a song written by Paul Westerberg and recorded by his band The Replacements for their fourth studio album '' Tim'' (1985). The song is an indie rock and rock and roll ballad with influences from jazz, country and new wave. L ...
" serves as the B-side. On the same day, an EP of the same name was released digitally throughout Europe. The EP contains three additional tracks—"Swingin Party", "Biting Down" and "
Bravado Bravado may refer to: * ''The Bravados ''The Bravados'' is a 1958 American Western film (color by DeLuxe) directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. The CinemaScope film was based on a novel of the same name, written b ...
"—all of which were previously included on ''The Love Club EP''. On 22 July, the EP was released as a 10-inch vinyl in the UK by
Virgin EMI Records Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...
. "Tennis Court" was later included as the opening track on Lorde's debut studio 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, Lava, and Republic Records. After several unsuccessful sessions with songwriters, Lorde was paired with Jo ...
'', released on 27 September 2013. In the US, "Tennis Court" was released as a 7-inch vinyl single on 27 August 2013.
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 un ...
and Republic Records initially planned to service "Tennis Court" to US
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 ...
radio on 11 March 2014 and contemporary hit radio (CHR) on 8 April 2014 as the album's third US airplay single, following "Royals" and "
Team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...
". Republic cancelled the scheduled release in favour of " Glory and Gore", which impacted modern rock radio on 11 March 2014. The label also planned to service "Glory and Gore" to CHR, but instead serviced "Tennis Court" to CHR as originally planned. "Tennis Court" ultimately impacted
hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
radio and CHR on 21 and 22 April 2014, respectively. It was released to UK radio on 12 May 2014.


Composition

"Tennis Court" is written in the key of C major and has a moderate
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 (ofte ...
of 90 beats per minute. Lorde's vocal range on the song spans one octave, from G3 to G4. It combines
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 ...
,
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
downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may b ...
genres over hip hop-influenced beats,
minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...
synthesisers, and an
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the n ...
. '' Billboard'' editor Jason Lipshutz commented that "Tennis Court" conveys a darker aspect of
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
. Nick Messtite from ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' wrote that the track was reminiscent of
The Postal Service The Postal Service are an American indie pop supergroup from Seattle, Washington, consisting of singer Ben Gibbard, producer Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis on background vocals. The band released their only album, '' Give Up'', in 2003 on S ...
's 2003 song " The District Sleeps Alone Tonight", '' Clash''s Joe Zadeh likened the song's production to
The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...
's 2013 song "Together". Siân Rowe from ''
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 ...
'' compared "Tennis Court" to works by
Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...
.


Lyrical interpretation

The song's lyrics address Lorde's newfound fame. In an interview with
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
in May 2013, Lorde explained that "Tennis Court" was inspired by her friends and daily life in her hometown Auckland, saying that the song was a summary of the events she witnessed during the previous months of her life. On her
Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
account, the singer elaborated on the tennis court imagery as "a symbol of nostalgia" that embodied memories of her hometown. Lorde also elucidated that the track reflected the changes in her life at the moment, when she had ventured into a career in music. Lorde also took inspiration from "how superficial people can be" after having perceived the mechanism of the music industry.
Paul Lester Paul Lester is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster from Elstree, North London. Career He began his career as a freelance journalist, for ''Melody Maker'' in the early 1990s, as well as ''City Limits'', ''20/20'', '' Sky Magazin ...
from ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' opined that the song criticises the extravagant lifestyle of the rich, while '' Billboard'' writer Drew Fortune compared its songwriting to the works of American rock musician
Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him re ...
. During the songwriting process, Lorde explained that she took an interest to the works of American photographer
Gregory Crewdson Gregory Crewdson (born September 26, 1962) is an American photographer. He photographs tableaux of American homes and neighborhoods. Life and career Crewdson was born in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He attended John Dew ...
due to his depictions of human life, suburbia and sense of loneliness. The track opens with Lorde questioning "Don't you think that is boring how people talk?", which suggests "a frictional relationship with the high life", and summarises ''Pure Heroine''s central theme of Lorde's observations and critiques of mainstream culture.
The refrain contains the lyrics "Baby be the class clown / I'll be the beauty queen in tears", which express underlying sorrow behind superficial beauty. The follow-up lines "It's a new art form showing people how little we care / We're so happy even when we're smilin' out of fear" illustrate Lorde feigning disinterest when facing fame and adolescence. In the second verse, Lorde wonders about her future music career, therefrom expecting inevitable nostalgia of her non-celebrity lifestyle, "But my head's filling up with the wicked games, up in flames / How can I fuck with the fun again, when I'm known?" At the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, Lorde sings "I fall apart, with all my heart / And you can watch from your window", which ''
HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' interpreted as a commentary on the breakdowns of teenage celebrities.


Critical reception

"Tennis Court" received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. Siân Rowe from ''NME'' complimented Lorde's "strong pop vocals". Emily Yoshida from ''
Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed e ...
'' labelled it a "murkily winsome, ever-so-slightly chopped ballad", while Kyle Jaeger writing for ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' commended the track's lyrical content and its "catchy" melody. ''Billboard''s Jason Lipshutz was favourable towards the song's "detached attitude" and minimalist production that evoked "something intoxicating" in the music scene. Sharing the same sentiment, Adam Offitzer from independent music blog ''Pretty Much Amazing'' regarded "Tennis Court" as a " urstof originality" in the mainstream music scene of "mindless
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 and
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
anthems" for its minimalism and "clever" lyrics. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' writer Lindsay Zoladz applauded the song's narrative for "exposing irony and even hypocrisy without coming off as preachy or moralistic". In his review of ''Pure Heroine'', Jon Hadusek from ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' selected "Tennis Court" as an "essential" track and highlighted its narrative lyrics. '' Time Out'' editor Nick Levine similarly lauded Lorde's "compelling" songwriting ability despite her young age at the time and praised the song's composition as "glorious".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's Stephen Thomas Erlewine and ''
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 publish ...
''s Andy Gill also picked "Tennis Court" as a standout track of ''Pure Heroine'', while John Murphy from '' musicOMH'' complimented the track as "impossible not to sing along to". In a less enthusiastic review, Evan Sawdey of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' considered the song a "drawback" that does not " uither well". '' Paste'' ranked it number 34 on their list of the 40 Best Debut Album Openers of All-Time.


Commercial performance

"Tennis Court" debuted atop 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 ...
dated 17 June 2013, becoming Lorde's second number-one single on the chart following "Royals", which reached the top position in March 2013. It spent 21 weeks on the chart, six of which in the top ten. The single received double platinum certification from Recorded Music NZ for exceeding sales of 30,000 copies in the country. "Tennis Court" was the 19th best-selling single of 2013 in New Zealand. In neighbouring Australia, the single peaked at number 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart and remained on the chart for 22 weeks. It was certified triple platinum by 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 ...
(ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 units. Outside Australasia, the single achieved modest commercial success. It peaked at number 78 on the Canadian Hot 100 and remained for five weeks on the chart. The track earned platinum certification from Music Canada, which denotes shipments of 80,000 copies in the country. The single had the similar position on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units, based on sales and streams. It also entered the top 100 of the
German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
, where it reached number 83. Despite not entering the record chart of Norway, the song was certified platinum by IFPI Norway for exceeding sales of 10,000 units in the country. In the US, "Tennis Court" debuted at number 71, which was also its highest placement, on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated 19 October 2013. The single spent 18 weeks on the chart and had sold 355,000 copies in the US by April 2014. It also reached number nine on the
Hot Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alterna ...
, a ''Billboard'' auxiliary chart.


Music video

The official music video for "Tennis Court" was directed by Joel Kefali, who previously worked with Lorde on the accompanying video for her debut single " Royals". The video was filmed as a one-shot. Lorde appears in "black clothing, braided hair, and dark lipstick." It features Lorde staring into the camera as the song plays; she does not
lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
the lyrics except for the word "Yeah!" after each verse and during the chorus. The set lighting fades in and out throughout the video. Writing for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Bethonie Butler observed a discrepancy between Lorde's statement that "In a perfect world, hewould never do any interviews, and probably there would be one photo out there of er, and the fact that, in the music video, Lorde is "front and center." Butler viewed the video as "a metaphor for celebrity." Writing for Ryan Seacrest's website, Kathleen Perricone complimented the "super simple" clip, which allowed Lorde's "voice and lyrics oreally shine." Lindsay Zoladz, of
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
, compared the video to that for The Replacements' " Bastards of Young" (1985). '' MTV News'' editor Luke O'Neil wrote that the "Tennis Court" video is "a bit unsettling at first, but eventually it starts to make sense. orde istrying to do things a bit differently, and so far it seems like it's working."


Live performances

To promote her works to American audiences, Lorde held her first US show at
Le Poisson Rouge (Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158 Bleecker Street. The performance space w ...
in New York on 6 August 2013 and performed "Tennis Court" among songs from ''The Love Club EP''. She subsequently included the song on the set list for her debut concert Pure Heroine Tour, which ran from late 2013 throughout 2014 in support of her debut studio album. On 13 November 2013, Lorde performed "Tennis Court" among five other songs from ''The Love Club'' and ''Pure Heroine'' on '' Live on Letterman''. Six days later, Lorde held her first UK concert at
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...
, London, where she performed several tracks from ''Pure Heroine'' including "Tennis Court". She also performed the track during the "Almost Acoustic Christmas" event on KROQ-FM radio station on 9 December. Lorde performed "Tennis Court" at the 2014 ''Billboard'' Music Awards in May. The following month, she performed a medley of "Tennis Court" and "Team" at the 2014 MuchMusic Video Awards. Lorde also performed the song during several music festivals, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, the
Laneway Festival The St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, commonly referred to as Laneway, began in Caledonian Lane, Melbourne, Australia, in 2005. Beginning as predominantly an indie music event, the festival grew in popularity and expanded to five Australian citie ...
in Sydney, Lollapalooza Brazil in
Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U ...
. At the Lollapalooza Festival in Grant Park, Chicago on 1 August 2014, she performed the track among other songs from ''Pure Heroine''. ''Billboard'' picked Lorde's performance as the fifth best of the festival, while ''Rolling Stone'' deemed her set list the highlight of the event. Lorde included "Tennis Court" on the set list of her
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 on ...
, which ran from September 2017 to November 2018.


Usage and remixes

"Tennis Court" was played during the
2013 Wimbledon Championships The 2013 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 127th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held ...
– Women's Singles Final by the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
(BBC). "Tennis Court" was remixed by Australian musician
Flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
in 2014. '' Noisey'' credited his remix as one of the earliest examples of a SoundCloud trend incorporating a "dizzy drop", described as "piercing flurries of stuttering synths and stomach-churning side-chain compression." In July 2014 American producer Diplo released his version, titled the Diplo's Andre Agassi Reebok Pump Mix. In 2014, "Tennis Court" was featured in the soundtrack of the PlayStation 4,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
and Microsoft Windows versions of '' Grand Theft Auto V''.


Track listings


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)


References

Footnotes Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennis Court (song) Songs about nostalgia 2013 singles 2013 songs Art pop songs Downtempo songs Lava Records singles Lorde songs Song recordings produced by Joel Little Songs written by Joel Little Songs written by Lorde Universal Music Group singles