Ribs (song) explained

Ribs
Cover:Lorde Ribs.jpg
Border:yes
Type:Promotional single
Artist:Lorde
Album:Pure Heroine
Released:30 September 2013
Genre:
Length:4:18
Label:UMG

"Ribs" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, from her debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). Universal Music Group (UMG) released it as a promotional single on 30 September 2013. Written and produced by Lorde and Joel Little, "Ribs" is an electronica, indietronica and electropop song discussing Lorde's stress over ageing.

Music critics met "Ribs" with acclaim; most have praised its lyrical content, and the song has consistently ranked among Lorde's best songs. Commercially, the track appeared on record charts in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lorde performed the song on numerous occasions, including on the Late Show with David Letterman, on her Pure Heroine Tour in 2014, and her Melodrama World Tour in 2017 and 2018.

Production and composition

"Ribs" was written by Lorde — credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor — and Joel Little who also handled production, engineering, instrumentation and mixing.[1] It was recorded at Little's Golden Age Studios in Auckland, New Zealand.[1] [2] On 30 September 2013, Universal Music issued "Ribs" as a promotional single on the iTunes Store.[3]

Lorde said ageing, which she described as "a big stress" of hers,[4] and "this big party I had when my parents went away" inspired her. "Ribs" was written on the day of the January 2013 Auckland Laneway Festival.[5]

"Ribs" is composed in the key of E major with a tempo of 128 beats per minute.[6] Lorde's vocals span a range of B2 to G5 and its chord progression follows a sequence of A–E–Fm7–Cm7.[7] "Ribs" is a deep house-influenced electronica, indietronica, and electropop song,[8] [9] which starts ambiently and,[10] according to Jason Lipshutz of Billboard, features an "exhausted-sounding Lorde growing more frantic with each passing second," with lyrics that include the singer discovering her maturity and "grown-up problems." In "Ribs", she references Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene's 2002 song "Lover's Spit".[11] Consequence of Sound noted how Lorde's minimal production allowed her to sing in any melody, layering them over one another to create a choral effect.

Live performances

Lorde first performed "Ribs" and "400 Lux" at the Greenwich Village club Le Poisson Rouge.[12] She also performed the song during a free concert on 7 September 2013 at the 5000 seat Vector Arena.[13] On 24 September 2013, she performed the track at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California,[14] and at a concert at the Warsaw in Brooklyn on 3 October 2013 along with other material from her album Pure Heroine.[15] On 26 November 2013, Lorde performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman, backed by a drummer and a keyboard player.[16] Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth remixed the track and released it under the subtitle "Let's Have a Sleepover Version".[17] Lorde performed "Ribs" at the Coachella Valley Music Festival and other festivals in 2017,[18] and on her debut Pure Heroine Tour (2013–2014);[19] while a reworked version of the song was performed during the North American leg of her Melodrama World Tour (2017–2018).[20]

Reception

"Ribs" received favorable reviews from music critics on its release. Mike Wass of Idolator praised the song's "vulnerability" and called it an "obtuse offering".[21] Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork opined that "Ribs" was the best song Lorde had written so far.[22] Pretty Much Amazing wrote a mixed review of "Ribs", describing it as a song with "slower, driving beats" that go nowhere. While the publication praised its "dark and cold" chorus, it was also critical of the "same stacked vocals, hypnotic percussion, and synthesized production" that made the track repetitive.[23] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters called it one of the album's highlights, with the lyrics describing a "specific mood and atmosphere". Sawdey also compared the "steady club beat" that plays "underneath her words" to that of a heartbeat.[24] The A.V. Club called "Ribs" the "best illustration of [Lorde's] gift,"[25] while Jon Hadusek of Consequence of Sound placed it as one of the album's essential tracks in his review.[26]

Since its release, the song has appeared in several critics' lists. In 2017, Billboard ranked "Ribs" at number 12 on their list of the 100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars. Tatiana Cirisano, a reporter for the publication, wrote that it remains the singer's "most poignant reflection on the anxieties—and small thrills—of growing up".[27] Uproxx placed the track at number 95 on its list of the Best Songs of the 2010s.[28]

Commercially, "Ribs" peaked at numbers 36 and 92 on the Australian and British streaming charts, and reached number 29 on the New Zealand singles chart. The single reached number 26 on the United States Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. In 2020, the song experienced a resurgence in popularity driven by creators on the video-sharing app TikTok.[29]

Track listing

Digital download[3]
  1. "Ribs" – 4:18

Charts

Chart (2013–2014)Peak
position
Australian Streaming Tracks (ARIA)[30] 36
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[31] 29
UK Streaming (Official Streaming Chart)[32] 92

Notes and References

  1. Lorde . . 2013 . inlay cover . Universal Music Group.
  2. News: Joel Little: Doing the Lorde's work . . . 19 September 2013 . 11 January 2014 . Jenkin . Lydia . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140723000819/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11126667 . 23 July 2014 . dmy-all .
  3. Web site: Ribs – Single . iTunes Store. United States . https://web.archive.org/web/20131012173517/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ribs-single/id716908688 . 12 October 2013 . 11 January 2014.
  4. Web site: Lorde Opens Up About 'Ribs' . . . 21 August 2013 . 11 January 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170806180238/http://www.mtv.com/video-clips/2uobij/lorde-opens-up-about-ribs . 6 August 2017 . dmy-all .
  5. News: Lorde celebrates success with 'first fans' . Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand) . 30 January 2014 . https://www.webcitation.org/6N0LltKzs?url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/gig-reviews/9664573/Lorde-celebrates-success-with-first-fans . 30 January 2014 . Tunstall . Kashka.
    St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2013 – Artist Announcement . . 26 September 2012 . 30 January 2014 . live . https://www.webcitation.org/6rLD5cOHR?url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1209/S00475/st-jeromes-laneway-festival-2013-artist-announcement.htm . 19 June 2017 . dmy-all .
  6. News: Key & BPM for Ribs by Lorde. 22 April 2020. Tunebat.com. dmy-all.
  7. News: Lorde Chords - Chordify. 22 April 2020. Chordify.com. dmy-all.
  8. Web site: Renowned for Sound – Album Review: Lorde – Pure Heroine. 11 October 2013. Renowned for Sound. 14 March 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107031605/http://renownedforsound.com/index.php/album-review-lorde-pure-heroine/. 7 November 2017. dmy-all.
  9. Web site: Lorde – Pure Heroine . John . Murphy . . 24 October 2013 . 1 July 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140408141649/http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/lorde-pure-heroine . 8 April 2014 . dmy-all .
  10. Web site: Lorde: Pure Heroine . Cokemachineglow.com . Corey . Beasley . 4 February 2014 . 14 July 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170620103221/http://cokemachineglow.com/records/lorde-pureheroine-2013/ . 20 June 2017 . dmy-all .
  11. Lorde, 'Pure Heroine': Track-By-Track Review . . 25 September 2013 . 11 January 2014 . Lipshutz . Jason . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211064504/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/5733177/lorde-pure-heroine-track-by-track-review . 11 December 2013 . dmy-all .
  12. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: Lorde 'Freaks Out' About The Aging Process On 'Ribs' . . . 20 September 2013 . 11 January 2014 . Graham . Mark . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140112063229/http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2013-09-20/exclusive-lorde-freaks-out-about-the-aging-process-on-ribs/ . 12 January 2014 . dmy-all .
  13. News: Concert review: Lorde, Vector Arena . Chris . Schulz . . . 8 September 2013 . 17 February 2014.
    News: Lorde has the power . Siena . Yates . Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand) . 8 September 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6NRRSU4Ec?url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/gig-reviews/9140298/Lorde-has-the-power . 17 February 2014.
  14. Web site: Lorde Reigns Supreme At The Fonda Theater In Los Angeles: Live Review. Mike. Wass. Idolator. 2013-09-25. 2014-01-16. live. https://archive.today/20140116082510/http://www.idolator.com/7486136/lorde-fonda-theater-live-review-setlist. 16 January 2014. dmy-all.
  15. Web site: Live Review: Lorde Brings Brooklyn More Than a Chart-Topper. Foster. Kamer. 2013-10-04. Complex. 2014-01-02. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140427232143/http://www.complex.com/music/2013/10/lorde-concert-review-brooklyn-warsaw. 27 April 2014. dmy-all.
  16. Lorde Is Blissful During Six-Song 'Live on Letterman' Set . . 13 November 2013 . 9 January 2014 . Grow . Kory . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140106185630/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/lorde-is-blissful-during-six-song-live-on-letterman-set-20131113 . 6 January 2014 . dmy-all .
  17. Web site: Ribs (Let's Have A Sleepover Version) . . 11 January 2014 . Hemsworth . Ryan . Ryan Hemsworth . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140112063316/https://soundcloud.com/ryanhemsworth/ribs-lets-have-a-sleepover . 12 January 2014 . dmy-all .
  18. News: Lorde wows Coachella crowd. 3 January 2018. The Desert Sun. 19 April 2014.
  19. News: Bulut . Selim . Lorde played a new song and covered Frank Ocean at a concert last night . 28 September 2020 . Dazed . 2 March 2018.
  20. News: Fusilli . Jim . A Young Lorde's Royal Tour . 28 September 2020 . The Wall Street Journal . 5 March 2014.
  21. Web site: Lorde's 'Pure Heroine': Album Review Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. 30 September 2013 . idolator.com. 2014-04-04. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140331190313/http://www.idolator.com/7486757/lordes-pure-heroine-album-review. 31 March 2014. dmy-all.
  22. Web site: Lorde: Pure Heroine. Lindsay. Zoladz. Pitchfork Media. 3 October 2013. 28 February 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140307115506/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18614-lorde-pure-heroine/. 7 March 2014. dmy-all.
  23. News: Offitzer. Adam. Review: Lorde - Pure Heroine. 3 January 2018. Pretty Much Amazing. 29 September 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171030150459/https://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/lorde-pure-heroine. 30 October 2017. dmy-all.
  24. News: Sawdey. Evan. Lorde: Pure Heroine. 3 January 2018. PopMatters. 10 October 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103193353/https://www.popmatters.com/175719-lorde-pure-heroine-2495719039.html. 3 January 2018. dmy-all.
  25. News: McFarland. Kevin. Lorde: Pure Heroine. 3 January 2018. The A.V. Club. 8 October 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013652/https://music.avclub.com/lorde-pure-heroine-1798178213. 4 January 2018. dmy-all.
  26. News: Hadusek. Jon. Lorde – Pure Heroine. 3 January 2018. Consequence of Sound. 29 September 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171230084803/https://consequence.net/2013/09/album-review-lorde-pure-heroine/. 30 December 2017. dmy-all.
  27. The 100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars: Critics' Picks. Billboard. 2020-01-02.
  28. News: Uproxx Music . All the Best Songs of the 2010s, Ranked . 15 July 2020 . Uproxx . 9 October 2019.
  29. Web site: Jennings. Rebecca. May 7, 2020. Stuck in 2020, pretending it's 2014. 2020-07-15. Vox.
  30. Web site: The ARIA Report . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20131123130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20131124-0000/Issue%201236.pdf . dead . 2013-11-23 . . 4 December 2013 . 11 January 2014 . dmy-all .
  31. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart . . 17 March 2014 . 14 March 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140314085851/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=2456 . 14 March 2014 . dmy-all .
  32. Web site: Lane . Daniel . OneRepublic's Counting Stars is STILL the UK's most listened to track . . 5 November 2013 . 11 January 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140112060844/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/onerepublics-counting-stars-is-still-the-uks-most-listened-to-track-2590/ . 12 January 2014 . dmy-all .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ribs (song)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.