Lorde's Anti-Bling Anthem Royals Tops the Charts
In August 2011, the average unemployed person had been looking for work for more than 10 months, housing prices were abysmal, and construction was down 28 percent from its pre-recession peak. Even sales of basic appliances like ovens and stoves had fallen to their lowest level since 1992. Meanwhile, amid the economic malaise, Jay-Z and Kanye West released Watch the Throne, a gold-encased album replete with references to brand names such as Maybach and Hermès.
Of course, Jay-Z and Kanye weren’t the only ones blinging out while everyone else was paring down. The cover of Drake’s Take Care album featured him crying over gold goblets, and Pitbull released a song titled Give Me Everything. Two years later, however, the non-Maybach drivers of America may finally have a song that’s a more accurate reflection of their daily lives. And it’s written by a 16-year-old girl from New Zealand.
Macklemore and Lewis may have parodied pop and hip-hop’s greediness with last year’s Thrift Shop, but Lorde is unabashedly calling the artists out.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-04/lordes-anti-bling-anthem-royals-tops-the-charts
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