Liability (song)
"Liability" is a song recorded by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, from her second studio album Melodrama (2017). Lorde co-wrote and co-produced the track with Jack Antonoff. It was released on 10 March 2017, by Lava and Republic Records as the album's first promotional single. It is a pop piano ballad, which is accompanied with organs and guitar strums in the background. The track's lyrics detail the consequences and scrutiny Lorde's friends received from the media as a result of her new-found fame and the effect it had on her emotional health.
This article is about the Lorde song. For the other uses, see Liability (disambiguation)."Liability"
10 March 2017
- Electric Lady (New York)
- Rough Customer (Brooklyn Heights)
- Conway (Los Angeles)
2:54
- Lorde
- Antonoff
Music critics praised the song's lyrical content and Lorde's vocal delivery; some noted its dramatic sonic shift from the album's lead single "Green Light" (2017), which was released a week prior. The song had minor chart placements in the United States and the United Kingdom, placing at 78 and 84, respectively. She performed "Liability" for the first time on Saturday Night Live in New York in 2017 and subsequently at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. It was part of the set list of her Melodrama World Tour (2017–2018). Swedish singer Tove Styrke released a cover of the song titled "Liability (Demo)" to streaming services on 14 December 2017.
Recording and composition[edit]
Lorde recorded "Liability" in three different locations across the United States. She started recording the song at Electric Lady Studios, in New York, with Jack Antonoff and assistance from Barry McCready and Eric Eylands in engineering. Lorde and Antonoff both worked at Rough Customer Studio, in Brooklyn Heights, New York, a joint publishing venture between Sony/ATV and Antonoff. Recording concluded at Conway Recording Studios, in Los Angeles, California. Tom Elmhirst mixed the song at Electric Lady Studios, with assistance from Brandon Bost and Joe Visciano. Laura Sisk served as the sound engineer. It was published under the licenses of Songs Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, and Ducky Donath Music (BMI).[3]
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, "Liability" is composed in the key of D-flat major and in the common time signature. The song moves at a moderately slow tempo of 72 beats per minute, and Lorde's vocals span a range of C3–A♭4.[4] It is described by critics as a pop piano ballad,[5] with guitar strums and organs in the background.[6][5] Pitchfork editor Quinn Moreland noted an "unidentified mumbling male voice" at the start of the track.[6] Patrick D. McDermott from The Fader compared "Liability" to the works of American indie rock band Bright Eyes.[7] Time called it a "stripped-down" track, with a haunting piano melody that accompanies the singer's voice, which was labelled as husky.[8] Its lyrics reveal the consequences of Lorde's rise to fame, in the lines, "The truth is, I am a toy that people enjoy 'til all of the tricks don't work anymore / And then they are bored of me."[9]
Reception[edit]
"Liability" received critical acclaim from music critics, with many commending the song's lyrical content and Lorde's vocal delivery,[9] and was called one of the standout tracks on the record.[10] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone described the song as a "short but poignant song that finds Lorde grappling with fame and how it can change friendships and relationships."[9] Billboard writer Andrew Unterberger commended its lyrics and Lorde's delivery, calling the song "an absolute jaw-dropper."[11] Spin editor Anna Gaca praised Lorde for turning the track into a "poetic meditation on the perils of intimacy".[12] Pitchfork expressed that the song was a "powerful counterpart to "Green Light" that shows how intensely Lorde peers into herself on her second record."[6]
The song was released with the pre-order of Melodrama on digital download sites.[13] In the United States, "Liability" debuted at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. It charted on the Digital Song Sales chart at number 27 (27,000 first-week downloads sold in the week ending March 16), while accruing 4.7 million U.S. streams.[14] The song had minor chart placements in the United Kingdom and France, debuting at number 84 and 54, respectively. "Liability" debuted at number eight in New Zealand, earning Lorde her ninth top 10 entry in her native country.[15] Elsewhere, the song debuted within the mid-tier in Australia and Canada, placing at number 42 and 62, respectively.[16][17] It has received certifications in Australia (Platinum),[18] Canada (Gold),[19] New Zealand (Gold),[20] and the United Kingdom (Gold).[21] The song was ranked the 81st most popular song of 2017 by Australian alternative music station Triple J.[22]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Melodrama.[3]
Recording and management
Personnel