If it seems like “Royals” was everywhere in 2013-2014, that’s because it was.
Not only did Lorde’s debut single top charts around the world, not only did it remain atop the Billboard Hot 100 for an astonishing nine straight weeks, it went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time–certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for surpassing the ten million milestone, a feat Bruce has never even once achieved (although in fairness, Bruce hit his popularity peak in the pre-streaming age).
And she wrote it in a half-hour at the age of fifteen.
“Royals” made the Billboard Top 20 for both 2013 and 2014, so it was still flying high when Bruce surprised and delighted his Auckland audience by opening his High Hopes shows with it in March 2014.
By that point in the tour, Bruce had taken to paying tribute to local hero artists at each stop along the tour, turning in tour de force covers of “Highway to Hell,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “Friday on My Mind,” and more while in Australia.
But Bruce’s cover of “Royals” was no mere hat tip–that written-by-a-teenage-girl song obviously spoke to and resonated with the 64-year-old rock legend.
How do we know?
Well, first there’s the song itself–a sound rejection of the over-the-top excess that had come to typify pop stardom by the early 2010s, pride in the singer’s modest upbringing, and a pledge to never lose her grounding and to stay true to her values. Sounds like a song Bruce would write if he was a fifteen-year-old girl, doesn’t it?
And then there are the lyrical changes. While Bruce subtly changed the lyrics throughout (mostly to make it first-person singular and add emphasis), he significantly changed the bridge and made the song very personal.
Lorde’s original lyric is: “We’re bigger than we ever dreamed, and I’m in love with being queen.”
Bruce sings: “Long ago I was the next big thing; now I’m in love with being king.”
More than anything else, that’s a giveaway that Bruce identified with Lorde and her conviction that one doesn’t need to sell out to sell big.
That’s a lesson they’ve both proven time and again.
Royals
First performed: March 1, 2014 (Auckland, New Zealand)
Last performed: March 2, 2014 (Auckland, New Zealand)
Royals is one of my favorite songs of the decade which I spent in my 50s.