Royals Essay1

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Royals Essay1

I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address,
In the torn-up town, no post code envy
But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like crystal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

Royals Essay1

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood,
That kind of lux just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

My friends and I – we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
We didn't come for money.
But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom.
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like crystal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care we aren't caught up in your love affair
And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.
Oooh ooooh ohhh
We're bigger than we ever dreamed,
And I'm in love with being queen.
Oooooh ooooh ohhhhh
Life is game without a care
We aren't caught up in your love affair.
And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

Royals Essay1

“Royals”

The writer and singer of a song called “Royals” is known by her chosen celebrity name, Lourde. Her real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor and in her writing she explains how although she is not a big celebrity she is better off than the celebrities who most people admire. Through the use of several literary devices she makes her song come alive for those who had similar backgrounds to her and provide an easy connection allowing other people to agree with her opinion of celebrity because they can relate to her. Lourde uses the words in her song, “Royals” to appeal to the common person in three different ways. First, she sums up the crassness of the false life of celebrities. Second she lists why common people will never be like the “Royals” and third, she offers them their own “Royalty” from their ranks to make them happy.

Lourde uses content, metaphor, and repetition to bring home her ideas to convince the common person that the life of the “Royals” is not desirable.

Lourde comes from New Zealand and is relatively unspoiled by the trappings of wealth and power. However she is well aware of the prisons of stardomand the things which make celebrities “wealthy.” Her claim that the common man is better off without a gross collection of things, no matter their worth, is expressed through this song.As she widens here ideas to include others from similar backgrounds, she makes it personal so that they can easily relate to her with a commonality based on “I’ve been there so I know” successfully filling her fans with devotion to her simple, yet successful life.

She criticizes the life and culture of celebrities who she calls “Royals” through the use of examples of how she sees celebrity life. Her background message is that she will never result to that kind of celebrity due to how she was raised. For example, she comments on how todays celebrities brag and show off their imagined superior life style with the trappings they accumulate. Lorde uses metaphors to explain that these trappings encompass both good and bad rewards: “gold teeth, grey goose, tripping in the bathroom, bloodstains, ball gowns, trashing a hotel room” (6 & 7) as good and badincidents taken from the headlines of the lives of celebrities. Because Lorde finds it difficult to relate to these people she uses her background with common people to set them on fire for her ideas. Here she uses a common thematic background where “we aren’t caught up in your love affair,” (11). She uses the word “we” repeatedly making the listeners part of the complaint against the “Royals” and to connect to those with similar backgrounds. Most people enjoy being a part of a group where they can use the expression “we think …” or “we feel …” She says that these things are not important because she (and they) can be more entertained by other things and can find happiness in reality and not in imagination. Her line “It don’t run in our blood” (15) again brings in the commonality with the listener and herself as she explains that she was not raised to treat her rewards from her work unwisely. Lorde was brought up to love and care for other things, “we crave a different kind of buzz.” (17)

On the other hand, she does talk about how it is tempting to want to “live that fantasy.” The meaningless attractiveness of "Royals" is based on Lorde's message that simple pleasures in life are more meaningful. But her version of the celebrity life is different. It is tempting to want the trappings, and in her way of explaining her desires, she promises the common people that they will have their celebrity to admire if they let her be their ruler. Here she makes that point as she utilizes repetition to set up a rhythmic beat when she says “You can call me queen Bee, and baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule. Let me live that fantasy” (18 - 21). She claims to be able to fulfill the needs of the people to have a celebrity to look at and want to imitate.

Lourdes is very young and simplistic in her thinking. With this song she implies that she has life figured out. She explains that since “My friends and I – we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party” (22 & 23) that her way is the better way to pursue fame and fortune.This gives a superior kind of hope for those who believe that she is right. She would like people to live life without worrying about what others think of them as she sings“life is great without a care” (47).

The attraction to the life of the “Royals” is false and disappointing in its reality. Common people will never be like the “Royals” but they can still have their own respectable royalty in the presence of one of their own as “Queen Bee.” Through connecting content, repetition and metaphors, Lourde, the writer and singer of a song “Royals” illustrates that the life of celebrities is not one to be desired, but seeking a good life within the one that they are brought up in is entirely satisfactory to the common man.

Works Cited

Yelich-O'Connor, Ella. "Royals." Rec. 27 Sept. 2013. Royals. Lorde. 2013. CD.