What does "The Louvre" by Lorde mean?
"The Louvre" Lyrics Meaning
Lorde just dropped her Melodrama album, and it's awesome. Unlike Pure Heroine, romantic relationships figure heavily into the lyrical content, but the songs are very good and full of interesting metaphors and unique perspectives on topics some would have thought over-mined. Lorde surprises us with her ability to be fresh when writing pop music. And I think it's largely thanks to her ability to write such tangible, interesting lyrics that make us think more deeply.
Be sure to check out my full explanation of Melodrama on my podcast here or on iTunes!
"They’ll hang us in the Louvre"
While many of the relationship songs on Melodrama are about relationships going poorly, "The Louvre" is actually about one going well, which I find interesting, considering that it comes relatively early in the album. The pessimist would say that it gives plenty of time for things to go wrong, and they do go wrong later, but for now, we'll enjoy the solace of "The Louvre."
Verse 1
Well, summer slipped us underneath her tongue
Our days and nights are perfumed with obsession
Half of my wardrobe is on your bedroom floor
Use our eyes, throw our hands overboardI am your sweetheart psychopathic crush
Drink up your movements, still I can't get enough
I overthink your punctuation use
Not my fault, just a thing that my mind do
The first verse is filled with metaphor and beautiful, sometimes semi-erotic imagery. "Well, summer slipped us underneath her tongue" conjures images of the two in this relationship spending quiet, intimate time together, protected or sheltered from the world around them. Their "days and nights are perfumed by obsession"; they can't get over one another and keep looking forward to seeing each other. In fact, their relationship is quite intimate. Lorde says, "Half of my wardrobe is on your bedroom floor. The line "Use our eyes, throw our hands overboard" is less clear but seems to connote them doing what they want and being free with each other, even if others would consider their actions too much.
In the second stanza of "The Louvre," Lorde refers to herself as "your sweetheart psychopathic crush." They like each other, and she admits that she's still odd and unique compared to other girls he might have been with in the past. For her part, even though likes to "[d]rink up your movements," she "still . . . can't get enough." She wants more of him physically.
She admits that she "overthink[s]" his "punctuation use" (likely in text messages) as she tries diligently to understand the deeper shades of meaning in what he says to her. She wants to know everything about him and may be giddy as she tries to ascertain more about his feelings for her through the messages he sends her. She excuses this tendency by saying, "Not my fault, just a thing that my mind do."
Chorus
A rush at the beginning
I get caught up, just for a minute
But lover, you’re the one to blame
All that you’re doing
Can you hear the violence?
Megaphone to my chest
Broadcast the boom boom boom boom
And make ‘em all dance to it
In the chorus of "The Louvre," Lorde sings more about the feelings she's experiencing in the relationship. She remembers a "rush at the begging" that she would "get caught up" in "just for a minute" before she steadied herself. She playfully blames him for this and cites "[a]ll that you're doing" as an example of why he's keeping her so distracted.
She then inquires if he can "hear the violence" which turns out to be the beating of her own heart, which he has beating rather loudly. She suggests amplifying it with a megaphone and then subtly refers to her songwriting while focusing on how she hopes others will be able to join her in the excitement of the moment through her music. She accomplishes this when she sings, "Broadcast the boom boom boom boom / And make 'em all dance to it."
Verse 2
Our thing progresses
I call and you come through
Blow all my friendships
To sit in hell with you
But we’re the greatest
They’ll hang us in the Louvre
Down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre
Okay i know that you are not my type
(Still I fall)
I’m just the sucker who let you fill her mind
(But what about love?)
Nothing wrong with it
Supernatural
Just move in close to me, closer, you’ll feel it coasting
In the second verse, she talks about the relationship more. She sings, "Our thing progresses / I call and you come through." The relationship is doing well, and she can depend on him. Because he's so great, she's will to "[b]low all my friendships / To sit in Hell with you." When he's having a difficult day, she's willing to forego plans with her friends to be able to help him out.
She concludes that they're "the greatest" and that others will "hang us in the Louvre," which is an enormous museum in Paris, France. She thinks that the picture of them will be hung "[d]own the back," but she doesn't care because it's still "the Louvre." They are beautiful enough to be hung in the Louvre, and she has had some fun arguing with herself about where in the Louvre they'd be hung.
She admits that he's "not my type," but still "falls" for him because she's "just the sucker who let you fill her mind." She's trapped by her own obsession with him and claims that there's "[n]othing wrong with the love in their relationship. It's "[s]upernatural." She encourages hi to "move in close to me" where they can be together.
Deeper Meaning of "The Louvre": An Unquestionable Relationship
"The Louvre" is mostly a sweet song about a seemingly beautiful relationship. The one thing I'd draw from it is just how different the tone of these lyrics is from the tone of just about any song on Pure Heroine. It would seem that Lorde has given herself permission to be honestly and openly happy about love and life. She has found her own niche to an extent, and seems satisifed with how things are going.
