"Meltdown" is a song by Belgian artist

Stromae Paul Van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his music, which is a blend of hip-hop and electronic music styles. Stromae came ...

featuring additional vocals from New Zealand singer

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...

, American rappers

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

and Q-Tip, as well as American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Haim Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo. Etymology Hebrew Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...

. It was released on 17 November 2014 as the opening track for the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

of the motion picture '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1''. "Meltdown" uses the instrumentation of "Merci", taken from Stromae's second studio album ''

Racine carrée , stylised as ''√'') is the second studio album by Belgian musician Stromae. It was released digitally on 16 August 2013 and three days later physically in France and Belgium. Stromae expressed his desire to incorporate Caribbean and African mus ...

'' (2013), which was produced by the lead artist, Thomas Azier and Aron Ottingnon. It was well received by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

and charted at the top spot in several of Stromae's native charts.

Background and composition

"Meltdown" was written by

(credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor), Joel Little, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Terrence Thornton, and Este Haim, Danielle Haim and Alana Haim from the indie rock band

. It was released on 17 November 2014 as the opening track for the

of the 2014 motion picture '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1''. The song was taken from "Merci", an instrumental track from Stromae's second studio album ''

'' (2013). Melissa Locker from ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' described "Meltdown" as a "dark synth dance track" and "an ' 80s-influenced kinetic earworm", while ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' called it a "bombastic electro stomp." '' Exclaim'' described "Meltdown" as having a "propulsive pulse that spans hip-hop and pop" and ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' characterized it as a "piano-laced, drum pounding production" track. Stromae explained that the song came together after Lorde called his manager to "get a track (for the ''Hunger Games: Mockingjay'' soundtrack)". Although the song was from Stromae's album ''Racine carrée'', Lorde "decided to do a new track with it". Stromae said he was touched with how important it was for her to have his opinion, even with invited guests on the track. He described Lorde as being "human, simple and really nice". At one point in the song, Pusha T calls out the film's "image-obsessed

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

of the Capitol" which ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described as "language that would be just as appropriate for real-life society". In his verse, he sings: :We're all tryna be somebody else :You can't hide your tears in wealth :When your heart knows you hate yourself

Reception

"Meltdown" received generally positive reviews from

with several critics praising Lorde and Haim's vocal delivery but criticizing the latter's lack of vocals on the song. Jon Dolan from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called it a "thick, agitated groove that sounds like an all-night dance party in war-torn District 13." ''

'' editor Melissa Locker stated that "Meltdown" would make "people obtheir heads from here to Panem." Other critics shared mixed to positive opinions. ''

'' praised the song but criticized Haim's contribution which was described as "limited" to backing vocals. Alex Hudson from ''Exclaim'' also noted Haim's "fairly low" contribution but were pleased when their "distinctive harmonized

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

s come to the fore in the final passage." Despite "Meltdown" not charting in many countries, it was commercially successful in Belgium. Shortly after the film's release, the song debuted and peaked at number seven in Belgium's Flanders chart component, which records music sales for the north part of the country. In Wallonia, Belgium's southern chart component, "Meltdown" peaked at number 5. It charted at number one on Belgium's Urban chart. In France, "Meltdown" had a minor chart placement at 107.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2014 songs The Hunger Games music Lorde songs Haim (band) songs Stromae songs Songs written by Stromae Songs written by Lorde Pusha T songs Songs written by Pusha T Q-Tip (musician) songs Songs written by Q-Tip (musician) Songs written by Danielle Haim Songs written by Este Haim Songs written by Alana Haim Songs written by Joel Little