Lorde, The New Cover Master, Sang St. Vincent’s ‘New York’ With Help From Jack Antonoff
April 5, 2018
One of the starkest cuts on St. Vincent's MASSEDUCTION album from 2017 is "New York," a ballad with the gut-punching memorable refrain of "you're the only motherfucker in the city who can handle me." Lorde is a confirmed fan, having tweeted out those lyrics last summer. It makes sense, as St. Vincent co-wrote the song with Lorde's trusted collaborator (and pal) Jack Antonoff.
Those who called for a team-up between St. Vincent and Lorde back then will still have to wait, unfortunately, but last night at a live show at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, Lorde took one step closer to making it happen. Antonoff joined her onstage, and the pair fittingly did "New York" in the city of the same name.
With Antonoff on acoustic guitar, Lorde is free to go as deep into the song as her voice will take her, and near the end, the two segue into her own song "Hard Feelings." When this pair gets together for these kinds of stripped-down covers, the results are usually aces — just like when they did Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" last summer.
It's yet another jewel in Lorde's crown as Queen of Covers. Lately, she's given great takes on songs by Frank Ocean, Drake, and Kanye West.
Lorde's got a show this weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and though it doesn't seem likely that she'll sing a Bruce Springsteen song, she still could! Particularly as her pal Jack, a Bruce super fan, just had a birthday. Anything could happen, man. In the meantime, check out the cover (and Lorde singing the word "motherfucker" a lot of times) above.