Homemade Dynamite

In an interview with The Spinoff, Lorde described "Homemade Dynamite" as the moment when "everyone's at a good level and maybe the sharp edges of the evening haven't quite shown themselves yet." During production, the singer mentioned that the song started out with a "bootleg" sound but soon developed into a "shiny pop mix." Critic Claire Shaffer felt the "cute" vocals on Purity Ring's 2012 song "Fineshrine" were a source of influence on "Homemade Dynamite". ==Composition and lyrical interpretation==

(pictured in 2015). The song was recorded at two locations in the United States. Recording began at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with help from Tove Lo. The rest of the track was completed at Electric Lady Studios, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Serban Ghenea mixed the song at MixStar Studios with assistance from engineer John Hanes. Laura Sisk served as the audio engineer. It was mastered at Sterling Sound Studios by Randy Merrill. Other personnel include songwriters Jakob Jerlström and Ludvig Söderberg, Kuk Harrell who provided vocal production, and producer Frank Dukes. This is the only track on the record that is not produced or written by Jack Antonoff. It was described as a mid-tempo R&B and synth-pop song with vocal sound effects, reverberated percussion, a staccato hook, electronic flourishes, synthesizers, and hip hop beats. The Chicago Tribune editor Greg Kot noted that Lorde's vocals turn to "rap-singing" in some of the song's verses, David Greenwald from The Oregonian stated that she delivered the track in falsetto. Several publications interpreted the lines "Might get your friend to drive, but he can hardly see / we'll end up painted on the road in red and chrome, all the broken glass sparkling," as an imagery describing a car crash involving Lorde and her new crush. The Guardian compared the car crash scenario to The Smiths 1992 song "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out". ==Critical reception==

"Homemade Dynamite" received favourable reviews from music critics. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone called the song's "tiny explosion amid total silence" the most striking part of the album. Dan Weiss of Consequence of Sound labelled it "excellent" and called the singer's mouth explosion noise "adorable," while Drowned in Sound editor Joe Giggins called the song's ending "electrifying." Paste writer Emily Reily noted that its production brings an "absolutely liberating chorus." Despite several mixed reviews, Rolling Stone included "Homemade Dynamite" at number two on their year-end list. The publication called it a "nervously sexy synth-pop thriller." The song was ranked the 14th greatest song of 2017 by Australian alternative music station Triple J. ==Commercial performance==

In the United Kingdom, the solo version debuted at number 82 on the chart dated 22 September 2017. The remix managed to enter the top 20 in Lorde's native New Zealand. It also held a moderate placement in Australia, peaking at number 23. Since its release, the remix has received a double platinum certification in Australia, and a platinum certification from the New Zealand and Canada. ==Live performances==

Lorde performed "Homemade Dynamite" for the first time at the Coachella Valley Music Festival. She introduced it by saying it was meant to "capture the feeling of a night out, from the high to the low" and the part "where everything is good." The song was to have been premiered at the restaurant and music venue Pappy & Harriet's in California, but was scratched from the set list. During the performance, Lorde wore a "dazzling silver trousers and an embellished bodice-style top," which The Daily Telegraph noted to be a change in her wardrobe style. The full performance was met with positive reactions from critics, with Entertainment Weekly calling it one of the festival's highlights. During her set at the Osheaga Festival on 4 August 2017, Lorde invited Tove Lo to sing a duet of "Homemade Dynamite" with her. The track was also performed at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Lorde said hours before the performance that she was diagnosed with the flu. Instead of singing, she opted to perform an interpretive dance. It was met with conflicting reviews from critics and audiences, with many calling it "bizarre" and Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine saying it was "utterly horrible"; it later became a meme. Lorde later defended her performance in a podcast interview, saying that viewers overreacted to her dancing. She said that it was "sort of embarrassing to watch someone experience intense joy" which she thinks is why people find what she does "disconcerting". The song was part of her Melodrama World Tour (2017–2018) set list. She also performed "Homemade Dynamite", with five other songs, as part of a re-imagined Vevo series at the Electric Lady Studios where most of the album was recorded. ==Remixes==

}} Khalid, Post Malone and SZA remix On 16 September 2017, a remix version featuring vocals from Khalid, Post Malone, and SZA, was released. Lorde first teased the track on Instagram after the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, with the caption written in 21 asterisks. This was later revealed to be the announcement for the remix. This marked Lorde's first collaboration since "Magnets" (2015) with Disclosure and the first as a lead artist. It was released as the third single from the singer's second album, Melodrama (2017). The remix's cover art features a "Polaroid-esque portrait in a room of helium balloons" with one hiding Lorde's face. The song maintained its original rhythms, with an extra line in the first chorus and three more verses sung by the featured artists. Khalid, SZA and Post Malone wrote their own verses and Lorde changed parts of the chorus, moving the line "Now you know it's really gonna blow" to the end of the song as the outro. At the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Lorde surprised the crowd by bringing Khalid on-stage to sing the remix. The remix received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Several publications praised the verses of the guest vocalists. Mike Wass from Idolator stated that the remix had "all the ingredients [for] a multi-format hit." Exclaims Sarah Murphy said that the "additional verses put a fresh spin on the brooding pop track, while [also] retaining the undeniable infectiousness of the original" version. Noisey editor Phil Witmer called the remix "explosive," while Uproxx labelled it "ethereal." Pigeons & Planes placed the remix on its Best Songs of the Week list for 15 September 2017. Charlotte Freitag, writing for the publication, lauded the final chorus which delivers "stunning four-part harmonies." Charts Other remixes Australian radio station Triple J held a contest shortly after the release of Lorde's official remix to find the best remix for "Homemade Dynamite". More than 1,000 entries were submitted. Five finalists were announced before the reveal date: Aela Kae, Eilish Gilligan, Sweet Potato, Tone Youth and Vincent Sole. Lorde handpicked the winner, Sweet Potato, saying his submission reminded her of the chopped and screwed vocals she used as a beat in her 2013 song "Million Dollar Bills". Lorde also gave a "highly commended" to Vincent Sole, finding his "house groove [...] super interesting." ==Track listing==

Recording and management • Recorded at Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) and Electric Lady Studios (Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY) • Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) • Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York City) • Published by Songs Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Warner Chappell Music Scand (STIM), Wolf Cousins and vocal production administered for Suga Wuga Music, Inc. Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Melodrama. • Ella Yelich-O’Connor – lead vocals, songwriting, production • Tove Lo – songwriting • Laura Sisk - engineer • Eric Eylands – assistant engineer • Greg Eliason – assistant engineer • John Hanes – mixing engineer • Randy Merrill – mastering • Serban Ghenea – mixing • Frank Dukes – production • Kuk Harrell – vocal production ==Charts==