Liability - Lorde

Motion Graphic

Dimension 960 × 540
Tools Used Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Adobe Media Encoder

 Liability is a song written by New Zealand musician Lorde. She was inspired by Rihana’s song “Higher.” Both songs describe a specific feeling of being “too much” for somebody. She uses a confessional style of storytelling throughout the song; the verses are somewhat up-tempo and her vocal delivery is percussive whereas in the chorus, in which she sings “they say ‘you’re a little much for me, you’re a liability,’” the pacing is slower and the tone is more plaintive. As she ends the chorus, she uses rubato for effect, slowing the pace slightly to convey the depth of her emotions. 

Listening to the song feels like reading someone’s journal; the lines are her conversation within herself. The imagery of the song is lonely and melancholic, like a quiet and dimly-lighted street. It feels like she is left alone on this street, which is further reflected by what she says in the bridge of the song: “I am a toy that people enjoy until all of the tricks don’t work anymore. And then they are bored of me.” 

I chose this song because as a student being abroad on my own, life is not as wonderful as most people might expect. There have been many times I have felt alone, questioning myself, and dealing with the suffocating silence. The song taught me a lifelong lesson about the importance of relying on myself, given that people tend to be fickle and unreliable, and the importance of being friends with that silence. 

For the design choices, I would like to focus on the transitioning of the emotions based on the changing cadence and tone of the vocal. I would play with the speed, special effects, and the contrast of bold and light typography that represent different emotions. As for the colour scheme, I would like to capture the street scene that came up in my mind when I first listened to the song, which was monochromatic blue and a slight portion of orange representing the dim street light.