Some covers are just tired re-treads of a jam, and some take the original, rend it asunder, and reassemble it as something wholly different — and equally amazing. Lorde's "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" track — a cover of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" — does the latter. A preview of that track premieres exclusively Monday (November 11) on MTV News.
Although on the surface a jangly song, Tears For Fears' 1985 hit is actually pretty dark in theme. "The concept is quite serious — it's about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes," the band's Curt Smith said back when the song was released.
17-year-old wunderkind Lorde brings out that inherent darkness with her version, giving the track a layer of grime and an ominous build that culminates in the Pure Heroine singer practically keening, "everybody wants to rule the world." It's a dramatic song, a cinematic song, one that evokes all the terror and determination that builds up inside "Hunger Games" protagonist Katniss Everdeen as she prepares to re-enter the deathly arena.
"I think it's absolutely amazing," Smith told MTV Hive of the cover in an interview slated to run later this week. "But then I love her, I think she's brilliant.... We love it when other people cover our stuff. Sometimes we steal them and use their version live."
Their debut album, The Hurting, was re-released this past October.