Entertainment

Diplo Remixed Lorde's "Tennis Court" & It's Great

by Alex Kritselis

Need an afternoon pick-me-up? Check out hunky DJ/producer Diplo's brand new "Andre Agassi" remix of Lorde's current single, "Tennis Court." If you work at a desk, the song will have you doing that strange chair dancing thing that you sometimes do when your jam's playing on the office radio. You know that thing I'm talking about — there's usually some subtle neck swiveling and lots of deep shoulder action. If you work at home, you'll probably need to put your laptop aside for a few minutes and just dance like nobody's watching... and maybe even sing like nobody's listening, too.

Considering "Tennis Court" hasn't quite taken off in the United States in the same way that Lorde's previous singles, "Royals" and "Team," did, this Diplo remix could be just what the 17-year-old singer needs in order to land her third top 10 hit. (Though, now that I think about it, Lorde's probably waaay too cool to care about that sort of thing.)

Full disclosure: I'm not a Lorde fan. I died a little on the inside every time both "Royals" and "Team" played on the radio last year (as a result, I'm mostly dead now, basically a zombie, etc.). However, "Tennis Court" was the first Lorde track that I ever heard, and it holds a special place in my heart. It's also just a really good song. Diplo's hilariously titled remix really pumps up the track's sparse instrumental with a new, rumbling bass line, bouncy beats, and sprightly synths.

While I love "Tennis Court," until very recently, I didn't get the whole "let's go down to the tennis court" bit — which is, you know, kind of essential to understanding the song as a whole. "Why would you want to go down there?" I thought. "Is that where kids go to smoke drugs these days?" I had to investigate.

Strangely enough, Lorde told VH1 in an interview last year that she's never actually played tennis — she just finds the sport to be exceptionally "beautiful." She continued, "Women play tennis and they play it in beautiful clothes and there's just a grandeur about it." She said that the tennis court was a "symbol of nostalgia" for her, and that it was something she came to think of as "familiar and safe." I see...

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Personally, I have trouble seeing the grandeur in a sport that involves so much loud, uncontrolled grunting, but hey, different strokes for different folks! Lorde said that, overall, the song is about all of the ways her newfound fame was changing her life, comparing her "new reality" to her old one. Thematically, "Tennis Court" is actually pretty similar to "Royals" and "Team," so perhaps that's the reason why the song hasn't taken over the radio waves just yet.

I can't say for sure, but I can say for sure that you need to put Diplo's new remix of "Tennis Court" in your ears immediately. You'll be so glad you did.

Image: Getty Images