Kanye West has flipped Lorde‘s pulsating, popping “Yellow Flicker Beat” into the lurching but no less massive “Flicker,” which will appear alongside the original on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 soundtrack. West’s new version of the track makes ample use of ethereal synths and backing vocals, while a haunting piano line wanders in towards the end, all of which perfectly contrast with the heavy, clanking percussion.
In a recent chat with Rolling Stone about the Mockingjay soundtrack, which she also curated, Lorde spoke about the rare opportunity to watch West at work, saying: “He’s so private, I feel weird talking about how he does stuff. I feel lucky to even be in a room with him.”
“Flicker” comes on the heels of Lorde’s new video for “Yellow Flicker Beat,” which has little to do with the upcoming Hunger Games movie, but does capture the alienation and defiance that fuels protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). Upon the original song’s release in September, Lorde wrote on her Tumblr that the track was “my attempt at getting inside [Katniss’] head.”
Lorde appears on four Mockingjay cuts: the two versions of “Yellow Flicker Beat,” “Ladder Song” and Stromae’s “Meltdown,” which also features Pusha T, Q-Tip and Haim. The rest of the soundtrack boasts an array of artists, including Charli XCX, CHVRCHES, Bat for Lashes and Grace Jones; the LP will also features collaborations between Major Lazer and Ariana Grande and the Chemical Brothers with Miguel.
The Mockingjay soundtrack sees release on November 17th via Republic Records, while the film itself will open in theaters on November 21st.
