# Chandelier (song)
"Chandelier" is a song by the Australian singer and songwriter Sia, released on 17 March 2014 as the lead single from her sixth studio album, *[1000 Forms of Fear](https://www.edgepedia.org/1000-forms-of-fear)*[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier). Written by Sia with Jesse Shatkin and produced by [Greg Kurstin](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-kurstin) and Shatkin, it became one of the biggest hits of 2014 and earned Sia four Grammy nominations[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/). Although its chorus sounds like a party anthem, the song is about alcoholism and the fatigue of a party girl's life[3](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/) • [1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 17 March 2014, lead single from *1000 Forms of Fear*, Sia's sixth studio album[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier) |
| Writers and producers | Written by Sia and Jesse Shatkin; produced by Greg Kurstin and Shatkin[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier) |
| Writing time | About four minutes for the chords, 12 to 15 minutes for the lyrics, and 10 to 15 minutes to cut the vocals[3](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/) |
| Chart peak | No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100; Top 10 in 28 countries[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/) |
| Musical profile | Electropop ballad in B♭ minor, chord progression Bbm–Gb7–Ab–Fm[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier) |
| Subject | Alcoholism and addiction, framed as a subverted party anthem[3](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/) |
## Writing and recording
The song began during downtime in a studio session with Greg Kurstin, while Shatkin was engineering part of Sia's album. Sia sat at the piano in the live room and Shatkin played the marimba; they found chord progressions they liked, and Sia sang over them while recording snippets on her iPhone. Shatkin then built the full track, and Sia completed the melody and lyrics[4](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jesse-shatkin-interview-2014/). It was the first song the two wrote together[4](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jesse-shatkin-interview-2014/).
Sia described the speed of the process to NPR: "Chandelier took like four minutes to write the chords, then like 12-15 minutes to write the lyrics. Probably 10 or 15 minutes to cut the vocals"[3](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/). Producer Greg Kurstin later told Rolling Stone, "I've never seen anyone write a melody and lyrics that fast... She'll sing it and write it and it happens in one motion, and then she's revising"[5](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-took-like-four-minutes-to-write-the-chords-then-like-12-15-minutes-to-write-the-lyrics-probably-10-or-15-minutes-to-cut-the-vocals-how-sia-made-her-self-destructive-anthem-chandelier).
## Intended for another artist
Sia sat down with the intention of writing for Rihanna, and the writers initially considered pitching the song to other artists[6](https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-chandelier/) • [4](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jesse-shatkin-interview-2014/). Once she had recorded the vocals, she changed her mind: "I really thought we were writing a pop song for somebody else, but when I finished it I realized that I'd written myself a pop song"[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/). Shatkin recalled that she decided to record it for her own album because the lyric told a story close to her[4](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jesse-shatkin-interview-2014/).
The title came from Sia's book of song ideas. "When I saw a chandelier, I thought I could write a song about swinging from the chandelier. A party anthem of some sort. But as I was writing it, it turned into a song about my battles with addiction, inadvertently"[6](https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-chandelier/). She told NPR that she wrote it because pop had so many party-girl anthems and she wanted a different take on the formula[3](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/).
## Music and lyrics
The song is described as an electropop ballad with soaring synthesizers, militant drums, and hip hop beats carrying electronica, R&B, and reggae influences[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier). It is in the key of B♭ minor and follows the chord progression Bbm–Gb7–Ab–Fm[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier). The verses open over a reggae-influenced background with the lines "Party girls don't get hurt, can't feel anything... I push it down", and the chorus delivers the hook "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier... I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist"[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier).
Critics read the lyric as celebration shading into self-destruction. MTV Buzzworthy's John Walker wrote that the song toes the line between the two as the boundary blurs, and the theme is summarized as "the glitter and fatigue of a party girl's life"[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier). Time described the chorus's desperation as distinct from the party nihilism of Sia's contemporaries, noting that the verses echo her earlier work for Rihanna, including the 2012 hit "Diamonds"[7](https://time.com/27384/sia-chandelier-listen/). Several reviewers compared the style to Rihanna's records[1](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier).
## Commercial performance and recognition
Released in March 2014, the song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and settled into the Top 10 in 28 countries[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/). It became Sia's calling card, moving her from an A-list songwriter for Rihanna ("Diamonds"), [David Guetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-guetta) ("Titanium"), and Beyoncé ("Pretty Hurts") into a pop star in her own right[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/).
Kurstin admitted the song did not present itself as an obvious single at first because it was so unusual; it was Sia who pushed for it to be the album's first single[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/).
## The music video and Sia's public image
The official video features the child dancer [Maddie Ziegler](https://www.edgepedia.org/maddie-ziegler), known at the time from Lifetime's "Dance Moms", performing in a stripped-back setting with a muted color palette[8](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/149856/1/0cbdf606-019e-4a08-8982-cb4cbe3c9e1d.pdf). Sia herself does not appear; since the song's release she has performed with her characteristic eyes-covering wig or costumes that blend into the background, reflecting her discomfort with fame[9](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/estudis/2022/254907/sonempwom_a2022.pdf). The video's use of dance has been read as a parable for alcoholism and depression[10](https://research.unl.pt/ws/portalfiles/portal/60537341/9781501387296_web.pdf).
## Legacy
"Chandelier" remains widely regarded as Sia's signature song[5](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-took-like-four-minutes-to-write-the-chords-then-like-12-15-minutes-to-write-the-lyrics-probably-10-or-15-minutes-to-cut-the-vocals-how-sia-made-her-self-destructive-anthem-chandelier). It opened the *1000 Forms of Fear* album, which reviewers called her breakthrough[11](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/85347/Sia-1000-Forms-Of-Fear/), and it established the working relationship between Sia and Shatkin, who went on to collaborate on her albums *[This Is Acting](https://www.edgepedia.org/this-is-acting)*, *Music*, and *Reasonable Woman*[12](https://apnews.com/article/eff00c242e78c3a2194d47f5d8e05478).
## References
1. [Chandelier, Sia Wiki (Fandom)](https://sia.fandom.com/wiki/Chandelier)
2. [GRAMMYs Behind the Song: Sia - 'Chandelier', CBS Chicago](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/grammys-behind-the-song-sia-chandelier/)
3. [Sia wrote and recorded Chandelier in an hour, RTÉ Entertainment](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2014/0710/629746-sia-wrote-and-recorded-chandelier-in-an-hour/)
4. [Jesse Shatkin Breaks Through As Hit Writer/Producer, Co-Writing "Chandelier" with Sia, SongwriterUniverse](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jesse-shatkin-interview-2014/)
5. [How Sia made her self-destructive anthem, Chandelier, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-took-like-four-minutes-to-write-the-chords-then-like-12-15-minutes-to-write-the-lyrics-probably-10-or-15-minutes-to-cut-the-vocals-how-sia-made-her-self-destructive-anthem-chandelier)
6. [Behind The Song: "Chandelier" by Sia, American Songwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-chandelier/)
7. [Sia's "Chandelier" Is the Year's Most Sobering Party Anthem, Time](https://time.com/27384/sia-chandelier-listen/)
8. [The Essence of Femininity: The Subversive Potential of the Music Video Aesthetic in Perfume Advertisement, Cardiff University repository](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/149856/1/0cbdf606-019e-4a08-8982-cb4cbe3c9e1d.pdf)
9. [Songs of Empowerment: Women in 21st Century Popular Music, Universitat de Barcelona repository](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/estudis/2022/254907/sonempwom_a2022.pdf)
10. [YouTube and Music (book chapter), Universidade do Porto repository](https://research.unl.pt/ws/portalfiles/portal/60537341/9781501387296_web.pdf)
11. [Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear (album review), Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/85347/Sia-1000-Forms-Of-Fear/)
12. [Music Review: Sia soars with first solo album in 8 years, 'Reasonable Woman', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/eff00c242e78c3a2194d47f5d8e05478)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Synth-pop songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license