Songfacts®:

• Lorde penned this song about the apprehension that comes with getting older. "I'm in an industry where so much importance is placed on the fact that I'm 16," she told MTV News, "so that song is kind of about that."
• Lorde explained to DJ Booker at AMP Radio that the song is about "getting old and rites of passage and being a teen and all that kind of stuff."
  
  "It's cool because at the time I was quite stressed about this thing," she added. "And so I combated it by making this song super warm sounding and comforting sonically, which is nice."
• In April 2025, Lorde planned a pop-up event at Washington Square Park in New York to promote her new single "What Was That." Although the event was technically canceled and fans were dispersed by police before Lorde arrived, many fans still gathered and sang along to "Ribs." Videos of the singalong quickly spread across social media, fueling a wave of nostalgia and excitement around the track.
  
  Lorde later performed "What Was That" at the same location, and clips from this event - including the crowd singing "Ribs" - were featured in the official music video, further adding to the song's visibility.
  
  The viral moment translated into a massive spike in streams. The surge was enough to propel the song onto the Hot 100 chart for the first time in May 2025 - over 11 years after its original release!