Paradise (Lana Del Rey EP)
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Paradise is the third extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. Slated to be released on November 12, 2012, through Universal Music, it was produced by Rick Nowels, Justin Parker, and Rick Rubin. The nine tracks will be available in digital download format, audio CD, and vinyl, as a standalone EP and as part of a two-disc box set for a reissuing of Del Rey's debut album Born to Die.[1][2]
The EP's lead single is "Ride", a downtempo pop ballad. A cover of the popular 1950s track "Blue Velvet" and an original track, "Burning Desire", were included on the EP as promotional singles. An ancillary music video for "Blue Velvet" was used in a commercial for clothing line H&M to help promote the EP. A teaser trailer was released to Del Rey's official YouTube channel with snippets of each song featured on the EP. Even before its release, the song "Cola" received media attention due to the controversial nature of its lyrics.
Background
In an interview with RTVE on June 15, 2012, Del Rey announced she has been working on a new album due in November, and that five tracks have already been written, two of them being "Will You Still Love Me When I'm No Longer Young and Beautiful" and "In the Land of Gods and Monsters" and the other track titled "I Sing the Body Electric", which was performed and announced as one of her songs at the BBC Radio1's Hackney Weekend. In an interview with Tim Blackwell for Nova FM in Melbourne, Australia, Del Rey added that her upcoming November release would not be a new album, but more like an EP, which she described as the Paradise Edition of Born to Die. Del Rey stated that the new release would have around seven new songs.[3]
Del Rey's Paradise is set to be released on November 11 worldwide. The album's re-release titled Born to Die - The Paradise Edition is available to pre-order offering an immediate download of "Burning Desire" in some countries.[4] The nine tracks will be available as a stand-alone CD or Vinyl LP titled Paradise and in a two-disc set including the original Born to Die album tracks as well as in a deluxe box set which will include both albums, a remix CD including eight remixes of songs from Born to Die, a DVD with six music videos and a 7" two-track Vinyl LP of "Blue Velvet".[1][2]
Promotion
On the day of "Ride"'s release as the EP's first single, Del Rey uploaded a teaser trailer to video-hosting website, YouTube, that contained snippets of each track on The Paradise Edition.[1] In it, she sings, "My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola/My eyes are wide like cherry pie," for the song "Cola".[2][5][6] To promote the album, two promotional singles were released, a cover version of "Blue Velvet" and the original "Burning Desire". "Blue Velvet was used in a television commercial for H&M, as a part of a promotional endeavor. "Burning Desire", the album's final track, was used to promote the Jaguar F-Type model. At a promotional concert, Del Rey sang the song, wearing red lipstick, because the model features a built-in lipstick holder.[7] The song serves as the soundtrack for a short film of the same name, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Damian Lewis.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
Singles
![A brunette female wearing a white dress poses on a red luxury car.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Lana_Del_Rey_Jaguar.jpg/200px-Lana_Del_Rey_Jaguar.jpg)
On September 13, 2012, the lead single of the Paradise was confirmed to be "Ride", the accompanying music video being shot in Las Vegas, Nevada.[14]
Del Rey's sixth single "Ride" released on September 25.[15] On October 10, Del Rey premiered the music video for "Ride" at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California.[16] On October 12, the music video for "Ride" was released online.[17] Critics panned the video as pro-prostitution[17][18] and antifeminist, the latter being a word attributed to Del Rey's work since "Video Games".[19][20]
Other songs
On September 19, the music video for "Blue Velvet" was released through H&M.[21] On September 20, Del Rey's third promotional single "Blue Velvet" was released.[22] The song, "Body Electric", alludes to Walt Whitman in the lyric, "Whitman is my daddy." The song's chorus of "I sing the body electric" is a direct reference to his poem "I Sing The Body Electric".[23][24] Previously, Del Rey has cited Whitman as an inspiration, recalling his chapbook "Leaves of Grass" as instrumental to her songwriting.[23] "Yayo" returns for a third release, after having appeared on Del Rey's first EP Kill Kill and her debut album, Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant.[25][26]
Because the description of the trailer lists the song "Cola" as "Pussy", it has led to speculation about the song being titled "Pussy" or having a subtitle of that name.[27] Despite this interpretation, it has been reported that the song is called "Cola" with no alternate titles.[1][2] The official iTunes preorder does not acknowledge an alternate title.[28] "Fresh" and "is-she-serious?" have been some of the reactions to the profane lyrics included on "Cola".[29] Hindustan Times criticized the song snippet, saying it proved she was running out of ideas and that the songs all sounded strangely similar.[30]
Critical reception
Gil Kaufman of MTV wrote that "[the reissue] is as mellow and languorous... as she was on her debut." On the snippet video, he said, "...the new songs gives a peek at the gangster Nancy Sinatra's ongoing fascination with a sleepy, seductive sound and lyrics that mix old-fashion girl group obsession with sometimes profane, shocking new-school swagger."[1] Stuff said the song titles were predictably pokerfaced.[29]
"Ride" received widely positive reviews, with the only qualms circling around the unrealistic cover art and coy song title. Of the cover art, Jessica Sager of PopCrush said it's unclear how the tire swing is suspended, with no visible trees nearby. Sager highlighted rumors circulating the internet about the music video for the single being recorded in Valley of Fire in Clark County, Nevada.[31] Contactmusic.com noticed the track adheres to Del Rey's trademark sound, stating that the notion of her even having a trademark after one commercially successful album indicates that "we haven't seen the last of her just yet". Of the production itself, it was said that "Ride" is more accomplished than Del Rey's previous endeavors, with the strengths of the track outshining the flaws. The reviewer concluded by saying, "All that doe-eyed "you can be my full-time daddy / baby" shtick is going to start getting a little tired pretty soon, though, we reckon."[32] NME blogged that "Ride"'s most significant lyric read, "I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy", while stating that the accompanying music video may be produced solely by Del Rey, as the videos for "Carmen" and Video Games" were.[27] Pitchfork Media agreed, saying the aforementioned lyric was a rare moment of raw emotion by Del Rey.[6] Billboard wrote: "Ride' is a long, dreamy ballad that swells into full view during the chorus, when the singer declares, 'Been trying' hard not to get into trouble/But I, I've got a war in my mind… so I just ride."[33] MTV called "Ride" a "slow burn" and "as mellow and languorous...as on her debut."[1] Another MTV review said: "On 'Ride,' Rey sings what she knows best: loneliness, some daddy issues and day-drinking. All of this is probably a metaphor for something, but honestly, we’re still trying to figure out what those 'Born To Die' tigers mean."[34] Cameron Matthew of Spinner noted that Del Rey "amped up on the smokey vocals" with "Ride".[35]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ride" | Lana Del Rey, Justin Parker | Rick Rubin[27] | 4:49 |
2. | "American" | Del Rey, Rick Nowels | Nowels | 4:08 |
3. | "Cola (Pussy)[27]" | Del Rey, Nowels | Nowels | 4:20 |
4. | "Body Electric" | Del Rey, Nowels | Nowels | 3:53 |
5. | "Blue Velvet" | Bernie Wayne, Lee Morris | 2:38 | |
6. | "Gods & Monsters" | Del Rey, Tim Larcombe | 3:57 | |
7. | "Yayo" | Del Rey | 5:21 | |
8. | "Bel Air" | Del Rey, Dan Heath | 3:57 | |
Total length: | 36:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Burning Desire" | Del Rey, Parker | 3:51 |
Total length: | 40:48 |
Release history
Country | Date | Format |
---|---|---|
Australia[36] | November 9, 2012 | CD |
Worldwide[37] | November 12, 2012 | 12" Vinyl |
Germany[38] | November 13, 2012 | CD |
United States[39][40] | CD, digital download |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Kaufman, Gil. "Lana Del Rey's Paradise Edition Of Debut Features Eight New Songs". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d Lipshutz, Jason. "Lana Del Rey Releases 'Ride' Single From 'Born To Die' Deluxe Edition". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved 26 September 2012. Cite error: The named reference "billboard2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Lana del Rey, eléctrica y Amon Tobin calentando motores para su espectacular show en Sónar" (in Spanish). RTVE. June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "iTunes - Music - Born to Die - The Paradise Edition - Lana Del Rey". iTunes. September, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Lana Del Rey 'The Paradise Edition' Sampler: 6 Lyrics From Singer's New Disc". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ a b Battan, Carrie. "Listen to a New Lana Del Rey Song, "Ride"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey adds female touch to new Jaguar". OK!. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "VIDEO: Lana Del Rey sings Burning Desire live at Paris Jaguar F-Type launch". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Wilkinson, Sophie. "Lana Del Rey sings a song about a car. Riiiight". Heat World. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer. "Lana Del Rey unveils new Jaguar F-Type - video, pictures". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Smart, Gordon. "Highland sing: Lana Del Rey on road to Scotland". The Sun. News International. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Massey, Ray. "Very racy! Lana Del Rey shows off some leg as she helps to launch the new Jaguar F-Type car at the Paris Motor Show". Daily Mail. Hearst Magazines. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Abramovitch, Seth. "Lana Del Rey Unveils New Jaguar Coupe at Paris Auto Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Clarke, Norm (September 13, 2012). "'High Roller' star loving limelight". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephens Media LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey - Rid - Rdio". Rdio. 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey premieres her new Ride music video in Santa Monica". Glamour. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Jones, Lucy. "Lana Del Rey Channels Blanche DuBois In Music Video For 'Ride'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey plays a prostitute in new 'Ride' video, has some old truckers for customers". OK!. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ Savage, Mark. "Love, the law, and Lana Del Rey". BBC. The Crown. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ Rice, Paul. "Lana Del Rey's Feminist Problem". Slant Magazine. Slant Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey - Blue Velvet". H&M. YouTube. September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey: Blue Velvet". Amazon.com. September 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b "Lana Del Rey hates personal critics". STV. STV Group plc. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Moore, Alex. "Here's Lana Del Rey's new Walt Whitman-referencing track, 'The Body Electric'". Death and Taxes. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Tremblay, Brea (2008). "Lizzy Grant Interview". Index Magazine. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
- ^ Maloy, Sarah; Lipshutz. "Lana Del Rey Unveils 10-Minute 'Ride' Video: Watch". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ a b c d "Lana Del Rey debuts new single 'Ride'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Born to Die - The Paradise Edition". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ a b Rosen, Genevieve. "Lana Del Rey releases afterthought". Stuff. Haymarket Publishing. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey floats latest album sampler". Hindustan Times. HT Media. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ Sager. "Three New Lana Del Rey Tracks Leak as 'Ride' Single Art Hits the Web". PopCrush. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "Lana Del Rey - Will 'Ride' Change Our Minds About Lana Del Rey?". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason. "Lana Del Rey Releases 'Ride' Single From 'Born to Die' Deluxe Edition". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ Ayers, Mike. "Stream Lana Del Rey's New Track "Ride"". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ Matthews, Cameron. "Joey Ramone's 'New York City,' New Neil Young Song & More". Spinner. AOL. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Paradise". Sanity.com.au. Sanity ABN. 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "Born To Die- The Paradise Edition 12" Vinyl". Universal Music. Vivendi. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey: Paradise". jpc-schallplatten Versandhandelsgesellschaft mbH (in German). 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "Paradise". Amazon.com. Amazon.com. 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey - Top Albums". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 3 October 2012.