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Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass

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Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
AuthorLana Del Rey
LanguageEnglish
Release number
1
GenrePoetry
Published2020
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
September 29, 2020[1]
Pages128

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass is the debut book by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. A poetry collection featuring over 19 original poems, 10 haikus and photography,[2] including "13 longer poems" and several short pieces, the collection is Del Rey's first published work and was released by Simon & Schuster on September 29, 2020.[1]

In December 2019, Del Rey announced that she would be releasing a spoken word album to accompany the book, also featuring music by American producer Jack Antonoff, which was set to be released in January 2020. Following a delay due to personal problems, the album was ultimately released on July 28, 2020 through Interscope/Polydor.[3] The cover artwork, a painting of an orange tree by artist Erika Lee Sears, was released in April 2020.[4] The final release dates for the book were announced on July 9, 2020, with the album being released on July 28, 2020, and the hardcover book to follow on September 29, 2020.[2] Half of the proceeds from the book will go to the Navajo Water Project.[5]

Background and development

Since her musical beginnings, Del Rey has expressed how she has been inspired by poetry, with Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg being instrumental to her songwriting.[6][7] Del Rey has written several poems which she has used as spoken monologues in her music videos and short films, the most notable being the lengthier, melancholic pieces featured Ride (2012) and Tropico (2013), in the latter of which she also recited poems from Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

In 2018, Del Rey announced her intention to release a book of poetry. She explained how, following some writer's block while beginning work on Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) in 2017,[8] she had begun writing poetry.[9]

I think I’m just going to self-publish it and put it out beforehand. It’s kind of random. Which is kind of another one of those things I just want out there just for me. I literally might just drop these little books off at some bookstores in Silverlake and beg them to sell them. It’s been really cool for me ‘cause I was having a little bit of writer's block with the music last Fall and so I just sat down to write some words without music and I realised there was just a couple of things I wanted to say through some poems, which is funny. I feel like I’m in the 19th Century.

— Lana Del Rey

Shortly afterwards, Del Rey revealed she would be binding the book herself and be selling copies for as little as a dollar.[10] When asked why the book would be so inexpensive, Del Rey replied "because my thoughts are priceless."[11][12] However, Lana's original plans changed when Simon & Schuster acquired the rights and published the book regularly and at a standard price.[13]

During her promotional cycle of Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Del Rey described the book as consisting of "thirteen long poems",[14] though she has teased shorter pieces on social media since, including "Never to Heaven",[15] "Happy", and "Quiet Waiter-Blue Forever," among other pieces.

Del Rey explained her process for writing poetry turned out to be notably different from her process for writing music. She said:

It's sort of in the vein of deep poetry where anything is allowed and it's totally free-form. Sometimes my pages will end with a couplet, right at the end, but it's mostly free-form.

The title itself is from a line in one of Del Rey's favourite poems she has written. The full line being:

Violet bent backwards over the grass
Seven-years old with dandelions grasped tightly in her hand.

Release

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass was released on September 29, 2020, as a 128 page hardcover book.[16] On October 3, 2020, Del Rey hosted a surprise reading and signing of the book at a Barnes & Noble store in Los Angeles. The event was met with controversy due to Del Rey's decision to wear a mesh mask and take pictures in close proximity to her fans during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18] The event got eventually shut down for not following health regulations.[19] Del Rey responded to the criticism, saying that the mask had a plastic layer sewn into it.[20]

The release saw success, with the book landing at number 4 of the New York Times bestseller list.[21]

Spoken word album

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
Studio album (audiobook) by
Lana Del Rey
ReleasedJuly 28, 2020 (2020-07-28)
Recorded2019–2020
GenreSpoken word
Length38:50
Label
Producer
Lana Del Rey chronology
Norman Fucking Rockwell!
(2019) 		Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
(2020) 		Chemtrails over the Country Club
(2021)
Singles from Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
  1. "LA Who Am I to Love You"
    Released: July 28, 2020

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass was also released as Del Rey's first spoken word album. It was released through Interscope and Polydor on July 28, 2020, two months before the release of the book. Del Rey selected 14 of the 30 poems that appear in the book to record. In an Instagram livestream Del Rey originally announced the album's release date as January 4, 2020[22] She expressed her desire to have 50 percent of the profits benefit charities supporting Native American land constancy and protecting indigenous rights in the United States. She added that the album would cost "about a dollar" and that the charities would rotate every couple of years.[23] However the album has never been sold for $1.

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass was released exclusively in physical formats, CD and vinyl record. The album's only single, "LA Who Am I to Love You", was released on the same day as the album and was made available on all platforms, including a limited time streaming release.[1]

Aside from Del Rey's own voice, the album features instrumental production from frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, with whom Del Rey first worked on Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), and later on Chemtrails over the Country Club (2021).[2]

Commercial performance

The album peaked at number 19 on Billboard's US Top Album Sales chart[24] and number 3 on the US Vinyl Albums chart.[25]

Track listing

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass[26][27]
No.TitleLength
1."LA Who Am I to Love You"5:20
2."The Land of 1,000 Fires"4:04
3."Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass"1:04
4."Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving"1:54
5."Salamander"1:54
6."Never to Heaven"2:05
7."SportCruiser"6:53
8."Tessa DiPietro"2:00
9."Quiet Waiter Blue Forever"1:28
10."What Happened When I Left You"1:18
11."Happy"2:22
12."My Bedroom Is a Sacred Place Now – There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed"2:00
13."Paradise Is Very Fragile"3:36
14."Bare Feet on Linoleum"2:52
Total length:38:50

Charts

Chart performance for Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
Chart (2020) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[28] 57
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[29] 34
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[30] 7
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 11
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32] 59
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 25
US Tastemakers (Billboard)[35] 21
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[24] 19
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[25] 3

References

  1. ^ a b c D'Souza, Shaad (July 8, 2020). "Lana Del Rey's "eclectic and honest" new album is out this month". The Fader. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass". Lanadelrey.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Sinha, Charu (April 11, 2020). "Lana Del Rey Shares Details of Audiobook, Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Lana Del Rey Shares Artwork for Violet Spoken Word Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "@lanadelrey". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Lana Del Rey hates personal critics". STV. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  7. ^ Moore, Alex. "Here's Lana Del Rey's new Walt Whitman-referencing track, 'The Body Electric'". Death and Taxes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  8. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (March 24, 2019). "See Lana Del Rey Perform 'Mariners Apartment Complex' for First Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  9. ^ "Lana Del Rey's new album 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' – everything we know so far". NME. August 22, 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "Lana Del Rey is set to sell her new poetry book for $1". DIY. March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  11. ^ "Lana Del Rey says her new album is coming "in two months"". The FADER. June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  12. ^ "Lana Del Rey says she'll sell her new book of poetry for $1". The FADER. March 5, 2019. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  13. ^ Ramzi, Lilah (September 25, 2020). "Lana Del Rey Gave Us a Preview Of Her New Poetry Book". Vogue. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Lana Del Rey's First Book of Poetry Is Forthcoming, and Expectations Are Mixed". June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Lana Del Rey Releases New Poem". PAPER. April 12, 2019. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  16. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass|Hardcover". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "Lana Del Rey Held A Surprise Book Signing At Barnes & Noble Last Night". Stereogum. October 3, 2020. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Schild, Darcy (October 2, 2020). "Lana Del Rey sparked backlash from fans as she appeared to wear a mesh face mask at a public book signing in LA". Insider. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "Lana Del Rey Stirs Controversy By Wearing Faux Mask". What's Trending. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Dazed (November 18, 2020). "Lana Del Rey addresses backlash for wearing a mesh mask at a book signing". Dazed. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers - Books - Oct. 18, 2020 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "Lana Del Rey Announces New Spoken Word Album In 2020". December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  23. ^ Carras, Christi. "Music | Lana Del Rey makes spoken-word album as 'reparation' to Native Americans". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via Los Angeles Times.
  24. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Top Album Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Vinyl Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  26. ^ "Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass Picture Disc". Lana Del Rey. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  27. ^ "Lana Del Rey | Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass - (CD) Lana Del Rey auf CD online kaufen | SATURN". Saturn. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lana Del Rey – Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  29. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  30. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Lana Del Rey – Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 41: del 2.10.2020 al 8.10.2020" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lana Del Rey – Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  35. ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Tastemakers". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
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