Bartender (song)

Lana Del Rey
Writer(s)	Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels
Producer(s)	Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels
Recorded	2017-2018
Length	4:23
From
Single(s)	"Mariners Apartment Complex" "Venice Bitch" "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It" "Doin' Time" "The Greatest" / "Fuck It I Love You"
Norman Fucking Rockwell track listing
"The Greatest"
"Happiness Is a Butterfly"

"Bartender" is a song by Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!.

Background

Del Rey first mentioned the song on January 28, 2018, while being interviewed by Pitchfork at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City. When Pitchfork asked Del Rey "what's coming next?", she responded saying "I've got a couple of other tracks. I've got this weird track called 'Bartender' that doesn't belong to a record yet" and mentioned that she wishes to create a music video for the song.

On July 31, 2019, Del Rey confirmed that the song would be released on her then-upcoming album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, when she revealed the album artwork and tracklist.

Cross-references

• Both the canyon and Del Rey's truck are mentioned in "Happiness Is a Butterfly".

Lyrics

All the ladies of the canyon
Wearing black to their house parties
Crosby, Stills and Nash is playing
Wine is flowing with Bacardi

But sometimes girls just want to have fun
The poetry inside of me is warm like a gun

I bought me a truck in the middle of the night
It'll buy me a year if I play my cards right
Photo free exits from baby's bedside

'Cause they don't yet know what car I drive
I'm just try'na keep my love alive
With my bartender, hold me all night
Bartender, our love's alive
Baby, remember, I'm not drinking wine
But the cherry coke you serve is fine
And our love's sweet enough on the vine
Bartender, bar-t-t-tender

All the ladies of the canyon
Wearing white for their tea parties
Playing games of levitation
Meditating in the garden

And I love the little games that we play
From the valley to the beach
And when at last the day is done, I grab my keys

I bought me a truck in the middle of the night
It'll buy me a year if I play my cards right
Photo free exits from baby's bedside

'Cause they don't yet know what car I drive
I'm just try'na keep my love alive
With my bartender, hold me all night
Bartender, our love's alive
Baby, remember, I'm not drinking wine
But the cherry coke you serve is fine
And our love's sweet enough on the vine
Bar-t-t-tender, bar-t-t-tender
Bar-t-t-tender, ha-ha-ha-ha

I bought me a truck in the middle of the night
60mph, on PCH drive,
Head to Long Beach to Newport by your side
As they don't yet know where I reside
60 miles from the last place I hide
With my bar-t-t-tender, hold me all night,
Bar-t-t-tender, keep love alive
Bar-t-t-tender

Credits

Personnel

• Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals
• Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, piano
• Kieron Menzies — engineering, mixing
• Dean Reid — mixing
• Chris Gehringer — mastering

Technical

• Mastered at Sterling Sound