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Blue Banisters is the eighth studio album and seventh major-label studio album by Lana Del Rey. It was officially released worldwide on October 22, 2021, by Polydor and Interscope Records.

Background[]

The first indication of Del Rey's seventh major-label studio album came via a tweet posted on November 17, 2020, wherein she remarked that she was working on two albums.[1][dead link]

On March 15, 2021, four days before the release of her sixth major-label studio album Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Del Rey announced she was working on two future music projects in an interview with MusicWeek. When asked about any potential titles she had in mind for the upcoming albums, she replied:

“Spending so much time in a close circle of country music friends, I could see one option for a title coming from that. I also have a secondary title I like that summed up 18 months of my life.”[2]

The day following the release of Chemtrails, Del Rey announced the project under the title Rock Candy Sweet, alongside a release date of June 1, 2021.[3][dead link]

Del Rey first teased the new title for the project via an Instagram post on April 10, 2021.[4][dead link] On April 27, 2021, Del Rey announced that her eighth studio album would be titled Blue Banisters, with a new release date of July 4, 2021.[5][dead link] Later that same day, Del Rey posted a clip of the title track and its accompanying music video to Instagram with the message: "Sometimes life makes you change just in time for the next chapter",[6][dead link] and to Twitter with: "I'm writing my own story. And no one can tell it but me".[7]

In an interview hosted by Anthony Fantano on May 12, 2021, Mike Dean confirmed his involvement in the production of the album. He also mentioned that he is very familiar with Del Rey's sound and knows other producers she has worked with in the past. Dean also said that he is planning to work with Del Rey in the future as well.

During that time, a reliable insider said that Del Rey had made last-minute changes to the album tracklist and title, completely altering the sound of the album and switching out many of the tracks for others. That same insider said that neither Jack Antonoff nor Rick Nowels had produced songs for this album and that only one Mike Dean-produced song is on the tracklist, with that one song being "Wildflower Wildfire".

On July 4, 2021, Del Rey "liked" a post on Instagram which alluded to the official release of leaked songs "Cherry Blossom" and "Thunder" on the album.[8]

On August 23, 2021, an insider revealed that the album would "100%" be released in 2021. The following day, that same insider revealed that the album contains "a bit more" than 11 songs, and that it will include 5-6 reworked songs from previous years - one being a previously unheard song, co-written with Barrie-James O'Neill, which is now known to be "If You Lie Down with Me". They also revealed that "Fine China", "I Can Fly", "Rock Candy Sweet", and "Wild One" all once appeared on an early version of the tracklist.[9]

Inspiration[]

Appearing on the April 2021 cover of Mojo, Del Rey expressed her interest in the country genre, telling the magazine that she had worked with Nikki Lane, who appeared on the Chemtrails track "Breaking Up Slowly" and a cover album of country songs. In the article, she went on to describe her taste as "stark and blue, somewhat outlaw", and cited Hank Williams, Bobbie Gentry, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Paycheck as sources of inspiration.[10]

On March 20, 2021, the day of the album's announcement, Del Rey shared two Instagram stories wherein she responded to a Harper’s Bazaar article titled “Lana Del Rey Can’t Qualify Her Way Out Of Being Held Accountable”, writing:

“Just want to say thank you again for the kind articles like this one and for reminding me that my career was built on cultural appropriation and glamorizing domestic abuse. I will continue to challenge those thoughts on my next record June 1 titled Rock Candy Sweet.”

The article was critical of comments made by Del Rey prior to the release of Chemtrails regarding race and inclusivity, specifically calling Del Rey's comment - "I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to" - "defensive" and "unnecessary".[11] In her post, Del Rey countered that the comment "would have been unnecessary if no one had significantly criticized everything about the album [Chemtrails Over the Country Club] to begin with. But you did. And I want revenge."[12]

Artwork[]

The album's cover image was taken by Neil Krug, as he was tagged in the Instagram post in which Del Rey revealed the cover.[13][dead link]

Release and promotion[]

On May 20, 2021, "Wildflower Wildfire", "Text Book" and "Blue Banisters" were released as the first three singles of the album.

On July 3, 2021, Del Rey uploaded the official album cover to her Instagram, ultimately disproving the album's said retitling. She also uploaded a snippet of a music video of a new song, now known as "Arcadia", which was intended to be released as a single "soonish".[14][dead link][13][dead link] Del Rey's management later reposted the album artwork and confirmed that Blue Banisters was scheduled to be released the same year.

On September 8, 2021, "Arcadia" was released as the fourth single of the album, and the album was made available for preorder. The same day, Del Rey revealed the tracklist of the album, which has 15 tracks and includes Chemtrails over the Country Club outtake "Dealer", leaked Ultraviolence outtakes "Cherry Blossom", "Living Legend", and "Nectar of the Gods" along with an unleaked one, "If You Lie Down with Me", and an outtake of an unreleased album featuring The Last Shadow Puppets, "Thunder".

The album was officially released worldwide on all platforms on October 22, 2021.

Physical releases[]

To promote the album, Del Rey released several vinyl, CD, and cassette variants; some of which have alternative artwork. These releases are compiled in the following galleries.

Vinyl releases[]

CD releases[]

Cassette releases[]

Singles[]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 80/100[15]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3Star fullStar fullStar halfStar empty[16]
Clash 7/10 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar emptyStar empty[17]
DIY 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[18]
The Telegraph 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[19]
The Guardian 3/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[20]
The Independent 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[21]
NME 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[22]
Pitchfork 7.7/10[23]
Rolling Stone 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[24]
Slant 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty[25]

Blue Banisters received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80 based on 21 reviews.[15]

The A.V Club's Tatiana Tenreyo stated "[Blue] Banisters is a reminder that when the singer-songwriter is in charge of her vision and fully taps into her emotions, she's still capable of crafting breathtaking beauty."[26] Mike Wass of Variety wrote the album "offers a rare glimpse of an artist securing her legacy, one song at a time."[27] For The Independent, Ben Bryant wrote a positive review, calling it "one revelation colours the singer's entire body of work", noting "it is far more elliptical and mysterious than it first appears".[21] Giving the album four out of five stars, Sarah Grant of Rolling Stone commented "Her second album of the year is dense and abstract, turning inward and finding solace in sisterhood."[24] Sam Sodomsky for Pitchfork praised Del Rey's songwriting, noting the record "is a sweeping survey of her talent as a songwriter, stripped of the aesthetic borders she often places around her work."[23] Rhian Daly of NME called Blue Banisters "a defiant and delicate return."[22] In their mixed reviews, The Guardian and The Observer critics stated the album struggled from "samey-ness", wavering quality, and familiar but confusing themes.[20][28]

The record has also become one of the best rated albums by users on Metacritic, being on the ninth place of the list as of June, 2023.[29]

Track listing[]

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Text Book"  Lana Del Rey, Gabe SimonDel Rey, Simon, Zach Dawes 5:03
2. "Blue Banisters"  Del Rey, SimonDel Rey, Simon 4:52
3. "Arcadia"  Del Rey, Drew EricksonDel Rey, Erickson 4:23
4. "Interlude - The Trio"  N/AN/A 1:16
5. "Black Bathing Suit"  Del Rey, Erickson, DawesDel Rey, Dawes, Dean Reid 5:18
6. "If You Lie Down with Me"  Del Rey, Erickson, Barrie-James O'NeillDel Rey, Erickson 4:25
7. "Beautiful"  Del Rey, EricksonDel Rey, Erickson 3:36
8. "Violets for Roses"  Del Rey, EricksonDel Rey, Erickson 4:15
9. "Dealer"  Del Rey, Dawes, Miles Kane, Loren Humphrey, Tyler ParkfordDel Rey, Humphrey, Dawes 4:34
10. "Thunder"  Del Rey, DawesDel Rey, Dawes, Reid 4:19
11. "Wildflower Wildfire"  Del Rey, Mike Dean, Sage Skolfield, Sean SolymarDel Rey, Dean 4:46
12. "Nectar of the Gods"  Del Rey, O'NeillDel Rey, O'Neill 4:20
13. "Living Legend"  Del Rey, O'NeillDel Rey, O'Neill 4:01
14. "Cherry Blossom"  Del Rey, Rick NowelsDel Rey, O'Neill, Nowels 3:18
15. "Sweet Carolina"  Del Rey, Alana Champion, Chuck Grant, Robert Grant Jr.Del Rey, Erickson 3:24
Total length:
61:54

Scrapped songs[]

You can find the full Blue Banisters outtake list here.

"Rock Candy Sweet" was the album's original title track, as the album was named after it at the time. However, after the album's major overhaul, the track was scrapped, and the album was renamed Blue Banisters. Currently, much about it is unknown. The song may have been an outtake of Del Rey's previous record, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, where it may have been titled "Loved You Then and Now".[S 1][dead link]

Ultraviolence outtake "Fine China" was reported to have been included in an early tracklist of the album, however, it was scrapped. It was most likely cut after Del Rey's last-minute changes. The version of the song meant for the album is said to have been its original demo, produced by Rick Nowels.[citation needed]

Another Ultraviolence outtake, "I Can Fly", was reconsidered to be featured on a record the second time around, this time for Blue Banisters, however, it wasn't included. It was most likely cut after Del Rey's last-minute changes. The said version meant to be for the album is the same as the one used for the Big Eyes movie.[citation needed]

Paradise and Honeymoon outtake "Wild One" is another song that was reported to have been included in an early tracklist of the album, however, it was scrapped. It was most likely cut after Del Rey's last-minute changes. The version meant for the album currently remains unleaked.[citation needed]

According to an insider, Lust for Life concept demo "Valley of the Dolls" was considered to be reworked for the album. However, the rework didn't happen, and the idea was most likely abandoned.[citation needed]

Personnel[]

Performance[]

  • Lana Del Rey — vocals (all tracks except 4); background vocals (all tracks except 4)
  • Miles Kane — vocals (track 9)

Instruments[]

  • Lana Del Rey — horn arrangement (tracks 3, 6), string arrangement (track 3)
  • Wayne Bergeron — trumpet (tracks 3, 6)
  • Jacob Braun — cello (tracks 3, 8)
  • Andrew Bulbrook — violin (tracks 3, 8)
  • Blake Cooper — tuba (tracks 3, 6)
  • Zach Dawes — bass (tracks 5, 9), synth bass (track 5), keyboards (track 9), Höfner bass (track 10), piano (track 10)
  • Mike Dean — keyboards (track 11)
  • Zach Dellinger — viola (tracks 3, 8)
  • Drew Erickson — horn arrangement (tracks 3, 6), organ (track 3), piano (tracks 3, 6, 7, 8, 15), string arrangement (tracks 3, 8), synthesizer (track 3); drum programming (tracks 4, 6), keyboards (track 5), bass (track 6), drums (track 6), mellotron (track 6); Moog bass (tracks 6, 8), conductor (track 8), rhodes (track 15)
  • Dan Fornero — trumpet (tracks 3, 6)
  • Griffin Goldsmith — drums (tracks 1, 5)
  • Wynton Grant — violin (tracks 3, 8)
  • Robert Grant Jr. — piano (track 15)
  • Loren Humphrey — drums (tracks 6, 9, 10), percussion (track 10)
  • Greg Leisz — baritone guitar (track 1), pedal steel (track 1)
  • Benji Lysaght — electric guitar (tracks 5, 10)
  • Rick Nowels — piano (track 14)
  • Barrie-James O'Neill — guitar (tracks 12, 13), piano (tracks 12, 13, 14)
  • Owen Pallett — string arrangement (track 10), viola (track 10), violin (track 10)
  • Tyler Parkford — keyboards (track 9)
  • Melodye Perry — background vocals (tracks 1, 10)
  • Dean Reid — drum programming (track 5), acoustic guitar (tracks 6, 10)
  • Cian Riordan — synth bass (track 5)
  • Dan Rosenboom — trumpet (tracks 3, 6)
  • Gabe Simon — piano (tracks 1, 2), acoustic guitar (track 1), background vocals (track 1), bass (track 1), drum programming (track 1), guitar (track 1), keyboards (track 1), percussion (track 1), sound effects (track 1), synth bass (track 1); organ (track 2)
  • Lisa Stone — background vocals (track 10)
  • Táta Vega — background vocals (track 10)
  • Darren Weiss — drums (tracks 1, 10), percussion (track 10)
  • Evan Weiss — acoustic guitar (track 10), electric guitar (track 10)

Technical, songwriting, and production[]

  • Lana Del Rey — songwriting (all tracks except 4), mixing (tracks 12, 13, 14), recording arranger (track 4)
  • Adam Ayan — mastering (all tracks except 11)
  • Alana Champion — songwriting (track 15)
  • John Congleton — engineering (tracks 1, 10)
  • Zach Dawes — songwriting (tracks 9, 10), production (tracks 1, 5, 9, 10)
  • Mike Dean — songwriting (track 11>, mastering (track 11), mixing (track 11)
  • Drew Erickson — songwriting (tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, 8), production (tracks, 3, 6, 7, 8, 15), mixing (tracks 3, 6, 7, 8, 15)
  • Ben Fletcher — assistant recording engineer (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15)
  • Chuck Grant — songwriting (track 15)
  • Robert Grant Jr. — songwriting (track 15)
  • Michael Harris — mixing (tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15), engineering (tracks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15)
  • Loren Humphrey — songwriting (track 9), production (track 9), engineering (track 9)
  • Chantry Johnson — additional production (track 4)
  • Clayton Johnson — additional production (track 4)
  • Miles Kane — songwriting (track 9)
  • Mai Leisz — engineering (track 1)
  • Kieron Menzies — additional production (track 10), engineering (track 10)
  • Rick Nowels — songwriting (track 14), production songwriting (track 14)
  • Barrie-James O'Neill — songwriting (tracks 6, 12, 13), production (tracks 12, 13, 14), additional production (track 6), mixing (tracks 12, 13, 14)
  • Tyler Parkford — songwriting (track 9)
  • Brian Rajaratnam — assistant recording engineer (track 1)
  • Dean Reid — production (track 5), additional production (tracks 1, 10), mixing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15), engineering (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15)
  • Cian Riordan — mixing (track 5)
  • Jon Sher — engineering (track 1), assistant recording engineer (tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15)
  • Gabe Simon — songwriting (tracks 1, 2), production (tracks 1, 2), mixing (track 2), engineering (tracks 1, 2)
  • Sage Skolfield — songwriting (track 11), engineering (track 11), assistant mixing (track 11)
  • Sean Solymar — songwriting (track 11), engineering (track 11), assistant mixing (track 11)
  • Alex Tomkins — assistant recording engineer (track 1)
  • Jason Wormer — mixing (track 9)

References[]

  1. Del Rey, Lana (November 17, 2020). "Bro I’m working on 2 albums and excitedly and happily donating a million dollars throughout the nation. If I responded to everything I would be 🤷🏻‍♂️". Twitter. https://twitter.com/LanaDelRey/status/1328622130204790784. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  2. Garner, George (March 15, 2021). "Lana Del Rey - The Music Week Interview". Music Week. https://www.musicweek.com/interviews/read/lana-del-rey-the-music-week-interview/082814. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  3. Del Rey (March 20, 2021). "ROCK CANDY 🍭 SWEET June 1". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMqBcHah785/. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  4. Del Rey, Lana (April 10, 2021). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNgOvmUBIkx/. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. Del Rey, Lana (April 27, 2021). "BLUE BANISTERS Album out July 4". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/COMeHZqBVZh/. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. Del Rey, Lana. "Sometimes life makes you change just in time for the next chapter". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/COOXtvVB585/. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. Del Rey, Lana (April 28, 2021). "I'm writing my own story. And no one can tell it but me". Twitter. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210428212417/https://twitter.com/LanaDelRey/status/1387518010525569024.
  8. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4d8Gyn42M/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  9. https://www.instagram.com/p/CS934XQnk65/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  10. Mulvey, John (March 3, 2021). "Lana Del Rey speaks: "I Really Was That Girl Who Was Pure Of Soul."". Mojo. https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/lana-del-rey-speaks-i-really-was-that-girl-who-was-pure-of-soul/. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  11. Sultan, Iman (January 26, 2021). "Lana Del Rey Can't Qualify Her Way Out of Being Held Accountable". Harper's Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a35311661/lana-del-rey-appropriation/. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  12. Mahadevan, Tara (March 21, 2021). "Lana Del Rey Says Next Album ‘Rock Candy Sweet’ Will ‘Challenge’ Cultural Appropriation Narrative". Complex. https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/lana-del-rey-album-rock-candy-sweet-cultural-appropriation. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Del Rey, Lana (July 3, 2021). "TBD". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4sgNOJXer/. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  14. Del Rey, Lana (July 3, 2021). "Album out later later… Single out soonish. Have a good fourth x". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4sLo6pGxQ/. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Blue Banisters - Lana Del Rey". https://www.metacritic.com/music/blue-banisters/lana-del-rey. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  16. Thomas, Fred. "Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/blue-banisters-mw0003587071. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  17. Harbron, Lucy (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters". Clash. https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  18. Tipple, Ben. "Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters". DIY. https://diymag.com/review/album/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-album-review. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  19. Grogan, Siobhan (22 October 2021). "Lana Del Rey, Blue Banisters, review: perhaps we don’t know this star as well as we thought". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-review-perhaps-dont-know-star-thought/. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Aroesti, Rachel (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey: Blue Banisters review – as perplexing as she is captivating". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/22/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-review. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Bryant, Ben (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey review, Blue Banisters: One revelation colours the singer’s entire body of work". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-review-b1943424.html. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Daly, Rhian (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey – ‘Blue Banisters’ review: a defiant and delicate return". NME. https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-review-3076334. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  23. 23.0 23.1 Sodomsky, Sam (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey: Blue Banisters". Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters/. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Grant, Sarah (October 23, 2021). "Lana Del Rey Goes Deeper Than Ever on 'Blue Banisters'". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-1245616/. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  25. Lyons-Burt, Charles (October 21, 2021). "Lana Del Rey ‘Blue Banisters’ Review: A Colorful Personal Portrait". Slant. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-album-review/. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  26. Tenreyro, Tatiana (October 22, 2021). "Blue Banisters is the better Lana Del Rey record of 2021". The A.V. Club. https://www.avclub.com/blue-banisters-is-the-better-lana-del-rey-record-of-202-1847916683. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  27. Wass, Mike (October 22, 2021). "Lana Del Rey Reclaims Her Narrative on Gently Defiant 'Blue Banisters': Album Review". Variety. https://variety.com/2021/music/album-reviews/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-album-review-1235095796/. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  28. Mackay, Emily (October 24, 2021). "Blue Banisters by Lana Del Rey review – a singer looking to her legacy". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/24/lana-del-rey-blue-banisters-review. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  29. "Best Music and Albums of All Time". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/userscore/all/filtered. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

Notes[]


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