- This article is about the song produced by Zach Dawes for Norman Fucking Rockwell!. For the 2014 unreleased song of the same name, see California (unreleased song).
"California" (previously referred to as "You Don't Ever Have To") is a song by Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!. It was co-written with Zach Dawes and produced by Del Rey herself, Dawes and Jack Antonoff.
Background[]
Del Rey posted a snippet of the song on Instagram on April 3, 2019.[1][dead link] On July 30, 2019, fans discovered the official title was "California" after using Shazam to identify the snippet from Instagram.
It has been confirmed that the track belonged to a scrapped album with The Last Shadow Puppets along with "Thunder".[citation needed] A snippet of the demo version leaked on August 27, 2020. A second snippet leaked on September 9, 2020. An unedited, high quality snippet that combined the two previously leaked snippets leaked on May 16, 2024.
Music video[]
A homemade video for the song was filmed, but was never officially released.[2][dead link] A still from the music video was leaked on August 3, 2020.[3]
A clip of a music video, purported to be the original video of "California" but featuring the audio of and clips from a teaser for "Tulsa Jesus Freak", leaked on August 17, 2024.
Cross-references[]
- California is directly referred in a lot of her songs including "Fuck It I Love You", "Freak", "How to Disappear", "Angels Forever, Forever Angels", "Shades of Cool", and "If I Die Young".
- Trying to be stronger is also a topic in "Venice Bitch".
- The phrase "I'll catch you on the flipside" is a direct reference to "Flipside".
- The lyric "Your favorite liquor off the top-shelf" is similar to "'Cause her liquor's top shelf" in "Carmen".
- Del Rey also counts "One, two, three, four" in "Summertime Sadness" and "Push Me Down".
- The phrase "I'll pick you up" also appears in "Happiness Is a Butterfly".
- Fast cars are also mentioned in "Video Games" and "Children of the Bad Revolution".
- War is also mentioned in "Ride", "Get Free" and "When The World Was At War Before We Kept Dancing".
- Dancing 'till dawn is also mentioned in "Prom Song (Gone Wrong)".
- Weather is also mentioned in "Shades Of Cool", "The Blackest Day" and "Heroin".
- Del Rey describing her partner as who is scared to lose alludes in "Honeymoon".
- A party is also mentioned in "St. Tropez", "Party Girl", "Motel 6", "Art Deco", "Thunder" and in the poem "Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass".
- Blues are mentioned in "Terrence Loves You", "Love" and "Tired Of Singing The Blues".
- Being strong and going fast are mentioned in "Never Let Me Go".
- A letter is also mention in "Lust for Life".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:06
- Instrumental version — 5:02
- Demo version — Unknown
Lyrics[]
Album version[]
(One, two, three, four)
You don't ever have to
Be stronger than you really are
When you're lying in my arms, baby
You don't ever have to
Go faster than your fastest pace
Or faster than my fastest cars
I shouldn't have done it, but I read it in your letter
You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to reach out, but I never said a thing
I shouldn't have done it, but I read it in your letter
You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to call you, but I didn't say a thing
(One, two, three, four)
Oh, I'll pick you up if you come back to America
Just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California, you should just hit me up
We'll do whatever you want, travel wherever, how far
We'll hit up all the old places
We'll have a party, we'll dance till dawn
I'll pick up all of your Vogues and all of your Rolling Stones
Your favorite liquor off the top shelf
I'll throw a party, all night long
You don't ever have to
Be stronger than you really are
When you're lying in my arms
And honey, you don't ever have to
Act cooler than you think you should
You're brighter than the brightest stars
You're scared to win, scared to lose
I've heard the war was over if you really choose
The one in and around you
You hate the heat, you got the blues
Changing like the weather, oh, that's so like you
The Santa Ana moves you
(Two, three, four)
Oh, I'll pick you up if you come back to America
Just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California, you should just hit me up
We'll do whatever you want, travel wherever, how far
We'll hit up all the old places
We'll have a party, we'll dance till dawn
I'll pick up all of your Vogues and all of your Rolling Stones
Your favorite liquor off the top shelf
I'll throw a party, all night long
Oh, I'll pick you up if you come back to America
Just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California, you should just hit me up
Demo version[]
[Snippet]:
...gazing at horizons but never quite reaching them
(One, two, three, four)...
...And still I tell you every time, oh...
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, additional production, vocals, programming, synthesizer, horns
- Zachary Dawes — songwriting, production, piano
- Jack Antonoff — production, engineering, mixing
- Laura Sisk — engineering, mixing
- Jonathan Sher — assistant engineering
- John Rooney — assistant engineering
- John Congleton — engineering
- Dean Reid — engineering, mixing, bass guitar
- Kieron Menzies — engineering, mixing, synthesizer, mellotron
- Nicolas Jodoin — assistant engineering
- Travis Pavur — assistant engineering
- Loren Humphrey — drums
- Darren Weiss — drums
- Mike Riddleberger — drums
- Sean Hutchinson — drums
- Evan Weiss — guitar
- Benji Lysaght — guitar
- Tyler Parkford — hammond B3
- Woozy Biff — harp
- Mikey Freedom Hart — mellotron, piano
- Adam Ayan — mastering
- Chris Gehringer — mastering
- Will Quinnell — assistant mastering
Technical
- Mastered at Sterling Sound
- Recorded at Valentine Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / Hampstead Studios, London, United Kingdom / Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / Electric Lady Studios, New York, United States
- Mixed at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States
References[]
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (April 3, 2019). "u don’t ever have to be stronger than u really are when ur lying in my arms baby u don’t ever have to go faster than ur fastest pace or faster than my fastest cars". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvzZMLcjQk-/.
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CDO2gzqHpDb/
- ↑ Lanaism (August 3, 2020). "A leaked picture from Lana Del Rey’s “California” unreleased music video.". Twitter. https://twitter.com/LanaismPoland/status/1290417139480961027. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
