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"Carmen" (originally titled "Little Carmen") is a song written by Lana Del Rey and Justin Parker with production by Emile Haynie. Taken from Del Rey's first major-label album Born to Die, the song served as the album's second promotional single, following "Off to the Races".

Background and composition[]

"Carmen" was written with Justin Parker and produced by Emile Haynie with additional production by Jeff Bhasker and Parker. In an interview for The Sun, Del Rey revealed that the song was about "a doomed woman who sells her body on the streets" of Coney Island, which Del Rey viewed as an "important [place] to [her]" throughout her career in New York City.[1] Del Rey told Complex that the melody and the lyrics of "Carmen" "come together".[2]

A demo version of the song, solely produced by Parker, was posted to Del Rey's SoundCloud page on May 23, 2010. An a cappella concept demo of the song leaked in early 2012.

Critical reception[]

"Carmen" was acclaimed by most critics for its ability to tell a story and haunt with its intense lyrics of the downside to fame. Noted as a cautionary hint of any downside to such a debauched lifestyle that Del Rey portrays on her album, Andy Gill of The Independent describes the song as a metaphor used by Del Rey for her "synthetic life experience."[3] Alex Denney of NME described the song as "a winner" with Del Rey's richly suggestive tones conjuring the ghosts of Lauren Bacall's classic femme-fatales.[4] While reviewing the album and describing the song as the point where "things start to pick up," John Capone of Prefix described the song as a "three-Xanax-and-gin-martini-cocktail broken-hearted baroque ballad."[5] Angela Okhumoya of Addictmusic showed appreciation for Del Rey's writing abilities on "Carmen", stating that it is "better than most of her contemporaries."[6] Dom Gourlay of Contactmusic.com gave the song a positive review, stating, "You want hip-hop beats? Check. Radio friendly choruses? Check. Singalong verses for the hen party and karaoke masses? Check."[7] Rob Harvilla of Spin noted the song for its ability to "gently ascends/descends to Drake/Weeknd empty-hedonism poignancy."[8] Billboard called the song a "poor man's version of far-superior (and hookier) anthems like "Roxanne".[9]

Live performances[]

Del Rey first performed the song live on April 10, 2012, at the Jazz Cafe in London, United Kingdom. The song was also included in the setlist of the 2012 leg of the Born to Die Tour, the Paradise Tour (2013-2014), and the Festival Tour (2016). After a hiatus of 2 years, the song was performed again on April 19, 2018, in Barcelona, Spain, during the LA to the Moon Tour.

Music video[]

Music video Information
CARMEN Released April 21, 2012
Length 5:16
Director Lana Del Rey
Producer
Filmed June, 2011
Location
Vevo views 42+ Million views

Background and description[]

On February 27, 2012, Del Rey revealed through her Facebook page that she had finished editing the music video for "Carmen". Del Rey premiered the music video on April 21, 2012. The video opens with Instagram-style snapshots of New York City, spliced together with scenes of old Hollywood paparazzi, a rose, and shots of Del Rey herself. Once the song begins, we see a dressed woman working a pole, then Del Rey on a city porch. The song goes on to feature black and white photo stills, animated food scenes, Del Rey riding the back of a motorcycle operated by the model Josh Rachlin, and multiple references to drugs and troubled youth. In one scene, Del Rey is behind the camera interviewing Rachlin, asking him about his dream girl and giggling. The video ends with Erik Satie's piano composition "Gymnopédie No.1" and a woman dancing in a field until the word "Fin" ("the end" in French) graces the screen.

Photoshoot by Martin Zähringer (June 11, 2011)[]

Cross-references[]

  • The phrase "mind like a diamond" is also found in "JFK". This lyric is a quote from Twin Peaks; David Lynch's work has possibly influenced Del Rey's other work, such as "Blue Velvet", and elements of Twin Peaks - including domestic abuse towards women and brothels - are also in Del Rey's songs. It is possible that Del Rey's inspiration for the alias "Lana" came from the character of the same name in Twin Peaks, who entrances the local men and attracts older men too.
  • References to Coney Island are also present in "Mermaid Motel", "Off to the Races", "TV in Black & White", and "Methamphetamines".
  • Del Rey also sings in French on "Moi Je Joue".
  • References to butterflies are also present in "Butterflies", "Butterflies, Pt. 2" and "Heavy Hitter".
  • A red dress is mentioned in "Summertime Sadness", "Cruel World", "Off to the Races", "Say Yes to Heaven" and "Criminals Run the World".
  • The phrase "cocaine heart" from the demo also appears in "Off to the Races".
  • Cherries are also mentioned in "Cherry" and "This Is What Makes Us Girls".
  • "Soft ice cream" is mentioned in "Salvatore".
  • The phrase "darling, darling" is also repeated in "Cherry".
  • Del Rey mentions the phrase "kindness of strangers" in "Kinda Outta Luck" and in the "Ride" music video monologue. This phrase is a direct quote from the 1951 movie "A Streetcar Named Desire".
  • Getting high is a common subject in songs such as "High by the Beach", "Florida Kilos" and "Hollywood".
  • The feeling of being "alive again" is also described in "Paradise" and "Hollywood".
  • The lyric "'Cause her liquor's top shelf" is similar to "Your favorite liquor off the top-shelf" in "California".
  • The lyric "Like lightning" is also mentioned in "White Mustang".
  • The spoken bridge in French that features vocals by Lenha Labelle translated into English means: "My love, I know that you love me too. You need me, you need me in your life. You can't live without me and I'd die without you. I'd kill for you".
  • Lyrics in Spanish, found in the concept demo for the song, also appear in "Ultraviolence", "Dragonslayer" and "West Coast".
  • The lyrics "baby's all dressed up with nowhere to go, that's the little story of the girl you know" is similar to lyrics "all dressed up with nowhere to go, that’s the little story of the girl you know-me" mentioned in "All Smiles".

Official versions[]

  • Album version — 4:08
    • Instrumental version — 4:07
  • Music video version with piano outro — 5:15
  • Demo version (produced by Justin Parker) — 4:17
  • "Little Carmen" concept demo (produced by Lana Del Rey) — 3:06
  • Paradise Tour version — 4:16

Lyrics[]

Album version[]

Darlin', darlin'
Doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf
It's alarmin', honestly, how charming she can be
Fooling everyone, telling them she's having fun

She says, "You don't want to be like me
Don't want to see all the things I've seen"
I'm dyin', I'm dyin'
She says, "You don't want to get this way
Famous and dumb at an early age"
Lyin', I'm lyin'

The boys, the girls, they all like Carmen
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
She laughs like God
Her mind's like a diamond
Audiotune lies
She's still shinin'
Like lightning, ooh-ooh
White lightning

Carmen, Carmen, staying up till morning
Only seventeen but she walks the streets so mean
It's alarmin', truly, how disarmin' you can be
Eating soft ice cream
Coney Island queen

She says, "You don't want to be like me
Looking for fun, getting high for free"
I'm dyin', I'm dyin'
She says, "You don't want to get this way
Street walk at night, and a star by day"
It's tirin', tirin'

The boys, the girls, they all like Carmen
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
She laughs like God
Her mind's like a diamond
Audiotune lies
She's still shinin'
Like lightning, ooh-ooh
White lightning

Baby's all dressed up with nowhere to go
That's the little story of the girl you know
Relying on the kindness of strangers
Tying cherry knots, smilin', doing party favors
Put your red dress on, put your lipstick on
Sing your song, song, now the camera's on
And you're alive again

Mon amour, je sais que tu m'aimes aussi
Tu as besoin de moi, tu as besoin dans ta vie
Tu ne peux vivre sans moi
Et je mourrai sans toi, je tuerai pour toi

The boys, the girls, they all like Carmen
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
She laughs like God
Her mind's like a diamond
Audiotune lies
She's still shinin'
Like lightning, ooh-ooh
White lightning

Like lightning, ooh-ooh
White lightning

Darlin', darlin'
Doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf

Concept demo[]

The boys, the girls, they all like Carmen
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
She laughs like God
Her mind's like a diamond
Audiotune lies
But she's still shinin', shinin', shinin'

Darlin', darlin'
Doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself, says her liquor's top shelf
It's alarmin', honestly, how charming she can be
She's fooling everyone, telling them she's having fun

The night descends and there goes Carmen
Only seventeen but she walks the streets so mean
The men, they stop when she walks by them
Whisper, "Who is she?"
La princesa de la silence
Her walk is art; her words are lightning
Striking everyone when she pass by them

Carmen, darlin'
Doesn't have a problem
She's lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf
It's alarmin', honestly, how charmin' she can be
She's fooling everyone, telling them she's having fun

She looks animated like a cartoon baby
With her tiara smile and her shortcake heart
Yo, she looks animated like a cartoon baby
With her champagne sex and her cocaine heart

She's like a light that you can't turn off
Gettin' too bright and you need to stop
But you can't turn off and you're gettin' hot
And your body keeps twistin', movin', twistin', movin', shakin', yeah
Twistin', movin', shakin', yeah
Dance till dawn, yeah, you dance till you drop

Carmen, Carmen
Doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf
Oh, it's alarmin', honest, how disarmin' she can be
You're foolin' everyone when inside you know you're dyin'
 
Carmen, Carmen
Doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf

Credits[]

Personnel
  • Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting
  • Justin Parker — songwriting, vocal production
  • Emile Haynie — production, drums, guitar, keyboards
  • Jeff Bhasker — additional production, additional keyboards, additional strings
  • Lenha Labelle — French vocals
  • Larry Gold — strings arrangement and conduction
  • Steve Tirpak — strings assistance
  • Manny Marroquin — mixing
  • Erik Madrid and Chris Galland — assistance
  • John Davis — mastering
Technical
  • Published by EMI / Sony ATV
  • Mastered at Metropolis Mastering, London, United Kingdom

Release history[]

Country Date Format Label
Austria January 26, 2012 Digital download Universal Music Group
Germany
Switzerland

References[]

  1. Smart, Gordon (January 27, 2012). "'When I write songs, I stand under the telephone wires and take in their energy'". The Sun. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120128045644/https://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/4091590/When-I-write-songs-I-stand-under-the-telephone-wires-and-take-in-their-energy.html.
  2. Droppo, Dana. "Lana Del Rey Interview: Against the Grain 2014 Cover Story". Complex. http://www.complex.com/covers/lana-del-rey-interview-against-the-grain-2014-cover-story/. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  3. Gill, Andy (January 27, 2012). "Album: Lana Del Rey, Born to Die (Interscope/Polydor)". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-lana-del-rey-born-to-die-interscopepolydor-6295631.html. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  4. Denney, Alex (February 3, 2012). "Lana Del Rey – ‘Born To Die’". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/lana-del-rey/12692. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  5. Capone, John (February 1, 2012). "Album Review: Lana Del Rey - Born to Die". Prefix. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120203103507/http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/lana-del-rey/born-to-die/61168/.
  6. Okhumoya, Angela (February 20, 2012). Addictmusic. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120222085530/http://www.addictmusic.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/lana-del-rey-born-to-die-polydorinterscope/.
  7. Gourlay, Dom (February 13, 2012). "Lana Del Rey - Born To Die Album Review". Contactmusic.com. http://www.contactmusic.com/album-review/lana-del-rey-born-to-die. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  8. Harvilla, Rob (January 31, 2012). "Review: Lana Del Rey, ‘Born to Die’". Spin. http://www.spin.com/reviews/lana-del-rey-born-die-interscope. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  9. Billboard Staff (January 25, 2012). "Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born To Die’: Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lana-del-reys-born-to-die-track-by-track-review-1067142/. Retrieved February 18, 2024.


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