"Cherry Blossom" is a song by Lana Del Rey from her eighth studio album and seventh major-label studio album Blue Banisters. It was written and produced with Del Rey's longtime collaborator Rick Nowels, and co-produced by her then-boyfriend Barrie-James O'Neill in 2013.
Background[]
Three takes of the song were recorded in 2013, during the same session as "Nectar of the Gods". Both songs were originally intended to be included on Del Rey's third studio album and second major-label studio album, Ultraviolence, but were ultimately cut from the final tracklist. They were both recorded in the studio with Fabrizio Argiolas, though he is ultimately not credited on the song at all.
On June 18, 2016, Del Rey posted a video of herself singing an a cappella snippet of the song on Instagram. She captioned the post saying: "It’s so hot out today and all the birds are singing. I was reminded of a lullaby I wrote years ago called Cherry Blossom".[1][dead link]
On May 1, 2019, a snippet of the song was leaked via Instagram, but it was quickly deleted. The full version leaked minutes later on a Tumblr account. The official instrumental leaked on May 4, 2019, and the a cappella leaked on November 7, 2020. The first demo leaked on February 21, 2020, and the second demo leaked on October 23, 2020. The full session of 18 stems leaked on November 16, 2020.
On March 22, 2021, Del Rey referenced the song in an Instagram post with the caption "Swing it high Angelina on your sycamore tree".[2][dead link] Del Rey reposted her picture to Twitter the same day, with a longer caption that included the next line "What you don't tell no one you can tell me".[3][dead link] These posts sparked rumors that the song will feature on her upcoming album Blue Banisters, which were later confirmed.
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.[4]
Cross-references[]
- The phrase "tall, tan" also appears in "American".
- Direct reference to "Afraid".
- Jesus is also mentioned in "Body Electric", the demo version of "Trash Magic", "I Talk to Jesus", "Diet Mountain Dew", "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Tulsa Jesus Freak".
- There is a direct reference to "Cruel World", which also appears in "Nectar of the Gods", "Hollywood's Dead" and is also used in the live introduction for "Cola".
- Cherries are also mentioned in "Cherry", "Carmen", "Blue Madonna", and "Black Beauty".
- The word "ghost" is also used in "Elvis".
- Being wild is also mentioned in "Nectar of the Gods" ,"Never Let Me Go", "Wild at Heart", and "Wild One"
- Dandelions are also mentioned in the poem "Violet bent backwards over the grass".
- Lemonade is also mentioned in "Ultraviolence", "Music to Watch Boys To", "Trash Magic" and the poem "What Happened When I Left You".
Official versions[]
- Blue Banisters version (aka Take 3) — 3:18
- Unmastered version — 3:17
- Ultraviolence Take 1 — 3:14
- Ultraviolence Take 2 — 3:16
Lyrics[]
Album version / Take 3[]
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost tall, tan like milk and honey
You're very brave and very free
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Swing it high like Jesus, wild and free
Dandelions in your hair, baby
You're very brave and there's much to see
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
And when you're scared, I'll be right here
You feel afraid, mommy is there
It's a cruel, cruel world, but we don't care
'Cause what we've got, we've got to share
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost, blonde hair with lemonade tea
There's much to learn and so much to see
I push you high Angelina
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Take 1[]
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost tall, tan like milk and honey
You're very brave and you're very free
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Swing it high like Jesus, wild and free
Dandelions in your hair, baby
You're very brave and there's much to see
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
And when you're scared, I'll take you there
You feel afraid, mommy is there
It's a cruel, cruel world, but we don't care
What we've got, we've got to share
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost, blonde hair with lemonade tea
There's much to learn and much to see
I push you high Angelina
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Take 2[]
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost tall, tan like milk and honey
You're very brave and very free
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Swing it high like Jesus, wild and free
Dandelions in your hair, baby
There's much to do and much to see
I push you high, cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
And when you're scared, I'll be right here
When you're afraid, mommy is there
It's a cruel, cruel world, but we don't care
'Cause what we've got, we've got to share
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
Little ghost, blonde hair with lemonade tea
You're very brave and there's much to see
I push you high Angelina
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one, you can tell me
A cappella version[]
[Snippet]:
What you don't tell no one
You can tell me
Little ghost, tall tan
Like milk and honey
You're very brave
and you're very free
So swing it high cherry blossom
On your sycamore tree
What you don't tell no one
You can tell me
Swing it high like Jesus, baby
Little ghost, so fair
Like lemonade tea
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, production, mixing, vocals
- Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, piano
- Barrie-James O'Neill — production, mixing, piano, guitar
- Adam Ayan — mastering
References[]
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana. (2016). "It's so hot out today and all the birds are singing. I was reminded of a lullaby I wrote years ago called Cherry Blossom". Instagram. [Access date June 19, 2016]
- ↑ Lana Del Rey (@lanadelrey). "Swing it high Angelina on your sycamore tree". Instagram. [Access date 22 March 2021]
- ↑ Lana Del Rey (@lanadelrey). "Swing it high Angelina on your sycamore tree What you don’t tell no one you can tell me". Twitter. [Access date 25 March 2021]
- ↑ sayyestoheaven (July 4, 2021). "Alongside Thunder, Cherry Blossom is now confirmed to be in consideration for Lana’s forthcoming album. It will most likely remain on the tracklist, but there’s no guarantee as Lana changes her mind pretty often. Earlier this year, she teased the track’s release on her social platforms!". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4d8Gyn42M/. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
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