"Cinnamon Girl" (previously known as "Cinnamon") is a song written and produced by Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff from her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!.
Background[]
Del Rey first teased the song on her Instagram on October 12, 2018.[1] She deleted the snippet from her profile the same day. She shared a second snippet via Instagram on October 15, 2018, showcasing the chorus of the song.[2][dead link]
A fan account on Instagram posted a quote[3] from Del Rey's July 19, 2017 interview with Pitchfork where she explained, regarding how she attained a more positive outlook on life:
- "Well, they’re personal. [laughs] I had some people in my life that made me a worse person. I was not sure if I could step out of that box of familiarity, which was having a lot of people around me who had a lot of problems and feeling like that was home base. Because it’s all I know. I spent my whole life reasoning with crazy people. I felt like everyone deserved a chance, but they don’t. Sometimes you just have to step away without saying anything."[4]
In response, Del Rey commented:
"The quote [from Pitchfork] is a perfect quote to go along with cinnamon [sic]. Some people don’t deserve a chance".
On July 30, 2019, fans discovered that the official title was "Cinnamon Girl" after using Shazam to identify the snippet from Instagram.
Cross-references[]
- "Cinnamon girl" is a phrase first used in the unreleased 2010 song "Summer of Sam".
- "Cinnamon" was an early title for "Radio", and is also referenced in the song.
- The line "cinnamon in my teeth" is similar to "cinnamon on my teeth" which appears in "Candy Necklace".
- Being hurt is also a theme in a few of Del Rey’s songs such as “Body Electric" and “Ultraviolence”.
- Violet pills are also referenced in "Is This Happiness".
- The phrase "hold me" also appears in "Bartender" and "Disco".
- The colour blue is also referenced in "Wild on You", "Queen of Disaster", "Old Money" and "Blue Jeans", among many other songs.
- The phrase "cinnamon in my teeth, from your kiss, you're touching me" is similar to "sugar in my teeth, from your kiss you texting me" from the poem "Sugarfish".
- The phrase "you'll be the first who ever did" is similar to "u will be the first one who ever did" which appears in the poem "Ringtone".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:01
- Instrumental version — 5:01
Lyrics[]
Cinnamon in my teeth
From your kiss, you're touching me
All the pills that you take
Violet, blue, green, red
To keep me at arm's length don't work
You try to push me out,
But I just find my way back in
Violet, blue, green, red
To keep me out, I win
There's things I wanna say to you,
But I'll just let you live
Like if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
There's things I wanna talk about,
But better not to give
But if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Hold me, love me, touch me, honey
Be the first who ever did
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Hold me, love me, touch me, honey
Be the first who ever did
Kerosene in my hands
You make me mad, I'm fire again
All the pills that you take
Violet, blue, green, red
To keep me at arm's length don't work
There's things I wanna say to you,
But I'll just let you live
Like if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
There's things I wanna talk about,
But better not to give
But if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Hold me, love me, touch me, honey
Be the first who ever did
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Hold me, love me, touch me, honey
Be the first who ever did
There's things I wanna say to you,
But I'll just let you live
Like if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
There's things I wanna talk about
But better not to give
Like if you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did
Commercial performance[]
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[5] | Silver | 200,000 |
| Poland (ZPAV)[6] | Gold | 10,000 |
Credits[]
- Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, production, vocals
- Jack Antonoff — songwriting, production, engineering, mixing, programming, guitar, keyboards, piano
- Laura Sisk — engineering, mixing
- Jonathan Sher — assistant engineering
- Chris Gehringer — mastering
- Will Quinnell — assistant mastering
- Technical
- Mastered at Sterling Sound
- Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States
References[]
- ↑ Vargas, Jesus (October 12, 2018). "Lana Del Rey - Cinnamon (Snippet)". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgJTzZc5Qmc. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ↑ Lana Del Rey. (October 15, 2018). Instagram. "[Cinnamon (Snippet 2)]" (Access date: October 15, 2018)
- ↑ lanadelreysedme (October 15, 2018). "Omg, the "Cinnamon" snippets r so fucking good...". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9j3mYnSb3/. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ↑ Frank, Alex (July 19, 2017). "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Conversation With Lana Del Rey". pitchfork.com. https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-happiness-a-conversation-with-lana-del-rey/. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ↑ "British certifications – Lana Del Rey – Cinnamon Girl". British Phonographic Industry. https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/19145-3320-1.
- ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. https://www.olis.pl/charts/oficjalna-lista-wyroznien. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Cinnamon Girl in the search box.
