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"Cola" (also known as "My Pussy Tastes Like Pepsi Cola"[1] and registered as "Pussy") is a song by Lana Del Rey off her third studio EP and third major-label release, Paradise. The track was co-written with Rick Nowels, who also produced the track.

Background[]

Del Rey revealed in an interview on November 13, 2012, with KIIS FM Radio that the song would be released as the second single off of Paradise, but no further details or release dates were announced since and the release was scrapped. The single's scrapped artwork leaked on November 10, 2020.[S 1][dead link] The song's official instrumental leaked on November 17, 2018. The instrumental leaked in lossless format on August 9, 2023.

A snippet of a demo version of the track titled “Pussy” leaked on April 4, 2023. An unleaked laptop demo is also speculated to exist.[S 2]

Use in media[]

The song was used in an episode of Italian agricultural program Linea Verde.[2]

Critical reception[]

"Cola" received polarized reviews. The track was described as containing "fresh, is-she-serious? lyrics" in response to the controversial opening line - "my pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola".[3] Hindustan Times criticized the song snippet, saying it proved she was running out of ideas and that the song sounded similar to the other album tracks.[4] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy noted that the hooks on "Cola" were polished, but did not compromise Del Rey's bold image.[5] Noticing how the other tracks on Paradise sound rhythmically similar, Slant magazine said: "Cola" is the opposite, pushing Del Rey's pop-art take on signifier-addled femme fatality too far into the realm of cheekiness, but also shattering a persona that already exists inside a hall of mirrors."[6]

Live performances[]

Del Rey performed the song live for the first time on the first date of the Paradise Tour on April 3, 2013, in Amnéville, France, as the first song in the setlist. "Cola" served as the opening song for the duration of the tour through 2013 to 2014, with the exception of the last six shows from October 6 to 18, 2014, where she performed "Cruel World" as the opening song instead. The song has since been included as part of the setlist for the 2015 Endless Summer Tour and the 2016 Festival Tour. When Del Rey performed the song live, she often alters the original lyrics by singing a repetition of: "We can work it out, work it real fine", or a close variation of that, to end the performance.

Controversy and retirement[]

During October 2017, film executive Harvey Weinstein was fired from his production company, The Weinstein Company, following numerous reports of sexual abuse from women in the film industry. Media brought Del Rey into the controversy through speculation that Weinstein was subject of the song "Cola", citing the line "Harvey’s in the sky with diamonds and he’s making me crazy". In an interview for MTV which was published on October 31, 2017, Del Rey stated that she would retire from performing the song live in response to the controversy. Regarding the track, Del Rey explained that the song was not directly written about Weinstein, but was written about a character based on both him and Harry Winston, whom she envisioned as a "benevolent diamond bestowing upon starlets visual". She further commented that, since learning about Weinstein's crimes, she finds the song sad and uncomfortable, and would no longer include it in any of her performances.[7]

In an "All About Me" interview with Harper's BAZAAR, Del Rey was prompted to recall the opening song of her June 2014 Glastonbury debut show as part of the Paradise Tour, to which she eventually guessed "Cola" correctly. She would further refer to the song, or perhaps herself for writing the song, as "a nuisance to society".[8]

Cross-references[]

Official versions[]

  • Album version — 4:20
    • Instrumental version — 4:19
  • Clean version — 4:20
  • "Pussy" demo version — Unknown
    • Snippet — 0:25
  • Version with intro monologue — 4:49
  • Paradise Tour version — 6:42

Lyrics[]

Album version[]

My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola
My eyes are wide like cherry pies
I gots a taste for men who're older
It's always been, so it's no surprise

Harvey's in the sky with diamonds and he's making me crazy
(I come alive, alive)
All he wants to do is party with his pretty baby

Come on, baby, let's ride
We can escape to the great sunshine
I know your wife, and she wouldn't mind
We made it out to the other side
We made it out to the other side
We made it out to the other side

(Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, baby
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, yeah)

I fall asleep in an American flag
I wear my diamonds on Skid Row
I pledge allegiance to my dad
For teaching me everything he knows

Harvey's in the sky with diamonds and he's making me crazy
(I come alive, alive)
All he wants to do is party with his pretty baby

Come on, baby, let's ride
We can escape to the great sunshine
I know your wife, and she wouldn't mind
We made it out to the other side
We made it out to the other side
We made it out to the other side

Drugs, suck it up like vanilla icys
Don't treat me rough, treat me really niceys
Decorate my neck, diamantes ices
Why, come on, come on
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, yeah

Come on, baby, let's ride
We can escape to the great sunshine
I know your wife, and she wouldn't mind
We made it out to the other side

Come on, baby, let's ride
We can escape to the great sunshine
We made it out to the other side
We made it out to the other side

Come on, come on
Come on, baby
Come on, come on
Come on, baby

Whoa-ah
(My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola)
Oh, ah
(My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah
(My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola)
Ooh, whoa, yeah

"Pussy" demo version[]

[Snippet]:
My pussy taste like Pepsi-Cola
My baby sips every cherry sunrise
I got him feeling like a holy roller
Down on the floor, praising me all night

Monologue[]

Similar to the style of the monologue used in the introduction of the "Ride" music video, a monologue was recorded using the introduction of the "Cola" instrumental. The recording was later used in a promotional video used to accompany the April, 2013, edition of L'Officiel Paris, a French fashion magazine which features Del Rey as "Rosalita", Mexico's movie star queen. The monologue is a reading of Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself".

In addition to being used in the video for L'Officiel, it was also believed by fans that the monologue would be featured in a music video for "Cola", but no official video was ever announced or released.

Lyrics[]

With music strong I come,
With my cornets and my drums.
I play not marches for accepted victors only,
I play great marches for conquered and slain persons.
Have you heard that it was good the gain the day?
I also say it is good to fall,
Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.
I beat and pound for the dead,
I blow through my embouchures my loudest and gayest for them.

Live intro[]

At many of Del Rey's 2014 performances, an intro would be played before Del Rey performed "Cola". Since "Cola" was the first song to be played at most of her 2014 concerts, the piece served as an introduction to the concert and played before Del Rey walked on stage. It features a similar instrumental to "Cola" and different lyrics. Some fans refer to it as "Cruel World Intro" (not to be confused with "Cruel World").

Lyrics[]

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Let the light in

Let the light shine in
It's a cruel world

  • Note: these lyrics refer to the version that was played on June 28, 2014, at Glastonbury.

Credits[]

Personnel
  • Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting
  • Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, keyboards, Juno bass, acoustic guitar, drums
  • DK — co-production
  • Kieron Menzies — recording, drum programming, mixing
  • Chris Garcia & Jordan Stilwell — additional recording
  • Patrick Warren — strings, glockenspiel, brass, organ, piano, synthesizer
  • Tim Pierce — slide guitar
  • Devrim Karaoğlu — drums
  • John Davis — mastering
Technical
  • Published by EMI / R-Rated Music
  • Administered by EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
  • Recorded at The Green Building, Santa Monica, United States
  • Mastered at Metropolis Mastering, London, United Kingdom

Charts[]

Chart (2012) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[9] 71
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart)[10] 99
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 120
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] 22

References[]

  1. APRA|AMCOS title search lists "My Pussy Tastes Like Pepsi Cola" as an alias of "Cola" (APRA ID: GW43398940)
  2. Damiano (January 16, 2024). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2LRNs6IKvy/. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  3. Rosen, Genevieve (September 11, 2012). "Lana Del Rey releases afterthought". Stuff. http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/7725851/Lana-Del-Rey-releases-afterthought. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  4. "Lana Del Rey floats latest album sampler". Hindustan Times. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131114103746/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Music/Lana-Del-Rey-floats-latest-album-sampler/Article1-935533.aspx. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  5. "Lana Del Rey: 'Paradise' - EP review". Digital Spy. November 28, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121128072845/http://www.digitalspy.com:80/music/albumreviews/a437881/lana-del-rey-paradise-ep-review.html. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  6. Cataldo, Jesse (November 12, 2012). "Review: Lana Del Rey, Paradise". Slant Magazine. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/lana-del-rey-paradise/. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  7. MTV News (October 31, 2017). "Lana Del Rey Talks Next Music Video & Tour w/ Kali Uchis & Jhené Aiko". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTUk2AOuZhM&t=1s. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  8. Harper's BAZAAR (November 21, 2023). "Lana Del Rey Reveals Taylor Swift 'Snow On The Beach' Collab Story | All About Me | Harper's BAZAAR". YouTube. https://youtu.be/pg93p2B5QSs?si=Qyk9lDP5WWyyr22O. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  9. "Lana Del Rey – Cola" (in French). Les classement single.
  10. ">> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>". irma.ie. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20121122132947/http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  11. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/121124cluk.txt
  12. "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.

Notes[]

  1. This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official source, but was originally reported here and is considered widespread knowledge within the community.
  2. This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official source, but is considered widespread knowledge within the community.


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