Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (stylized in sentence case) is the ninth studio album and eighth major-label studio album by Lana Del Rey. It was officially released worldwide on March 24, 2023, by Polydor and Interscope Records.
Background and writing[]
Upon the release of her previous record Blue Banisters on October 22, 2021, Del Rey went live on Instagram. During the livestream, when asked if there would be any bonus tracks, Del Rey advised there would not be but opened up about her next album, indicating that she had written new songs that she enjoyed, saying:
- "There are new songs and I like them. I felt like I did have to kind of talk about a few things [on Blue Banisters] mostly because people were talking so much about them."[1]
During the same livestream, Del Rey mentioned Harry Nilsson - presumably, one of her favourite artists. Regarding him and his music, she stated:
- "Whenever I feel stressed, I listen to Harry... he feels like such a best friend. [...] That will be important to know about me later."
"For the first song, I pressed record and sang, "When I look back, tracing fingertips over plastic bags, I think I wish I could extrapolate some small intention or maybe get your attention for a minute or two.” It’s a very wordy album. So there’s no room for color. It’s almost like I’m typing in my mind."
In an interview with W magazine on May 17, 2022, Del Rey revealed that she had been "practicing meditative automatic singing" in developing the album. Del Rey elaborated on the process, explaining she would record "whatever comes to mind" using her phone and send the resulting files to Drew Erickson who would add instrumentation and reverb.[2] Del Rey compared this writing process with her fourth studio album Honeymoon, where she noted her lyrics previously had many references to colors, such as the opening verse of "God Knows I Tried". Comparatively, she explained the lyrics of her ninth studio album would be more "conversational" and "angry", without these references. Del Rey revealed some lyrics from the album, and noted that it would be "very wordy".
Jack Antonoff also mentioned Del Rey's use of voice memos in writing for the album, in an interview with The New Yorker on May 16, 2022. He described a "magic moment" that occurred in the studio when Del Rey sang along to a recording on her phone while Antonoff improvised a piano accompaniment.[3]
In an interview with Interview magazine on February 14, 2023, Del Rey revealed that at one point, the album was retitled to Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Pearl Watch Me on Ring a Bell Psycho Lifeguard. However, this change was soon reverted as she realized that "it was a bit much to have six titles in one."[4]
Artwork[]
The art concept for the album was developed by Del Rey and longtime collaborator Neil Krug, who served as the principle photographer for the album's artwork. Original illustrations were produced by Kaiman Kazazian for the vinyl and CD packaging. Make-up and hair styling was provided by Pamela Cochrane and Anna Cofone respectively.[5]
Production[]
On March 15, 2022, Del Rey's father Robert Grant Jr. tweeted a picture from a studio captioned "listening to newly minted music".[6] Later that month, on March 31, Grant posted a picture from a studio with Jack Antonoff, wishing him a happy birthday,[7] possibly indicating Antonoff's involvement with the production of the album. Antonoff later confirmed his involvement with the record in an interview with The New Yorker on May 16, 2022.[3]
In an interview with W, Del Rey confirmed that she would be collaborating with Drew Erickson.[2] On August 18, 2022, her manager Ben Mawson confirmed the album was nearing completion.[8]
On August 8, 2022, Del Rey was seen with Jon Batiste in the studio.
On August 23, 2022, she posted a snippet of a new song, which later turned out to be "Candy Necklace", on Instagram.[9]
The album is produced by Del Rey, along with frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, as well as Mike Hermosa, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji. The album features collaborations with Jon Batiste, SYML, RIOPY, Father John Misty, Bleachers, and Tommy Genesis.
The album's final track "Taco Truck x VB" samples "Venice Bitch", from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!.[10]
In an interview with Interview magazine on February 14, 2023, Del Rey stated that she wanted the music for the album to have "a spiritual element". In the same interview, she described the process of making the album as "totally effortless", in contrast to Norman Fucking Rockwell!, where it was "about world-building". For example, "Margaret", the album's 13th track, was inspired by Antonoff's wife, Margaret Qualley, and features Antonoff's band, Bleachers. "Kintsugi" and "Fingertips" were described by Del Rey as "super long and wordy", containing her "innermost thoughts".[4]
Release and promotion[]
During a livestream on Instagram on October 22, 2021, Del Rey stated her intention that the album would be a digital-only release due to the long production time for vinyl.[1] On December 1, 2022, she stated in an interview that she would give further information on her album come December 7.[11] On December 2, Neil Krug posted a few Instagram stories, leading to the belief he is involved in Del Rey's new project. Later that day, singer herself posted a photo from photoshoot with Krug, suggesting he is the main photographer for the album art.[12]
The record's title and the then-release date were accidentally disclosed on December 6, 2022, in the description box of the "Arcadia" music video on YouTube.[13]
Del Rey announced the album's tracklist, a box set, and new merchandise on January 14, 2023, pushing up the album's release date to March 24.[14]
An Instagram account with the username "oceanblvd" was created and verified on January 30, 2023. The account was followed by a few members of Del Rey's team, including both of her managers, which raised speculation that the owner was Del Rey herself and that it would be used to promote the album, much like what she did for her third major-label studio album Honeymoon with @honeymoon, which is now Del Rey's main Instagram account.[15]
Physical releases[]
To promote the album, Del Rey released several vinyl, CD, and cassette variants; some of which have alternative artwork. These releases are compiled in the following galleries.
Vinyl releases[]
CD releases[]
Cassette releases[]
Singles[]
Critical reception[]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[16] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [17]
|
| Clash | 7/10[18] |
| DIY |  [19]
|
| Exclaim! | 9/10[20] |
| The Guardian | [21]
|
| The Independent | [22]
|
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[23] |
| NME | [24]
|
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[25] |
| The Telegraph | [26]
|
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80 based on 21 reviews.[16]
In a review for Clash, Robin Murray dubbed the album "an ambitious, at times unsettling record", anchored both in classicism and experimentation", but "never truly succumbs to either."[18] Lucy Harbon of Gigwise called the album Del Rey's magnum opus, and lauded her vocal performance and references to her own past work.[27] Writing for The Guardian, Shaad D'Souza called the album "her quietest, most wilfully inscrutable record" since Honeymoon (2015).[21] Annabel Nugent of The Independent described the album as "sweeping, layered" and "ruminative", pointing out that some of the songs "can be repetitive, but [...] alluring."[22] In a review for NME, Rhian Daly's pointed out that Del Rey "steps into new lyrical territory" in the album, as well as "new sonic worlds", cementing Del Rey as one of modern music's "most intriguing" songwriters.[24] Pitchfork's Olivia Horn named the album "Best New Music". The site also called it a "sweeping, sterling, often confounding work of self-mythology and psychoamericana."[25]
In mixed reviews, Paul Attard of Slant called the album "one of Del Rey's most obtuse artistic statements to date."[28] Attard criticized the album's duration, calling it "bloated", but praised moments such as "A&W" and "Paris, Texas".[28] The Line of Best Fit writer, Liam Inscoe-Jones opined that the songs are "easily among her most complicated, emotionally", but criticized its interludes, as well as the songs at the end of the tracklist.[23] Lisa Wright of DIY noted that the album is some of Del Rey's best work, but "doesn't always completely land".[19] Regarding the album as style over substance, Neil McCormick of The Telegraph found the album boring and lacking ambition, criticizing the dull production, repetitive themes, "baggy" lyrics, "dreadful" pace, and "shapeless" songs.[26]
The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Alternative Music Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Grants" | Lana Del Rey, Mike Hermosa, Zach Dawes | Del Rey, Dawes, Drew Erickson | 4:55 | |
| 2. | "Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd" | Del Rey, Hermosa | Del Rey, Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Erickson, Dawes | 4:45 | |
| 3. | "Sweet" | Del Rey, Erickson | Del Rey, Erickson | 3:35 | |
| 4. | "A&W" | Del Rey, Antonoff, Sam Dew | Del Rey, Antonoff | 7:13 | |
| 5. | "Judah Smith Interlude" | Del Rey, Antonoff, Judah Smith | Del Rey, Antonoff | 4:36 | |
| 6. | "Candy Necklace" (featuring Jon Batiste) | Del Rey, Jon Batiste | Del Rey, Dawes, Nick Waterhouse, Ian Doerr | 5:14 | |
| 7. | "Jon Batiste Interlude" | Del Rey, Batiste | Del Rey, Antonoff, Dawes | 3:33 | |
| 8. | "Kintsugi" | Del Rey, Antonoff | Del Rey, Antonoff, Laura Sisk | 6:18 | |
| 9. | "Fingertips" | Del Rey, Erickson | Erickson | 5:48 | |
| 10. | "Paris, Texas" (featuring SYML) | Del Rey, Brian Fennell | Del Rey, Antonoff | 3:26 | |
| 11. | "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing" (featuring RIOPY) | Del Rey, RIOPY | Del Rey, Antonoff | 4:00 | |
| 12. | "Let the Light In" (featuring Father John Misty) | Del Rey, Hermosa, Benji Lysaght | Del Rey, Erickson, Hermosa | 4:38 | |
| 13. | "Margaret" (featuring Bleachers) | Del Rey, Antonoff | Del Rey, Antonoff | 5:39 | |
| 14. | "Fishtail" | Del Rey, Antonoff, Aljosha Frederick Konstanty, Ann Tomberlin | Del Rey, Antonoff | 4:02 | |
| 15. | "Peppers" (featuring Tommy Genesis) | Del Rey, Hermosa, Lysaght, Tommy Genesis | Del Rey, Antonoff, Lysaght, Father | 4:08 | |
| 16. | "Taco Truck x VB" | Del Rey, Antonoff, Hermosa | Del Rey, Antonoff | 5:53 | |
Total length: |
77:43 | ||||
Scrapped songs[]
- You can find the full Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd outtake list here.
A song titled "Zodiac" was scrapped from the album last minute in favor of "Candy Necklace".[S 1] The song was described as a voice memo with the vocals being done in a single take.[S 2] Two snippets of the song leaked on April 25, 2023. A third and fourth snippet of the song leaked on April 28, 2023. An edited, low quality file of the song leaked on July 1, 2024.
Del Rey's father Rob Grant revealed the existence of a song titled "Sunshine" in an interview with People magazine. While initially recorded during sessions for Del Rey's album, Grant mentioned that he hopes to use the song in a future project of his.[29]
"Life Lesson", a song featured on Jon Batiste's album World Live Radio, was revealed by Batiste to be an outtake from Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd in an interview with TalkShopLive.[30]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KyleWoolridgeGrant (October 23, 2021). "Lana Del Rey Instagram Live on BB Release Day (10/22/21)". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m14UV7tKuwY. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michele, Alessandro (May 17, 2022). "Lana Del Rey Unfiltered". W. https://www.wmagazine.com/life/lana-del-rey-new-album-music-interview-2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marantz, Andrew (May 16, 2022). "Jack Antonoff's Gift for Pop-Music Collaboration". The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/23/jack-antonoff-pop-music-collaboration-lorde-taylor-swift. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish Fall in Love". Interview. February 14, 2023. https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/lana-del-rey-and-billie-eilish-fall-in-love. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ↑ Krug, Neil (December 8, 2022). "I am honored to announce new work with my longtime collaborator Lana Del Rey for her forthcoming album “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” –– out March 24th, 2023.". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl7Mk7NPwMe/. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ↑ Grant, Rob (March 17, 2022). "Early morning in the studio…listening to newly minted music". Twitter. https://twitter.com/robgrantdotcom/status/1504513612005593097. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ↑ Grant, Rob (March 31, 2022). "Happy Birthday Jack!". Twitter. https://twitter.com/robgrantdotcom/status/1509650681463861249?s=21. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ↑ Pop Crave (August 18, 2022). "Lana’s manager, Ben Mawson, confirmed that her new album is almost done.". Twitter. https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1560361767775178753. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (August 23, 2022). "Late nights @jonbatiste 𝔛". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChlKNFhvMFeyYhA4fvVZ-pQx8Kn2l-CZN8jTQc0/. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey: she does it for the girls". Rolling Stone UK. March 8, 2023. https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/lana-del-rey-she-does-it-for-the-girls-album-27426/.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/plastiscguy/status/1598478711304634369?s=46&t=F-Qby3HFRyOrPZlwxXegtg
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (December 2, 2022). "📸". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/ClsHXQbLSY0T4eNiy_YZpfJa0PY9OC4Tx740Ek0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ↑ SoftwareUpgrade (December 6, 2022). "*Beyonce voice* Somebody's getting fired...". Lanaboards. http://lanaboards.com/topic/14349-ldr9-pre-pre-release-thread/?do=findComment&comment=1424137. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ↑ lizzyology (January 14, 2023). "—". Lanaboards. http://lanaboards.com/topic/16244-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-pre-release-thread-out-march-24th-2023/?do=findComment&comment=1465178. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ↑ "oceanblvd on Instagram.". Instagram. January 30, 2023. https://instagram.com/oceanblvd/. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Rey". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/music/did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd/lana-del-rey. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ Thomas, Fred (March 24, 2023). "Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-mw0003879288. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Murray, Robin (March 20, 2023). "Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd". Clash. https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd/. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Wright, Lisa. "Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd". DIY. https://diymag.com/review/album/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ Ciubotaru, Noah (March 27, 2023). "Lana Del Rey Is Lost in Thought on the Radiant 'Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd'". Exclaim!. https://exclaim.ca/music/article/lana_del_rey_did_you_know_that_theres_a_tunnel_under_ocean_blvd_review. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 D'Souza, Shaad (March 20, 2023). "Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd review – arresting introspection". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/20/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-review. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Nugent, Annabel (March 24, 2023). "Lana Del Rey review, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd: Alluring, introspective and a little long". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/lana-del-rey-review-did-you-know-b2307208.html. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Inscoe-Jones, Liam (March 20, 2023). "On her ninth album, Lana Del Rey continues to astound and confound in equal measure". The Line of Best Fit. https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-review. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Daly, Rhian (March 20, 2023). "Lana Del Rey – ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’ review: masterful, still". NME. https://www.nme.com/reviews/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-review-3415497. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Horn, Olivia (March 24, 2023). "Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Review". Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd/. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 McCormick, Neil; Woods, Cat (March 24, 2023). "Depeche Mode honour the dead, Lana Del Rey is at her most self-indulgent – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/depeche-mode-honour-dead-lana-del-rey-self-indulgent-weeks/. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ Harbon, Lucy (March 20, 2023). Gigwise. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230320122809/https://gigwise.com/reviews/3429011/album-review--lana-del-rey---did-you-know-that-there-s-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Attard, Paul (March 24, 2023). "Review: Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd". Slant. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-theres-a-tunnel-under-ocean-blvd-album-review/. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey's Dad Rob Grant Says He Loves Being Called 'Nepo Daddy' as He Launches into Music (Exclusive)". People. June 9, 2023. https://people.com/lana-del-rey-dad-rob-grant-loves-being-called-nepo-daddy-lost-at-sea-album-exclusive-interview-7510179.
- ↑ lanadelreylnfo (August 8, 2023). "🎵 | In an interview on TalkShopLive, Jon Batiste talks about the Life Lesson sessions and also other songs/ideas that came from their sessions together.". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CvsX8Z8OHOy/. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
Notes[]
- ↑ This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official sources, but has been reported by Kintsugi, who is considered a reliable insider by the community.
- ↑ This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official source, but was reported here and is considered widespread knowledge within the community.
