"Fingertips" is a song by Lana Del Rey from her ninth studio album and eighth major-label studio album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
Background[]
The song title was first revealed on September 1, 2022, when a demo was listed for sale alongside a demo of "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd". A snippet was attached to the listing. The track and "There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard" were labelled as Blue Banisters outtakes in the original listing; however, this was reported as untrue by a reliable insider.[S 1] A snippet from a second demo of the song leaked on September 29, 2022.
In an interview with W magazine on May 17, 2022, Del Rey had talked about the song and automatic singing:[1]
"I’ve been practicing meditative automatic singing, where I don’t filter anything. I’ll just sing whatever comes to mind into my Voice Notes app. [...] 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."
In an interview with Interview magazine on February 14, 2023, Del Rey described the track and "Kintsugi" as "super long and wordy", containing her "innermost thoughts".[2]
The unmastered version of the song - featuring an uncensored lyric - leaked before the album's release. The official instrumental leaked on May 20, 2023.
Cross-references[]
- Direct references to "Drive By" and "Serene Queen.
- Beaches are a recurrent theme, being mentioned in "Cherry", "Mariners Apartment Complex", "Snow on the Beach", "Summer Bummer", "Watercolor Eyes", and in the poems "Happy", "My Bedroom Is A Sacred Place Now — There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed", "Paradise is Very Fragile" and "Salamander".
- Del Rey's father is also mentioned in "Aviation", "Black Bathing Suit", "Cola", "Old Money", "Radio", "Ride" and "Text Book".
- Del Rey's mother is also mentioned in "A&W", "Aviation", "Black Bathing Suit", "Old Money", "My Momma", "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)", "Wildfire Wildflower", and in the poems "Bare Feet on Linoleum" and "LA Who Am I to Love You".
- Del Rey's sister is also mentioned in "The Grants", "Chemtrails over the Country Club", "Blue Banisters", "Kintsugi", "Motel 6" and "Sweet Carolina".
- Del Rey makes other general references to having children in "Blue Banisters", "Dance Till We Die", "Have a Baby", "How to Disappear" and "Sweet".
- Fingertips are also mentioned in "Arcadia", "Venice Bitch" and "Criminals Run the World".
- Rain is also mentioned in "Blue Banisters", "Born to Die", "God Knows I Tried", "Hot Hot Hot" and "Salvatore".
- The sea is also mentioned in "Brooklyn Baby", "Get Free", "Queen of Disaster" and "Say Yes to Heaven".
- Crying is also mentioned in "Pretty When You Cry" and "Cry Kill Die".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:48
- Instrumental version — 5:48
- Unmastered version — 5:46
- Demo version 1 (unleaked) — 2:16
- Demo version 2 (unleaked) — 2:41
Lyrics[]
Album version[]
When I look back, tracing fingertips over plastic bags
Thinking, "I wish I could extrapolate some small intention
Or maybe just get your attention for a minute or two"
Will I die, or will I get to that ten-year mark?
Where I beat the extinction of telomeres
And if I do, will you be there with me?
Father, sister, brother?
Charlie, stop smoking
Caroline, will you be with me?
Will the baby be all right?
Will I have one of mine?
Can I handle it, even if I do?
They said that my mind, it's not fit
Or so they said, to carry a child
I guess I'll be fine
It wasn't my idea, the cocktail of things that twist neurons inside
But without them, I'd die
They say there's irony in the music, it's a tragedy, I
See nothing Greek in it
Give me a mausoleum in Rhode Island with dad, grandma, grandpa and Dave
Who hung himself real high in the National Park sky
It's a shame and I'm crying right now, I didn't get to you, save you
If I take my life, find your astral body
Put it into my arms, give you two seconds to cry
Take you home, I, I'll give you a blanket
Your spirit can sit and watch TV by my side
'Cause, baby, I ran through a time when I felt you were doing it
I couldn't handle it, I was in Monaco
I couldn't hear what they said on the telephone
I had to sing for the prince in two hours
Sat in the shower, gave myself two seconds to cry
It's a shame that we die
When I was fifteen, naked, next-door neighbors did a drive-by
Pulled me up by my waist, long hair to the beachside
I wanted to go out like you
Swim with the fishes that he caught on Rhode Island beaches
But, sometimes, it's just not your time, Caroline
What kind of - was she to say I'd end up in institutions?
All I wanted to do was kiss Aaron Greene and sit by the lake
Twisting lime into the drinks that they made
Have a babe at sixteen, in the town I was born in and die
Aaron ended up dead and not me
What the fuck’s wrong in your head to send me away, never to come back?
Exotic places and people don't take the place of being your child
I give myself two seconds to cry
Let it crash over me like the waves in the sea
Call me Aphrodite, as they bow down to me
Sunbather, moon-chaser, queen of empathy
I give myself two seconds to breathe
And go back to being a serene queen
I just needed two seconds to be me
Unmastered version[]
When I look back, tracing fingertips over plastic bags
Thinking, "I wish I could extrapolate some small intention
Or maybe just get your attention for a minute or two"
Will I die, or will I get to that ten-year mark?
Where I beat the extinction of telomeres
And if I do, will you be there with me?
Father, sister, brother?
Charlie, stop smoking
Caroline, will you be with me?
Will the baby be all right?
Will I have one of mine?
Can I handle it, even if I do?
They said that my mind, it's not fit
Or so they said, to carry a child
I guess I'll be fine
It wasn't my idea, the cocktail of things that twist neurons inside
But without them, I'd die
They say there's irony in the music, it's a tragedy, I
See nothing Greek in it
Give me a mausoleum in Rhode Island with dad, grandma, grandpa and Dave
Who hung himself real high in the National Park sky
It's a shame and I'm crying right now, I didn't get to you, save you
If I take my life, find your astral body
Put it into my arms, give you two seconds to cry
Take you home, I, I'll give you a blanket
Your spirit can sit and watch TV by my side
'Cause, baby, I ran through a time when I felt you were doing it
I couldn't handle it, I was in Monaco
I couldn't hear what they said on the telephone
I had to sing for the prince in two hours
Sat in the shower, gave myself two seconds to cry
It's a shame that we die
When I was fifteen, naked, next-door neighbors did a drive-by
Pulled me up by my waist, long hair to the beachside
I wanted to go out like you
Swim with the fishes that he caught on Rhode Island beaches
But, sometimes, it's just not your time, Caroline
What kind of mother was she to say I'd end up in institutions?
All I wanted to do was kiss Aaron Greene and sit by the lake
Twisting lime into the drinks that they made
Have a babe at sixteen, in the town I was born in and die
Aaron ended up dead and not me
What the fuck’s wrong in your head to send me away, never to come back?
Exotic places and people don't take the place of being your child
I give myself two seconds to cry
Let it crash over me like the waves in the sea
Call me Aphrodite, as they bow down to me
Sunbather, moon-chaser, queen of empathy
I give myself two seconds to breathe
And go back to being a serene queen
I just needed two seconds to be me
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals
- Drew Erickson — songwriting, production, string arranger, piano, organ [Hammond B3], synth [Prophet Bass], synth [Prophet Pad], electric piano [Wurlitzer], mellotron [Mellotron Choir], strings
- Dean Reid — engineering, mixing
- Michael Harris — engineering
- Jon Sher — engineering assistance
- Ruairi O'Flaherty — mastering
Charts[]
Weekly chart[]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[3] | 49 |
References[]
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey Unfiltered". May 17, 2022. https://www.wmagazine.com/life/lana-del-rey-new-album-music-interview-2022. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
Notes[]
