Florida Kilos (song)

Lana Del Rey Writer(s) Lana Del Rey Dan Auerbach Harmony Korine Producer(s) Dan Auerbach Length 4:14 (See official versions) From Single(s) "West Coast" "Ultraviolence" "Black Beauty" Promotional single(s) "Shades of Cool" "Ultraviolence" "Brooklyn Baby" Ultraviolence track listing "Guns and Roses" "Is This Happiness"

"Florida Kilos" (registered as "Florida Kilo") is a song by Lana Del Rey. It was released on Del Rey's second major-label studio album, Ultraviolence.

Background

"Florida Kilos" was written with Dan Auerbach and Harmony Korine, with production by Auerbach. It serves as the third bonus track from Ultraviolence and is also the closing track for the album from the deluxe edition without the iTunes bonus track. During June 2015, Del Rey stated the track is her father's favorite song of hers.

The song's instrumental leaked on April 14, 2018, after being the only bonus track from the deluxe edition of the album to not have its instrumental leak. The unmastered version leaked on November 10, 2020.

Composition

"Florida Kilos" is a surf pop song in the key of A minor with a running time of 4 minutes and 14 seconds played at approximately 100 beats per minute. The track opens with two guitar tracks oppositely panned playing a riff that reappears throughout the song. Lyrically, it tells the story of Del Rey and a lover living together, taking and selling cocaine in the Florida Keys and Miami, and was inspired by the drug documentary Cocaine Cowboys. The instrumentation of the song comprises of 70s influenced synth bells and keys, electric guitars, a simple drum pattern and vocal harmonies with added reverb.

Critical reception

The song received mixed responses from various music critics. Sal Cinquemani pointed to the tone of Del Rey's vocals and its break of cohesion from the other tracks on Ultraviolence saying "The hook of the bonus track "Florida Kilos," co-written by Harmony Korine, is marred by Del Rey's Britney-grade vocal infantilism, and while that might make it the perfect theme song for the planned Spring Breakers sequel, the song's pop bounce doesn't jibe with the rest of the album's earthier qualities." Justin Charity for Complex also described its more light hearted sound as "incongruous" with its parent album. Mike Wass wrote for Idolator describing the track as "an ambitious (but ultimately unconvincing) tale of love and drug smuggling in Miami". A review from The Fix by John Lavitt criticized the track for displaying "only a glorified nostalgia" of the cocaine scene in Miami in the 1970s and that combined "with the infantilized sexualization of Del Rey’s vocals", the track was "poised to attract controversy".

Live performance(s)

Del Rey performed the song for the first time on the last show of the Endless Summer Tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre on June 16, 2015, in honor of her father's birthday and being in Florida. On February 1 and 2, 2018 in Sunrise and Orlando, Florida respectively, the song was performed as part of the LA to the Moon Tour. It was performed again on February 28 in Honolulu, Hawaii and March 23, 2018 in Bogotá, Colombia.

Cross-references

• Cola is referenced in many other songs such as "Serial Killer", "Us Against the World" and "Party Girl".
• The phrase "yayo" also appears in the song of the same name and "Breaking My Heart"
• Florida is referenced in "Axl Rose Husband", "Elvis" and an alternate title of "Kill Kill".
• "Come on down to Florida" is similar to the line "Come to California" from "Freak".
• The phrase "pretty baby" is heavily used in many of Del Rey's songs. Some of these include "For K, Pt. 2", "Live or Die" and the song of the same name, among others.
• Diamonds are mentioned in "Money Power Glory", "Fake Diamond", "24" and among other songs.
• Cherries are also mentioned in "Cola", "Cherry Blossom", "Cherry" and "Black Beauty".
• Prison is referenced in songs such as "TV in Black & White", "Drive By" and "Gangsta Boy", among others.
• Summertime is mentioned in "Summertime Sadness", "Dance for Money" and "Doin' Time".
• The phrase "dope" is mentioned in "Money Power Glory"; also "American", "Stoplight De-Lite", "Gods & Monsters", "Paradise" and "Without You", but in different connotations respectively. As well as the rumoured unleaked track "Dope" recorded with The Last Shadows Puppets.
• Getting high is a common subject in songs including "High by the Beach", "Hollywood" and "Carmen".
• "White lines" are also mentioned in "Summer Bummer" and "Ultraviolence".
• Del Rey sings about her hoops in "Hollywood".
• A fiend is also described in "Cherry" and "Disco".
• Cherry Cola is also mentioned in "Last Girl on Earth".

Official versions

• Album version — 4:14
  • Instrumental version — 4:18
• Unmastered version – 4:24

Lyrics

White lines, pretty baby, tattoos
Don't know what they mean, they're special just for you
White lines, bakin' powder on the stove
Cookin’ up a dream, turnin' diamonds into snow

I feel you, pretty baby, feel me
Turn it up hot, lovin' you is free
I like it down, like it down way low
But you already know that, you already know

Come on down to Florida, I got something for ya
We could see the kilos or the Keys, baby, oh, yeah
Guns in the summertime, Chic-a-Cherry Cola lime
Prison isn't nothin' to me, if you'll be by my side

Yayo, yayo, yayo
And all the dope fiends
Yayo, yayo, yayo

Sun in my mouth and gold hoops
You like your little baby like you like your drinks, cool
White lines, pretty daddy, gold skin
You snort it like a champ, like the winter we're not in

Come on down to Florida, I got something for ya
We could see the kilos or the Keys, baby, oh, yeah
Guns in the summertime, Chic-a-Cherry Cola lime
Prison isn't nothin' to me, if you'll be by my side

Yayo, yayo, yayo
And all the dope fiends
Yayo, yayo, yayo

We could get high in Miami, ooh
Dance that night away
People never die in Miami, ooh
That's what they all say

(You believe me, don't you, baby?)

Come on down to Florida, I got something for ya
We could see the kilos or the Keys, baby, oh, yeah
Guns in the summertime, Chic-a-Cherry Cola lime
Prison don't mean nothin' to me, if you'll be by my side

Yayo, yayo, yayo
All the Floridians like
Yayo, yayo, yayo
All the Colombians like
Yayo, yayo, yayo
And all my girlfriends
Yayo, yayo, yayo
That's how we do it, babe

White lines, pretty baby
White lines, pretty baby
Gold teeth, pretty baby

Dance the night away

Credits

Personnel

• Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting
• Dan Auerbach — songwriting, production, mixing, electric guitar, synthesizers, background vocals
• Harmony Korine — songwriting
• Collin Dupuis — engineering, mixing, drum programming
• Russ Pahl — electric guitar
• Leon Michaels — mellotron, synthesizers
• Nick Movshon — drums
• Seth Kaufman — background vocals
• John Davis — mastering