"Florida Kilos" (registered as "Florida Kilo")[1] is a song by Lana Del Rey. It was released as a deluxe track on Del Rey's second major-label studio album Ultraviolence.
Background
"Florida Kilos" was written by Del Rey, Dan Auerbach and Harmony Korine and produced by Dan 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 claimed the track is her father's favorite song of hers.[2]
Composition
"Florida Kilos" is a surf pop song in the key of A minor with a running time of 4 minutes and 16 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.[3] 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 negative 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."[4] Justin Charity for Complex also described its more light hearted sound as "incongruous" with its parent album.[5] Mike Wass wrote for Idolator describing the track as "an ambitious (but ultimately unconvincing) tale of love and drug smuggling in Miami".[6] 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".[7]
Live performance
Del Rey performed the song for the first and only 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.
Cross-references
- "Cola" is referenced in many other songs such as "Serial Killer" and "Party Girl".
- Reference to "Yayo".
- Florida is referenced in "Axl Rose Husband" and "Elvis".
- "Come on down to Florida" is similar to the line "Come to California" in "Freak".
- The lyric "pretty baby" is heavily stressed in many of Del Rey's songs. Some of these include "Pretty Baby", "For K, Pt. 2", "Live or Die", and others.
- Diamonds are a common theme in Lana's songs like "Money Power Glory" and "Fake Diamond", among others.
- Cherries are also referenced in songs such as "Cola" or "Cherry Blossom".
- Prison is referenced in songs such as "TV in Black & White", "Drive By", and "Gangsta Boy" among others.
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, go ski it
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-ay
(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
Mm-mm, 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
References
- ↑ BMI Repertoire #17351384
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (2015) "Watch Lana Del Rey sing "Florida Kilos" Live For The First Time". Stereogum. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
- ↑ Laffranchi, Andrea (2014) Lana Del Rey e l’amore violento «Ogni coppia stabilisce il limite». 27ora. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
- ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (2014) "Lana Del Rey: Ultraviolence" Slant Magazine. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
- ↑ Charity, Justin (2014) "Lana Del Rey's Retro, Western, Death-Defying "Ultraviolence"." Complex. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
- ↑ Wass, Mike (2014) "Lana Del Rey’s ‘Ultraviolence’: Album Review" Idolator. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
- ↑ Lavitt, John (2014) "Lana Del Rey Glorifies Miami Drug Scene In 'Florida Kilos'". The Fix. [Access date: January 29, 2017]
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