Heroin (song)

Lana Del Rey
Writer(s)	Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels
Producer(s)	Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels Kieron Menzies Dean Reid
Alternate producer(s)	Mighty Mike
Recorded	December 2015–February 2016
Length	5:55 (See official versions)
From
Single(s)	"Love" "Lust for Life" "Summer Bummer" "Groupie Love"
Promotional single(s)	"Coachella - Woodstock in My Mind"
Lust for Life track listing
"Tomorrow Never Came"
"Change"

"Heroin" is a song by Lana Del Rey. It was co-written with Rick Nowels and co-produced with Nowels, Kieron Menzies and Dean Reid, with additional production by Mighty Mike. It is featured as the fourteenth track on her fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, Lust for Life.

Background

The song was written about one of Del Rey's ex boyfriends, Rob Dubuss, who passed away on December 30, 2011 from a heroin overdose. In one of her live performances, she explained briefly that "Yayo" was also a song about him and confirmed that he is her ex as well.

Live performances

Del Rey performed the song live for the first time at her Lust for Life listening party and performance hosted by Spotify at No Vacancy in Los Angeles, California, on July 20, 2017. She added that it was her favorite song on the album. On January 30, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the LA to the Moon Tour Del Rey performed an a cappella version of the song by fan request.

Cross-references

• Heroin is mentioned in "Cruel World", "Disco", "Hollywood", "Jump" and "Color Blue (Wild On You)"
• Heavy metal is also referenced in "Angels Forever, Forever Angels", "Smarty", "Mermaid Motel" and "Guns and Roses".
• The phrase "I'd be lying" also appears in "13 Beaches".
• A mention of ribbons in one's hair is found in "Tired of Singing the Blues" and "This Is What Makes Us Girls".
• "My old man" is a phrase first heard in "Off to the Races".
• Del Rey remarks "oh my God" in "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing", "Summertime Sadness", "The Blackest Day" and "Paradise".
• Reference to "Change".
• Hot weather is also mentioned in "Shades of Cool" and "Salvatore", although in the summer as opposed to the hot winter described in this song.
• "Writing in blood on my walls" lyric is also used in "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have - but I Have It".
• "Topanga's hot tonight" lyric is also used in "The Next Best American Record".
  • Topanga is also a place in California, a reference to "California" and "Freak".
• Liquor is also mentioned in "Carmen", "Gods & Monsters" and "California".
• Shores are also mentioned in the poem "LA Who Am I to Love You".
• Kids are also mentioned in "Old Money", "Ultraviolence", "Love", "Damn You", "Without You" and "Venice Bitch".
• The phrase "come on" is also used in "Be My Daddy", "Cola" and "Wolf T-Shirt".

Official versions

• Album version — 5:55
  • Instrumental version — 5:56
• Clean version — 5:55

Lyrics

Topanga's hot tonight
The city by the bay
Has movie stars and liquor stores
In soft decay

The rumbling from distant shores
Sends me to sleep
But the facts of life can sometimes
Make it hard to dream

Life rocked me, like Motley
Grabbed me by the ribbons in my hair
Life rocked me, ultra softly
Like the heavy metal that you wear

I'm flying to the moon again
Dreaming about heroin
How it gave you everything
And took your life away
I put you on an aeroplane
Destined for a foreign land
I hoped that you'd come back again
And tell me everything's okay, baby

Topanga's hot today
Manson's in the air
And all my friends have gone
'Cause they still feel him here

I wanna leave, I'll probably stay
Another year
It's hard to leave when absolutely
Nothing's clear

Life rocked me, like Motley
Bad beginning to my new year
Life rocked me, ultra softly
Like the heavy metal that you hear

I'm flying to the moon again
Dreaming about heroin
And how it gave you everything
And took your life away
I put you on the aeroplane
Destined for a foreign land
I thought that you'd come back again
To tell me everything's okay, baby, yeah

It's fucking hot, hot
Winter in the city
Something 'bout this weather
Made these kids go crazy
It's hot even for February
Something 'bout the sun
Has made these kids get scary

Oh, writing in blood on my walls and shit
Like, oh, oh my God, dripping off from the walls into the ducts and shit
Oh, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of it
Baby, baby, come on, come on, come on, come on

I'm flying to the moon again
Dreaming about marzipan
Taking all my medicine
To take my thoughts away
I'm getting on that aeroplane
Leaving my old man again
I hope that I come back one day
To tell you that I really changed, baby

It's hot, hot
Something 'bout the city
Don't know what it is
That makes my head get crazy

Oh, makes me feel like I can change
Oh, all of my evil ways and shit
Mm, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of it