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"High by the Beach" (also known as "Get High"[1]) is a song written by Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels, and Kieron Menzies that is featured on Del Rey's third major-label full-length album Honeymoon. It serves as the record's first single and was officially released on August 10, 2015.

Background and writing[]

Three weeks following the release of the title track from Honeymoon (via Del Rey's personal YouTube channel), Del Rey announced "High by the Beach" as the record's official lead single. The cover art was shot on the balcony of Del Rey's home in Malibu, California, by Del Rey's sister, Chuck Grant.

The song was one of the last tracks recorded for Honeymoon. The song's lyrical content expresses Del Rey's distaste for the paparazzi, and her need for privacy (so she can get "high by the beach").

In 2020, the song was deconstructed and discussed in an episode of Mix with the Masters by Kieron Menzies. He elaborated on his creative process and walked the viewer through his production, writing, and mixing techniques, showcasing various stems from the song.

In mid-2022, the outro of the song went viral on TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of individual videos made using it, amassing millions of views.

Composition[]

"High by the Beach" is a trap influenced pop song running at 4 minutes 17 seconds in length. The song is composed in the key of B minor with a tempo of 132 beats per minute. It features a stripped back synth-heavy production and layered vocals. Del Rey's vocals are heavily edited at points to add to the instrumentation. The outro of the song is a spoken word verse by Del Rey.

Release[]

On August 4, 2015, Del Rey announced on her Instagram that the track would be released on August 10, of the same year. The track leaked on August 7, 2015, onto YouTube and the social media platform Tumblr before the official release on the promised date of August 10.

Critical reception[]

"High by the Beach" received universal acclaim from music critics. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard deemed it "perhaps the most radio-friendly song of [Del Rey's] entire career", and praised the "gloriously whiny bounce" of its chorus and "sparkling Lana wisdom" in its lyrics.

Similarly, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani said, "Though it's an understated single by today's pop standards, [...], it's handily Del Rey's catchiest single since 'Summertime Sadness', or at least 'National Anthem'".

Jessica Goodman of Entertainment Weekly deemed it Del Rey's catchiest single yet, praising its "surprising" hip hop elements. Writing in Time, Nolan Feeney said that "High by the Beach" was Del Rey's "poppiest song in a while" and highlighted its "skittering beat and dizzying hook".

Rolling Stone ranked "High by the Beach" at number 18 on its year-end list to find the 50 best songs of 2015.

Commercial performance[]

"High by the Beach" became a success for Del Rey, managing to become her first appearance on the US Billboard Hot 100 since her 2014 single "Ultraviolence". "High by the Beach" also became her best-performing single on the chart since "West Coast". However, due to an error in calculation by Nielsen, "High by the Beach" was originally reported to have debuted on the chart at number 7 with 248,000 copies sold. The error was corrected on the issue dated August 29, 2015, and the song was revealed to have debuted and peaked at number 51 on the Hot 100, and number 10 on the Digital Songs chart with 67,000 copies.[2] The song dropped 14 places to number 65 during in its second week, and fell to number 97 by its third week.

"High by the Beach" was also a success in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 60 on the UK Singles Chart. The song became Del Rey's first top 100 appearance on the chart since "Brooklyn Baby".[3]

Music video[]

Music video Information
Lana_Del_Rey_-_High_By_The_Beach Released August 13, 2015
Length 4:58
Director Jake Nava
Producer Ben Cooper
Filmed April, 2015
Location Malibu, California
Vevo views 119+ Million views

Background[]

The music video for "High by the Beach" was shot at Del Rey's home in Malibu, California. It was not personally directed by Del Rey, but the themes occurring in the video are mainly her ideas.

Description[]

The video begins with Del Rey wearing a low-cut white sundress over a black bra and a sea glass blue robe entering a beach house as a helicopter hovers above her. After entering the house, the camera follows Del Rey from behind as she walks upstairs, posing in front of a mirror and collapsing on her bed, randomly rolling on it. The camera continues to follow her downstairs where she begins flipping through the pages of a tabloid. As the camera comes in front of her, the helicopter reappears closer to the house, hovering in front of the windows. In the helicopter is a photographer, who has been taking pictures of Del Rey the entire time and she dances with her hair, robe and dress blowing in the wind created by his helicopter. Del Rey then runs outside onto the beach and pulls out a guitar case from beneath a pile of rocks. When she returns to the balcony, she opens the case and removes a large firearm from it. She turns toward the photographer and fires the gun at the helicopter, destroying it, which resulted in killing him. In the aftermath of the explosion, flaming pieces of tabloid articles flutter through the air as Del Rey lowers the gun and reenters the beach house.

Photoshoot by Chuck Grant (April, 2015)[]

Behind the scenes[]

Accolades[]

Publication Accolade Rank
Pitchfork Best 20 Music Videos of 2015[4] 10
Stereogum The 50 Best Music Videos of 2015[5] 12
Teen Vogue The 11 Best Music Videos of 2015[6] N/A
Popcrush Best Music Videos of 2015[7] N/A
Time Top 10 Pop Music Videos of 2015[8] 10
Cosmopolitan Best Plot Twist: High by the Beach[9] N/A

Cross-references[]

Official versions[]

  • Album version — 4:17
    • Instrumental version — 4:25
  • Clean version — 4:23
  • Radio edit — 4:21[10]
  • Music video version — 4:58

Lyrics[]

High-igh-igh-igh
High-igh-igh-igh

Boy, look at you, looking at me
I know you know how I feel
Loving you is hard, being here is harder
You take the wheel
I don't want to do this anymore
It's so surreal

I can't survive
If this is all that's real

All I want to do is get high by the beach
Get high by the beach, get high
All I want to do is get by, by the beach
Get by, baby, baby, bye-bye

The truth is I never bought into your bullshit
When you would pay tribute to me, 'cause I knew that

All I wanted to do was get high by the beach
Get high, baby, baby, bye-bye

Boy, look at you, looking at me
I know you don't understand
You could be a bad motherfucker
But that don't make you a man
Now you're just another one of my problems
Because you got out of hand

We won't survive
We're sinking into the sand

All I want to do is get high by the beach
Get high by the beach, get high
All I want to do is get by, by the beach
Get by, baby, baby, bye-bye

The truth is I never bought into your bullshit
When you would pay tribute to me, 'cause I knew that

All I wanted to do was get high by the beach
Get high, baby, baby, bye-bye

Lights, camera, acción
I'll do it on my own
Don't need your money, money
To get me what I want

Lights, camera, acción
I'll do it on my own
Don't need your money, money
To get me what I want

All I want to do is get high by the beach
Get high by the beach, get high
All I want to do is get by, by the beach
Get by, baby, baby, bye-bye

The truth is I never bought into your bullshit
When you would pay tribute to me, 'cause I knew that

All I wanted to do was get high by the beach
Get high, baby, baby, bye-bye

High-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh
High-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh
High-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh
High-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh-igh

Anyone can start again
Not through love, but through revenge
Through the fire we're born again
Peace by vengeance, brings the end
(High-igh-igh-igh)

Promotional release[]

High by the Beach CD by Universal Music in Netherlands[]

High by the Beach CD by Universal Music in Germany[]

High by the Beach CD by Universal Music in Poland[]

High by the Beach CD by Polydor in UK[]

High by the Beach CD by Vertigo/Capitol in Germany[]

High by the Beach CD by Polydor in France[]

High by the Beach CD by Universal Music Colombia in Colombia[]

High by the Beach CD by Universal Music in Japan[]

Credits[]

Personnel
  • Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting, production
  • Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, organ, synth, keyboards
  • Kieron Menzies — songwriting, production, recording, mixing, drums, bass, samples, synth, effects
  • Patrick Warren — orchestrations, harmonium, piano
  • Leon Michels — synth pad, Juno lead, flute
  • Adam Ayan — mastering
Technical
  • Published by Cosmic Lime (ASCAP) / R-Rated Music, administered by EMI April Music Inc. (Global Music Rights) / Sony / ATV Music Publishing
  • Recorded and mixed at The Green Building, Santa Monica, United States
  • Mastered at Gateway Mastering, Portland, Maine

Charts[]

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 51
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 56
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 46
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[14] 16
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 39
France (SNEP)[16] 14
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 75
Hungary (Single Top 40)[18] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 59
Italy (FIMI)[20] 93
Israel International Songs (Media Forest)[21] 4
Russian Top Radio Hits (Tophit)[22] 130
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] 23
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 58
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25] 60
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 51

Release history[]

Country Date Format Label References
Belgium August 10, 2015 Digital download Universal Music [27]
Canada Interscope [28]
France Polydor [29]
Germany Vertigo • Capitol [30]
Italy Universal Music [31]
Luxembourg [32]
Portugal [33]
Spain [34]
Switzerland [35]
United Kingdom Polydor
United States Interscope

References[]

  1. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDO2gzqHpDb/
  2. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6664035/omi-cheerleader-no-1-return-hot-100-lana-del-rey-debut
  3. http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/
  4. "Pitchfork". http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9763-the-best-music-videos-of-2015/2/.
  5. "Stereogum". http://www.stereogum.com/1847314/the-50-best-music-videos-of-2015/franchises/2015-in-review/.
  6. "Teen Vogue". http://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-music-videos-2015.
  7. "Popcrush". http://popcrush.com/best-music-videos-2015/.
  8. "TIME". http://time.com/4139171/top-10-pop-music-videos/.
  9. "Cosmopolitan". http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a49753/best-music-videos-2015/.
  10. GBUM71600006
  11. http://www.noise11.com/news/aria-singles-delta-goodrem-wings-tops-australian-chart-20150815
  12. http://www.noise11.com/news/aria-singles-delta-goodrem-wings-tops-australian-chart-20150815
  13. http://www.austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=High+by+the+Beach&cat=s
  14. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=High+by+the+Beach&cat=s
  15. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=793
  16. http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=High+by+the+Beach&cat=s
  17. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Lana+Del+Rey/?type=single
  18. http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/single-track-top-40-lista/2015/3
  19. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2015&year=2015&week=35
  20. http://www.fimi.it/classifiche#/category:digital/year:2015/id:2094/page:1
  21. http://www.mediaforest.biz/WeeklyCharts/HistoryWeeklyCharts.aspx?year=2015&week=35e
  22. https://www.tophit.ru/en/tracks/67130/view
  23. http://www.spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=%7B%7B%7Bsong%7D%7D%7D&cat=s
  24. http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=High+by+the+Beach&cat=s
  25. http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2015-08-14/
  26. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=379
  27. "High By The Beach (Explicit) (2015)" (in French). 7digital (FR-BE). http://fr-be.7digital.com/artist/lana-del-rey/release/high-by-the-beach-explicit/. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  28. "High By the Beach – Single by Lana Del Rey". iTunes Store (CA). Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. http://web.archive.org/web/20150812080858/https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/high-by-the-beach-single/id1027992887.
  29. "High By The Beach (Explicit): Lana Del Rey" (in French). Amazon.fr. http://www.amazon.fr/High-Beach-Explicit-Lana-Del/dp/B013HAC430. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  30. "High By The Beach (Explicit): Lana Del Rey" (in German). Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B013I9N3BW. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  31. "High By The Beach (Explicit): Lana Del Rey" (in Italian). Amazon.it. http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B013H46TVY. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  32. "High By The Beach (Explicit) (2015)" (in Luxembourgish). 7digital (LU). https://lu.7digital.com/artist/lana-del-rey/release/high-by-the-beach-explicit/. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  33. "High By The Beach (Explicit) (2015)" (in Portuguese). 7digital (PT). https://pt.7digital.com/artist/lana-del-rey/release/high-by-the-beach-explicit/. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  34. "High By The Beach (Explicit): Lana Del Rey" (in Spanish). Amazon.es. http://www.amazon.es/High-Beach-Explicit-Lana-Del/dp/B013H9KJK6. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  35. "High By The Beach (Explicit) (2015)" (in German). 7digital (DE-CH). https://de-ch.7digital.com/artist/lana-del-rey/release/high-by-the-beach-explicit-4669593/. Retrieved August 12, 2015.


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