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"Honeymoon" is a song written by Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels that is featured on Del Rey's third major-label full-length album Honeymoon. It serves as the record's title track and opening track. It was officially released as the second promotional single from the record on September 7, 2015.
Background[]
The song was written and recorded in 2014.[S 1] Del Rey confirmed Honeymoon as the title of her album in an interview with Billboard on January 6, 2015.[1] On May 7, the lyrics to the track were found in the tour book for the Endless Summer Tour, although no lyrics from the rest of the album were featured.
Del Rey posted a lyric video for the song on her personal YouTube page on July 14, 2015, and the next day Del Rey expanded on the writing of "'Honeymoon" in an Instagram post saying it is "where the record begins and end" and that "it encapsulates all of the things that come naturally to [her]".[2] In an another Instagram post, on August 14, she stated that the song is "the most beautiful one" on the album.
Composition[]
"Honeymoon" is a cinematic ballad running at 5 minutes 50 seconds in length in the key of F minor with no fixed tempo. The track relies heavily on the use of swooping strings and layered vocal harmonies. In the bridge of the song muted military drums are introduced and return again for the outro along with block piano chords. After the last chorus Del Rey makes use of scatting, a popular jazz vocal device.
Critical reception[]
Upon release, the song was met with critical acclaim. NME called the track "cinematic" and "emotionally thrilling" before describing it as "perhaps her most heart-stopping ballad yet". The Verge described the song as "six minutes of meandering bliss" and praised the "sweeping strings and stuttering snares" that "float through the background of the song", but also identified that, "like much of Lana Del Rey's work, the core of its appeal is in her voice." TIME called the song "characteristically broody" and "cinematic", and suggested it "leans closer to the sounds of her breakthrough LP Born to Die than the material she cooked up with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach". The Independent praised the song, calling it "melancholic and beautiful". Billboard said the song was "grander and more ambitious than anything the singer-songwriter has released thus far", describing it as "epic".
Release[]
On June 16, 2015, a short video clip featuring a snippet of the track was released onto Instagram.[3] A second snippet featuring the first verse rather than the chorus of the song was posted on the same platform on June 26.[4] Both snippets were posted on Del Rey's @honeymoon Instagram account, which she created to promote the record.
The full track was released onto Del Rey's personal YouTube page on July 14, 2015. It was later released as the album's second promotional single on September 7, 2015.
Live performances[]
Del Rey performed a short a cappella snippet of the song for the very first time on the last date on the Endless Summer Tour in West Palm Beach, at the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre on June 16, 2015. The second performance was on Huw Stephen's BBC Radio 1 show, three days before the release of Honeymoon. In 2016, Del Rey performed the song at the "Freak" premiere in Los Angeles, CA at the Wiltern on February 9. The song was also included as part of the setlist for her 2016 Festival Tour. In 2018, the song was performed on January 17 in Detroit, Michigan at the LA to the Moon Tour, among various other dates.
Music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | N/A |
| Length | 5:51 | |
| Director | Francesco Carrozzini | |
| Producer | ||
| Filmed | 2015 | |
| Location | West Hollywood, United States | |
| Vevo views | N/A | |
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | July 14, 2015 |
| Length | 5:54 | |
| Director | Francesco Carrozzini | |
| Producer | ||
| Filmed | 2015 | |
| Location | West Hollywood, United States | |
| Vevo views | N/A | |
Background[]
On July 14, 2015, Del Rey released a lyric video for "Honeymoon" on her personal YouTube account. It included short snippets from the actual music video.
The full, official music video for the song was filmed by Francesco Carrozzini, but it was never officially released. On April 2, 2016, Del Rey explained on her Instagram account that the video was shelved because she believed "nothing really happened in it".[5]
The full official music video was leaked onto Taylor Secman's YouTube channel on December 27, 2015, although it was not discovered until June 24, 2016, when the link was shared by a fan.
Cross-references[]
- "Dreaming away your life" is a similar lyric to "dreamin' of a different life" from "Take Me to Paris".
- Roses are also mentioned in "Bel Air", "Guns and Roses", "JFK, "If I Die Young", "Roses Bloom for You", "Stoplight De-Lite", "Violets for Roses" and the song of the same name, among several others.
- The phrase "dark blue" references the line "kissing in the blue dark" from "Video Games". Del Rey loves the color blue, mentioning that it is her favorite color in "The Blackest Day". Del Rey also mentions it in "Shades of Cool" and "Your Girl", among several others.
- The phrase "we both know" was first used in "Diet Mountain Dew".
- The lyric "Fire that surrounds you" is similar to the lyric "he's got the fire" from "Sad Girl".
- The lyric "there are guns that blaze around you, there are roses in between my thighs" references the songs "Guns and Roses" and "Roses". Blazing guns are also mentioned in "Serene Queen".
- The lyric "there are violets in your eyes" is similar to the lyrics "palms/sun reflecting in your eyes" from "Freak" and "Heaven's in your eyes" from "National Anthem".
- Violence is also mentioned in "Ultraviolence" and indirectly mentioned in the demo for "Beautiful People Beautiful Problems".
- Violets are also mentioned in "Cinnamon Girl", "Is This Happiness", "Valley of the Dolls", "Violets for Roses" and in the poem "My Bedroom Is A Sacred Place Now - There Are Children At The Foot Of My Bed", while the phrase "there are violets in your eyes" also appears in "Crazy for You".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:50
- Instrumental version — 5:53
Official remixes[]
- SRTW Remix — 4:01
Lyrics[]
We both know that it's not fashionable to love me
But you don't go
'Cause truly there's nobody for you but me
We could cruise to the blues
Wilshire Boulevard if we choose
Or whatever you want to do
We make the rules
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Say you want me too
Say you want me too
Dark blue
Dark blue
We both know the history of violence that surrounds you
But I'm not scared
There's nothing to lose now that I've found you
And we could cruise to the news
Pico Boulevard in your used little bullet car if we choose
Mr. Born to Lose
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Say you want me too
Say you want me too
Dark blue
Dark blue
There are violets in your eyes
There are guns that blaze around you
There are roses in between my thighs and fire that surrounds you
It's no wonder every man in town had neither fought nor found (You)
Everything you do is elusive to even your honey dew
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Da, da, da, da
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Oooh...
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Oooh... mhm...
Promotional release[]
Honeymoon CD by Interscope Records in Netherlands[]
Honeymoon CD by Universal in UK & Europe[]
Honeymoon CD by Universal Music Group in Poland[]
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting, production
- Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, piano, synth, pads, electric guitar
- Kieron Menzies — production, drums, percussion, samples, engineering, mixing, recording
- Patrick Warren — Strings, synth effects
- Curt Bisquera — live drums
- Brian Griffin — conga
- Roger Joseph Manning Jr. — bass, omnichord
- Leon Michels — flute
- Trevor Yasuda — additional effects, engineering
- Chris Garcia — engineering
- Adam Ayan — mastering
Charts[]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[6] | 154 |
References[]
- APRA Id: GW48280521
- ↑ Gallo, Phil. (2015). Lana Del Rey Q&A: On 'Big Eyes' & Her Upcoming 'Honeymoon' Album. Billboard. [Access date May 10, 2015]
- ↑ Honeymoon. (2015) "Here it is, the first and title track off my record – Honeymoon. In some ways I feel it's where the record begins and ends... there are so many other tracks on the record, 13 others to be exact- Some with a muddy trap energy and some inspired by late-night Miles Davis drives… But I love this song because it encapsulates all of the things that come naturally to me. http://lanadel.re/HONEYMOON". Instagram. [Access date July 15, 2015]
- ↑ Honeymoon. (2015) "HONEYMOON". Instagram. [Access date June 16, 2015]
- ↑ Honeymoon. (2015) "We both know-that it's not fashionable to love me". Instagram. [Access date June 26, 2015]
- ↑ Lana Del Rey. (2015). "Never put it out because nothing really happened in it" Instagram. [Access date June 29, 2016]
- ↑ http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=Honeymoon&cat=s
Notes[]
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