"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It" (stylized in all lowercase, registered as "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me" and previously known as "Sylvia Plath" or "Sylvia") is a song by Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!. It was released on January 9, 2019, as the third single from the album.
Background and inspiration[]
It was recorded on January 29, 2018, in the same sessions as "Love Song".
Del Rey first mentioned the song as "Sylvia" on February 15, 2018, during the concert in San Diego, part of the LA to the Moon Tour.
On October 25, 2018, she posted a snippet of the song on her Instagram account, announcing that it will be featured on Norman Fucking Rockwell!.[1][dead link] She also tweeted lyrics to the song.[2]
On December 3, 2018, Elle magazine reported that the song would be the next single off the Norman Fucking Rockwell! album, although no official confirmation was given by Del Rey's team.[3]
On January 2, 2019, Del Rey announced the song would be the third single, changing its name from "Sylvia Plath" to "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It", in an since deleted Instagram post featuring a slightly extended snippet.[4]
The song's producer, Jack Antonoff, revealed via Twitter that this song was one of two songs him and Del Rey recorded during their first session in the studio. He added that it was recorded without a click track in mostly live takes over felt piano.[5]
The song was inspired by Sylvia Plath, who was a famous American poet, novelist, and short-story writer.
Del Rey revealed in an interview for Vogue Korea that it took 3 years to finish this song.[6]
An extended version of the song was registered on PPL Repertoire. It lasts 5 minutes and 58 seconds.[7]
August 22, 2019, in her interview with Billboard magazine, she said this about the track: “It was staggered with references from living in Hollywood and seeing so many things that didn’t look right to me, things that I never thought I’d have permission to talk about, because everyone knew and no one ever said anything,” she says in a tangle of sentences as knotty as the lyrics themselves. “The culture only changed in the last two years as to whether people would believe you. And I’ve been in this business now for 15 years! So I was writing a song to myself.” She exhales deeply, sinking back into the sofa. “Hope truly is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have, because I know so much.” Del Rey pauses. “But I have it.”"[8]
Music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | August 25, 2021 |
| Length | 5:58 | |
| Director | Lana Del Rey | |
| Producer | N/A | |
| Filmed | 2019 | |
| Location | Los Angeles, California | |
| Vevo views | 88,294+ | |
On August 25, 2021, Del Rey released a homemade video for the song on her UHaulJoe YouTube channel.[9][dead link] It is speculated to have been recorded in 2019.
Cross-references[]
- Mention of a debutante is also found in "Fake Diamond".
- Revolution is also mentioned in "Children of the Bad Revolution".
- "Writing in blood on my walls" is a line echoed from "Heroin".
- Del Rey also describes herself as a sociopath in "Serial Killer".
- The keys are also mentioned in "Bartender".
- Sylvia Plath is also mentioned in poems "Bare Feet on Linoleum" and "Patent Leather Do–Over".
- Coffee is also mentioned in "Queen of the Gas Station", "In My Feelings", "Love", "Vacation" and the poem "Never to Heaven".
- Her dad is mentioned in songs like "Radio", "Ride", "Cola", and "Old Money".
- Slim Aarons was a famous photographer that used to take glamorous pictures of celebrities.
- "Hope is a dangerous thing" is a quote from Stephen King and his 1982 novel "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption".
- "The Bowery Bums" is a term used to describe alcoholic and homeless people from New York after the World War I.
- The stage is also mentioned in "Fuck It I Love You", and "Your Girl".
- A nightgown is also mentioned in "If I Die Young" and "Playing Dangerous".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:25
- Instrumental version — 5:24
- Single version — 5:24
- Alternate version — 5:58
Lyrics[]
Album version[]
I was reading Slim Aarons and I got to thinking that I thought
Maybe I'd get less stressed if I was tested less like all of these debutantes
Smiling for miles in pink dresses and high heels on white yachts
But, I'm not, baby, I'm not
No, I'm not, that, I'm not
I've been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on my walls 'cause the ink in my pen don't work in my notepad
Don't ask if I'm happy, you know that I'm not
But, at best, I can say I'm not sad
'Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
I had fifteen-year dances, church basement romances, yeah, I've got
Spilling my guts with the Bowery bums is the only love I've ever known
Except for the stage, which I also call home when I'm not
Servin' up God in a burnt coffee pot for the triad
Hello, it's the most famous woman you know on the iPad
Calling from beyond the grave, I just wanna say, "Hi, dad"
I've been tearing up town in my fucking white gown like a goddamn near sociopath
Shaking my ass is the only thing that's got this black narcissist off my back
She couldn't care less, and I never cared more
So there's no more to say about that
Except hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman with my past
There's a new revolution, a loud evolution, that I saw
Born of confusion and quiet collusion of which, mostly, I've known
A modern day woman with a weak constitution 'cause I've got
Monsters still under my bed that I could never fight off
A gatekeeper carelessly dropping the keys on my nights off
I've been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on your walls 'cause the ink in my pen don't look good in my pad
They write that I'm happy, they know that I'm not
But, at best, you can see I'm not sad
But hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
But I have it, yeah, I have it
Yeah, I have it, I have
Alternate version[]
I was reading Slim Aarons and I got to thinking that I thought
Maybe I'd get less stressed if I was tested less like all of these debutantes
Smiling for miles in pink dresses and high heels on white yachts
But, I'm not, baby, I'm not
No, I'm not, that, I'm not
I've been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on my walls 'cause the ink in my pen don't work in my notepad
Don't ask if I'm happy, you know that I'm not
But, at best, I can say I'm not sad
'Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
I had fifteen-year dances, church basement romances, yeah, I've got
Spilling my guts with the Bowery bums is the only love I've ever known
Except for the stage, which I also call home when I'm not
Servin' up God in a burnt coffee pot for the triad
Hello, it's the most famous woman you know on the iPad
Calling from beyond the grave, I just wanna say, "Hi, dad"
I've been tearing up town in my fucking white gown like a goddamn near sociopath
Shaking my ass is the only thing that's got this black narcissist off my back
She couldn't care less, and I never cared more
So there's no more to say about that
Except hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman with my past
There's a new revolution, a loud evolution, that I saw
Born of confusion and quiet collusion of which, mostly, I've known
A modern day woman with a weak constitution 'cause I've got
Monsters still under my bed that I could never fight off
A gatekeeper carelessly dropping the keys on my nights off
I've been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on your walls 'cause the ink in my pen don't look good in my pad
They write that I'm happy, they know that I'm not
But, at best, you can see I'm not sad
But hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
But I have it, yeah, I have it
Yeah, I have it, I have
('Cause I had you in- in my head
Are you real? Are you real? Yeah?
Is there any chance that I'm just gonna wake up on the floor and the song won't exist?
I'll be very sad
If I wake up, and you don't exist
And the song doesn't exist...
Yeah, I hope you're real)
Credits[]
- Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, production, vocals
- Jack Antonoff — songwriting, production, piano, synthesizer
- Laura Sisk — engineering, mixing
- Chris Gehringer — mastering
- Technical
- Mastered at Sterling Sound
- Recorded at Rough Customer Studio, New York, United States / Sunset Banana Split, Los Angeles, United States
- Mixed at Rough Customer Studio, New York, United States
Charts[]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[10] | 31 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[11] | 24 |
| Canadian Digital Songs (Billboard)[12] | 45 |
| France (SNEP)[13] | 68 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[14] | 40 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 80 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[16] | 50 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[17] | 11 |
| Scotland (OCC)[18] | 77 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[19] | 70 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[21] | 99 |
| US Alternative Digital Songs (Billboard)[22] | 8 |
| US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[23] | 20 |
References[]
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (October 25, 2018). "SYLVIA PLATH from NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL 🎥". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpXYuXCAopb/. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (October 25, 2018). "I was reading Slim Aarons and I got to thinking that I thought maybe I’d get less stressed if I was tested less like all of these debutantes- smiling for miles in pink dresses and high heels on white yachts. But I’m not baby I’m not that". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200208084320/https://twitter.com/LanaDelRey/status/1055523725867593728.
- ↑ Tang, Estelle (December 3, 2018). "How Ariana Grande, Robyn, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Lana Del Rey Are Changing Pop Music". Elle. https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a25357389/best-female-pop-singers-2018/. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ↑ Del Rey, Lana (January 2, 2019). "Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you enjoy the new song I’m putting out on the ninth it’s called ‘hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have- but i have it’ Also as of last week I finished a short book of poetry I’ve been writing over the last 13 months that I’ll be putting out later. In the meantime though I’d like to apologize in advance for upcoming cancellations of shows you’ll be hearing about– I wish I could fulfill those obligations but I won’t be able to Thanks L". Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/lanadelrey/videos/134513980802530/. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ↑ Antonoff, Jack (January 10, 2019). "hope is a dangerous thing is one of 2 songs that happened the first day that lana and i were in the studio. recorded no click mostly live, felt piano + lana’s perfect vocal. sounded exactly like that in the room. this one means a lot. listen at night alone". Twitter. https://twitter.com/jackantonoff/status/1083508601409454080. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ↑ Joo-Hyun, Lee (May 13, 2019). "자레드 레토와 라나 델 레이의 기묘한 여정 [The curious itinerary of Jared Leto and Lana Del Rey]" (in ko). Vogue Korea. http://www.vogue.co.kr/2019/05/13/자레드-레토와-라나-델-레이의-기묘한-여정/. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ↑ ISRC Code: GBUM71903509
- ↑ Garvey, Meaghan (August 22, 2019). "Lana Del Rey on Finding Her Voice and Following Her Muse: ‘I Have Never Taken a Shortcut’". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8527901/lana-del-rey-billboard-cover-story-2019. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ↑ UHaulJoe (August 25, 2021). "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehVVzS94Pbc.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". https://www.billboard.com/artist/lana-del-rey/chart-history/cns/. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 3, 2019)" (in fr). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-singles-telecharges/?ye=2019&we=03. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. http://irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Singles. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in lt). AGATA (organization). January 18, 2019. https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/savaites-klausomiausi-47-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 21, 2019. https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/hotsingles?chart=4582. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 20193 into search. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 3, 18 januari 2019". Sverigetopplistan. http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/netdata/ghl002.mbr/lista?liid=215&dfom=20190111. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Alternative Digital Song Sales : Jan 19, 2019". https://www.billboard.com/node/8493357. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ↑ "Pop Digital Song Sales - January 19, 2019". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/charts/pop-digital-song-sales/2019-01-19. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
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