"Kill Kill" (also known as "Florida Dark" and originally titled "The Ocean") is a song written by Lana Del Rey and produced by David Kahne, serving as the opening track from her 2008 EP, Kill Kill, and 2010 debut album, Lana Del Ray.
Background[]
"Kill Kill" was recorded sometime during 2007 in a studio located at 12 West, 37th Street, 4th Floor, New York City.[citation needed]
The original demo of the song was called "The Ocean"[1] and produced by Steven Mertens. A snippet of this demo leaked on December 4, 2016, and on December 5, 2016, the full track leaked. The original file lasts 4 minutes and 31 seconds, however, the additional length is just silence. More versions under the original "The Ocean" title are rumoured to exist. On July 5, 2017, the unmastered version of the song leaked.
This track is featured on a 3-track mixtape (alongside "Roller Dirby" and "Ruby") that was given to Del Rey's friend and Fordham professor, Mark Naison.
Del Rey acknowledged the song during an Instagram livestream on July 27, 2017. Upon seeing a fan comment the song's title, she read it aloud and added, "that's so funny."[2]
Composition[]
The lyrics of "Kill Kill" were written by Grant while the production was handled by David Kahne. The song speaks about a relationship where Del Rey is "in love with a dying man". The original title for the song was "The Ocean", but the producer of the song, Kahne, found that title boring and told Grant to change it. Grant, while angry, crossed out the title with x's and wrote "kill kill". That title soon became the name of the song and later her debut EP.
Live performances[]
There is one known performance of "Kill Kill". Del Rey performed the song at Pianos on February 17, 2009.
Music video(s)[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
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Released | N/A |
| Length | 3:54 | |
| Director | Lana Del Rey | |
| Producer | ||
| Filmed | Unknown | |
| Location | Unknown | |
| Vevo views | N/A | |
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | November 6, 2008 |
| Length | 4:01 | |
| Director | Lana Del Rey | |
| Producer | ||
| Filmed | ||
| Location | ||
| Vevo views | ||
Background and description[]
A music video featuring old clips of people surfing, old fashioned cars, and people on the beach in California were cut together by Grant along with several scenes of Grant covered in an American flag with a Marilyn Monroe-like hairstyle, another with flowers in her hair in front of floral pattern, and one with Grant wearing a simple strap dress with another Marilyn Monroe hairstyles. The clips of Grant feature her mouthing the words to the song in home videos. Grant removed the video but it was leaked along with plenty of other videos for songs off of her album, after she had established herself as Lana Del Rey. A second official version is available on YouTube and it features similar scenes from the first video but also adds new Grant scenes and clips with the ocean. This version is slightly longer than the previous one.
On September 15, 2023, a third music video surfaced onto the internet. It is very similar to the other two music videos, although it features different clips of Del Rey and different miscellaneous clips.
Cross-references[]
- A dying man is also referenced in "Move" and "Money Hunny".
- Ray is mentioned in many of Del Rey's songs like "Wayamaya" and also referenced in "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)".
- The ocean is mentioned in "Bentley", "Religion", "Salvatore" and in the poem "LA Who Am I to Love You".
- Sand is also referenced in “High by the Beach”.
Official versions[]
- Lana Del Ray version — 3:57
- Unmastered version — 4:08
- Kill Kill version — 3:59
- "The Ocean" demo version — 3:50
Lyrics[]
Album version[]
Bound up the stairs, I'm in the shower
Do you know I am going to leave you?
Do you know I am going to leave you?
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love, lying in the sand, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
Tell me about Ray and his girl
Do I know Ray is going to meet you?
Love you, I do, stay here, I won't
As stars fade from your eyes
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love, lying in the sand, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
One, two, make it fun
Don't trust anyone
One, two, make it fun
Don't trust anyone
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
One, two, make it fun
Don't trust anyone
One, two, make it fun
Make it fun, make it fun
"The Ocean" demo version[]
Bound up the stairs, I'm in the shower
Do you know I am going to leave you?
Fresh from the shore, blonde hair is wide
The ocean makes me cry
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love, lying in the sand, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
Tell me about Ray and his girl
Did I know Ray is going to meet you?
Love you, I do, stay here, I won't
As stars fade from your eyes
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love, lying in the sand, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
One, two, make it fun
Don't trust anyone
One, two, make it fun
Don't trust anyone
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
I have done everything I can, hmm
I'm in love with a dying man
I'm in love with a dying man
References[]
- ↑ Bates, Andy (November 4, 2008). "What you see vs. what you get". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130521090634/http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/503335.html?nav=5050. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ↑ Celebrity Snapchat Diaries (July 27, 2017). "Lana Del Rey | Instagram Live Stream | 27 July 2017". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_uPbknbxcc. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
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