Music to Watch Boys To (song)

Lana Del Rey Writer(s) Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels Producer(s) Lana Del Rey Rick Nowels Kieron Menzies Released September 11, 2015 Recorded June 2014 (demo) Length 4:50 (See official versions) From Single(s) "High by the Beach" "Music to Watch Boys To" Promotional single(s) "Terrence Loves You" "Honeymoon" Singles chronology "High by the Beach" "Music to Watch Boys To" "Love" Honeymoon track listing "Honeymoon" "Terrence Loves You"

"Music to Watch Boys To" (originally titled "Pink Flamingos") is a song by Lana Del Rey that is featured as the second track on Del Rey's third major-label full-length album Honeymoon. The song was officially released worldwide as the second single from the record on September 11, 2015.

Background and writing

Del Rey first mentioned the song as a potential title for the whole album in late June, 2014. On January 2, 2015, Del Rey opened up a little more on the song, elaborating on how she wrote it in a visual, noirish way saying "the title [of the song] lends itself to a visual of shadows of men passing by, this girl's eyes, her face. I can definitely see things."

An early demo of the song is rumored to exist. The radio mix unknowingly leaked on April 27, 2021.

Release

On June 4, 2015, model Jake Mast tweeted that the music video he had filmed with Del Rey earlier in the year was for the track and would be released in June, however, by the end of the month, no video had been released. On August 31, 2015, Del Rey posted a photo depicting the behind-the-scenes of the music video for the track on Instagram. A snippet of the song was featured alongside excerpts from "Terrence Loves You", "Freak" and "High by the Beach" in an album sampler released September 8, 2015.

On September 9, 2015, Del Rey posted the official single cover on social media sites along with an announcement that the track would premier later that day on Beats 1 Radio. On September 11, 2015, the single's official audio was uploaded to Del Rey's Vevo YouTube channel, and the song was also released on iTunes. On September 30, 2015, the official music video for the song was uploaded to Del Rey's Vevo YouTube channel.

Live performances

Del Rey performed the song live for the very first time on July 31, 2017, during a small scale concert at the House of Blues in San Diego, California. She also performed it on August 1, 2017 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. It was performed at many other 2017 shows and in 2018 it was performed on various dates of the LA to the Moon Tour.

Use in media

The song can be heard in the first episode of the first season of Norwegian TV drama series Skam.

Music video

Music video	Information
	Released	September 30, 2015
	Length	4:55
	Director	Kinga Burza
	Producer
	Filmed	April, 2015
	Location	California
	Vevo views	54+ Million views

Background

The music video for "Music to Watch Boys To" was shot near Hollywood, California. It was filmed during April, 2015. It was officially released on Del Rey's official Vevo channel on September 30, 2015, after Del Rey had teased various photos promoting the video on social media during previous weeks.

Description

The video features Del Rey lounging in a lawn chair while men play basketball on an empty court, and a group of young girls in dresses swimming together underwater. Scenes of Del Rey wearing glitter and wearing a black dress are intercut in between the footage of the basketball players. The video ends with Del Rey and the young girls holding hands and jumping together in a line.

Photoshoot by Chuck Grant

Cropped, HQ

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Photoshoot by Neil Krug

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Behind the scenes

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Cross-references

• Velvet is referenced in other songs such as "Blue Velvet".
• Pink flamingos are also mentioned in "Trash Magic" and "Methamphetamines".
• "Nothing gold can stay, like love or lemonade" is a reference to "crying tears of gold like lemonade" from "Ultraviolence".
• "Nothing gold can stay" refers to the poem of the same title written in 1923 by Robert Frost.
• The phrase "I like you a lot" is also used in "You Can Be the Boss", "Breaking My Heart", "White Mustang" and "Lolita".
• Lemonade is also mentioned in "Ultraviolence", "Trash Magic", "Dance for Money" the unleaked song "Lemonade Motorcycle Heaven" and the poem "What Happened When I Left You".
• Playing guitar is also mentioned in "The Next Best American Record", "Brooklyn Baby", "For K (Part 2)", "Groupie Love" and "Tomorrow Never Came".

Official versions

• Album version — 4:50
  • Instrumental version — 4:37
• Radio mix — 4:35
• Music video version — 4:54

Lyrics

(I like you a lot)
Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys
(So I do what you want)
Singing soft grunge just to soak up the noise
(With ribbons in knots)
Playing their guitars, only one of my toys
(‘Cause I like you a lot)
No holds barred, I was sent to destroy, yeah

Pink flamingos
Always fascinated me
I know what only the girls know
Hoes with lies akin to me

I see you’re going
So I play my music, watch you leave

(I like you a lot)
Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys
(So I do what you want)
Singing soft grunge just to soak up the noise
(With ribbons in knots)
Playing their guitars, only one of my toys
(‘Cause I like you a lot)
No holds barred, I was sent to destroy, yeah

Velveteen and living single
It never felt that right to me
I know what only the girls know
Lies can buy eternity

I see you leaving
So I push record and watch you leave

(I like you a lot)
Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys
(So I do what you want)
Singing soft grunge just to soak up the noise
(With ribbons in knots)
Playing their guitars, only one of my toys
(‘Cause I like you a lot)
No holds barred, I was sent to destroy, yeah

I live to love you
And I love to love you
And I live to love you, boy

I live to love you
And I love to love you
And I live to love you, boy

Nothing gold can stay
Like love or lemonade
Or sun or summer days
It’s all a game to me anyway

(I like you a lot)
Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys
(So I do what you want)
Singing soft grunge just to soak up the noise
(With ribbons in knots)
Playing their guitars, only one of my toys
(‘Cause I like you a lot)
No holds barred, I was sent to destroy, yeah

Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys
Putting on my music while I’m watching the boys

Promotional release

Music to Watch Boys To CD by Interscope and Polydor Records

Front cover

Back cover

CD

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Music to Watch Boys To CD by Universal Music in Poland

Front cover and CD

Covers and CD

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Music to Watch Boys To CD by Interscope and Polydor Records

Front cover

Back cover

CD

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Credits

Personnel

• Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriting, production
• Rick Nowels – songwriting, production, piano, synth, pads, electric guitar
• Kieron Menzies – production, drums, percussion, samples, recording, mixing, engineering
• Patrick Warren – orchestrations, strings, flute, clarinet, oboe, basson
• 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)	117
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	186