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For the unreleased song, see Paradise (song).
For the song from Born to Die, see Dark Paradise (song).
For other uses, see Paradise (disambiguation).

Paradise is the third studio EP and second major-label EP released by Lana Del Rey. It was released on November 9, 2012, through Universal Music Group. The EP is additionally packaged with the reissue of her first major-label studio album Born to Die (2012), titled Born to Die - The Paradise Edition.

Background[]

Soon after the release of her first major-label debut, Born to Die, Del Rey revealed in an interview with Vogue that she wasn't sure if she could add anything by recording another album, saying "I don't think I'll write another record. What would I say? I feel like everything I wanted to say, I've said already."[1] After the album's worldwide success, Del Rey returned to the studio to record new material. During an interview on June 15, 2012, Del Rey said she had begun work on a second album. She sang a snippet of "Young and Beautiful", then titled "Will You Still Love Me", and also mentioned the song title of "In the Land of Gods & Monsters". Although "Young and Beautiful" was intended to be released on Paradise, it was scrapped and was later used for The Great Gatsby soundtrack. Also in June 2012, Del Rey performed "Body Electric" live for the first time and stated that it would be released on her next album.

On July 25, 2012, Del Rey announced her intentions to delay her second LP, and instead re-release Born to Die as a "Paradise Edition". In the days leading up to the release, Del Rey released four fan made teaser images of songs from Paradise via Twitter. These images included "American", "Body Electric", "Blue Velvet", and "Gods & Monsters".

When asked about the sound of the record, she told Electronic Beats that she was "in a better mood, staying in one place in California. It was kind of a summing-up of the idea of living at the Chateau Marmont—and then I moved out. It was kind of a closing door. I like that it feels more lush and tropical, and I like that it has more of a Pacific Coast sound at times, like "Gods & Monsters". Paradise is my favorite record, I love it".[2]

Recording[]

For the EP, Del Rey worked with four main producers; Justin Parker, Rick Nowels, Dan Heath and Emile Haynie, who had previously worked with her on Born to Die. She also talked about them when talking to Electronic Beats, where she stated "I worked with the same guys I worked with for Born to Die. I’ve only ever worked with those guys. Emile Haynie comes in at the end, and then there’s Rick Nowels and Justin Parker who write the music underneath the songs. I write the words and melody and they write all the chords and music. And then Dan Heath comes in for the string arrangements, after which Emile puts in the beats and soundscaping, like birds and bells"

She also worked again with producer Tim Larcombe, and worked for the first time with producer Rick Rubin on a leftover demo she had written and produced with Justin Parker that ended up becoming the first single "Ride".

Recording presumably began soon after the release of Born to Die and concluded in September 2012.

Promotion[]

To promote the album, Del Rey began work with the fashion brand, H&M. Her cover of the song "Blue Velvet", which would later appear on the EP, was used in commercials for the company, and a music video was also recorded for the song. It was released as a promotional single on September 20, 2012.

Lana_Del_Rey_-_THE_PARADISE_EDITION

Lana Del Rey - THE PARADISE EDITION

On September 24, 2012, Del Rey unveiled the official release date, tracklist, cover artwork for Paradise, the album became available for pre-order, and "Burning Desire" was released exclusively to those who had pre-ordered Born to Die - The Paradise Edition. Simultaneously, Del Rey premiered a video entitled "THE PARADISE EDITION" featuring snippets of all the songs from the EP, the video also included excess footage from the filming of "Summertime Sadness". The official upload of the video has since been privatized, but you can still view re-uploads that have been published online. The next day, "Ride" was released as the lead single from the EP.

On October 10, 2012, the video for "Ride", directed by Anthony Mandler, was premiered at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California, by Del Rey herself. The ten-minute video received polarized reviews but quickly garnered views on YouTube. Del Rey released a promotional video for the song "Bel Air" on November 8. The video featured more outtake footage from "Summertime Sadness", similar to the Paradise Edition sampler video. On November 13, 2012, Del Rey announced that "Cola" would serve as the EP's second single, but no release date was set and the release was eventually scrapped.

Del Rey became a spokesperson for Jaguar in late 2012. It was announced that "Burning Desire" would serve as the company's official promotional song for its new automobile, the F-Type. A music video for the song was released on February 14, 2013, and it was later released on March 19, 2013, as the EP's second promotional single.

Tour[]

Main article: Paradise Tour

On October 31, 2012, Del Rey announced an official headlining concert tour to further promote the EP, beginning with a leg of dates across Europe. The tour began on April 3, 2013 in Amnéville, France. The tour was extended to include many dates on other continents and various festival appearances. During the shows in 2014, Del Rey performed songs from her second studio album, Ultraviolence, which was released after Paradise.

Artwork[]

The cover art for Paradise was shot by Nicole Nodland on the set of the "Blue Jeans" music video shoot. The shot features Del Rey standing in a front pool in a white swimsuit. The composition of the cover is reminiscent to that of Born to Die, featuring identical font and font positioning, however, it features metallic gold lettering instead of matte colors. The cover for The Paradise Edition is similar, using the same photograph but with different text. On physical copies of the deluxe boxset, the metallic gold lettering is replaced with actual gold foil.

Singles[]

On September 19, the first promotional single, "Blue Velvet", from the EP was released with a music video promoting H&M.

"Ride" was announced as the lead single from the EP on September 13, 2012 and was released on September 25. The music video, directed by Anthony Mandler, was released online on October 12, being premiered 2 days before in Santa Monica's Aero Theatre.

On November 14, 2012, "Cola" was unveiled as the second single from the EP, although it was never released.

A music video for "Burning Desire" was released on February 14, 2013 and was released as the final promotional single on March 19 with a cross promotion in Jaguar.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (64/100)
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 2Star fullStar halfStar emptyStar empty[3]
American Songwriter 3Star fullStar fullStar halfStar empty[4]
Drowned in Sound 8/10 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[5]
PopMatters 7/10 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar emptyStar empty[6]
Rolling Stone 3/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[7]
Slant Magazine 3/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[8]
Sputnikmusic 3Star fullStar fullStar halfStar empty[9]
Tiny Mix Tapes 3/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[10]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the EP has received an average score of 64, based on 9 reviews indicating "generally favorable reviews". Gil Kaufman of MTV wrote that "[the reissue] is as mellow and languorous... as she was on her debut." In the snippet video, he said, "...the new songs give a peek at the gangster Nancy Sinatra's ongoing fascination with a sleepy, seductive sound and lyrics that mix old-fashion girl group obsession with sometimes profane, shocking new-school swagger." Stuff said the song titles were predictably pokerfaced. "Ride" received widely positive reviews, with the only qualms circling around the unrealistic cover art and coy song title. Of the cover art, Jessica Sager of PopCrush said it's unclear how the tire swing is suspended, with no visible trees nearby. Sager highlighted rumors circulating the internet about the music video for the single being recorded in Valley of Fire in Clark County, Nevada. Contactmusic.com noticed the track adheres to Del Rey's trademark sound, stating that the notion of her even having a trademark after one commercially successful album indicates that "we haven't seen the last of her just yet". Of the production itself, it was said that "Ride" is more accomplished than Del Rey's previous endeavors, with the strengths of the track outshining the flaws. The reviewer concluded by saying, "All that doe-eyed "you can be my full-time daddy / baby" shtick is going to start getting a little tired pretty soon, though, we reckon."

Commercial performance[]

Paradise debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, selling 67,000 copies in its first week.[11] It has since sold over 383,000 copies in the US as of April 2014.[12] It peaked number 19 in Australia and New Zealand.[13] Paradise peaked number 10 in Canada,[14] and 4, 4, and 5 in US Top Rock Albums,[15] Alternative Albums[16] and Tastemaker Albums[17] respectively.

Track listing and release history[]

There were three versions of the album available: the stand-alone Paradise EP including the 8 new tracks; the deluxe Born to Die - The Paradise Edition album including the 8 new tracks from Paradise and the original Born to Die 15 track deluxe version album; and also the deluxe boxset of Born to Die - The Paradise Edition. The stand-alone EP, as well as the deluxe edition, were both released on 12" vinyl in the United States.

"Burning Desire" was released as a bonus track on Paradise in the iTunes store as well as on the international release of the album on CD.

Paradise[]

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Ride"  Lana Del Rey, Justin ParkerRick Rubin 4:49
2. "American"  Del Rey, Rick Nowels, Emile HaynieNowels, Haynie[a] 4:08
3. "Cola"  Del Rey, NowelsNowels, DK[a] 4:20
4. "Body Electric"  Del Rey, NowelsNowels, Dan Heath 3:53
5. "Blue Velvet"  Lee Morris, Bernie WayneHaynie 2:38
6. "Gods & Monsters"  Del Rey, Tim LarcombeLarcombe 3:57
7. "Yayo"  Del ReyHeath, Haynie 5:21
8. "Bel Air"  Del Rey, HeathHeath 3:57
Total length:
33:07

Born to Die - The Paradise Edition[]

Disc 1 - Born to Die

No. Title Length
1. "Born to Die"   4:46
2. "Off to the Races"   4:59
3. "Blue Jeans"   3:30
4. "Video Games"   4:42
5. "Diet Mountain Dew"   3:43
6. "National Anthem"   3:51
7. "Dark Paradise"   4:03
8. "Radio"   3:35
9. "Carmen"   4:09
10. "Million Dollar Man"   3:52
11. "Summertime Sadness"   4:25
12. "This is What Makes Us Girls"   3:58
13. "Without You"   3:49
14. "Lolita"   3:40
15. "Lucky Ones"   3:47
Total length:
60:40

Disc 2 - Paradise

No. Title Length
1. "Ride"   4:49
2. "American"   4:08
3. "Cola"   4:20
4. "Body Electric"   3:53
5. "Blue Velvet"   2:38
6. "Gods & Monsters"   3:57
7. "Yayo"   5:21
8. "Bel Air"   3:57
Total length:
33:07

Born to Die - The Paradise Edition deluxe box set[]

BTD TPE BS

The deluxe box set entitled Born to Die - The Paradise Edition is a limited edition release of Born to Die and Paradise. The cover of the set features embossed gold text, and the set includes a 2CD digipack including Born to Die and Paradise with pictures of the Bird of Paradise flower and a sunset on the respective sleeves, a remix CD in a blue and yellow card sleeve featuring remixes of all the singles, a DVD containing music videos in a blue and yellow card sleeve, a 7" picture disc vinyl of "Blue Velvet" backed by a remix by Penguin Prison, and four card prints featuring the original un-tagged single covers of "Video Games", "Blue Jeans", "Born to Die", and "National Anthem".

Tracklist[]

Disc 3 - The Remixes

No. Title Length
1. "Video Games" (Joy Orbinson Remix) 5:03
2. "Video Games" (Omid 16B Remix) 5:13
3. "Born to Die" (Moodymann Remix) 6:14
4. "Born to Die" (Gemini Remix) 4:51
5. "Blue Jeans" (Gesaffelstein Remix) 4:34
6. "Blue Jeans" (Penguin Prison Remix) 5:40
7. "National Anthem" (Fred Falke Remix Edit) 3:49
8. "National Anthem" (Tensnake Remix) 3:46
Total length:
40:10

DVD - The Videos

No. Title Length
1. "Video Games"   4:47
2. "Born to Die"   4:47
3. "Blue Jeans"   4:19
4. "Blue Jeans" (Lana Del Rey Version) 4:01
5. "National Anthem"   7:49
6. "Summertime Sadness"   4:43
Total length:
30:26

7" Vinyl - Blue Velvet

No. Title Length
1. "Blue Velvet"   2:38
2. "Blue Velvet" (Penguin Prison Remix) 5:03
Total length:
7:41

Gallery[]

Scrapped tracks[]

You can find the full Paradise outtake list here.

"Young and Beautiful" is the best-known song to be an outtake from Paradise. The song was highly teased by Del Rey during the interviews and was registered at the same time as the rest of the tracks from the EP. The song was initially called "Will You Still Love Me" but the name was changed after it was used as a soundtrack for The Great Gatsby film. A demo of the song entitled "Paradise version" was leaked.

"Hollywood", "JFK" and "Starry Eyed" are all songs produced by Rick Nowels and recorded in 2012. All of them leaked on July 18, 2013, from Nowels' website along with a demo and outtake from Ultraviolence. It is unknown why they did not cut or if they were kept for a future record. However, they were most likely meant for Del Rey's scrapped third studio album. On July 27, 2017, during a livestream, Del Rey stated that "Hollywood" leaked with the wrong production, meaning that the correct one remains unleaked.

"I Don't Wanna Go" is a song recorded in 2012. It is speculated to be an outtake from the Paradise recording sessions.

The track "Life is Beautiful" was co-written and produced with a long-time collaborator Dan Heath during the Paradise recording sessions. A few years later, it was re-recorded for the film's The Age of Adaline soundtrack. It was featured in various promotional videos for the film, however it was never officially released as part of the film's soundtrack.

Digital booklet[]

Paradise
Born to Die - The Paradise Edition

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (2012-2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) 19
Canadian Albums (Billboard) 10
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 19
US (Billboard 200) 10
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) 4
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) 5

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2013) Position
US (Billboard 200) 115

Personnel[]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Paradise.

Performance[]

  • Lana Del Rey – vocals (all tracks); backing vocals (track 7)

Instruments[]

  • James Gadson – drums (track 1)
  • Emile Haynie – drums (track 2, 7); additional keyboard (track 7)
  • Dan Heath – percussion (track 4); horns (track 6); keyboard (track 7); strings (tracks 7, 8); piano (track 8)
  • Devrim Karaoglu – drums (track 3)
  • Jason Lader – bass guitar (track 1)
  • Tim Larcombe – keyboards, guitar, drums (track 6)
  • The Larry Gold Orchestra – strings (track 5)
  • Songa Lee – violin (tracks 1, 8)
  • Kieron Menzies – drum programming (track 3)
  • Rick Nowels – synthesizer (track 2); keyboard (tracks 2, 3); bass guitar, acoustic guitar, drums (track 3); piano, mellotron, strings (track 4)
  • Tim Pierce – electric guitar (track 2); slide guitar (tracks 3, 4)
  • Zac Rae – piano, keyboard (track 1)
  • Kathleen Sloan – violin (tracks 1, 8)
  • Patrick Warren – electric guitar, synthesizer, piano (tracks 2, 3, 4); strings, glockenspiel, brass (track 3); organ (tracks 3, 4); dulcitone, bells, optigon, mellotron (track 4)

Technical and production[]

  • Graham Archer – vocal engineering (track 7)
  • Ben Baptie – mixing assistant (track 5)
  • Spencer Burgess Jr. – recording assistant (track 5)
  • Nikki Calvert – engineering (track 8)
  • Jeremy Cochise Ball – mixing (track 7)
  • John Davis – mastering (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Devrim Karaoglu – co-production (track 3)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (track 5)
  • Chris Garcia – additional recording (tracks 2, 3); recording (track 4)
  • Larry Gold – string arrangements (track 5)
  • Emile Haynie – songwriting, co-production (track 2); production (tracks 5, 7); additional production (track 6)
  • Dan Heath – string arrangements (tracks 1, 6); orchestral arrangements (tracks 2, 4); production (tracks 4, 7, 8); engineering (track 8)
  • Jason Lader – recording (track 1)
  • Tim Larcombe – songwriting, production (track 6)
  • Eric Lynn – recording assistant (track 1)
  • Kieron Menzies – recording, mixing (tracks 2, 3, 4)
  • Rick Nowels – production (tracks 2, 3, 4)
  • Sean Oakley – recording assistant (track 1)
  • Robert Orton – mixing (track 6)
  • Tucker Robinson – string recording (track 1); engineering (track 8)
  • Jeff Rothschild – mixing (track 8)
  • Rick Rubin – production (track 1)
  • Andrew Scheps – mixing (track 1)
  • Peter Stanislaus – mixing (track 8)
  • Jordan Stilwell – additional recording (tracks 2, 3)

References[]

  1. Sowray, Bibby (February 10, 2012). "Lana Del Rey". Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/lana-del-rey. Retrieved June 17, 2023. ""Oh, I don't think I'll write another record. What would I say? I feel like everything I wanted to say, I've already said.""
  2. Blanning, Lisa (June 18, 2013). "Paradise Lost: An interview with Lana Del Rey". Telekom Electronic Beats. https://www.electronicbeats.net/lana-del-rey-interview/. Retrieved June 17, 2023. "I was in a better mood, staying in one place in California. It was kind of a summing-up of the idea of living at the Chateau Marmont—and then I moved out. It was just kind of a closing door. I like that it feels more lush and tropical, and I like that it has more of a Pacific Coast sound at times, like “Gods & Monsters”. Paradise is my favorite record, I love it."
  3. Bush, John. "Paradise Review". AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/paradise-mw0002436180. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. "Lana Del Rey: Paradise". American Songwriter. 2012-11-20. http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/11/lana-del-rey-paradise/. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  5. Edwards, David. "88002 Lana Del Rey Born to Die - The Paradise Edition". Silentway. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17344/reviews/4145754. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  6. Chiola, Enio. "Lana Del Rey: Born to Die (The Paradise Edition)". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/165316-lana-del-rey-born-to-die-the-paradise-edition/. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  7. Rosen, Jody. "Lana Del Rey Born to Die – Paradise Edition". Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/born-to-die-paradise-edition-20121113. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  8. Cataldo, Jesse. "Lana Del Rey Paradise". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/lana-del-rey-paradise/2923. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  9. Butler, Nick (January 1, 2013). "Album Review - Lana Del Rey: Paradise". SputnikMusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/54172/Lana-Del-Rey-Paradise/. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  10. Shaffer, Nathan. "Lana Del Rey Paradise (EP)". Tiny Mix Tapes. http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/lana-del-rey-paradise-ep. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  11. "Lana Del Rey Debuts at #10 on Billboard 200 With 'Paradise' EP (Interscope/Polydor)". prnewswire.com. November 21, 2012. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lana-del-rey-debuts-at-10-on-billboard-200-with-paradise-ep-interscopepolydor-180400941.html. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  12. Trust, Gary (April 18, 2014). "Lana Del Rey’s ‘West Coast’ Set For Strong Hot 100 Debut". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/pro/lana-del-reys-west-coast-set-for-strong-hot-100-debut/. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  13. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=Paradise&cat=a
  14. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=309
  15. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=408
  16. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=794
  17. http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana+Del+Rey/chart?f=407
  18. "Paradise by Lana Del Rey". iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/paradise/id566465601.
  19. "Lana Del Rey: Paradise: Extra Tracks". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lana-Del-Rey-Paradise/dp/B00A6RP8Z4.
  20. http://www.universal-music.co.jp/lana-del-rey/products/uics-1257/
  21. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/born-to-die-paradise-edition/id566466310
  22. https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/born-to-die-paradise-edition/id711604978?l=en
  23. https://www.amazon.de/Born-To-Die-Bonustracks-Amazon/dp/B009XUTBGC/


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