"Religion" is a song written by Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels that is featured as the ninth track on Del Rey's third major-label full-length album Honeymoon, which was officially released worldwide on September 18, 2015.
Background[]
The song was written and recorded in 2015.[S 1]
Composition and critical reception[]
"Religion" is a romantic love ballad performed at approximately 136 beats per minute with a total run time of 5 minutes and 23 seconds. Lyrically, Del Rey toys with comparing a loved one to her religion. In an album review of Honeymoon, Amy Davidson of Digital Sky noted that "Religion" felt like one of Del Rey's more optimistic love songs, pointing out the line 'everything is bright now', but it was "still tinged with the singer's favourite kind of noirish self-destruction".[1]
Cross-references[]
- Del Rey also sings "Hallelujah" in "Ben", "Cherry", "Queen Of Hearts", and "Money Power Glory".
- Drugs are alluded to in "Boarding School", "Carmen", "Florida Kilos", "High by the Beach" and "Hollywood", among several others.
- "Lay Lady Lay" is the name of a 1969 song by Bob Dylan. It is also mentioned in "Tomorrow Never Came".
- Money is also mentioned in "Dance for Money", "Dealer", "Money Hunny", "Money Power Glory", "Pawn Shop Blues" and "Swan Song". It is referred to as cash in "Hundred Dollar Bill" and "Old Money".
- Parties are also mentioned in "Art Deco", "Cruel World" and "St. Tropez".
- Resting dogs are also mentioned in "24".
- The ocean is also mentioned in "Bentley" and "Salvatore". It is also the alternate title for "Kill Kill".
- The lyric "When all my friends say I should take some space" is similar to the lyric "All my friends tell me I should move on" from "Dark Paradise".
- The lyric “I need your love” is also present in the backing vocals of one version of “Hundred Dollar Bill”.
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:23
- Instrumental version — 5:26
Lyrics[]
Everything is fine now
Let sleeping dogs lay
All our minds made up now
All our beds are made
No one's out of time, no
Chips fall where they may
Leave it all behind
Let the ocean wash away
It never was about
The money or the drugs
For you there's only love
For you there's only love
It never was about
The party or the clubs
For you there's only love
'Cause you're my religion
You're how I'm living
When all my friends say
I should take some space
Well, I can't envision
That for a minute
When I'm down on my knees
You're how I pray
Hallelujah, I need your love
Hallelujah, I need your love
Everything is bright now
No more cloudy days
Even when the storms come
In the eye we'll stay
No need to survive now
All we do is play
All I hear is music
Like "Lay Lady Lay"
It never was about
The money or the drugs
With you there's only love
With you there's only love
It never was about
The party or the clubs
For you there's only love
'Cause you're my religion
You're how I'm living
When all my friends say
I should take some space
Well, I can't envision
That for a minute
When I'm down on my knees
You're how I pray
Hallelujah, I need your love
Hallelujah, I need your love
You're my religion
You're how I'm living
When all my friends say
I should take some space
Well, I can't envision
That for a minute
When I'm down on my knees
You're how I pray
Hallelujah, I need your love
Hallelujah, I need your love
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting, production
- Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, mellotron, guitar, synth, pads, bass
- Kieron Menzies — production, mixing, recording, engineering, drums, loops
- Patrick Warren — orchestrations, strings, electric piano
- David Levita — acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Trevor Yasuda — engineering, additional effects, additional recording
- Chris Garcia — engineering, additional recording
- Adam Ayan — mastering
References[]
- ↑ Davidson, Amy (September 18, 2015). "Lana Del Rey's Honeymoon album: A track-by-track first listen review". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com/music/album-reviews/review/a669045/lana-del-reys-honeymoon-album-a-track-by-track-first-listen-review/. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
Notes[]
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