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"Ride" (originally titled "Drive"[1][2]) is a song by Lana Del Rey released on September 25, 2012, as the lead single off her second major-label EP, Paradise. The song was co-written with Justin Parker and was produced by Rick Rubin.
Background[]
Del Rey originally recorded a demo of the song, "Drive", with producer Justin Parker. She later approached Rick Rubin to rework the song, which he agreed to, and the two spent six days reworking the song into "Ride".[3] Del Rey discussed the process with Complex:[4]
- "...I loved this demo I did with Justin Parker, who I wrote a lot of things with like 'Video Games', 'Born to Die', and 'National Anthem', and Ferdy Unger-Hamilton at EMI hated the song...So I think him and Rick [Rubin] had been talking and Rick was like, 'What's going on with Lana? Can she come over, I hear she's in LA'. I think I had been over to say 'Hi' to him first. Just to say 'Hi'. We took a walk in Santa Monica - he takes the same walking route every morning. Then a few weeks later I brought him 'Ride', and he really liked it...Working with him was good, I was still in my old car, my old Mercedes that was barely making it down that hour-and-a-half drive down to Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, and it was really good. He has this sprawling lawn with all these bunnies and palm trees. He was very relaxed. It was good."
Dan Heath posted the full string arrangement of "Ride" to his SoundCloud on December 12, 2012. The song's full instrumental leaked on March 31, 2015. A snippet of "Drive" leaked on August 27, 2020. A second snippet leaked on October 15, followed by the song's leak in full on the same day. A tagged vocal stem snippet from the song's session leaked on June 23, 2022.
On August 17, 2024, an insider shared the lyrics from one of "more than 20" different bridges written for differing versions of the song.[S 1]
Composition[]
"Ride" is a soul pop ballad composed in the key of C Major, with Del Rey's vocals ranging from C3 to E5. The track is laced with nostalgic lyrics and husky vocals.
Critical reception[]
"Ride" earned commendation from music critics. A writer for Contactmusic.com noted of the song's "trademark Lana Del Rey lyrics": "the fact that she even has a 'trademark' so early into her career is probably a sign that we haven't seen the last of her just yet." They also wrote that the song is "more accomplished" than her previous work and "makes the most of" Del Rey's voice, though ended the review with: "All that doe-eyed 'you can be my full-time daddy / baby' shtick is going to start getting a little tired pretty soon..."[5] Pitchfork opined that the lyric "I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy" was "a rare moment of seemingly raw emotion" by Del Rey.[6] Billboard described the song as a "long, dreamy ballad"[7] and MTV a "slow burn".[8] Another MTV review said: "[Del] Rey sings what she knows best: loneliness, some daddy issues and day-drinking. All of this is probably a metaphor for something, but honestly, we're still trying to figure out what those "Born to Die" tigers mean."[9] A third MTV reviewer dubbed the single their number one must-hear pop songs of the week, writing, "...the slow-building triumph finds the brooding beauty hitting the dusty trail to clear her mind...serving up some country drawl realness."[10] Upon release of the song, Cameron Matthew of Spinner wrote that Del Rey "amps up on the 'smokey' vocal" with the track[11] Eve Barlow of NME was critical of the song, writing that Del Rey sounded like "an oversexed frog being dragged against a washboard" and ended her review with "Just smile, babe."[12]
Tom Breihan of Stereogum said "Ride" "moves [Del Rey] back to the power of "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans" while simultaneously pushing her into a grand Adele crossover-soul-pop zone." He then added, "It's really nice. There's hope for this lady yet!"[13] Amanda Dobbins of Vulture wrote of the song in a blog post highlighting that week's new releases: "She is still calling men who are not her father 'Daddy.'"[14] Dose reviewer Leah Collins called the record "predictably morose".[15][dead link] Complex named "Ride" the eighth best song of 2012; the publication wrote that the song is "mature and progressive" and that its lyrics were woven with "nostalgia, loneliness, and obsession".[16]
Live performances[]
Del Rey performed the song for the first known time at an unknown private venue in Singapore for Mulberry's flagship store in Asia on October 25, 2012. Video of this performance has not yet surfaced online. Throughout November of that year, Del Rey promoted the song by performing it on various European radio and television shows: C à vous, France; Schlag den Raab, Germany; Langs de Leeuw, Netherlands; and Later with Jools Holland, England.
The first public performance of the song was on April 3, 2012 at Le Galaxie in Amnéville, France, on the first date of the Paradise Tour, of which it became a permanent fixture. It was added to the set list of the Endless Summer Tour for only its last few shows. The song was performed sporadically on the 2016 festival tour and at most shows on the Lust for Life Promotional Tour. "Ride" was featured on the set list of a private show that Del Rey performed on February 27, 2018, in Waimea, Hawaii. Del Rey wouldn't perform the song again until she added it to the permanent set list of the Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Promotional Tour, the first show being May 27, 2023, at the MITA Festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
The song was a part of a session recorded by Del Rey's live touring band in preparation for her Paradise Tour performances. The full rehearsal session, which featured Del Rey's pre-recorded vocals and were created with the intent of aiding the tour's videographer, leaked on October 15, 2020.
Music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | October 12, 2012 |
| Length | 10:10 | |
| Director | Anthony Mandler | |
| Producer | Heather Heller | |
| Filmed | 2012 | |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Vevo views | 167 million+ views | |
Background[]
The music video for "Ride" was directed by Anthony Mandler, making this their second video together, following "National Anthem". It was premiered at an event hosted by Del Rey at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California, on October 10, 2012, and was released to Del Rey's Vevo channel two days later.
Description[]
The video begins with a scene of Del Rey riding on a tire swing in the middle of the desert, her opening monologue narrating the accompanying visuals onscreen. These quickly-cut scenes tell the story of Del Rey (credited as "Artist") as a lonely chanteuse and free-willed sex worker, travelling the open road from one man to another. Del Rey's monologue ends, and the opening chords and vocals begin from behind a black screen. Through a blue and purple smoke-filled haze, Del Rey as the Artist emerges from behind a curtain and begins to lustfully perform the song in front of a small but lively crowd. Clips of the Artist with different men, notably older and scruffier, continually intersperse the performance. One man sensually bends the Artist over a pinball machine while playing it; with another, the two smoke cigarettes from a motel balcony; and another is shown to delicately brush the Artists hair, and are later seen dancing mournfully. Clips of the Artist partying with a group of rough-riding bikers in the desert are also present, and she is repeatedly shown riding on the back of one of their motorcycles - either wrapped in an American flag or donning a Native American headdress. The song ends, and Del Rey performs the closing monologue over scenes of the Artist being chased, attacked, or tenderly held by the various men shown throughout the video in rotating clips. The video triumphantly ends with the Artist screaming into the face of one of the men, then directly into the camera, which jumps to a supercut of the Artist at different points in the video, all while dubbed over Del Rey's iconic "I am fucking crazy, but I am free" line, which closes the video.
Controversy[]
The music video was the subject of scrutiny over its themes of sex work being viewed as anti-feminist, and Del Rey's use of a Native American headdress as cultural appropriation.[17] Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth wrote in her 2015 book Girl in a Band:[18]
"Today we have someone like Lana Del Rey, who doesn't even know what feminism is, who believes women can do whatever they want, which, in her world, tilts toward self-destruction, whether it's sleeping with gross old men or getting gang raped by bikers. Equal pay and equal rights would be nice. Naturally, it's just a persona. If she really truly believes it's beautiful when young musicians go out on a hot flame of drugs and depression, why doesn't she just off herself?"
In a 2012 Twitter interaction, Del Rey defended her use of the Native American headdress, saying that the video was an "ode to the spirit of dance and freedom" that she experienced while volunteering on Native American reservations in her young adulthood. The Daily Nebraskan published an article in 2012 on the misuse of Native American apparel in popular culture by non-Native artists; it specifically highlighted the "Ride" video and fielded commentary from Native community members.[19]
Opening monologue[]
I was in the winter of my life
And the men I met along the road were my only summer
At night I fell sleep with visions of myself dancing and laughing and crying with them
Three years down the line of being on an endless world tour and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me
And my only real happy times
I was a singer
Not a very popular one
I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet
But upon an unfortunate series of events saw those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky
That I wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken
But I really didn't mind because I knew that it takes getting everything you ever wanted and then losing it to know what true freedom is
When the people I used to know found out what I had been doing how I had been living, they asked me why, but there's no use in talking to people who have a home
They have no idea what its like to seek safety in other people
For home to be wherever you lie your head
I was always an unusual girl
My mother told me that I had a chameleon soul
No moral compass pointing me due north
No fixed personality
Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide as wavering as the ocean
And if I said that I didn't plan for it to turn out this way I'd be lying
Because I was born to be the other woman
Who belonged to no one
Who belonged to everyone
Who had nothing
Who wanted everything
With a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn't even talk about it
And pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me
Closing monologue[]
Every night I used to pray that I'd find my people
And finally I did
On the open road
We have nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing we desired anymore
Except to make our lives into a work of art
Live fast
Die young
Be wild
And have fun
I believe in the country America used to be
I believe in the person I want to become
I believe in the freedom of the open road
And my motto is the same as ever
"I believe in the kindness of strangers"
And when I'm at war with myself
I ride
I just ride
Who are you?
Are you in touch with all of your darkest fantasies?
Have you created a life for yourself where you can experience them?
I have
I am fucking crazy
But I am free
Photoshoot by Chuck Grant[]
Behind the scenes[]
Cross-references[]
- The line "I just ride" is also featured in "Angels Forever, Forever Angels" and "Get Free".
- Del Rey also tells someone "you can be my daddy" in "Put Me in a Movie" and "Be My Daddy".
- "Singing blues has been getting old" is a likely reference to the song "Tired of Singing the Blues", while singing the blues in general is mentioned in "Making Out".
- Del Rey references her dad in "Cola" and "Is This Happiness", among other songs.
- Gold is also mentioned in the songs "Ultraviolence", "Off to the Races", and "Music to Watch Boys To", among others.
- The phrase "live fast, die young, be wild and have fun" is a variation of "we were born to live fast and die young, born to be bad, have fun" from "Never Let Me Go".
- Del Rey directly referenced the lyric "I've got a war in my mind" in "Get Free".
- Del Rey talks about wanting to become a poet in the music video monologue, a theme she also explores in her poems "Salamander" and "SportCruiser".
- The phrase "I drive fast" also appears in "Burning Desire".
- Being on the road is also referenced in "Not All Who Wander Are Lost".
- Being crazy is also referenced in "Cruel World", "Off to the Races", "Happiness is a butterfly", and the poem "My Bedroom Is a Sacred Place Now – There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed".
Official versions[]
- Album version – 4:49
- Instrumental version – 4:46
- String arrangement stem – 4:52
- Clean version – 4:49
- Single version – 4:46
- Radio edit – 4:12
- Music video version (with monologues) – 10:10
- "Drive" demo version – 4:46
- Paradise Tour rehearsal session – 8:04
Official remixes[]
- 14th Remix – 3:43
- Active Child Remix – 3:42
- Eli Escobar Remix – 7:52
- James Lavelle Remix – 8:13
- James Lavelle Remix [Lyla's Surpise] – 11:07
- MJ Cole Remix – 5:55
- Photek Remix – 2:48[20]
- SOHN Remix – 5:12
- Special Request Remix – 7:47[21]
- Wes James Remix – 4:20
Lyrics[]
Album version[]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
I been out on that open road
You can be my full-time daddy, white and gold
Singin' blues has been gettin' old
But you can be my full-time baby, hot or cold
Don't break me down (Don't break me down)
I been travellin' too long (I been travellin' too long)
I been tryin' too hard (I been tryin' too hard)
With one pretty song (With one pretty song)
(Hmm)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I got a war in my mind, so
I just ride, just ride
I just ride, I just ride
Dyin' young and playin' hard
That's the way my father made his life an art
Drink all day and we talk 'til dark
That's the way the road dogs do it - light 'til dark
Don't leave me now (Don't leave me now)
Don't say goodbye (Don't say goodbye)
Don't turn around (Don't turn around)
Leave me high and dry (Leave me high and dry)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just ride, just ride
I just ride, I just ride
I'm tired of feelin' like I'm fucking crazy
I'm tired of drivin' 'til I see stars in my eyes
It's all I've got to keep myself sane, baby
So I just ride, I just ride
Hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just ride, just ride
I just ride, I just ride
Radio edit[]
I been out on that open road
You can be my full-time daddy, white and gold
Singin' blues has been gettin' old
But you can be my full-time baby, hot or cold
Don't break me down (Don't break me down)
I been travellin' too long (I been travellin' too long)
I been tryin' too hard (I been tryin' too hard)
With one pretty song (With one pretty song)
(Hmm)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I got a war in my mind, so
I just ride, just ride
I just ride, I just ride
Dyin' young and playin' hard
That's the way my father made his life an art
Drink all day and we talk 'til dark
That's the way the road dogs do it - light 'til dark
Don't leave me now (Don't leave me now)
Don't say goodbye (Don't say goodbye)
Don't turn around (Don't turn around)
Leave me high and dry (Leave me high and dry)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just ride, just ride
I just ride, I just ride
I'm tired of feelin' like I'm - crazy
I'm tired of drivin' 'til I see stars in my eyes
It's all I've got to keep myself sane, baby
So I just ride, I just ride
Hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just ride, just ride
"Drive" demo version[]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
I been out on that open road
You can be my full-time daddy, white and gold
Singin' blues has been gettin' old
But you can be my full-time baby, hot or cold
Don't break me down (Me down, me down)
I been travellin' too long (Too long, too long)
I been tryin' too hard
With one pretty song (Hmm)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I got a war in my mind, so
I just drive, just drive
Just drive, just drive
Dyin' young and playin' hard
That's the way my father made his life an art
Drink all day and we talk 'til dark
That's the way the road dogs do it - light 'til dark
Don't leave me now (Me now, me now)
Don't say goodbye (Goodbye, goodbye)
Don't turn around
Leave me high and dry (Hmm)
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just drive, just drive
Just drive, just drive
You think I'll ever feel different than I do now?
You think I'll ever feel electric again?
You think I'll ever transform into the man
God meant to make when he began?
Hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight
Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
I just drive, I just drive
I just drive, I just drive
Unknown demo version[]
[Leaked lyrics]:
I tried so hard to do it right
But now that I did, I can't sleep at night
It's just the way it is, but that's all right
Commercial release[]
Digital releases[]
- Europe; Ride - Single
|
Label: Polydor Format: Digital download Released: September 25, 2012 Barcode: N/A Photography: Chuck Grant Design: Unknown |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" | 4:49 |
- Ride - Single
|
Label: Universal Music Format: Digital download Released: October 12, 2012 Barcode: N/A Photography: Chuck Grant Design: Unknown |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" (Radio Edit) | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Ride" | 4:46 |
- United Kingdom; Ride (Explicit Remixes)
|
Label: Polydor Format: Digital download Released: November 12, 2012 Barcode: N/A Photography: Chuck Grant Design: Unknown |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Ride" (Active Child Remix) | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Blue Velvet" (Penguin Prison Remix) | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Blue Velvet" (Lindstrøm Remix) | 9:26 |
- United States; Ride (Remixes) - EP
|
|
Label: Polydor Format: Digital download Released: November 19, 2012 Barcode: N/A Photography: Chuck Grant Design: Unknown |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" (SOHN Remix) | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Ride" (MJ Cole Remix) | 5:55 |
| 3. | "Ride" (Eli Escobar Remix) | 7:52 |
| 4. | "Ride" (14th Remix) | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Ride" (Wes James Remix) | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Ride" (Lyla's Surprise [James Lavelle Remix]) | 8:13 |
Physical releases[]
- United Kingdom
|
Label: Polydor, Interscope Format: 7" picture disc vinyl in plastic sleeve Released: November 12, 2012 Barcode: 602537220465 Photography: Chuck Grant Design: N/A |
|---|
- Side A
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" (Radio Edit) | 4:12 |
- Side B
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride" (Active Child Remix) | 3:44 |
Promotional releases[]
Ride 7" vinyl by Interscope; United States[]
Ride CD by Polydor; United Kingdom[]
Ride CDr by Interscope; United States[]
Ride CDr by Universal Music; Netherlands[]
Ride CDr by Universal Music, Polydor, & Interscope; France[]
Credits[]
Song[]
- Personnel[a]
- Lana Del Rey – songwriting, vocals
- Justin Parker – songwriting
- Rick Rubin – production
- Jason Lader – recording, bass
- Eric Lynn – assistance
- Sean Oakley – assistance
- Dan Heath – strings arrangement
- Tucker Robinson – strings recording
- Songa Lee – violins
- Kathleen Sloan – violins
- James Gadson – drums
- Zac Rae – piano, keyboards
- Andrew Scheps – mixing
- John Davis – mastering
- Technical
- Published by EMI / Sony ATV (ASCAP)
- Vocals recorded at Shangri La Studios, Malibu, United States and Sarm Studios, London, United Kingdom
- Strings recorded at Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, United States
- Mastered at Metropolis Mastering, London, United Kingdom
- Mixed at Punkerpad West, Van Nuys, United States
Music video[]
- Cast
- Lana Del Rey – artist
- Ian Seeberg – lover
- Scott Marlatt – lover
- Keven Peterson – lover
- Josh Kurplus – biker
- Brian Harlow – biker
- Shawn Donohue – biker
- Steve Buchanan – biker
- Will Thomas – biker
- Crew
- Anthony Mandler – director
- Diamond Dave – assistant director
- Heather Heller – producer
- Kristen Loftin – production supervisor
- Benji Bamps – production designer
- Malik Syeed – director of photography
- Hassan Abdul Wahid – camera assistant
- Regina Fernandez – art coordinator
- Josh Davis – gaffer
- Demetrie Cooley – key grip
- Pamela Cochrane – makeup artist
- Anna Cofone – hair stylist
- Johnny Blueeyes – stylist
- Savannah Baker – assistant stylist
