"The Greatest" (stylized in sentence case) is a song by Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!. It was accidentally uploaded to Google Play on August 15, 2019, though it was ultimately removed hours later[1][dead link] and officially released as a single on August 22, 2019.
Background[]
On July 26, 2019, Del Rey announced the song via Instagram along with "Fuck It I Love You".[2][dead link] Co-producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff tweeted on July 31, 2019, that "The Greatest" was his favorite song on Norman Fucking Rockwell!.[3]
Writing and inspiration[]
The lyrics make multiple references to various musicians and songs, including The Beach Boys' "Kokomo", David Bowie's "Life on Mars" and Kanye West. The song focuses on Del Rey lamenting how she misses a former flame in California, her old friends in New York and her previously uncomplicated life. It also brings in themes of worldwide political unrest, Millennial and Generation Z culture, and the 2019 California wildfires which are featured in the background of the Norman Fucking Rockwell! album cover.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Del Rey commented on the lyric "Dennis' last stop before Kokomo" - “I literally went on a date [in Marina del Rey], and this dude was trying to impress me and was like, ‘This was Dennis’s last stop before he hit his head on the dock.’”[4]
In 2019, the song was deconstructed and discussed in an episode of Mix with the Masters by Jack Antonoff. He elaborated on his creative process and walked the viewer through his production techniques, showcasing various stems from the song. Antonoff also deconstructed "Mariners Apartment Complex".
Composition[]
"The Greatest" is a surf rock torch song with a total running time of 5 minutes, playing at approximately 80 beats per minute in the key of D minor. The track opens with guitars and an electric sitar before Del Rey begins the first verse accompanied by piano. As the song progresses to the first chorus, vocal harmonies, drums, guitars and strings are introduced to the instrumentation. A drum break then leads the song into a 30 second electric guitar solo. The second verse returns to stripped back instrumentation, with a piano, single guitar and light drums before returning to the full instrumentation in the second chorus. The outro features Del Rey singing multiple harmonies over guitar and piano which slowly draw the song to a close.
Critical reception[]
After the songs release, "The Greatest" placed #79 on Pitchfork's '200 Best Songs of the 2010s' list during October, 2019.[5]
Music video[]
Music video | Information | |
---|---|---|
Released | August 22, 2019 | |
Length | 9:19 | |
Director | Rich Lee | |
Producer | Justin Diener, Michael Angeles | |
Filmed | July, 2019 | |
Location | Long Beach, Los Angeles, California | |
Vevo views | 13+ Million views |
Background and description[]
Del Rey confirmed that the music video was directed by Rich Lee and that it is a double music video with "Fuck It I Love You" on July 26, 2019.[2][dead link] It premiered August 22, 2019.
"The Greatest" part of the video begins with Del Rey walking throughout a Long Beach terminal and sailing a boat. Interpolated are shots of herself bartending, singing at the bar and playing billiards.
On-set photoshoot by Chuck Grant, Pamela Cochrane and Rich Lee[]
Behind the scenes[]
Cross-references[]
- A bar is also mentioned in "Bartender", "For K (Part 2)", "Groupie Love", "Oh Say Can You See" and "Video Games".
- California is also mentioned in "Angels Forever, Forever Angels", "Freak", "Fuck It I Love You", "How to Disappear", "Nectar of the Gods" and "Shades of Cool", and the two songs of the same name, among several others.
- Del Rey has stated that the line, "me and my friends, we miss rock and roll" was a reference to the bands she grew up listening to, like Kings of Leon, The Strokes, and The White Stripes.[6]
- Doing nothing is also mentioned in "Sweet".
- L.A. being in flames is a reference to the several wildfires in California. It's also a direct reference to the poem "The Land of 1000 Fires".
- Long Beach is also mentioned in "Sweet" and in the poem "Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving".
- New York is also mentioned in "Diet Mountain Dew", "Hit it & Run", "Looking for America", "Making Out" and "Ultraviolence", among several others.
- Rock 'n' roll is also mentioned in "Backfire", "Greenwich", "JFK" and "Push Me Down", among several others.
- The Beach Boys are also mentioned in "Coca Cola" and in the song of the same name.
- The phrase "Dennis's last stop before Kokomo" references the death of the Beach Boys member Dennis Wilson and the band's song "Kokomo".
- "The fall" is also mentioned in "Money Power Glory".
- The phrase "Life on Mars ain't just a song" is a direct reference to David Bowie's song "Life on Mars".
- Bowie is also referenced in the bridge of "Terrence Loves You", in which Del Rey interpolates lyrics from "Space Oddity".
- The phrase "the greatest" also appears in "Fordham Road".
- The lyric "I guess that I'm burned out after all" is similar to the lyric "I'm burnt out and I don't wanna sing" from "Run Motorcycle".
- The lyric "Kanye West is blond and gone" is a reference to her open disappointment about Kanye supporting president Donald Trump.[6]
- The lyric "The culture is lit and I had a ball" is similar to the lyric "The party's lit and you, my friend, half-cut when it begins" from "Thunder".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 5:00
- Instrumental version — 5:02
Lyrics[]
I miss Long Beach and I miss you, babe
I miss dancing with you the most of all
I miss the bar where the Beach Boys would go
Dennis' last stop before "Kokomo"
Those nights were on fire
We couldn't get higher
We didn't know that we had it all
But nobody warns you before the fall
And I'm wasted
Don't leave, I just need a wake-up call
I'm facing the greatest
The greatest loss of them all
The culture is lit and I had a ball
I guess I'm signing off after all
I miss New York and I miss the music
Me and my friends, we miss rock and roll
I want you to feel just like you used to
When, baby, I was doing nothing the most of all
The culture is lit and if this is it, I had a ball
I guess that I'm burned out after all
I'm wasted
Don't leave, I just need a wake-up call
I'm facing the greatest
The greatest loss of them all
The culture is lit and I had a ball
But I guess that I'm burned out after all
If this is it, I'm signing off
Miss doing nothing the most of all
Hawaii just missed a fireball
L.A.'s in flames, it's getting hot
Kanye West is blond and gone
"Life on Mars" ain't just a song
Oh, the livestream's almost on
Credits[]
- Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, production, vocals
- Jack Antonoff — songwriting, production, acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, piano, engineering, mixing, programming
- Laura Sisk — engineering, mixing
- Tate McDowell — engineering assistance
- Jonathan Sher — engineering assistance
- Evan Smith — flute, saxophones
- Phillip Peterson — cello
- Victoria Parker — violin
- Chris Gehringer — mastering
- Will Quinnell — mastering assistance
- Technical
- Mastered at Sterling Sound
- Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / House of Breaking Glass, Seattle, United States
- Mixed at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States
References[]
- ↑ "Lana Del Rey: The greatest - Music on Google Play". https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bn5pwuqrac5z6x52vr76ehlsg5u&tid=song-Tm7ymqfyocectightjyacu3utxm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Del Rey, Lana (July 26, 2019). "I think you’re gonna love the new double video I did with Rich Lee for two songs off the new record – ‘fuck it I love you!’ And ‘the greatest’". Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ZMHk9h4K5/. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ↑ Antonoff, Jack (July 31, 2019). "the greatest is my favorite nfr song just wait". Twitter. https://twitter.com/jackantonoff/status/1156673230922485760. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ↑ Richards, Chris (October 24, 2019). "Lana Del Rey is real". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/entertainment/lana-del-rey/. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ↑ Pitchfork (October 7, 2019). "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-songs-of-the-2010s/. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Coscarelli, Joe (August 28, 2019). "Lana Del Rey on Trump, Kanye and the Right Time for a Protest Song". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/arts/music/lana-del-rey-norman-rockwell-album.html. Retrieved January 29, 2024.