The Greatest (song)

Lana Del Rey
Writer(s)	Lana Del Rey Jack Antonoff
Producer(s)	Jack Antonoff Lana Del Rey
Released	August 22, 2019
Length	5:00
From
Single(s)	"Mariners Apartment Complex" "Venice Bitch" "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It" "Doin' Time" "The Greatest" / "Fuck It I Love You"
Singles chronology
"Fuck It I Love You"
"The Greatest"
"Don't Call Me Angel"
Norman Fucking Rockwell track listing
"The Next Best American Record
"Bartender"

"The Greatest" (stylized in sentence case) is a song by Lana Del Rey for her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!. It was accidentally uploaded to Google Play on August 15, 2019 and was removed hours later. It was officially released as a single on August 22, 2019.

Background and composition

On July 26, 2019, Del Rey announced the song via Instagram along with "Fuck It I Love You". Co-producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff tweeted on July 31, 2019 that "The Greatest" was his favorite song on Norman Fucking Rockwell!.

"The Greatest" is a surf rock torch song with a total running time of 5 minutes, playing at appoximately 80 beats per minute in the key of D minor. The track opens with guitars 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 introducted 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.

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 poltical unrest, Millenial and Generation X culture, and the 2019 California wildfires which are featured in the background of the Norman Fucking Rockwell! album cover.

Cross-references

• The Beach Boys are also mentioned in "My Song 57".
  • 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 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".
• California, New York, and rock and roll music have all been recurring themes throughout Del Rey's career.

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	6+ 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. 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 pool table.

On-set photoshoot by Chuck Grant, Pamela Cochrane and Rich Lee

Retouched, Tagged

Tagged

Tagged

Scan

Cropped

With text

Behind the scenes

Lana Del Rey - For Fuck It I Love You & The Greatest (Behind The Scenes)

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's 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 blind 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, engineering, mixing, programming, acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, piano
• Laura Sisk — engineering, mixing
• Tate McDowell — assistant engineering
• Jonathan Sher — assistant engineering
• Evan Smith — flute, saxophones
• Phillip Peterson — cello
• Victoria Parker — violin
• Chris Gehringer — mastering
• Will Quinnell — assistant mastering

Technical

• Mastered at Sterling Sound
• Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / House of Breaking Glass, Seattle, United States
• Mixed at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States