Changes: Tomorrow Never Came (song)

Revision as of 21:31, 25 February 2020

Lana Del Rey
featuring Sean Ono Lennon

Writer(s)

Lana Del Rey
Sean Ono Lennon
Rick Nowels

Producer(s)

Lana Del Rey
Sean Ono Lennon
Rick Nowels

Recorded

March 10, 2017

Length

5:07
(See official versions)

From

Single(s)

"Love"
"Lust for Life"
"Summer Bummer"
"Groupie Love"

Promotional single(s)

"Coachella - Woodstock in My Mind"

*Lust for Life* track listing
"Beautiful People Beautiful Problems"	"Heroin"

"Tomorrow Never Came" is a song by Lana Del Rey featuring Sean Ono Lennon. It was written and produced with Lennon and Rick Nowels. It is featured on her fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, Lust for Life.

Background

Del Rey's fans began speculating that Sean Ono Lennon would be featured on Lust for Life during March, 2017, when they noticed that the Lust for Life album trailer featured the 'Chimera Music' logo, Lennon's record label. During an interview with Courtney Love for Dazed magazine, Del Rey confirmed that he would be featured on the album on a song called "Tomorrow Never Came".^[1]

A snippet of a demo of the song with additional vocal harmonies and more sparse instrumentation leaked on March 13, 2018.^[2] An alternate version of the song with different lyrics, unmastered and different instrumental mix leaked on April 16, 2018. The original file that leaked was titled "Tomorrow Never Came 3.10.17", suggesting that the song was recorded on March 10, 2017. The studio a cappella of this version leaked the same day. On August 26, 2018, a longer snippet of the demo version leaked. This acoustic demo leaked in full on February 23, 2020.

Writing and inspiration

In an interview with Courtney Love for Dazed magazine, Del Rey talked about writing the song and stated:

“When I wrote it I felt like it wasn’t really for me. I kept on thinking about who this song was for or who could do it with me, and then I realised that he would be a good person. I didn’t know if I should ask him because I actually have a line in it where I say, ‘I wish we could go back to your country house and put on the radio and listen to our favourite song by Lennon and Yoko.’ I didn’t want him to think I was asking him because I was namechecking them. Actually, I had listened to his records over the years and I did think it was his vibe, so I played it for him and he liked it. He rewrote his verse and had extensive notes, down to the mix. And that was the last thing I did, decision-wise. I haven’t mixed the record, but the fact that "Love" just came out and Sean kind of finished up the record, it felt very meant-to-be. Because that whole concept of peace and love really is in his veins and in his family.”

In an interview with BBC Radio 1 on April 19, 2017, Del Rey mentioned the song again and called it an acoustic song that is one of her personal top three favorite tracks from the album.^[3]

In an interview for Flaunt magazine, Del Rey stated that the track explores Sean Ono Lennon's parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She spoke to Lennon via phone and sent him a very simple version of the song consisting of her vocals, a guitar and an organ. However, she felt that the song belonged to someone else and not to her.^[4] Flaunt also asked Lennon about the making of the song and he said: "I’ll never forget when she called me after I sent her [Del Rey] what I did and her first words were ‘It’s perfect!’ I almost cried with joy because I honestly don’t think anyone has ever said that to me about anything I’ve ever done. It was a very good feeling."

Live performances

Del Rey performed the song live for the first time at her Lust for Life listening party and performance hosted by Spotify at No Vacancy in Los Angeles, California, on July 20, 2017. The song was performed in full alongside Sean Ono Lennon during the Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour on September 21, 2019 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.

Cross-references

"Pouring rain" is also mentioned in "Born to Die" and "Paradise".
"Lay lady lay" is a reference to the 1969 Bob Dylan song. The song is also mentioned in "Religion".
Mention of a radio can be found in "Put the Radio On" and the song of the same name.
Paradise is a phrase frequently mentioned in various songs, most notably in "Dark Paradise" and the song of the same name.
Del Rey also opens the song by asking "what you doin'?" in the first line of "Making Out" and asks "what'cha doin'?" in "Breaking My Heart".

Official versions

Album version — 5:07
Alternative version — 5:09
Acoustic demo version — 5:10
Instrumental version — 5:09
Alternative version a cappella — 4:54

Lyrics

Album version

[Lana Del Rey]:
Hey, whatcha doing?
Not a lot, shaking and moving
At my local spot
Baby, don't ask me why

Don't ask me why
Why, why, why
Why, why, why, why

Lay lady lay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And I be your tiny dancer, honey

I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

[Sean Ono Lennon]:
Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
Penny for your thoughts
Those lights are blinkin'
On that old jukebox

But don't ask me why
Just swallow some wine
Wine, wine, wine
Wine, wine, wine, wine

Stay, baby, stay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And you'd be my tiny dancer, baby

[Lana Del Rey & Sean Ono Lennon]:
I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

Roses out in your country house
We played guitar in your barn
And every day felt like Sunday
And I, I wish we could stay home

[Lana Del Rey]:
I could put on the radio
To our favorite song
Lennon and Yoko
We would play all day long

Isn't life crazy? I said
Now that I'm singing with Sean, oh

[Lana Del Rey & Sean Ono Lennon]:
I could keep waiting for you
In that spot we'd always wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the summer or the pouring rain
Honey, don't ignore me
I just wanted it to be the same
You said you'd love me like no tomorrow
I guess tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
Tomorrow never came (No, no)

Tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
Tomorrow never came

Alternative version

[Lana Del Rey]:
Hey, whatcha doing?
Not a lot, shaking and moving
At my local spot
Baby, don't ask me why

Don't ask me why
Why, why, why
Why, why, why, why

Lay lady lay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And I be your tiny dancer, honey

I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

[Sean Ono Lennon]:
Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
Penny for your thoughts
Those lights are blinkin'
On that old jukebox

But don't ask me why
Just swallow some wine
Wine, wine, wine
Wine, wine, wine, wine

Stay, baby, stay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And you'd be my tiny dancer, baby

[Lana Del Rey & Sean Ono Lennon]:
I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

Roses out in your country house
We played guitar in your barn
And every day felt like Sunday
And I, I wish we could stay home

[Lana Del Rey]:
I could put on the radio
To our favorite song
Lennon and Yoko
I guess those days are gone

Baby you have to forget
And I have to move on, oh

[Lana Del Rey & Sean Ono Lennon]:
I could keep waiting for you
In that spot we'd always wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the summer or the pouring rain
Honey, don't ignore me
I just wanted it to be the same
You said you'd love me like no tomorrow
I guess tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
Tomorrow never came (No, no)

Tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
Tomorrow never came

Acoustic demo version

[Lana Del Rey]:
Hey, whatcha doing?
Not a lot, shaking and moving
At my local spot
Baby, don't ask me why

Don't ask me why
Why, why, why
Why, why, why, why

Lay lady lay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And I be your tiny dancer, honey

I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

[Sean Ono Lennon]:
Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
Penny for your thoughts
Those lights are blinkin'
On that old jukebox

But don't ask me why
Just swallow some wine
Wine, wine, wine
Wine, wine, wine, wine

Stay, baby, stay
On the side of paradise
In the tropic of cancer
'Cause if I had my way
You would always stay
And you'd be my tiny dancer, baby

[Lana Del Rey]:
I waited for you
In the spot you said to wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the middle of the pouring rain
'Cause I adored you
I just wanted things to be the same
You said to meet me up there tomorrow
But tomorrow never came
Tomorrow never came

Roses out in your country house
We played guitar in your barn
And every day felt like Sunday
And I, I wish we could stay home

I could put on the radio
To our favorite song
Lennon and Yoko
I guess those days are gone

Baby you have to forget
And I have to move on, oh

I could keep waiting for you
In that spot we'd always wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the summer or the pouring rain
Honey, don't ignore me
I just wanted it to be the same
You said you love me like no tomorrow
I guess tomorrow never came, no, no, no
Tomorrow never came, no, no

Tomorrow never came, no, no, no
Tomorrow never came

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)^[5]	40

References

Songs | Tours | Music videos | Photoshoots | Producers

"Love"
"Lust for Life"
"13 Beaches"
"Cherry"
"White Mustang"
"Summer Bummer"

"Groupie Love"
"In My Feelings"
"Coachella - Woodstock in My Mind"
"God Bless America - and All the Beautiful Women in It"
"When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing"

"Beautiful People Beautiful Problems"
"Tomorrow Never Came"
"Heroin"
"Change"
"Get Free"

[1] Dazed, "Lana Del Rey: wild at heart", (April 18, 2017)

[2] ttps://www.instagram.com/p/BgRtt7SFn_s/

[3] BBC Radio 1 on Twitter: "It was the perfect track for him..." (April 19, 2017)

[4] ttp://www.flaunt.com/content/people/lana-del-rey

[5] ttp://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/Lana%20Del%20Rey/chart?page=1&f=902

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |image = Image:Lust for Life.jpg
 |artist = Lana Del Rey<br><small>featuring Sean Ono Lennon</small>
-|written = [[Lana Del Rey]]<br>[[Sean Lennon]]<br>[[Rick Nowels]]
+|written = [[Lana Del Rey]]<br>[[Sean Ono Lennon]]<br>[[Rick Nowels]]
-|producer = Lana Del Rey<br>Sean Lennon<br>Rick Nowels
+|producer = Lana Del Rey<br>Sean Ono Lennon<br>Rick Nowels
-|recorded =March 10, 2017
+|recorded = March 10, 2017
 |time = 5:07<br><small>(See [[#Official versions|official versions]])</small>
 |Source = [[File:Lfllogo.png|150px|link=Lust for Life (album)]]
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |previous = "[[Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (song)|Beautiful People Beautiful Problems]]"
 |album = [[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]
+|MiX= {{Singles6}}}}"'''Tomorrow Never Came'''" is a song by [[Lana Del Rey]] featuring [[Sean Ono Lennon]]. It was written and produced with Lennon and [[Rick Nowels]]. It is featured on her fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]''.
-|MiX= {{Singles6}}}}
-"'''Tomorrow Never Came'''" is a song by [[Lana Del Rey]] featuring [[Sean Lennon]]. It was written and produced with Lennon and [[Rick Nowels|Rick Nowels.]] It is featured on her fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]''.
-==Background==
+== Background ==
-Del Rey's fans began speculating that [[Sean Lennon]] would be featured on ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]'' during March, 2017, when they noticed that the ''Lust for Life'' album trailer featured the 'Chimera Music' logo, Sean Lennon's record label. During an interview with [[Courtney Love]] for ''Dazed ''magazine, Del Rey confirmed that he would be featured on the album on a song called "Tomorrow Never Came".<ref>[http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/35578/1/lana-del-rey-courtney-love-lust-for-life ''Dazed'', "Lana Del Rey: wild at heart", (April 18, 2017)]</ref>
+Del Rey's fans began speculating that [[Sean Ono Lennon]] would be featured on ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]'' during March, 2017, when they noticed that the ''Lust for Life'' album trailer featured the 'Chimera Music' logo, Lennon's record label. During an interview with [[Courtney Love]] for ''Dazed ''magazine, Del Rey confirmed that he would be featured on the album on a song called "Tomorrow Never Came".<ref>[http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/35578/1/lana-del-rey-courtney-love-lust-for-life ''Dazed'', "Lana Del Rey: wild at heart", (April 18, 2017)]</ref>
-A snippet of a demo of the song with additional vocal harmonies and more sparse instrumentation leaked on March 13, 2018.<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/BgRtt7SFn_s/</ref> An alternate version of the song with different lyrics, unmastered and different instrumental mix leaked on April 16, 2018. The original file that leaked was titled "Tomorrow Never Came 3.10.17", suggesting that the song was recorded on March 10, 2017. The studio a cappella of this version leaked the same day. On August 26, 2018, a longer snippet of the demo version leaked.
+A snippet of a demo of the song with additional vocal harmonies and more sparse instrumentation leaked on March 13, 2018.<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/BgRtt7SFn_s/</ref> An alternate version of the song with different lyrics, unmastered and different instrumental mix leaked on April 16, 2018. The original file that leaked was titled "Tomorrow Never Came 3.10.17", suggesting that the song was recorded on March 10, 2017. The studio a cappella of this version leaked the same day. On August 26, 2018, a longer snippet of the demo version leaked. This acoustic demo leaked in full on February 23, 2020.
-==Writing and inspiration==
+== Writing and inspiration ==
+In an interview with [[Courtney Love]] for ''Dazed'' magazine, Del Rey talked about writing the song and stated:
-In an interview with [[Courtney Love]] for ''Dazed ''magazine, Del Rey talked about writing the song and stated: <blockquote>“When I wrote it I felt like it wasn’t really for me. I kept on thinking about who this song was for or who could do it with me, and then I realised that he would be a good person. I didn’t know if I should ask him because I actually have a line in it where I say, ‘I wish we could go back to your country house and put on the radio and listen to our favourite song by Lennon and Yoko.’ I didn’t want him to think I was asking him because I was namechecking them. Actually, I had listened to his records over the years and I did think it was his vibe, so I played it for him and he liked it. He rewrote his verse and had extensive notes, down to the mix. And that was the last thing I did, decision-wise. I haven’t mixed the record, but the fact that "[[Love (song)|Love]]" just came out and Sean kind of finished up the record, it felt very meant-to-be. Because that whole concept of peace and love really is in his veins and in his family.”</blockquote>In an interview with BBC Radio 1 on April 19, 2017, Del Rey mentioned the song again and called it an acoustic song that is one of her personal top three favorite tracks from the album.<ref>[https://twitter.com/BBCR1/status/854766246994132992 BBC Radio 1 on ''Twitter'': "It was the perfect track for him..." (April 19, 2017)]</ref>
+<blockquote>“When I wrote it I felt like it wasn’t really for me. I kept on thinking about who this song was for or who could do it with me, and then I realised that he would be a good person. I didn’t know if I should ask him because I actually have a line in it where I say, ‘I wish we could go back to your country house and put on the radio and listen to our favourite song by Lennon and Yoko.’ I didn’t want him to think I was asking him because I was namechecking them. Actually, I had listened to his records over the years and I did think it was his vibe, so I played it for him and he liked it. He rewrote his verse and had extensive notes, down to the mix. And that was the last thing I did, decision-wise. I haven’t mixed the record, but the fact that "[[Love (song)|Love]]" just came out and Sean kind of finished up the record, it felt very meant-to-be. Because that whole concept of peace and love really is in his veins and in his family.”</blockquote>
-In an interview for ''Flaunt'' magazine, Del Rey stated that the track explores John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She talked to Sean Lennon via phone and sent him a very simple version of the song consisting of her vocals, a guitar and an organ. However, she felt that the song belonged to someone else and not to her.<ref>http://www.flaunt.com/content/people/lana-del-rey</ref> ''Flaunt ''also asked Sean Lennon about the making of the song and he said: "I’ll never forget when she called me after I sent her [Del Rey] what I did and her first words were ‘It’s perfect!’ I almost cried with joy because I honestly don’t think anyone has ever said that to me about anything I’ve ever done. It was a very good feeling."
+In an interview with BBC Radio 1 on April 19, 2017, Del Rey mentioned the song again and called it an acoustic song that is one of her personal top three favorite tracks from the album.<ref>[https://twitter.com/BBCR1/status/854766246994132992 BBC Radio 1 on ''Twitter'': "It was the perfect track for him..." (April 19, 2017)]</ref>
-==Live performances==
-Del Rey performed the song live for the first time at her ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]'' listening party and performance hosted by Spotify at No Vacancy in Los Angeles, California, on [[2017/July#July 20|July 20, 2017]]. The song was performed in full alongside [[Sean Lennon]] during the [[Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour]] on September 21, 2019 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
+In an interview for ''Flaunt'' magazine, Del Rey stated that the track explores Sean Ono Lennon's parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She spoke to Lennon via phone and sent him a very simple version of the song consisting of her vocals, a guitar and an organ. However, she felt that the song belonged to someone else and not to her.<ref>http://www.flaunt.com/content/people/lana-del-rey</ref> ''Flaunt'' also asked Lennon about the making of the song and he said: "I’ll never forget when she called me after I sent her [Del Rey] what I did and her first words were ‘It’s perfect!’ I almost cried with joy because I honestly don’t think anyone has ever said that to me about anything I’ve ever done. It was a very good feeling."
+== Live performances ==
+Del Rey performed the song live for the first time at her ''[[Lust for Life (album)|Lust for Life]]'' listening party and performance hosted by Spotify at No Vacancy in Los Angeles, California, on [[2017/July#July 20|July 20, 2017]]. The song was performed in full alongside [[Sean Ono Lennon]] during the [[Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour]] on September 21, 2019 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
 == Cross-references ==
 * "Pouring rain" is also mentioned in "[[Born to Die (song)|Born to Die]]" and "[[Paradise (song)|Paradise]]".
-* "Lay Lady Lay", a reference to the 1969 Bob Dylan song, is also featured in "[[Religion (song)|Religion]]".
+* "Lay lady lay" is a reference to the 1969 Bob Dylan song. The song is also mentioned in "[[Religion (song)|Religion]]".
 * Mention of a radio can be found in "[[Put the Radio On (song)|Put the Radio On]]" and the [[Radio (song)|song of the same name]].
 * Paradise is a phrase frequently mentioned in various songs, most notably in "[[Dark Paradise (song)|Dark Paradise]]" and the [[Paradise (song)|song of the same name]].
@@ Line 38: / Line 41: @@
 * Album version — 5:07
 * Alternative version — 5:09
-* Demo version (snippet 1) — 0:21
+* Acoustic demo version — 5:10
-* Demo version (snippet 2) — 1:24
 * Instrumental version — 5:09
-* Alternative version a cappella  — 4:54
+* Alternative version a cappella — 4:54
 ==Lyrics==
@@ Line 47: / Line 49: @@
 {{Scroll box|content=<poem>
 '''[Lana Del Rey]:'''
-Hey, what you doing?
+Hey, whatcha doing?
 Not a lot, shaking and moving
 At my local spot
@@ Line 74: / Line 76: @@
 '''[Sean Ono Lennon]:'''
-Hey, what you thinkin'?
+Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
 Penny for your thoughts
 Those lights are blinkin'
@@ Line 103: / Line 105: @@
 Roses out in your country house
-We played guitar in your home
+We played guitar in your barn
 And every day felt like Sunday
 And I, I wish we could stay home
@@ Line 124: / Line 126: @@
 I just wanted it to be the same
 You said you'd love me like no tomorrow
-I guess tomorrow never came
+I guess tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
-Tomorrow never came
+Tomorrow never came (No, no)
-Tomorrow never came
+Tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
 Tomorrow never came
 </poem>
@@ Line 135: / Line 137: @@
 {{Scroll box|content=<poem>
 '''[Lana Del Rey]:'''
-Hey, what you doing?
+Hey, whatcha doing?
 Not a lot, shaking and moving
 At my local spot
@@ Line 162: / Line 164: @@
 '''[Sean Ono Lennon]:'''
-Hey, what you thinkin'?
+Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
 Penny for your thoughts
 Those lights are blinkin'
@@ Line 191: / Line 193: @@
 Roses out in your country house
-We played guitar in your home
+We played guitar in your barn
 And every day felt like Sunday
 And I, I wish we could stay home
@@ Line 212: / Line 214: @@
 I just wanted it to be the same
 You said you'd love me like no tomorrow
-I guess tomorrow never came
+I guess tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
+Tomorrow never came (No, no)
+Tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
 Tomorrow never came
+</poem>
+}}
+===Acoustic demo version===
+{{Scroll box|content=<poem>
+'''[Lana Del Rey]:'''
+Hey, whatcha doing?
+Not a lot, shaking and moving
+At my local spot
+Baby, don't ask me why
+Don't ask me why
+Why, why, why
+Why, why, why, why
+Lay lady lay
+On the side of paradise
+In the tropic of cancer
+'Cause if I had my way
+You would always stay
+And I be your tiny dancer, honey
+I waited for you
+In the spot you said to wait
+In the city, on the park bench
+In the middle of the pouring rain
+'Cause I adored you
+I just wanted things to be the same
+You said to meet me up there tomorrow
+But tomorrow never came
 Tomorrow never came
+'''[Sean Ono Lennon]:'''
+Hey, whatcha thinkin'?
+Penny for your thoughts
+Those lights are blinkin'
+On that old jukebox
+But don't ask me why
+Just swallow some wine
+Wine, wine, wine
+Wine, wine, wine, wine
+Stay, baby, stay
+On the side of paradise
+In the tropic of cancer
+'Cause if I had my way
+You would always stay
+And you'd be my tiny dancer, baby
+'''[Lana Del Rey]:'''
+I waited for you
+In the spot you said to wait
+In the city, on the park bench
+In the middle of the pouring rain
+'Cause I adored you
+I just wanted things to be the same
+You said to meet me up there tomorrow
+But tomorrow never came
+Tomorrow never came
+Roses out in your country house
+We played guitar in your barn
+And every day felt like Sunday
+And I, I wish we could stay home
+I could put on the radio
+To our favorite song
+Lennon and Yoko
+I guess those days are gone
+Baby you have to forget
+And I have to move on, oh
+I could keep waiting for you
+In that spot we'd always wait
+In the city, on the park bench
+In the summer or the pouring rain
+Honey, don't ignore me
+I just wanted it to be the same
+You said you love me like no tomorrow
+I guess tomorrow never came, no, no, no
+Tomorrow never came, no, no
+Tomorrow never came, no, no, no
 Tomorrow never came
 </poem>
@@ Line 231: / Line 319: @@
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
 {{Navbox album LFL}}
 [[Category:Songs]]
@@ Line 237: / Line 324: @@
 [[Category:Collaborations]]
 [[Category:Released songs]]
+[[Category:Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour songs]]