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"When the World Was At War We Kept Dancing" is a song by Lana Del Rey. It was co-written and produced with Rick Nowels, Dean Reid and Kieron Menzies. It is featured as the eleventh and best track on Del Rey's fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, Lust for Life.

Background

During an interview featured in Flaunt magazine that was released on May 15, 2017, Del Rey stated that the song has political themes, similarly to "God Bless America - And All the Beautiful Women In It". However, she feared that it would not be well received by the public and was unsure whether to include it or not:

"Well, I have a song that’s quite aware about the collective worry, about whether this is the end of an era. It’s called "When the World Was At War We Kept Dancing." But I actually went back and forth about keeping it on the record, because I didn’t want it there if it would make people feel worse instead of better. It’s not apathetic. The tone of the production is very dark, and doesn’t lead to a fucking happy feeling. And the question it poses: Is this the end of America, of an era? Are we running out of time with this person at the helm of a ship? Will it crash? In my mind, the lyrics were a reminder not to shut down or shut off, or just don’t talk about things. It was more like stay vigilant and keep dancing. Stay awake."

In an interview for V magazine, Del Rey confirmed that the track would be included on the album.

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.

Cross-references

Lyrics

Girls, don't forget your pearls
And all of your horses
As you make your way across the pond
Girls, don't forget your curls
And all of your corsets
Memorize them in a little song

Shake it up, throw your hands up and get loose
Cut a rug, lean into the fuckin' youth
Choreo, we just want the fuckin' truth
(Told by the free and brave)

Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?
Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?

Oh, it's only beginning
If we hold on to hope
We'll have our happy ending

When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing
When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing
When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing

Boys, don't forget your toys
And take all of your money
If you find you're in a foreign land
Boys, don't make too much noise
And don't try to be funny
Other people may not understand

Shake it up, throw your hands up and get loose
Cut a rug, lean into the fuckin' youth
Choreo, we just want the fuckin' truth
(Told by the free and brave)

Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?
Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?

Oh, it's only the beginning
If we hold on to hope
We'll have our happy ending

When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing
When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing

We'll do it again
(Oh my God, dizzy from loving you)
We'll do it again
(Oh my God, dizzy from loving you)
We'll do it again
(Dizzy from, dizzy from loving you)
We'll do it again
(When the world's at war)

Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?
Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?

When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing
When the world was at war before
We just kept dancing

They'll do it again
And we'll do it again


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