"Young and Beautiful" (officially registered as "Will You Still Love Me") is a song by Lana Del Rey featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Great Gatsby. It was released as a single on April 23, 2013. A demo of the song leaked on June 9, 2013.
Background
The song was written and recorded some time in 2012 by Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels. It was intended for use on Paradise, the re-release of Born to Die. On June 19, 2012, Lana Del Rey sung an acapella of the chorus on radio when asked what music would be on her new album. The song failed to make the final tracklist of Paradise. The song is registered on ASCAP as "Will You Still Love Me" and "Young and Beautiful" and on ISWC as "Will You Still Love Me". An alternate orchestral version titled "Young and Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)" produced by Dan Heath was released alongside the Rick Nowels version of the single.
Composition
The song is composed in the key of B minor. Del Rey's dreamy vocals, ranging from D3 to A4, are draped over sedated strings and canned percussion. The lyrics rotate around the themes of pleasing a lover, nostalgia, and the gloom of aging.
In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby Trailer w new music by Beyoncé x André 3000, Lana Del Rey, Florence The Machine
First trailer confirming "Will You Still Love Me" to be featured in The Great Gatsby. (0:41)
On November 24, 2012, Del Rey teased at being featured on a soundtrack during an interview on the Dutch show Langs De Leeuw, explaining "one thing that I have been doing [...] is helping composers write scores for movies." She went on to say "there's a movie coming out this summer that's set in the 1920s, and it's been fun for me to write love songs for the woman." On February 7, 2013, Del Rey tweeted "GATSBY" [sic], confirming fans' suspicions. On April 4, 2013, the first studio snippet of the song was released in a trailer for the film, with media outlets confirming the song to be released as a single on April 23, 2013. The song was available to buy in Australia on April 21, and was unofficially released onto the internet shortly afterwards.
Official Versions
- Single version (3:56)
- Dan Heath Orchestral version (3:52)
- Bryan Ferry's "Young and Beautiful (Salon)" Jazz Instrumental version (2:30)
- Demo version (3:56)
- Jazz version (Unknown)
- Two Minutes To Four And Reunited (3:48)
- Magic Tree And I Let Myself Go (5:17)
- Hotel Sayre (3:22)
Music Video
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | May 10, 2013 |
| Length | 3:58 | |
| Director | Chris Sweeney | |
| Producer | Adam Smith and Jacob Swan-Hyam | |
| Filmed | Unknown | |
| Location | Unknown | |
| Vevo views | 147+ Million Views | |
The official music video to the song was released on the 10th of May 2013. She is shown singing the song in a dark room with glittery diamond-tears on her cheek which look like tattoos.
Photoshoot by Sophie Muller (May, 2013)
Cross-references
- The phrase "aching soul" is also used in "Born to Die".
- The phrase "like a child" also appears in "American".
- Many of the lyrics directly reference "Bel Air".
- The phrase "electric soul" is reminiscent of "Body Electric".
- The line "Had my cake, now" anaphorically references to the line "I want my cake and I wanna eat it too" in "Lolita".
- The phrase "new age" is also in "National Anthem".
Lyrics
Final version
Mm, mm.
I’ve seen the world done it all,
Had my cake, now.
Diamonds, brilliant,
And Bel Air, now.
Hot summer nights, mid-July,
When you and I were forever wild.
The crazy days, city lights,
The way you’d play with me like a child.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
I’ve seen the world, lit it up,
As my stage, now.
Channeling angels in,
The new age, now.
Hot summer days, rock and roll,
The way you’d play for me at your show.
And all the ways I got to know,
Your pretty face and electric soul.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Dear Lord, when I get to heaven,
Please let me bring my man.
When he comes, tell me that you’ll let him in,
Father, tell me if you can.
All that grace, all that body,
All that face, makes me wanna party.
He’s my sun, he makes me shine,
Like diamonds.
And will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me,
When I’m not young and beautiful?
Demo version
Mm, mm.
I’ve seen the world done it all,
Had my cake, now.
Diamonds, brilliant,
And Bel Air, now.
Hot summer nights, mid-July,
When you and I were forever wild.
The crazy days, city lights,
The way you’d play with me like a child.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
I’ve seen the world, lit it up,
As my stage, now.
Channeling Joplin,
Jimmy Page now.
Hot summer days, rock and roll,
The way you’d play for me at your show.
And all the ways I got to know,
Your pretty face and electric soul.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Dear Lord, when I get to heaven,
Please let me bring my man.
When he comes, tell me that you’ll let him in,
Father, tell me if you can.
All that grace, all that body,
All that face, makes me wanna party.
He’s my sun, he makes me shine,
Like diamonds.
And will you still love me,
When I’m no longer,
Young and beautiful?
Will you still love me.
When I’ve got nothing,
But my achin’ soul?
I know you will, I know you will,
I know that you will.
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me,
When I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me,
When I’m not young and beautiful?
References
- ASCAP ACE Title Search #884356337
- ISWC-Net #T-912.703.483-7