"Young and Beautiful" (stylized as "Young & Beautiful", registered as "Will You Still Love Me", and referred to as "Will You Still Love Me When I'm No Longer Young and Beautiful") is a song by Lana Del Rey featured on the soundtrack of the 2013 film The Great Gatsby. It was released as a single on April 23, 2013.
Background[]
The song was written and first recorded sometime in 2012 by Del Rey and Rick Nowels. It was originally intended for use on Paradise. On June 15, 2012, Del Rey sang the chorus a cappella during an interview with Spanish radio station Catalunya Ràdio when asked what music would be on her new album. At the time, the song was referred to as "Will You Still Love Me When I'm No Longer Young and Beautiful".[1][dead link] The song failed to make the final tracklist of Paradise.
An alternate orchestral version titled "Young and Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)" was released alongside the Nowels version of the single. A demo of the song leaked on June 9, 2013, and a higher quality version with the identifier "Alt. Mix" leaked on August 6, 2015. The original file of the demo is called "Young-And-Beautiful-KM-mix-045". An a cappella file created from the demo's stems leaked on July 2, 2016. On December 22, 2023, a demo produced by Heath leaked. While it hasn't yet leaked in lossless .wav format, the original file of this demo is titled "YB_DHMix_Ruff_V1". A stem mix of the song leaked on August 6, 2020. A snippet of an alternate stem edit surfaced at an unknown date, and has yet to leak in full. A 6-minute version of the song produced by Heath is said to exist.[S 1] The song is rumored to have over 100 mixes.[S 2]
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[]
On November 24, 2012, Del Rey first teased being featured on a soundtrack during a televised interview on Dutch program 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." The song was reworked for the movie in 2013. On February 7, 2013, Del Rey tweeted "GATSBY", confirming fans' suspicions.[citation needed] On April 4, the first 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.
Use in other media[]
The song was used in a trailer for Amazon Prime Video's 2022 Lucy and Desi documentary.[2]
Critical reception and accolades[]
The song was met with widespread acclaim from critics. Hip-hop magazine Rap-Up called the single "haunting",[3] while MTV called it "somber-sounding".[4] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called the ballad "typically lush", paralleling the single with Del Rey's previous hits, "Video Games" and "Born to Die".[5] Canadian journal National Post said "Young and Beautiful" picks up where "Video Games" left off, stating the song was relevant to the book because "its obsession with decay and the fleeting nature of the good life certainly resonate[s]."[6] The journal continued to call it an "artifact" of Del Rey's consistently dark tone, adding that, by the second playthrough, "its bald directness becomes its appeal."[6] MTV commented that the track "falls very much in line with what Lana Del Rey's fans have come to expect" from Del Rey.[7] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse noted, "if the single takes off, perhaps the songbird can finally scrub her image clean of that 'Girl that totally f-cked up her Saturday Night Live debut' tag."[8] Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen recognized "Young and Beautiful" as the album's centerpiece, though called it "inert" and "a drag" despite its symmetry with the album's entire theme.[9] Finding the track restrained in comparison to her earlier work, August Brown, writing for The Los Angeles Times, called the single "clean" and "classy".[10] "Young and Beautiful" was given a positive review by Stereogum's Tom Breihan, although he disapproved of the vapidity of the line, "make me wanna party".[11]
"Young and Beautiful" was the center of a controversy during the 2014 awards season. During the voting period for the 86th Academy Awards, an envelope was sent around to the academy's music selection committee, detailing how the song was ineligible for "Best Original Song", even though the academy had already deemed the song eligible. The letter reportedly included a fake Variety article that stated the change in The Great Gatsby's release date had thus disqualified the song from the race.[12] The song did not end up getting nominated. However, the song was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards and for Best Song at the 19th Critics' Choice Awards.
Live performances[]
Del Rey performed the song live for the first time on April 30, 2013, at Rockhal in Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, as part of the Paradise Tour. It would then become a staple of Del Rey's live performances from that tour on. In 2018, the song was included on the LA to the Moon Tour set list as the last of a three-part medley with "Change" and "Black Beauty".
The song was a part of a session done by Del Rey's live touring band in preparation for her Paradise Tour performances. The full rehearsal session, which featured Del Rey's pre-recorded vocals and were created with the intent of aiding the tour's videographer, leaked on October 15, 2020.
Music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | May 10, 2013 |
| Length | 3:58 | |
| Director | Chris Sweeney | |
| Producer | Adam Smith Jacob Swan-Hyam | |
| Filmed | 2013 | |
| Location | ||
| Vevo views | 640 Million views | |
Background[]
The Dan Heath version of the song is featured in the music video. Photographers Sophie Muller and Anthony Mandler would shoot Del Rey on set of the music video.
Photoshoots by Sophie Muller and Matthew Walder[]
The Orchestral Score from Baz Luhrmann's Film The Great Gatsby[]
Craig Armstrong's The Orchestral Score from Baz Luhrmann's Film The Great Gatsby features three orchestral tracks that sample "Young and Beautiful". The album was released in 2013 and tracks 4, 6, and 11 feature Del Rey. "Magic Tree and I Let Myself Go" also interpolates "Hearts a Mess" by Gotye.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Hotel Sayre" | Craig Armstrong | Armstrong, Baz Luhrmann | 3:22 | |
| 6. | "Two Minutes to Four and Reunited" | Armstrong | Armstrong, Luhrmann | 3:48 | |
| 11. | "Magic Tree and I Let Myself Go" | Armstrong | Armstrong, Luhrmann | 5:17 |
Cross-references[]
- The phrase "like a child" also appears in "American" and "Fake Diamond".
- 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 the line "I want my cake and I want to eat it too" from "Lolita" and "Girl That Got Away".
- The "new age" is also mentioned in "National Anthem".
- The theme of Del Rey worrying about her man not getting into Heaven also appears in "Born to Die".
- The line "will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" is similar to "will you still love me when I shine from words but not from beauty?" from "Old Money".
- The question "will you still love me" is similar to "do you still love me" from "How Do You Know Me so Well?".
- "Shining like a diamond" is also referenced in "Let Me Love You like a Woman".
- The surname Joplin is also mentioned in "Hollywood", though this song references composer Scott Joplin rather than rock star Janis Joplin.
- Rock and roll is also mentioned in "St. Tropez", "The Greatest", "JFK", and "West Coast".
- References to diamonds appear in many Del Rey songs, most notably "Money Power Glory" and "Last Girl on Earth".
- Del Rey sings about "mid-July" in "I Can Fly" and "Beautiful People".
Official versions[]
- Single version — 3:56
- DH Orchestral version — 3:52
- Music video version — 3:58
- Film mix — 4:04
- Jazz Foxtrot version — 2:18
- Instrumental — 2:13
- Bryan Ferry's Salon version — 2:30
- Demo version 1 (Paradise version produced by Rick Nowels) — 3:56
- Stem a cappella — 3:47
- Demo version 2 (produced by Dan Heath) — 3:55
- Stem mix — 4:02
- Paradise Tour rehearsal session — 3:59
Official remixes[]
- Cedric Gervais Remix — 6:59[13]
- Cedric Gervais Remix Radio Edit — 3:44[14]
- Cedric Gervais Remix Radio Edit / DJ Soft Edit — 3:44[15]
- Cedric Gervais Club Remix — 4:37
- Kaskade Remix — 6:00
- Myon & Shane 54 Summer of Love Remix — 6:39
- MS54 Remix (Radio Edit)[16]
Lyrics[]
Released versions/demo version 2[]
(Mmm, mmm)
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 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
Channelin' 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 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 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?
Film mix[]
(Mmm, mmm)
(Mmm, mmm)
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
And will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I 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)
Oooh, ahhh
And will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I 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?
Jazz Foxtrot version[]
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 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?
Demo version 1[]
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 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
Channelin' 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 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 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?
Media[]
Promotional releases[]
Young and Beautiful CDr by Universal Music; Europe[]
Young and Beautiful CDr by Polydor and Universal Music; France[]
Young and Beautiful DVDr by Polydor; France[]
Credits[]
Single version[]
Personnel[a]
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals
- Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, piano, Orchestron
- Robert Orton — mixing
- Patrick Warren — strings, tubular bells, dulcitone, electric guitar, pump musette, piano
- Devrim Karaoğlu — 808 bass
- Al Shux — drum programming
- Dan Heath — orchestral drum programming
- Kieron Menzies — recording, programming
- Craig Armstrong — orchestral arrangement
- Geoff Foster — orchestra recording
- Perry Montague-Mason — orchestra leader
- David Greenaway — orchestra conductor
- Isobel Griffiths — orchestra contractor
- Charlotte Matthews — assistant orchestra contractor
- Trevor Yasuda — additional engineering
- Jordan Stilwell — additional engineering
- Jon Ingoldsby — additional engineering
- Chris Barrett — engineering assistance
- John Prestage — engineering assistance
- Blaise Thomas — production assistance
Technical
- Recorded at The Green Building, Santa Monica, California / Hackney Downs Studio, London, UK / Air Lyndhurst Studios, London, UK
- Mixed at Hot Rocks Studios, UK
DH Orchestral version[]
Personnel[b]
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals
- Rick Nowels — songwriting
- Dan Heath — production
- Robert Orton — mixing
- Kieron Menzies — vocals recording
- Songa Lee — violin
- Kathleen Sloan — violin
- Trevor Yasuda — engineering
- Chris Barrett — engineering
- John Prestage — engineering
Technical
- Recorded at The Green Building, Santa Monica, California
- Mixed at Hot Rocks Studios, UK