"Bel Air" is a song written by Lana Del Rey and co-written and produced by Dan Heath. It is the closing track of her third EP, and second major-label release, Paradise.
Writing and inspiration[]
"Bel Air" was recorded during the sessions for Paradise. Lyrically, it references many topics that previously appeared in Del Rey's music, such as roses, palm trees, and heaven. It also references the Los Angeles neighbourhood Bel-Air.
Composition and recording[]
The song is an airy ballad, the prototypical sound used throughout Del Rey's career. It begins with sounds of children playing overlapped with a light piano accompaniment. Del Rey's vocals begin softly, and melodically build throughout the composition of the song. Light percussion is heard during the choruses, featuring multiple layers of Del Rey's vocals, performed in a higher pitch than previously heard on her work on Born to Die. The song ends with a fade out of the sound of the children. The song was recorded at Electric Lemon Studios and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles, California, and it was mixed at House of Blues Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Critical reception[]
Canada.com reviewer Leah Collins called "Bel Air" an Enya-channeled, eerie waltz.[1] Conversely, The Huffington Post dismissed both "Bel Air" and "Yayo" as Paradise's "filler tracks".[2] Dissatisfied with other songs on Paradise, Digital Spy said, on "Bel Air", Del Rey finally gets it right, calling the song "a snowy, Tim Burton-inspired ballad".[3]
Music video[]
Original music video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | November 8, 2012 |
| Length | 4:07 | |
| Director | Kyle Newman Spencer Susser | |
| Producer | Tova Dann | |
| Filmed | April/May 2012 | |
| Location | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Vevo views | N/A | |
Background[]
During the filming for "Summertime Sadness", Del Rey recorded extra footage that would later be used for the Paradise trailer. The excess footage was also used to construct the video for "Bel Air".[4] The video was privatized in February, 2013, for unexplained reasons although unofficial uploads still exist around the web.
Description[]
The video shows Del Rey, enrobed in a white gown, spinning and twirling slowly in a blanket of fog. The desaturated shots are colored purple, blue, green, red, sepia, and classic black and white throughout the video. The video was released as a promotional supplement on November 8, 2012, a day before the release of Paradise. The description section of the video states - "i lost my reputation, i forgot my truth. But i have my beauty and i have my youth. Tropico the film, coming next year".
Tropico music video[]
- Main article: Tropico (film)
Del Rey's short film, Tropico (released December 6, 2013), contains a second music video for "Bel Air", as part of the third and final chapter of Tropico titled Bel Air. It shows Del Rey and actor Shaun Ross dancing in a field as the sun sets.
Cross-references[]
- Roses are mentioned in many of Del Rey's songs, such as "Honeymoon", "Roses Bloom For You", "Violets for Roses", "Guns And Roses", "JFK", "Stoplight De-Lite", "If I Die Young", and the song of the same name.
- The phrase "palm trees in the light" is reminiscent of themes in "Jump" and "Fishtail". Palm trees are also mentioned in the concept demo for "Heavy Hitter".
- "Gargoyles, standing, at the front of your gate; trying to tell me to wait" is a similar lyric to "I'm hoping at the gates they'll tell me that you're mine" from "Born to Die"
- Doing something like a child/baby is also mentioned in "Young & Beautiful", "Let Me Love You like a Woman" and "American".
- Heaven is also mentioned in "Say Yes to Heaven", "Television Heaven", "You & Me", "Match Made in Heaven", among many other song and poems.
- Grenadine is also mentioned in "Black Bathing Suit".
Official versions[]
- Album version — 3:57
- Instrumental version — 3:51
Lyrics[]
Gargoyles standing at the front of your gate
Trying to tell me to wait, but I can’t wait to see you
So I run like I'm mad to Heaven’s door
I don’t wanna be bad, I won’t cheat you no more
Roses, Bel Air
Take me there
I’ve been waiting to meet you
Palm trees in the light
I can see late at night
Darling, I’m waiting to greet you
Come to me, baby
Spotlight, bad baby, you’ve got a flair
For the violentest kind of love anywhere out there
Mon amour, sweet child of mine, you’re divine
Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s okay to shine?
Roses, Bel Air
Take me there
I’ve been waiting to meet you
Palm trees in the light
I can see late at night
Darling, I’m waiting to greet you
Come to me, baby
Don’t be afraid of me
Don’t be ashamed
Walk in the way of my soft resurrection
Idol of roses, iconic soul
I know your name
Lead me to war with your brilliant direction
Roses, Bel Air
Take me there
I’ve been waiting to meet you
Palm trees in the light
I can see late at night
Darling, I’m waiting to greet you
Come to me, baby
Roses, Bel Air
Take me there
I’ve been waiting to meet you
Grenadine, sunshine
Can you break this heart of mine?
Darling, I’m waiting to greet you
Come to me, baby
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
- Dan Heath — songwriting, production, engineering, strings, piano
- Kathleen Sloan & Songa Lee — violins
- Tucker Robinson & Nikki Calvert — engineering
- Jeff Rothschild — mixing
- Peter Stanislaus — mix engineer
- John Davis — mastering
Charts[]
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[5] | 109 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[6] | 184 |
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[7] | 50 |
References[]
- ↑ http://o.canada.com/2012/11/08/lana-del-rey-debuts-bel-air-video-teases-short-film/
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/review-lana-del-rey-paradise-review_n_2118735.html
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.com/music/albumreviews/a437881/lana-del-rey-paradise-ep-review.html
- ↑ Lana Del Rey: Bel Air. IMDb
- ↑ http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey&titel=Bel+Air&cat=s
- ↑ http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/121124cluk.txt
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/306420/lana%2Bdel%2Brey/chart?f=902
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