Norman Fucking Rockwell (song)

Last updated
"Norman Fucking Rockwell"
Song by Lana Del Rey
from the album Norman Fucking Rockwell!
ReleasedAugust 30, 2019
Studio
  • Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles)
  • House of Breaking Glass (Seattle)
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jack Antonoff
  • Lana Del Rey
Music video
"Norman Fucking Rockwell" on YouTube

"Norman Fucking Rockwell" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album of the same name (2019). [1] The track was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff.

Contents

The song was nominated for Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Composition

Lyrically, "Norman Fucking Rockwell" features Del Rey singing in the first verse about a relationship with an immature man who will not take responsibility for his own faults, then admitting during the chorus he has convinced her to stay with him, though it saddens her. Del Rey overlooks his obvious faults, singing: "Why wait for the best when I could have you?" [2] In an interview with Zane Lowe of the BBC, Del Rey commented on her forthcoming album's title track: "Working with Jack Antonoff, I was in a little bit of a lighter mood because he was so funny. So the title track is called 'Norman Fucking Rockwell' and it's kind of about this guy who is such a genius artist but he thinks he's the shit and he knows it and he, like, won't shut up talking about it." [3]

The song's title is a tongue-in-cheek homage to painter Norman Rockwell, with its lyrics metaphorically painting someone blue in reference to his craft. Rockwell was earlier mentioned by Del Rey in her song "Venice Bitch", which also referenced the idea of being covered in "blue" in reference to feelings of sadness or melancholy.

The song is crafted in the key of C major, with an Andante Tempo at 77 BPM in 4
4 common time. [4]

Critical reception

Upon its release with the rest of the album, the song received critical acclaim. Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork praised the song for its direct, often cheeky lyrics. [5] Rhian Daly of NME compared the song's lyrical themes to Del Rey's previous works. [6]

Awards and nominations

YearOrganizationAwardResultRef.
2020 Grammy Awards Song of the Year Nominated [7]

Credits and personnel

Instruments/production

Technical

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [8] 73
Ireland (IRMA) [9] 40
Lithuania (AGATA) [10] 51
Netherlands (Mega Top 50) [11] 14
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [12] 8
Portugal (AFP) [13] 62
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) [14] 74
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [15] 63
UK Singles (OCC) [16] 44
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [17] 12
US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard) [18] 20
US Rolling Stone Top 100 [19] 62

Certifications

Certifications for "Norman Fucking Rockwell"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [20] Gold35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [21] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doin' Time</span> 1997 single by Sublime

"Doin' Time" is a song by American band Sublime, appearing as the closing track on their self-titled third album. The lyrics tell of a cheating girlfriend, whose infidelities and poor treatment of her lover makes him feel like he is in prison. It was released as a single on November 25, 1997; the disc contained alternate versions of the song by Wyclef Jean and the Pharcyde. Additional versions appeared on the post-Bradley Nowell compilation album Second-hand Smoke and several bootlegs, including one with Snoop Dogg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lana Del Rey</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1985)

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent references to contemporary pop culture and 1950s–1970s Americana. Her vintage Hollywood glamour aesthetic is showcased in her music videos. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Women in Music, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for eleven Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century". Rolling Stone placed Del Rey on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023), and Rolling Stone UK named her The Greatest American Songwriter of the 21st century (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lana Del Rey discography</span>

American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has released nine studio albums, three extended plays, 38 singles, 18 promotional singles, and one box set. She also has one leaked demo album, which was not released officially. According to Universal Music Group (UMG), Del Rey has sold over 41 million albums worldwide and has garnered over 58 billion streams worldwide. In the United States, Del Rey has sold over 48 million certified singles according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Billboard ranked her as the 37th Top Rock Artist of the 2010s. Del Rey has also sold 7.1 million singles units, and 4 million albums in United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summertime Sadness</span> 2012 single by Lana Del Rey

"Summertime Sadness" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey from her second studio album, Born to Die (2012). The pop ballad was released on June 22, 2012, by Interscope Records as the fourth single of the album. In the spring of 2013, "Summertime Sadness" reached number one in Poland, Ukraine and Armenia. Charting across Europe, the single reached the top 10 in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Trap and house remixes of "Summertime Sadness" helped Del Rey break into the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. That chart is where Del Rey's song became a modest hit and marked her first foray into the chart. On the accompanied Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, the single gave Del Rey her first US number-one single in August 2013. In September 2021, the song was ranked number 456 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Antonoff</span> American musician (born 1984)

Jack Michael Antonoff is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead vocalist of rock band Bleachers. He was previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop rock band fun and the lead vocalist for the indie rock band Steel Train. Aside from his work with the three groups, Antonoff has been prolific in songwriting and production for various music industry acts, including Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, the 1975, Lorde, St. Vincent, Florence and the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Fifth Harmony, Kevin Abstract, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Chicks, Tegan and Sara, and Clairo. Antonoff is credited with impact on the sound of contemporary popular music throughout the 2010s and 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love (Lana Del Rey song)</span> 2017 single by Lana Del Rey

"Love" is a song by the American singer Lana Del Rey. It was released on February 18, 2017, by Polydor Records and Interscope Records, as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Lust for Life (2017). The song was written and produced by Del Rey, Benny Blanco, Emile Haynie and Rick Nowels, with additional production by Kieron Menzies. Its release was first teased with promotional posters hung in Los Angeles on February 17, after which the release date was pushed up due to leaked versions of the song surfacing online the same day. The song incorporates alternative pop, bubblegum pop, dream pop, and rock with a 50s style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venice Bitch</span> 2018 single by Lana Del Rey

"Venice Bitch" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on September 18, 2018, through Polydor and Interscope Records, as the second single from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). The song was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff. The song was met with unanimous praise from music critics and was ranked by numerous publications amongst the best songs of the year and decade. The song title references Venice, Los Angeles.

<i>Norman Fucking Rockwell!</i> 2019 studio album by Lana Del Rey

Norman Fucking Rockwell! is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey released on August 30, 2019, by Polydor and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with additional contributions from Zach Dawes, Andrew Watt, and longtime Del Rey collaborator Rick Nowels. Musically, Norman Fucking Rockwell! features a soft rock sound consisting of psych-rock songs and piano ballads and features references to various classic rock artists. The title of the album is a reference to painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariners Apartment Complex</span> 2018 single by Lana Del Rey

"Mariners Apartment Complex" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). She wrote the song after a late night walk with her then partner, while they were reaching an "apartment complex". Produced by Del Rey and co-writer Jack Antonoff, it combines country, psychedelic folk, and soft rock over a balladic production. Lyrically, the narrator assures her lover of constant support and guidance in their beautiful yet problematic relationship. The song was released as the lead single from the album on September 12, 2018, by Polydor and Interscope Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It</span> 2019 single by Lana Del Rey

"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" is a song by American singer Lana Del Rey. The track was released as the third single on January 9, 2019, through Polydor Records, to promote her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!. It follows the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch".

"The Greatest" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, taken from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). She wrote and produced it with Jack Antonoff. The song was released for digital download as a joint promotional single with "Fuck It I Love You" on August 22, 2019, by Interscope and Polydor Records. An accompanying "double feature" music video with the two was also released. Universal Music Group sent "The Greatest" to Italian radios on September 13, 2019, as the fifth single from the album.

"Fuck It I Love You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released as the first promotional single from her album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, along with "The Greatest". On August 22, 2019, Del Rey released a "double feature" music video for both songs. Later that day, she released the two as a joint-single on digital outlets.

"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). The song was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Looking for America (song)</span> 2019 promotional single by Lana Del Rey

"Looking for America" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. The song was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff. The song was written as a response to the back-to-back shootings in Dayton and El Paso on August 3, 2019. The song was previewed on Instagram on August 5, the day it was written. After gaining positive feedback and popularity online, the song was officially released onto streaming platforms as a digital single on August 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Call Me Angel</span> 2019 single by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey

"Don't Call Me Angel" is a song by American singers Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey. It was released on September 13, 2019, by Republic Records as the lead single from the soundtrack to the film Charlie's Angels, based on the television series of the same name created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. The song reached number one in Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Lebanon, Scotland and Israel, as well as the top five in eleven other countries.

<i>Chemtrails over the Country Club</i> 2021 studio album by Lana Del Rey

Chemtrails over the Country Club is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on March 19, 2021, by Interscope and Polydor Records. Del Rey enlisted producer Jack Antonoff as her co-producer for the majority of the album, after working with him on her previous studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), while previous collaborator Rick Nowels produced one of the album's tracks. The album features collaborations with Nikki Lane, Weyes Blood, and Zella Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Love You like a Woman</span> 2020 single by Lana Del Rey

"Let Me Love You like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on October 16, 2020, by Interscope Records and Polydor Records as the lead single from Del Rey's seventh studio album, Chemtrails over the Country Club. The song was recorded at both Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York City and was written by Del Rey and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, who produced the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemtrails over the Country Club (song)</span> 2021 single by Lana Del Rey

"Chemtrails over the Country Club" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 11, 2021, by Interscope Records and Polydor Records as the title track and second single from her seventh studio album of the same name. The song was written and produced by Del Rey and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff.

<i>Did You Know That Theres a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd</i> 2023 studio album by Lana Del Rey

Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter and record producer Lana Del Rey. Released on March 24, 2023, by Interscope and Polydor Records, the album features production by Del Rey, Mike Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji. It includes collaborations with Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, SYML and Riopy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A&W (song)</span> 2023 single by Lana Del Rey

"A&W" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023). The track was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, along with its co-writer Sam Dew. The song was released on February 14, 2023, as the album's second single. The song's title not only references the American root beer brand of the same name, but serves as an initialism for "American Whore". The beat and tone shifts midway through for a brief instrumental, before shifting again into the second part, unofficially dubbed "Jimmy" by fans and critics based on the lyrics.

References

  1. ↑ Brittany Spanos (2019-07-31). "Lana Del Rey Announces 'Norman F-cking Rockwell' Release Date – Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  2. ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Norman fucking Rockwell". Genius.com.
  3. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (August 22, 2019). "Lana Del Rey's new album 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' – everything we know so far". NME.
  4. ↑ "Norman Fucking Rockwell". Tunebat.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Jenn Pelly (2019-09-03). "Lana Del Rey: Norman Fucking Rockwell! Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  6. ↑ Daly, Rhian (4 September 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' review". NME.
  7. ↑ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  8. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201936 into search. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Lijst van 05-10-2019 – Mega Top 50" (in Dutch). Mega Top 50. Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  14. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201936 into search. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 36". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Alternative Digital Song Sales - September 14, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone . August 30, 2019. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  20. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  21. ↑ "British single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Norman F**King Rockwell". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved May 2, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.