Critical reception
Upon the release of Norman Fucking Rockwell, the song received acclaim from critics for the most part, with several calling it a "standout track" on the album. [13] Raisa Burner of Time gave the song a positive review, praising the song for Del Rey's "angelic falsetto even as she describes emotional devastation". [14] Kitty Power of The Guardian cited "Cinnamon Girl" as a standout track compared to the rest of the record, due to its production being different than the rest of the album: "[the record] exists in some timeless, catgut-strewn place where 3am bar pianos and washes of keyboards serve as the tear-stained mat under Del Rey’s glass slipper of a voice – until, that is, a song such as Cinnamon Girl suddenly unspools an unexpectedly long, lyrical instrumental coda, in an electronic-tinged echo of Young’s famous meandering." [15] Radio.com called the song a "standout" and "fan favorite". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the song's EDM influences, pointing out its instrumental differences to the majority of songs on the record which have more of a folk-rock and surf pop sound. [16] Lindsay Zoldaz of The Ringer praised Del Rey's ability to find the good in the bad: "Amid all the chaos and hurricanes, though, there is a radical kind of tenderness now present in Del Rey's music, a preserved innocence that once seemed irrevocably lost. Even if it’s only temporary, she reminds us, love can build shelter from the storm." [17]
Ann Powers controversy
In her review of Norman Fucking Rockwell for NPR, famed critic Ann Powers gave the record a positive review, but was somewhat critical of "Cinnamon Girl", writing that:
The title's a mildly clever cop from a Neil Young classic, and the first line, "cinnamon in my teeth from your kiss," takes you somewhere. But then? There's a line about different colored pills, alluding to her sweetheart's addiction, and one about her frustration becoming like fire. B-plus poetics. There's some moaning about how no one has "held me without hurting me," and half-formed thoughts about words she cannot speak. Compare this vague non-story to four lines randomly pulled from Mitchell's 1972 song about her then-lover James Taylor's heroin habit, "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire," written when she was five years younger than Del Rey is now: Concrete concentration camp / Bashing in veins for peace / Cold blue steel and sweet fire / Fall into Lady Release. Yet let Del Rey's song sink in, and it offers its own revelations—sensual and emotional, like Mitchell's, but less clearly mediated. The simplicity and directness of "Cinnamon Girl" hits as its leaden rhythm seems to grow more elastic... Sometimes all the song's effects fall away, only to push forward again; there doesn't seem to be much order to the dynamics. The whole effect is slippery, unattached to the process of telling a story. The song feels more like you're in a story, in someone's head at a particularly unsure moment. A great songwriter, as we tend to understand that role, would offer a more coherent view. But for Del Rey, the mash-up of effects and references is the point. It is emotion's actuality. [18]
Del Rey took to Twitter to denounce the article, writing that "...I don't even relate to one observation you made about the music. There's nothing uncooked about me. To write about me is nothing like it is to be with me. Never had a persona. Never needed one. Never will", in one tweet and "So don't call yourself a fan like you did in the article and don't count your editor one either—I may never never have made bold political or cultural statements before- because my gift is the warmth I live my life with and the self reflection I share generously", in another one. [19]
Following backlash from Del Rey's fans, Powers refused to change her opinion, stating that: "It is a critic's responsibility to be thoughtful and honest to herself in responding to artists' work, and an artist's prerogative to disagree with that response. I respect Lana Del Rey and hope that her music continues to receive the passionate appreciation it has received for years." Powers then took to Twitter to announce she would be taking a few days off of social media, encouraging people "I still think NFR is a deeply compelling, crucial album and hope everyone spends time listening to it (and goes back to Ultraviolence and Lust for Life too)..." [20]
Shortly afterwards, Del Rey received criticism from music critics and fans of Powers alike. [21] Jessica Hopper criticized Del Rey taking offense to Powers' critic of "Cinnamon Girl", citing Powers' coverage of female artists as what she believes to be what has allowed women to be taken more seriously in the music industry. [22] The conflict became a top story on Twitter, with "Ann Powers" and "Cinnamon Girl" becoming trending topics nationwide in the US and several other territories.
