Lana Del Rey (EP)

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Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey - Lana Del Rey - EP.png
EP by
Lana Del Rey
ReleasedJanuary 10, 2012 (2012-01-10)
Genre Pop
Length17:19
Label
Producer
Lana Del Rey chronology
Lana Del Ray
(2010)		Lana Del Rey
(2012)		 Born to Die
(2012)

Lana Del Rey is the second extended play by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 10, 2012, in the United States and Canada through Interscope Records. Having signed onto Interscope Records after the success of her debut single "Video Games", the EP was released as a teaser of Del Rey's second album Born to Die (2012). The EP's primary songwriters were Del Rey, Justin Parker and Emile Haynie, while Haynie also led the record's production. The EP debuted and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200, and reached number six on both the Billboard Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.

Contents

Background

In June 2011, after having released her first EP Kill Kill during 2008 and first album Lana Del Rey during 2010 on 5 Points Records, [1] Del Rey was signed by Stranger Records to release her debut single "Video Games". [2] She told The Observer that "Video Games" was never intended to be a single, but she decided to release it as such "because it was [her] favourite". [3] The song and its music video gained viral success, [4] and Del Rey received the Q Award for "Next Big Thing" in October 2011. [5] Later that month, she announced a joint record deal with Interscope Records and Polydor, [4] and revealed in December that Born to Die would be released on January 31, 2012. [6] To promote the upcoming release of Born to Die, Interscope Records released the digital-exclusive EP on January 10, 2012. [7] [8]

Composition

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"Blue Jeans"
A 21-second sample of the song, features Del Rey singing over a "stunted" trip-hop beat.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Lana Del Rey is a pop EP; Sputnikmusic's Winesburgohio observed how, throughout the EP, its songs drew inspiration from the music of the 1950s and 1960s while incorporating the "jarringly modern element" of sampling. [9] "Video Games" is a slow ballad [10] built around "eerie, seesawing piano chords"; Del Rey sang it in a low register in an attempt to differentiate it from other songs at the time. The lyrics in its verse "paint scenes of domestic tranquility", while the chorus sees Del Rey confessing her love to a man. [11] "Born to Die" contains string arrangements and elements of hip-hop, [12] with lyrics about making the most of fleeting love. [13] Tim Lee of MusicOMH remarked that the two songs sounded similar, which he attributed to the intent to capitalize on the former's success. [14]

The third track, "Blue Jeans", is a trip-hop ballad featuring a "stunted" beat and a guitar line reminiscent of surf rock. Its lyrics are about a doomed romance between the song's narrator and an absent "gangster" figure. [15] [16] "Off to the Races" has been lyrically described as "a freak show of inappropriate co-dependency", with a narrator whom Priya Elan of NME felt was similar to Sheryl Crow's "down and out drunken loner persona" from her 1994 single "Leaving Las Vegas". [17] The song employs a heavy beat and bassline, [18] and contains a hype man reminiscent of cloud rap. [15]

Reception

Winesburgohio gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 rating, commenting that while they initially did not enjoy the songs on their own, packaging them as an EP "gave them immediacy". [9] In contrast, John Bush of AllMusic rated the EP 2.5 stars out of 5, despite praising "Video Games". [7]

In the United States, Lana Del Rey debuted and peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 on the week of January 28, 2012, [19] after selling 14,000 digital copies. [20] The track also peaked at No. 6 on both the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, [21] [22] and reach No. 7 on the Digital Albums chart. [23] As of February 1, 2012, it has sold 24,000 digital copies in the United States. [20] Additionally, the EP reached No. 18 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. [24]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Video Games"
4:03
2."Born to Die"
  • Del Rey
  • Parker
  • Haynie
  • Parker
4:45
3."Blue Jeans"
  • Del Rey
  • Haynie
  • Dan Heath
Haynie3:30
4."Off to the Races"
  • Del Rey
  • Tim Larcombe
  • Patrik Berger
  • Haynie
  • Larcombe
5:01
Total length:17:19

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music. [25]

Performers and instruments

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Lana Del Rey
Chart (2012–2014)Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [24] 18
US Billboard 200 [19] 20
US Digital Albums (Billboard) [23] 7
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [21] 6
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [22] 6

References

  1. ↑ Ayers, Mike (January 30, 2012). "Why Lana Del Rey's First Album Disappeared". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Lana Del Rey signs to Stranger!". Stranger Records. June 30, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  3. ↑ Sowray, Bibby (February 10, 2012). "Lana Del Rey Biography, Quotes and Facts". British Vogue . Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Horowitz, Stephen (January 13, 2012). "Lana Del Rey: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ Larsen, luke (October 25, 2011). "Lana Del Rey Wins Q Award, Says Album Due Out January". Paste . Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  6. ↑ Halperin, Shirley (December 5, 2011). "Lana Del Rey to Release Interscope Debut January 2012". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 20, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Bush, John (January 10, 2012). "Lana Del Rey EP". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Lana Del Rey Releases - Lana Del Rey EP". Interscope Records. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Winesburgohio (November 13, 2012). "Lana Del Rey - Lana Del Rey (album review)". Sputnikmusic . Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Shouneyia, Alexa (June 16, 2017). "Lana Del Rey's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Beviglia, Jim (October 15, 2021). "Behind The Song: Lana Del Rey, "Video Games"". American Songwriter . Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ Shouneyia, Alexa (November 21, 2019). "Songs That Defined the Decade: Lana Del Rey's 'Born to Die'". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ Shouneyia, Alexa (January 31, 2017). "Happy Birthday, 'Born To Die': The Best Lyrics From Each Track". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ Lee, Tim; Welsh, David; Hubbard, Michael. "Track Reviews: December 2011 (Part 1)". MusicOMH . Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Smith, Da'Shan (May 15, 2017). "The Gangsta Nancy Sinatra: 9 Lana Del Rey Songs That Experiment With Hip-Hop". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ "The 50 Best Lana Del Rey Songs". Rolling Stone . March 22, 2023. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  17. ↑ Elan, Priya (December 21, 2011). "Lana Del Rey, 'Off to the Races'". NME . Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ Nellis, Krystina (January 30, 2012). "Album Review: Lana Del Rey - Born to Die". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  20. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (February 1, 2012). "Lana Del Rey Aiming for No. 2 Debut on Billboard 200 Album Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Digital Albums)".[ dead link ] Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  24. 1 2 "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  25. ↑ Compiled from the song listings from Born to Die:
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