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.

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References

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