"Say Yes to Heaven" | ||||
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Single by Lana Del Rey | ||||
Written | 2012 | |||
Released | May 19, 2023 | |||
Recorded | November 2013 | |||
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Length |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Rick Nowels | |||
Lana Del Rey singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Say Yes to Heaven" on YouTube |
"Say Yes to Heaven" (also known as "Yes to Heaven") is a song by the American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. She wrote the track with its producer Rick Nowels in 2012 for her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014), but left it out of the final track-list. After leaking online and becoming viral on TikTok, "Say Yes to Heaven" was released as a single without prior promotion on May 19, 2023.
"Say Yes to Heaven" is an ambient and downbeat ballad about a narrator's attempt to escape with her lover. Critics praised it for the production and lyrics. The song peaked at number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered the top 10 and received certifications in several countries.
Lana Del Rey's third studio album, Ultraviolence , was released in 2014. [1] It featured a number of collaborators, including Rick Nowels, who previously worked with her on the songs "Summertime Sadness" (2012) and "Dark Paradise" (2013). He was the first person to collaborate with Del Rey on Ultraviolence and co-wrote the tracks "West Coast" and "Shades of Cool" with her. [2] [3] Following its release, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, where it became Del Rey's first chart-topper. [4]
Del Rey wrote "Say Yes to Heaven" with Nowels in 2012. [5] It was recorded in November 2013 [5] during the sessions of Ultraviolence, but did not make the final track-list. [1] The song began to spread in around 2016. [5] In October 2020, "Say Yes to Heaven", also known as "Yes to Heaven", [6] was fully leaked onto the internet and went viral during the next two years; [7] 2022 in particular saw the rise of a sped-up snippet of the song in TikTok. [5] In March 2023, the song was claimed for copyright by UMG and Polydor Records, sparking speculation that an official release was imminent. [8] Polydor and Interscope Records surprise-released the song as a single on May 19, 2023, with a sped-up version as its B-side. [9] [10] [11] Interscope sent the song to US adult alternative radio on June 5, 2023, [12] followed by alternative radio on June 6. [13]
"Say Yes to Heaven" runs for three minutes and twenty-nine seconds. [11] Nowels produced the song, and played electric guitar and Hammond organ. Other musicians include Patrick Warren (guitar, marimba, strings), Tim Pierce (electric guitar), and Brian Griffin (percussion). Dean Reid and Roy English provides drum programming for the song, which was engineered by Kieron Menzies, John Christopher Fee, Trevor Yasuda, and Rocci. It was mixed by Reid and mastered by Ruairi O'Flaherty. [14]
"Say Yes to Heaven" is an ambient [10] and downbeat ballad [15] about a narrator encouraging her lover to run away with her. [16] The acoustic production [17] incorporates muted drums, [18] tambourine, [15] and reverbed, finger-picked guitar arpeggios. [19] [8] [15] Del Rey's vocals throughout the song is laid back but sharp according to critic Ted Davis of American Songwriter . [20] The lyrics features romantic imagery and motifs that were previously used in Del Rey's other songs, such as red dress, heaven and dancing. [8] Jo Vito of Consequence [18] and Jonathan Cohen from Spin found "Say Yes to Heaven" to be distinct from the leak but thought the song maintains its overall tone. [19]
"Say Yes to Heaven" opens with gentle acoustic guitar strumming and electronic chords, with the narrator's submission to her lover: ("If you dance, I'll dance / And if you don't, I'll dance anyway / Give peace a chance / let the fear you have fall away"). [20] In the chorus, Del Rey sings in a more breathy voice as she describes the narrator's plead to her lover: ("I've got my eye on you / Say yes to heaven / Say yes to me"). [8] Towards the end, the narrator's yearning comes out more resolute than desperate to her lover: ("If you dance, I'll dance / I'll put my red dress on, get it on"). [20]
"Say Yes to Heaven" was praised for its lyrics and the production. They described it as "dreamy", [10] [15] [20] "heavenly", [10] and "melancholy". [20] Davis praised Del Rey's "playful" vocals and her songwriting for capturing a sense of "stoic, timeless, and implicitly flawed yearning" in the song. [20] Vito commended Del Rey's "signature, poetic ambiguity" and the sonic pallette that "[she became] so good at crafting". [18] Nylon 's Sophia June called the song a "simple gut-punch about submission and yearning" [8] and Alternative Press ' Sadie Bell called the song a "sweet, lovelorn ballad". [9]
On singles charts, "Say Yes to Heaven" debuted on both the United States's Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with peaks of number 54 and number 4 respectively. [21] [22] It received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which denotes 500,000 track-equivalent units based on sales and on-demand streaming. [23] The song was her best-performing single on the UK Singles Chart in years; [17] it reached number nine, and marked Del Rey's sixth top-ten career entry and her first as a soloist since "Born to Die" (2011). [24] [25] It received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 200,000 units. [26] Elsewhere, "Say Yes to Heaven" peaked within the top ten in Ireland (8), [27] Poland (9), [28] and New Zealand (10). [29] The song reached number 18 on the Billboard Global 200. [30] It also received platinum certifications from Poland, [31] and gold from Greece. [32]
Digital download and streaming [11]
7" vinyl
Credits are adapted from Tidal: [14]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [60] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [61] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [62] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [63] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [31] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [64] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [26] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [23] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Greece (IFPI Greece) [32] | Gold | 1,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | May 19, 2023 | [15] | ||
United States | June 5, 2023 | Adult alternative radio | Interscope | [12] |
June 6, 2023 | Alternative radio | [13] | ||
Various | November 14, 2023 | 7-inch single | [65] |
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists and albums his songs have appeared on have sold over 250 million copies. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
"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.
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a single by American singer Belinda Carlisle from her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the lead single from the album on September 14, 1987, and it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle's only US chart-topper to date. A month later it peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, where it held the top spot of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. In Australia it peaked at number 2. It is considered to be Carlisle's signature song.
"Video Games" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her second studio album and major label debut, Born to Die (2012). The song was produced by Robopop, while the lyrics were written by Del Rey and Justin Parker. It was first released to the Internet on May 5, 2011, and was later released on her extended play, Lana Del Rey. The song was re-released as the lead single from her second studio album, Born to Die, on October 7, 2011, through Interscope Records. "Video Games" is a baroque pop, dream pop, and downtempo ballad where the protagonist who, despite being ignored by her significant other, resolves to love him regardless.
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.
"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.
"Dark Paradise" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her second studio album, Born to Die (2012). It was written by Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels, while production was handled by Emile Haynie. Nowels and Devrim Karaoglu produced the radio mix of the song. The song was released on March 1, 2013, by Universal and Vertigo Records, as the sixth and final single from Born to Die.
"Cola" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey, taken from her third extended play, Paradise (2012), and the reissue of her second studio album, Born to Die: The Paradise Edition (2012). "Cola" first appeared in a teaser trailer posted to her official YouTube account as a snippet. The lyrics were considered controversial, causing major media outlets to respond.
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"West Coast" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey from her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014). Written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, it is a melancholy love song about a woman torn between love and ambition, and as a dedication to the West Coast of the United States. A psychedelic rock and soft rock ballad, the song was noted to be an evolution and more guitar-orientated in sound for Del Rey and was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Described as a two-in-one song, its shifting tempo transitions downward by nearly 60 beats per minute at the chorus in a rhythmical shift reminiscent of The Beatles' 1965 single "We Can Work It Out", introduced by the guitar lick that begins The Beatles' 1964 single "And I Love Her". In the song, Del Rey's vocals comprises a more sensual and demented tone than in her previous releases, and are often sung in an anxious "breathy" style.
"Ultraviolence" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for her third studio album, of the same name (2014). It was co-written by Del Rey, and Daniel Heath, and produced by Dan Auerbach. The song was released on June 4, 2014, by Polydor and Interscope Records, as the third single from Ultraviolence. A music video, directed by Francesco Carrozzini, was released on July 30, 2014.
"Shades of Cool" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, taken from her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014). It was written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, and produced by Dan Auerbach. The song was released on May 26, 2014 by Interscope Records as the second single from Ultraviolence. Lyrically, the single talks about an "unfixable" man.
"Brooklyn Baby" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her third studio album Ultraviolence (2014). It was written by Del Rey, and Barrie O'Neill, while production was handled by Dan Auerbach. The song was released on June 8, 2014, by Polydor Records and Interscope Records. The song's lyrical content is notable for its satirical elements targeting the New York hipster subculture: its chorus highlights "a stable of cliches about hipsters, Brooklyn, millennials and other things Del Rey herself is known to idolize".
Honeymoon is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on September 18, 2015, by Interscope and Polydor Records. Produced by Del Rey alongside longtime collaborators Rick Nowels and Kieron Menzies, Honeymoon marked a departure from the more guitar-driven instrumentation of Del Rey's previous effort Ultraviolence (2014) and a return to the baroque pop of Born to Die (2012) and Paradise (2012). Lyrically, the album touches on themes of tortured romance, resentment, lust, escapism and violence.
"Stargirl Interlude" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd featuring American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. Dubbed as an "interlude", the track comes from the Weeknd's third studio album, Starboy (2016). The track's title itself is a direct reference to the album's titular character, Starboy, with the lyrics focusing in on a female counterpart, named Stargirl. The song was written by the two artists alongside producers Martin "Doc" McKinney and Labrinth.
"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.
"Lust for Life" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd. The song was written by the artists, Rick Nowels, and Max Martin and produced by Del Rey, Nowels, Dean Reid and Kieron Menzies. Martin handled the additional production. It was released on April 19, 2017, through Polydor Records and Interscope Records, as the second single from her fifth studio album of the same name (2017). A dream pop and bubblegum pop song, "Lust for Life" is reminiscent of 1960s music, especially from girl groups like the Shangri-Las and the Angels; the latter's 1963 song "My Boyfriend's Back" is referenced in the lyrics. It also quotes the poem "Invictus" by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903).
"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.
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