I was reading Slim Aarons and I got to thinking that I thought
Maybe I′d get less stressed if I was tested less like
All of these debutantes
Smiling for miles in pink dresses and high heels on white yachts
But I'm not
Baby, I′m not
No, I'm not
That, I'm not
I′ve been tearing around in my fucking nightgown
24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on the walls
′Cause the ink in my pen don't work in my notepad
Don′t ask if I'm
happy, you know that I′m not
But, at best, I can say I'm not sad
′Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
I had fifteen-year dances
Church basement romances, yeah, I've cried
Spilling my guts with the Bowery Bums
Is the only love I've ever known
Except for the stage, which I also call home, when I′m not
Servin′ up God in a burnt coffee pot for the triad
Hello, it's the most famous
woman you know on the iPad
Calling from beyond the grave, I just wanna say, "Hi, Dad"
I′ve been tearing up town in my fucking white gown
Like a goddamn near sociopath
Shaking my ass is the only thing that's
Got this black narcissist off my back
She couldn′t care less, and I never cared more
So there's no more to say about that
Except hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman with my past
There′s a new
revolution, a loud evolution that I saw
Born of confusion and quiet collusion of which mostly I've known
A modern day woman with a weak constitution, 'cause I′ve got
Monsters still under my bed that I could never fight off
A gatekeeper carelessly dropping the keys on my nights off
I′ve been tearing around in my fucking nightgown
24/7 Sylvia Plath
Writing in blood on your walls
'Cause the ink in my pen don′t look good in my pad
They write that I'm happy,
they know that I′m not
But, at best, you can see I'm not sad
But hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
But I have it
Yeah, I have it
Yeah, I have it
I have
Writer(s): Jack Antonoff, Elizabeth Grant Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
| January 9, 2019 | |||
| 2018 | |||
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| 5:24 (digital album and single version) 5:58 (physical album version) | |||
| Polydor | |||
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| "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" on YouTube |
"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" (stylized in all lowercase) 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!.[1] It follows the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch".[2][3]
Background[edit]
In early January 2019, Del Rey posted a preview of the song on Instagram[4] and said in a statement that it was a "fan track".[1] The track was originally named "Sylvia Plath", in honor of the American poet whom she references in the song.[5]
Composition[edit]
"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It" is a ballad with a "muted, underwater-sounding piano" and an "elegiac melody".[6] Producer Jack Antonoff said on Twitter that the track was recorded in his first recording session with Del Rey and that it was "recorded no click mostly live". He also commented its combination of "felt piano" and Del Rey's "perfect vocal" had "sounded exactly like that in the room".[7]
In the song, Del Rey discusses religion,[8] family, troubled romance, her struggle with alcoholism, her "journey to sobriety", and her refusal of fame and complex relationship with the limelight. "Hope" also contains references to Sylvia Plath, after whom the song was originally named.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
The track received critical acclaim. Writing for Rolling Stone, Ryan Reed called the track "mournful" and a meditation on "religion, family, alienation and the myths that surround celebrity".[1] Nick Reilly of NME said the song features Del Rey "delivering one of her most confessional offerings to date as she compares herself to troubled poetry icon Sylvia Plath".[10] Trace William Cowen of Complex called it "delightfully minimalist".[3] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin found the track to be "exceptionally crafted" with "standout lyrics".[6] Ahead of the release of the parent album, Billboard named it the best song recorded by Del Rey, describing the lyrics of the chorus as "most vulnerable moment in Lana Del Rey’s discography, and the most truthful".[11]
Live debut[edit]
"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It" premiered live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, October 10, 2019, in a performance by Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with dancer Alexandria Kaye interpreting the music in the light and shadows of the upstage LCD screen.[12]
Credits and personnel[edit]
- Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriting, production
- Jack Antonoff – production, songwriting, recording engineering, mixing, piano
- Laura Sisk – recording engineering, mixing
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineering
Charts[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (January 9, 2019). "Hear Lana Del Rey's Mournful New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing...'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ Gray, Julia (January 9, 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it'". Stereogum. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Cowen, Trace William (January 10, 2019). "Lana Del Rey Drops New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It'". Complex. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey Shares Minimalist New Track 'Hope Is A Dangerous Thing': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey Teases Fans With 'Sylvia Plath' Snippet: Listen". Billboard. October 25, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Cook-Wilson, Winston (January 9, 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it'". Spin. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "hope is a dangerous thing is one of 2 songs that happened the first day that lana and i were in the studio. recorded no click mostly live, felt piano + lana's perfect vocal. sounded exactly like that in the room. this one means a lot. listen at night alone". Twitter. January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (January 9, 2019). "Hear Lana Del Rey's Mournful New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing…'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ "From Lolita to Sylvia Plath, Lana del Rey reinvents herself in "Hope Is A Dangerous Thing"". Atwood Magazine. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Reilly, Nick (January 9, 2019). "Listen to 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me...', the new single from Lana Del Rey". NME. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ Every Lana Del Rey Song, Ranked: Critic's List
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (October 11, 2019). "Lana Del Rey Performed 'Sexiest Song Ever' 'Wicked Game' With Chris Isaak". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 3, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 18, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 20193 into search. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 3, 18 januari 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ "Alternative Digital Song Sales : Jan 19, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019. (subscription required)
- ^ "Pop Digital Song Sales - January 19, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2019.