“Honeymoon” Album Recording/Writing Timeline and Creative Process Discussion

[Dark Angel]

  On 3/29/2024 at 9:59 PM, Embach said:

LDR: [...] It's a bit scary, I must have seven hundred drafts of songs on my phone.

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700 laptop demos... 

 

[Brooklyn Fetus]

  On 6/18/2023 at 11:04 PM, Unknown said:

Not really ? other than the fact that Rick Rubin produced a rock version of Body Electric while he was working on Ride 

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does anyone knows if this version that unknown is mentioning is the one from the snippet we got??

(https://krakenfiles.com/view/KgyPyM7eaY/file.html)

[Brood X]

honeymoon really is her best album if you think about it  like her best instrumentals, some of her best vocals, her best song titles, even the outtakes have great titles. Like wow this album really is that girl  

[The Siren]

  On 6/18/2023 at 11:04 PM, Unknown said:

Not really ? other than the fact that Rick Rubin produced a rock version of Body Electric while he was working on Ride 

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oh i need everything he did for Lana. i love his work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vol._3:_(The_Subliminal_Verses)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_(Adele_album)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_(Lana_Del_Rey_EP)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artpop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gag_Order_(album)

[iktr]

I revisited some interviews from Honeymoon release time and found some interesting info, so there is a recap:

— Lana had 17 compositions she had been working on for the album, it is 14 released tracks + California, Crazy for You and Say Yes to Heaven (the strongest u released that were considered); or 13 released tracks (minus cover) + California, Crazy for You, Say Yes to Heaven and Paradise (as the rest are rough)

— In one interview she said she had already started recording for the next long play during mixing of Ultraviolence, however, in the other one she said she started sessions in September 2014 (which is common knowledge)

— What is interesting, she the first and only time mentioned the sound of the early version of Ultraviolence (that she done with Rick before handing it over to Dan), saying that first sessions for Honeymoon sounded very similar to the easley version of Ultraviolence

[WaitForLife]

I Wonder how many Songs a songwriter can wrote, Mix and record in less than 9 months?

She probably Had to be done with HM in June to Release it in September.

[PARADIXO]

Ultraviolence release, Endless Summer Tour and Honeymoon rollout... you had to be there

[DinahLee]

  On 6/10/2024 at 2:29 PM, PARADIXO said:

Ultraviolence release, Endless Summer Tour and Honeymoon rollout... you had to be there

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Honestly... it was quite annoying but we had it good so I can't complain sksksksks.

The endless teasing, the Honeymoon lyrics over that Lyric Book sold at Endless Summer yet no release date, the tour missing most of ultraviolence, Honeymoon leaking through store speakers... a nightmare, but a good one.

 

 

  On 6/10/2024 at 2:18 PM, WaitForLife said:

I Wonder how many Songs a songwriter can wrote, Mix and record in less than 9 months?

She probably Had to be done with HM in June to Release it in September.

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I think we've been told Honeymoon was done in early 2015,  but back then they were able to finish the albums much closer to the release date without the messy "vinyl backlog" thing. We know she was still recording for Lust For Life in early June for a July release.

 

  On 6/10/2024 at 1:40 PM, iktr said:

 

— What is interesting, she the first and only time mentioned the sound of the early version of Ultraviolence (that she done with Rick before handing it over to Dan), saying that first sessions for Honeymoon sounded very similar to the easley version of Ultraviolence

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Hmm this is interesting? I quite remember that quote but I thought it was that "early Honeymoon sessions were too close to Ultraviolence sound" as in Ultraviolence final, which makes sense with snippets like Dark City and the fact she was just extending from the Ultraviolence mixing sessions

[iktr]

  On 6/10/2024 at 2:43 PM, DinahLee said:

 

Honestly... it was quite annoying but we had it good so I can't complain sksksksks.

The endless teasing, the Honeymoon lyrics over that Lyric Book sold at Endless Summer yet no release date, the tour missing most of ultraviolence, Honeymoon leaking through store speakers... a nightmare, but a good one.

 

 

 

I think we've been told Honeymoon was done in early 2015,  but back then they were able to finish the albums much closer to the release date without the messy "vinyl backlog" thing. We know she was still recording for Lust For Life in early June for a July release.

 

 

Hmm this is interesting? I quite remember that quote but I thought it was that "early Honeymoon sessions were too close to Ultraviolence sound" as in Ultraviolence final, which makes sense with snippets like Dark City and the fact she was just extending from the Ultraviolence mixing sessions

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I think interesting is that she mentions and acknowledges the early Ultraviolence with Rick, specifying “Early sessions for Honeymoon sounded familiar to the early version of Ultraviolence” which is for sure the common sense, but it was just random she acknowledged that!

[YourGirl666]

  On 6/10/2024 at 2:58 PM, iktr said:

I think interesting is that she mentions and acknowledges the early Ultraviolence with Rick, specifying “Early sessions for Honeymoon sounded familiar to the early version of Ultraviolence” which is for sure the common sense, but it was just random she acknowledged that!

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 I can see her comparisons with stuff like JFK, Starry Eyed, Black Beauty demo, Hollywood, AFFA, Wild One, James Ford's SYTH and Fine China versions being from that time. Also, I wonder how the early actualy UV Rick Nowels demos sounded like yk, Fine China, Sad Girl, Shades of Cool, I Can Fly (we only got SYTH from thay bunch, right?).

[Yes To Heaven]

so basically these are the scraps we know she recorded during that era:

1. Beautiful People (HM version/leaked)
2. Black Magic Stars (Snippet)
3. California (Leaked)
4. Come With Me (Leaked)
5. Crazy For You (Leaked)
6. Cry Kill Die (Leaked)
7. Dark City (Snippet)
8. Dead To Me (Snippet)
9. I Can Fly (Rework) (Unleaked)
10. If I Die Young (Leaked)
11. Paradise (Snippet)
12. Yes To Heaven (one version of HM leaked)

[YourGirl666]

  On 6/10/2024 at 3:22 PM, Yes To Heaven said:

 

1. Beautiful People (HM version/leaked)

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I wonder how much she worked on BP during HM era, I hope more of its demos from that era leak because it had a lot of potential.

[Waimea Bay]

  On 6/10/2024 at 3:22 PM, Yes To Heaven said:

so basically these are the scraps we know she recorded during that era:

1. Beautiful People (HM version/leaked)
2. Black Magic Stars (Snippet)
3. California (Leaked)
4. Come With Me (Leaked)
5. Crazy For You (Leaked)
6. Cry Kill Die (Leaked)
7. Dark City (Snippet)
8. Dead To Me (Snippet)
9. I Can Fly (Rework) (Unleaked)
10. If I Die Young (Leaked)
11. Paradise (Snippet)
12. Yes To Heaven (one version of HM leaked)

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I think the I can fly rework was the one for big eyes and I think beautiful people is also from big eyes but I think there is an unleaked version for Honeymoon

[Embach]

  On 6/18/2023 at 10:14 PM, Unknown said:

Honeymoon sessions

September 2014 - December 2014

• California
• Crazy For You
• Honeymoon
• Freak
• Soft Ice Cream (Salvatore)
• 24 Hours
• Swan Song
• Blackest Day
• Pink Flamingos (Music To Watch Boys To)
• Dark City 
• Dead To Me
• I Can Fly (rework of original 2013 demo)

2015 songs (completed by June 2015)

• High By The Beach
• Terrence Loves You
• Cry Kill Die
• Come With Me
• Paradise
• If I Die Young
• Religion
• Art Deco
• God Knows I Tried 

Other Info

Big Eyes demo is from August 2014

Terrence Loves You had 2 alternate titles, "Jazz N Blues" and "Violet Sings The Blues" 

 

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i was thinking about swan song sampling high by the beach "high high high" outro parts in the intro and i thought like wait when was swan song recorded because high by the beach was recorded in early 2015 and now seeing again that swan song was recorded before high by the beach, so does that mean that the "high high high" parts were meant for swan song and later reused for high by the beach?

 

and since the blackest day was recorded before art deco, it also means that art deco's intro (that eerie bubbling skype ringtone-ish intro) samples the blackest day chorus instrumental parts!

[NikoGo]

  On 6/18/2023 at 6:43 PM, mybluenectarofthegods389 said:

May-June, 2014: In an interview for Complex magazine, Lana notes: "I actually started conceptually thinking about having a supplement, an addition to this record ('Ultraviolence') that could come very easily. That hasn't happened in a very long time. Not since I wrote the "Paradise" to "Born to Die" that I really liked". Thus, it is likely that Lana's fourth project originally started as an accompanying ep to "Ultraviolence", which probably would have consisted of "Ultraviolence" outtakes and some new songs that were recorded in June-July 2014. But by September 2014, it was clear that the project would develop more, when the first sessions for "Honeymoon" started.

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in light of finding out that UV could have been a double album, that makes this quote really interesting.

 

We've been assuming that the double album would have been songs that had been recorded in the same session as the album, but this makes it seem like we're wrong. It also helps make sense why Freak Like Me sounds very UV, it most likely started out for the second album.

 

I'm really interested if the confirmed 2014 songs

(California

Crazy For You

Honeymoon

Freak

Soft Ice Cream (Salvatore)

24 Hours

Swan Song

Blackest Day

Pink Flamingos (Music To Watch Boys To)

Dark City 

Dead To Me

I Can Fly (rework of original 2013 demo))

 

have the same kind of UV-esque demos. We Know Dark City and California have a more UV vibe

[Embach]

  On 12/3/2024 at 5:50 PM, NikoGo said:

 

in light of finding out that UV could have been a double album, that makes this quote really interesting.

 

We've been assuming that the double album would have been songs that had been recorded in the same session as the album, but this makes it seem like we're wrong. It also helps make sense why Freak Like Me sounds very UV, it most likely started out for the second album.

 

I'm really interested if the confirmed 2014 songs

(California

Crazy For You

Honeymoon

Freak

Soft Ice Cream (Salvatore)

24 Hours

Swan Song

Blackest Day

Pink Flamingos (Music To Watch Boys To)

Dark City 

Dead To Me

I Can Fly (rework of original 2013 demo))

 

have the same kind of UV-esque demos. We Know Dark City and California have a more UV vibe

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I predict that Honeymoon demo definitely has that UV sound, similar to the BBC version

[NikoGo]

  On 12/3/2024 at 5:55 PM, Embach said:

I predict that Honeymoon demo definitely has that UV sound, similar to the BBC version

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I agree! I'd guess Pink Flamingos, too since it was recorded very closely after that first quote