Billboard: Go Behind Lana Del Rey's 'Summertime' Surge

[Creyk]

This article mentions some interesting information so you might want to read it

 

 

Go Behind Lana Del Rey's 'Summertime' Surge

 

A surprise success story even in a summer filled with them ("Blurred Lines," "The Fox"), Lana Del Rey is celebrating the first crossover hit of her career and a recent re-entry into the top 20 of the Billboard 200 thanks to a dark-horse dance remix of a song released in its original form nearly 20 months ago.

"Summertime Sadness," driven by a remix by the French DJ/producer Cedric Gervais, moves up the Billboard Hot 100, rising 10-6. But the song wasn't actually intended for release in America, climbing its way to the U.S. top 10 from an unlikely start in Germany seven months ago.

Initially commissioned in January for Universal Germany, Del Rey's American and U.K. labels-Interscope and Polydor, respectively-at first passed on the remix, which by then was already a year removed from Born to Die, her 2012 debut on which the original "Summertime Sadness" first appeared. But after the song shot to No. 1 on influential electronic music digital retailer Beatport in the spring, a few radio programmers took it upon themselves to put the remix into rotation.

"One day I got a call from [interscope president of promotion Brenda Romano] saying, 'Hey, what would you think if I started working this "Summertime" remix to radio?'" Interscope executive VP of A&R Larry Jackson recalls. "It had been picked up in two markets and we were seeing a real, unmistakable correlation in terms of airplay and sales."

All versions of "Summertime Sadness" have so far sold 1.1 million downloads, with 512,000 of those coming from the remix, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song's sudden penetration at radio is something of a tipping point for Del Rey, whose career to date has in many ways been defined by a lack of support at top 40.

A product of the Internet age, Del Rey first landed her deal with Interscope in 2011 after her homemade video for the song "Video Games" went viral and crowned her as a new obsession for the blogosphere. But what made "Video Games" captivating to online audiences-dramatic production, allegorical lyrics and an alluringly melancholic vocal performance-was anathema to radio, which at the time was focused on the dance-pop anthems of Ke$ha and LMFAO.

Following the success of the "Video Games" clip (47 million YouTube views), Interscope approved an elaborate production for "Born to Die," her debut's title track. In the video, Del Rey sits singing on a throne at the center of a palace wearing a white gown and floral reef while flanked by two Bengal tigers. At 120 million views, the clip is one of the most-watched of that year and remains her most popular. Del Rey has more than 330 million views total on YouTube and 1.3 million-plus subscribers.

"As with any artist, you pick and choose what their strengths are," says Ed Millet, Del Rey's co-manager with Ben Mawson, noting the artist's visuals and storytelling ability. "Lana has an incredibly strong visual identity, and that's sort of where we've put our focus."

It was Del Rey's potent imagery that led to her other 2013 breakthrough and the second-best-selling song of her career-"Young and Beautiful," the lead single from Baz Luhrmann's soundtrack to "The Great Gatsby." The filmmaker, known for his own romantic visual style, approached Del Rey about contributing to the project last summer. She agreed-despite momentary misgivings about whether to relinquish what Millet says she declared "the best song I've ever written"-in part because the movie represented another potentially crucial platform for an artist who had been shut out of radio.

"Young and Beautiful" has now sold 780,000 downloads, and is Del Rey's only song besides the "Summertime Sadness" remix to breach the top 25 of the Hot 100, peaking at No. 22. Renewed interest in the singer has pushed total sales of Born to Die to 774,000 and of the subsequent Paradise EP, released in November, to 253,000.

"How many artists can you point to that have had this level of success using purely online and alternative methods of exposure?" Jackson asks. "No top 40 play, no Grammy nominations, no MTV Awards ... We're only now starting to see the mainstream acceptance of this, and we have a lot more to come."

 

I love that they are writing about her

Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5695421/go-behind-lana-del-reys-summertime-surge

[Sitar]

Lana you and I both know Young & Beautiful isn't even close to your best song, let's not pleigh

[ThorixB]

Lana you and I both know Young & Beautiful isn't even close to your best song, let's not pleigh

What you realy want to say is: Lana you and I both know that any of Lorde songs aren't even close to your best songs, let's not pleigh, Lorde is much better than you (that is why I cannot appreciate a (finally) positive review about you in the us billboard)

[DUKE]

What you realy want to say is: Lana you and I both know that any of Lorde songs aren't even close to your best songs, let's not pleigh, Lorde is much better than you (that is why I cannot appreciate a (finally) positive review about you in the us billboard)

Stop pretending to be a linguist when you're not. You suck at Pragmatics, frankly. 

[Poison Ivy]

I was about to say I don't understand the popularity of that remix but it fits right in with the stuff in Top 10.

[elllipsis]

What you realy want to say is: Lana you and I both know that any of Lorde songs aren't even close to your best songs, let's not pleigh, Lorde is much better than you (that is why I cannot appreciate a (finally) positive review about you in the us billboard)

 

Grade A trolling, dude!  You had me for a while there, gotta admit.

[Guest Dot]

Just release goddamn motherfucking COLA, already! It's a hit, you little fucks! 

[Mileena]

hey billboard, i remember them. weren't they the ones who wrote a really bad review of her or something?

 

and i disagree with her about y&b sorry. 

[Creyk]

Just release goddamn motherfucking COLA, already! It's a hit, you little fucks! 

OMG do you remember how excited we were over it back in the day?

Ahh, memories....at least now we are not living in that fake anticipation state tho

[Guest Dot]

OMG do you remember how excited we were over it back in the day?

Ahh, memories....at least now we are not living in that fake anticipation state tho

OMG please don't remember me. I'm mad enough about how they are handling her releases. I mean Dark Paradise, Summertime Sadness (Generic Version) and now Y&B, again. What was the fucking point in releasing Paradise?

[Creyk]

OMG please don't remember me. I'm mad enough about how they are handling her releases. I mean Dark Paradise, Summertime Sadness (Generic Version) and now Y&B, again. What was the fucking point in releasing Paradise?

Dem album sales

But yeah, I get you. I mean, they replaced the SS video to her VEVO now?

[Baby V Alex]

Lana you and I both know Young & Beautiful isn't even close to your best song, let's not pleigh

 

She betta promo for that Oscar, Golden Globe nomination

[Guest Dot]

Dem album sales

But yeah, I get you. I mean, they replaced the SS video to her VEVO now?

Her mangement is a fucking mess tbh. I just think it's really funny that everytime I stan for someone my favourite song gets hinted as single or is scheduled to be released and then ends up being cancelled.

Examples: Inside Out, Femme Fatale. (I really dislike Brit, but this song slays!) Dance in the Dark, TFM. Madonna, to many examples. Jump, What Now, Lost in Paradise by Rihanna. Heavy Metal Lover, Born This Way (She literally released all my least favourite songs that era)

[Sitar]

What you realy want to say is: Lana you and I both know that any of Lorde songs aren't even close to your best songs, let's not pleigh, Lorde is much better than you (that is why I cannot appreciate a (finally) positive review about you in the us billboard)

 

It's true! I hate Lana Del Rey. I only remain on a forum dedicated to her with like 150% more posts than anyone else because I have an ultimate agenda to turn this into LordeBoards. The intricate poetry of "oh that grace, oh that body, oh that face makes me wanna party" is waaaaaay beyond me because I spend too much time listening to a 16 year old 3000 times.

 

Wait...

 

http://www.last.fm/user/ropeskidthekid/library

 

[rways]

OMG please don't remember me. I'm mad enough about how they are handling her releases. I mean Dark Paradise, Summertime Sadness (Generic Version) and now Y&B, again. What was the fucking point in releasing Paradise?

I KNOW RIGHT

 

and if they released SS in the US it should have been the album version because it's basically millions of times better then that remix

[Creyk]

Her mangement is a fucking mess tbh. I just think it's really funny that everytime I stan for someone my favourite song gets hinted as single or is scheduled to be released and then ends up being cancelled.

Examples: Inside Out, Femme Fatale. (I really dislike Brit, but this song slays!) Dance in the Dark, TFM. Madonna, to many examples. Jump, What Now, Lost in Paradise by Rihanna. Heavy Metal Lover, Born This Way (She literally released all my least favourite songs that era)

It's awesome that you love Inside Out by Brit too!

That song is so crazy awesome, my most played from that album. It could have done so well

[Guest Dot]

It's awesome that you love Inside Out by Brit too!

That song is so crazy awesome, my most played from that album. It could have done so well

Ikr? I can't fucking believe that the fans actually voted for Criminal smh. IO was a potential #1 and everybody knew it. Brit favourized that awful Drop Dead Beautiful tho :tyler: and she performed neither Criminal nor Inside Out.

[Creyk]

Ikr? I can't fucking believe that the fans actually voted for Criminal smh. IO was a potential #1 and everybody knew it. Brit favourized that awful Drop Dead Beautiful tho :tyler: and she performed neither Criminal nor Inside Out.

 

IKR? WTF with not performing those, I mean none of them seem that challenging to sing even, mid-tempo almost slow songs....

 

I personally love Drop Dead Beautiful tho....

[howiet1971]

Just release goddamn motherfucking COLA, already! It's a hit, you little fucks! 

 

I disagree completely.  Whilst I like the song a lot in the context of the album, I think the attention it has received from fans is purely because 'my pussy tastes like pepsi cola'.  Thats it.  It has a cheeky lyric therefore her younger audience are lapping it up!  (See what i did there... lol).  This song will not bring her any news fans and will only damage her fledgling career (in the US).

 

'American' or 'Gods and Monsters' are far more suitable singles in my opinion.  (Yes, I know G&M has a naughty lyric, but it's far more intelligently written and not so blatant.) Both of these songs have a slightly different vibe to her other singles, and Cola is just so much like a lot of BTD; it offers nothing new.

 

But luckily, we are all different and like different things.  Horses for courses and all that... x

[Guest Dot]

I disagree completely.  Whilst I like the song a lot in the context of the album, I think the attention it has received from fans is purely because 'my pussy tastes like pepsi cola'.  Thats it.  It has a cheeky lyric therefore her younger audience are lapping it up!  (See what i did there... lol).  This song will not bring her any news fans and will only damage her fledgling career (in the US).

 

'American' or 'Gods and Monsters' are far more suitable singles in my opinion.  (Yes, I know G&M has a naughty lyric, but it's far more intelligently written and not so blatant.) Both of these songs have a slightly different vibe to her other singles, and Cola is just so much like a lot of BTD; it offers nothing new.

 

But luckily, we are all different and like different things.  Horses for courses and all that... x

 

Let me start with your first statement:

What do I like about Cola? I love the instrumental, first of all. It has a summery feel to it and it's very catchy, unlike a lot of songs on BTD, which leads me to point number two. Cola is actually very different from most songs on BTD, lyrically. There is a sense of freedom in Cola, whereas she's reflecting on a past love on most BTD songs. (see Summertime Sadness and Blue Jeans) She's actually singing in present tense on this one, not in past tense. The opening line can be changed to "My lips, they taste..." or "My kisses taste...", which are all double-minded, indeed, but the general public won't notice until they hear the x-rated version. #3 The majority of her fans are 18+/-. This is the group of people she's trying to reach, and believe me, they'll love someone who actually dares to put out a song like this. It will get people to actually talk about her. Other than that: How many artists nowadays actually release songs that have words like pussy, cunt, bitch in it? Did you listen to Werk Bitch? Britney's cathphrase is :It's Britney, bitch! Controversy is not always negative as long as she doesn't pull a Miley Cyrus and starts twerking with her tongue out, licking a sledge hammer, etc. (Miley's song went to #1, though...oops...I wonder why...)

 

American and gods & Monsters are great songs, I agree, but they're not radio-friendly, especially the latter. American is nice but it's too slow and not catchy at all. It doesn't have much to it, that will get people to talk about. Gods and Monsters would be even worse as a single than Cola. "God's dead. I said, baby that's alright with me." She will get labeled as a satanist, aetheist, etc. and you know there is a hell lot of religious people in the US. A LOT! So don't mess with God in America. I mean Madonna's LAP, which had nothing to do with religion, or maybe just a little bit was labeled as blasphemous, etc. She's actually the best example of how to turn controversy into something positive. Remember, 'Justify My Love'?

 

Cola needs to be a single. Her fans want it. Lana herself wants it and believe me the general public wants it too, they just don't know, yet. I hate the fact, though that many people think her fans only like Cola, because of it's opening line!   But I agree, it's good that we're all different and like different things. I hope you don't see this as throwing shade or anything, but I was just making a point.