Off to the Races (song)

"Off to the Races"
Promotional single by Lana Del Rey
from the album Born to Die
ReleasedDecember 20, 2011
StudioHuman Feel Studios (Los Angeles, CA)[1]
Genre
Length5:01
Label
Songwriters
  • Lana Del Rey
  • Tim Larcombe
Producers
Lana Del Rey promotional singles chronology
"Off to the Races"
(2011)		 "Carmen"
(2012)
Licensed audio
"Off to the Races" on YouTube

"Off to the Races" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. First appearing on her self-titled Interscope debut, the song was re-released on her second studio album, Born to Die (2012). The song was written by Del Rey and Tim Larcombe. Emile Haynie and Patrik Berger paired up for the song's production. It was released in the UK as iTunes Single of the Week on December 20, 2011. In the Netherlands, "Off to the Races" was released as a digital single on January 6, 2012.

Composition

"Off to the Races" describes Del Rey's relationship with an elder boyfriend, presumed to be a sugar daddy.[2] The singer employs an "almost rapping" technique, hip-hop beat and heavy basslines, similar to that of "National Anthem" and "Diet Mountain Dew" in the song.[3] Pitchfork Media said the rapping technique was almost "chatting."[4] The song refers to Vladimir Nabokov's novel, Lolita, with lyrics such as, "Light of my life, fire of my loins".[5] The song depicts Del Rey being bikini-clad eye candy while swimming in front of her lover while he sips on Cristal Champagne, while she remarks that he loves with "every beat of his cocaine heart" despite her crass Los Angeles mannerisms, and also references Riker’s Island.[6][5] "Off to the Races" also features elements of cloud rap, such as "the distinct echoing of a hypeman in the background", and has Del Rey adopt a "baby-doll voice" during the song.[7][6]

Background and performances

"Off to the Races" was first available on Del Rey's now defunct SoundCloud profile on May 23, 2010.[8] "Off to the Races" was released in the UK as iTunes Single of the Week on December 19, 2011.[9] It was then released as a digital single in the Netherlands on January 6, 2012, on the iTunes Store.[10] A video for "Off to the Races" was released through digital channels and was produced solely by Del Rey, similar to her previous hits.[11][12] The video features Latin American gangsters, femme fatale figures with guns, and a race track.[11] At the Ruby Lounge in Manchester, UK, Del Rey performed the song for the first time, along with "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans". It was the final song of the set.[13][14] The song was also featured as the finale of The Endless Summer Tour and the LA to the Moon Tour.

Critical reception

"Off to the Races" received mixed reviews, having been lyrically described as "a freak show of inappropriate co-dependency".[15] Giving the song a negative review, indie music website Pitchfork said it "...aim[s] for chatty, sparkling opulence," adding that she "doesn't have the personality to bring it off."[4] The Guardian wrote that "Off to the Races' turns Del Rey from vintage siren to R&B hoochie most convincingly. There's jazz in Del Rey's dextrous vocal, and new territory in the swoop and pow of Haynie's undertow."[16] Comparing the song to "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans", The Huffington Post blogged that the song was "...pretty good...and it sounds just as catchy..."[13] Of the song's music video, reviewer Robbie Daw commented: "...it seems the video's producer was off to find the cheesiest footage of old shoot-'em-up '80s B-movies for this clip."[11]

Track listing

Digital download[17]
  1. "Off to the Races" – 5:01

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Alternative Digital Songs (Billboard)[18] 22
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[19] 40

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Gold 35,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[21] Gold 30,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Born to Die (booklet). London, United Kingdom; Santa Monica, California: Polydor Records, Interscope Records. 2012.
  2. ↑ "Lana Del Rey: 'I'm not glamorising abuse'". BBC News. May 21, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ Nellis, Krystina (January 30, 2012). "Lana Del Rey Born to Die Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Zoladz, Lindsay (January 30, 2012). "Lana Del Rey - Born to Die - Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Hogan, Marc. "Lana Del Rey Plays a 'Hood Lolita in 'Off to the Races'". Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Willman, Chris (January 31, 2012). "Review: Lana Del Rey, the Anti-Adele, Gets Icy in 'Born to Die'". Reuters. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  7. ↑ Smith, Da'Shan (May 15, 2017). "The Gangsta Nancy Sinatra: 9 Lana Del Rey Songs That Experiment With Hip-Hop". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Soundcloud (Archive) - Lana Del Rey - Off to the Races". May 23, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ Lapatine, Scott (December 20, 2011). "Lana Del Rey – "Off To The Races" (Studio Version)". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ "iTunes - Muziek - 'Off to the Races - Single' van Lana Del Rey". iTunes Store (in Dutch). January 6, 2012. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 Daw Robbie (December 22, 2011). "Lana Del Rey Shoots Out Her "Off To The Races" Video". Idolator. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  12. ↑ Langshaw, Mark (December 22, 2011). "Lana Del Rey debuts 'Off to the Races' music video – watch now". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  13. 1 2 Rao, Mallika (November 6, 2011). "'Off To The Races': New Lana Del Rey Song (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ Lapatine, Scott (November 5, 2011). "Lana Del Rey Debuts "Off To The Races"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  15. ↑ Elan, Pryia (December 21, 2011). "Lana Del Rey, 'Off To The Races'". NME. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  16. ↑ Empire, Kitty (January 29, 2012). "Lana Del Rey: Born to Die – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Off to the Races – Lana Del Rey – Release Information". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Chart History – Alternative Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Lana Del Rey – Chart History – Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  20. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Off To The Races" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  22. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Off to the Races". Radioscope. Retrieved January 15, 2025. Type Off to the Races in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  23. ↑ "British single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Off to the Races". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 7, 2023. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Off to the Races Lana Del Rey in the "Search:" field.
  24. ↑ "American single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Off to the Races". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.