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A&W (song)

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"A&W"
Cover art for "A&W": A greyscale photo of Lana Del Rey, who sits on a picnic blanket
Single by Lana Del Rey
from the album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
ReleasedFebruary 14, 2023 (2023-02-14)
Genre
Length
  • 7:13 (album version)
  • 4:36 (radio edit)
  • 2:22 (BBC Radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Lana Del Rey
  • Jack Antonoff
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
"Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd"
(2022) 		"A&W"
(2023) 		"The Grants"
(2023)
Licensed audio
"A&W" on YouTube

"A&W" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023). The track was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, along with its co-writer Sam Dew. The song was released on February 14, 2023, as the album's second single. The song's title not only references the American root beer brand of the same name, but serves as an initialism for "American Whore".[1] The beat and tone shifts midway through for a brief instrumental, before shifting again into the second part, unofficially dubbed "Jimmy" by fans and critics based on the lyrics.[2]

It is the third song by Del Rey that mentions soda in the title—the previous two being "Cola" (2012) and "Diet Mountain Dew" (2012). She, however, has made references to soda on songs like "Bartender" (2019). The song garnered massive critical acclaim and received two nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in the Song of the Year and Best Alternative Music Performance categories. It was named the best song of 2023 by several publications, including Pitchfork, The Guardian, and NME.

Composition

[edit]

"A&W" was written and produced by Del Rey alongside Jack Antonoff, with additional songwriting courtesy of Sam Dew.[3] Described as a folk, trap, boom bap, synth-pop ballad,[4][5][6][7] the song is composed of two halves, which lasts a total runtime of seven minutes and thirteen seconds in the album version and a scant two minutes and twenty-two seconds in the radio edit. The first half is folk-oriented, prominently featuring acoustic guitar with intertwined supporting piano and electric guitar lines. The unusual harmony established by the piano and guitar have garnered "A&W" comparisons to the work of Nirvana. The work shifts in and out of a mixolydian flat 6 mode, notably also employed in songs like "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé, which is used in "A&W" to transition keys between the sections.[8] The second half ("Jimmy")[2] is trap-oriented, which Rolling Stone noted for "harkening back to some of her early hip-hop-inspired productions." The second melody takes on an experimental beat, incorporating interwoven Moog bass, synth pads, 808s, Mellotron strings, and other assorted elements employed by producer Antonoff.[8][9] The song contains a reference to Down Down Baby, a nursery rhyme that has been used in various songs and media productions since the mid 20th century,[10] including the 1959 R&B song "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop" by Little Anthony and the Imperials.[1][11] The second half also notably samples her song "Norman Fucking Rockwell", similar to how an early demo of "Venice Bitch" is sampled later on Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd during the track "Taco Truck x VB".[12] Del Rey's vocals in the second part have been referred to as rap and follow the C mixolydian mode, all while her voice is distorted by time and pitch manipulation to cause purposeful artifacting.[8]

"A&W" drew further comparisons to the "Lizzy Grant era" of Del Rey's career, referring to the singer's early recordings, such as the 2006 demo album Sirens, which featured a signature girly, youthful timbre.[13][14]

Antonoff revealed in his 2023 Mix with the Masters session that "A&W" was recorded in just two days and that the "Jimmy" section of the song was an outtake from Norman Fucking Rockwell!'s "club" concept, recorded in 2018.[15] On March 28, 2023, four days after the release of the song's parent album, a demo recorded during Del Rey's Ultraviolence sessions titled "Earthquakes" leaked online. The song features the same interpolated lyrics as "A&W", and is believed to be another possible precursor to the song.[16]

Release

[edit]

The song was released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2023, as the album's second single.[17][18] In an Instagram post announcing the album's title and release date, Antonoff teased the track, calling it his "favorite we've ever done."[19]

Critical reception

[edit]

The song received universal acclaim from critics for its lyrics and experimental production. Shaad D'Souza of Pitchfork named the song "Best New Track," lauding it as a "psychedelic, collagist freakout."[5] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone called it "classic Lana in every way imaginable," intertwining themes of "bad love" with "Americana symbolism."[11] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone similarly commented on the track as a "near-Lynchian" freakout which "escalates into a sexy, psychedelic, trap outro", ultimately naming it among the singer's best works.[20] Ken Partridge of Genius described the song as a "complex character study," noting the lyrical references to other media, and the verse critiquing rape culture.[21] Tomasz Lesniara of Paste ranked "A&W" as Del Rey's greatest song of all-time and highlighted the lyrics to be her one of her best works.[22] Writing for The Guardian, Laura Snapes named it the song of the year, and called it "an incredible slither of detuned guitar, brooding piano and staticky detritus... it makes no sense and it’s oddly brilliant."[23]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings of "A&W"
Publication List Rank Ref.
BBC The Best Songs of 2023
1
[24]
The Guardian The 20 Best Songs of 2023
1
[23]
NME The 50 Best Songs of 2023
1
[25]
Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 2023
1
[26]
Slant The 50 Best Songs of 2023
2
[27]
Exclaim! The 25 Best Songs of 2023
3
[28]
The New York Times Best Songs of 2023
3
[29]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Songs of 2023
3
[30]
The Washington Post The best singles of 2023
6
[31]
British GQ The best songs of 2023
unranked
[32]

Decade-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings of "A&W"
Publication List Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far
1
[33]

Music aggregator site Album of the Year places "A&W" as the most critically acclaimed song of 2023, based on a critical consensus of year-end lists by 26 different publications.[34] In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song 456th on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.[35]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"A&W" debuted at number 129 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.[36] In the United Kingdom, "A&W" peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart.[37] In Canada, it debuted at number 84 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.[38] In the United States, it debuted at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart,[39] and did not enter the Hot 100. "A&W" peaked at number 10 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.[40]

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "A&W"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 84
Global 200 (Billboard)[36] 129
Greece International (IFPI)[41] 19
Hungary (Single Top 40)[42] 39
Ireland (IRMA)[43] 37
Lithuania (AGATA)[44] 27
Netherlands (Single Tip)[45] 26
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[46] 16
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[47] 91
Portugal (AFP)[48] 160
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[49] 93
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[51] 41
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[39] 5
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[40] 10

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Bowenbank, Starr (February 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey Fully Embraces Her Sensual Side on 7-Minute 'A&W': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey offers a complex character capsule on the rarified 'A&W'". February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "A&W by Lana Del Rey". Tidal. February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Lana Del Rey, 'A&W'". February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey: "A&W"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Graves, Wren (February 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey drops "A&W," a seven-minute epic about "being an American whore"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  7. ^ Horn, Olivia. "Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "A Composer Breaks Down The Music Theory Behind Lana Del Rey's "A&W"". Stereogum. April 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lana Del Rey's Single "A&W" Tells the Honest, Ugly, Sensual and Empowering Truth Behind her "American Wh*re" Experience | New University | UC Irvine". February 21, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (February 14, 2023). "You Already Know Lana Del Rey's 'A&W' Isn't About Root Beer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Ewens, Hannah (March 8, 2023). "Lana Del Rey: she does it for the girls". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Fabris, Andres (February 17, 2023). "Lana Del Rey Remains One Step Ahead with "A&W"". Music Daily. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  14. ^ Harris, Paul (January 21, 2012). "Lana Del Rey: The strange story of the star who rewrote her past". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  15. ^ JoliCode. "Jack Antonoff - Mix With The Masters". mixwiththemasters.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Lana Del Rey – Earthquakes, retrieved March 29, 2023
  17. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (February 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey: "A&W"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Murray, Robin (February 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey Shares Beautiful New Song 'A&W'". Clash. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Jack Antonoff [@jackantonoff] (December 7, 2022). "did you know that there's a tunnel under ocean blvd" – via Instagram.
  20. ^ "The 50 Best Lana Del Rey Songs". March 23, 2023.
  21. ^ "Lana Del Rey Offers A Complex Character Study & Societal Critique On New Song "A&W"". Genius. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "The 25 Greatest Lana Del Rey Songs". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "The 20 best songs of 2023". The Guardian. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "The Best Songs of 2023". BBC. December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  25. ^ "The 50 best songs of 2023". NME. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2023". Pitchfork. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  27. ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2023". Slant. December 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Exclaim!'s 25 Best Songs of 2023". Exclaim!. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  29. ^ "Best Songs of 2023". The New York Times.
  30. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2023". Rolling Stone. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  31. ^ "The best singles of 2023: Top songs of 2023 from Billie Eilish to Maz G". The Washington Post. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  32. ^ Sharma, Ruchira; et al. (January 19, 2023). "The best songs of 2023". GQ Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  33. ^ Pitchfork. "The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far". Pitchfork. Condè Nast. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  34. ^ "The Best Songs of 2023 Aggregate - Album of The Year".
  35. ^ Stone, Rolling (February 16, 2024). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  37. ^ "Lana Del Rey | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  39. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  40. ^ a b "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  41. ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  42. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  43. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  44. ^ "2023 8-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  45. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 25/02/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  46. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  47. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 17.02.2023–23.02.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  48. ^ "Lana del Rey – A&W". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  49. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 13. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  50. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 8". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  51. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
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