Norman Fucking Rockwell (song)

"Norman Fucking Rockwell"
Song by Lana Del Rey
from the album Norman Fucking Rockwell!
ReleasedAugust 30, 2019
Studio
  • Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles)
  • House of Breaking Glass (Seattle)
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jack Antonoff
  • Lana Del Rey
Music video
"Norman Fucking Rockwell" on YouTube

"Norman Fucking Rockwell" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey from her sixth studio album of the same name (2019).[1] The track was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff.

The song was nominated for Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Composition

[edit]

Lyrically, "Norman Fucking Rockwell" features Del Rey singing in the first verse about a relationship with an immature man who will not take responsibility for his own faults, then admitting during the chorus he has convinced her to stay with him, though it saddens her. Del Rey overlooks his obvious faults, singing: "Why wait for the best when I could have you?"[2] In an interview with Zane Lowe of the BBC, Del Rey commented on her forthcoming album's title track: "Working with Jack Antonoff, I was in a little bit of a lighter mood because he was so funny. So the title track is called 'Norman Fucking Rockwell' and it's kind of about this guy who is such a genius artist but he thinks he's the shit and he knows it and he, like, won't shut up talking about it."[3]

The song's title is a tongue-in-cheek homage to painter Norman Rockwell, with its lyrics metaphorically painting someone blue in reference to his craft. Rockwell was earlier mentioned by Del Rey in her song "Venice Bitch", which also referenced the idea of being covered in "blue" in reference to feelings of sadness or melancholy.

The song is crafted in the key of C major, with an Andante Tempo at 77 BPM in 4
4 common time.[4]

Critical reception

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Upon its release with the rest of the album, the song received critical acclaim. Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork praised the song for its direct, often cheeky lyrics.[5] Rhian Daly of NME compared the song's lyrical themes to Del Rey's previous works.[6]

Awards and nominations

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Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2020 Grammy Awards Song of the Year Nominated [7]

Credits and personnel

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Instruments/production

  • Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriting, production
  • Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, engineering, mixing, keyboards, piano
  • Laura Sisk – engineering, mixing
  • Jonathan Sher – assistant engineering
  • Evan Smith – saxophone
  • Phillip Peterson – baritone, cello, flugelbone
  • Victoria Parker – violin
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Will Quinnell – assistant mastering

Technical

  • Mastered at Sterling Sound
  • Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States / House of Breaking Glass, Seattle, United States
  • Mixed at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[8] 73
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 40
Lithuania (AGATA)[10] 51
Netherlands (Mega Top 50)[11] 14
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12] 8
Portugal (AFP)[13] 62
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[14] 74
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 44
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[17] 12
US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[18] 20
US Rolling Stone Top 100[19] 62

Certifications

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Certifications for "Norman Fucking Rockwell"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Brittany Spanos (2019-07-31). "Lana Del Rey Announces 'Norman F-cking Rockwell' Release Date – Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  2. ^ "Lana Del Rey – Norman fucking Rockwell". Genius.com.
  3. ^ Beaumont, Mark (August 22, 2019). "Lana Del Rey's new album 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' – everything we know so far". NME.
  4. ^ "Norman Fucking Rockwell". Tunebat.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. ^ Jenn Pelly (2019-09-03). "Lana Del Rey: Norman Fucking Rockwell! Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  6. ^ Daly, Rhian (4 September 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' review". NME.
  7. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  8. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 36. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  10. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  11. ^ "Lijst van 05-10-2019 – Mega Top 50" (in Dutch). Mega Top 50. Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 36. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 36". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Alternative Digital Song Sales - September 14, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. August 30, 2019. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  21. ^ "British single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Norman F**King Rockwell". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
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