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Blue Banisters (song)

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"Blue Banisters"
Single by Lana Del Rey
from the album Blue Banisters
ReleasedMay 20, 2021 (2021-05-20)
Length4:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Gabe Simon
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
"Tulsa Jesus Freak"
(2021) 		"Blue Banisters" / "Text Book" / "Wildflower Wildfire"
(2021) 		"Arcadia"
(2021)
Music video
"Blue Banisters" on YouTube

"Blue Banisters" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on 22 May 2021 by Interscope Records and Polydor Records alongside "Text Book" and "Wildflower Wildfire" as the joint lead singles for her eighth studio album Blue Banisters. The song was written by Del Rey and Gabe Simon, the latter of whom also produced the song.

Background and release

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Lana Del Rey announced the release of her eighth studio album Blue Banisters on 28 April 2021, with the release date initially set for 4 July.[1] On 20 May 2021, three singles were surprise released by Del Rey — "Blue Banisters", "Text Book", and "Wildflower Wildfire" — as "buzz tracks in anticipation of her upcoming 8th studio album".[2][3] A music video for "Blue Banisters" was released two days before the album on 20 October.[4]

"Blue Banisters" is a ballad[5] containing cushioned piano notes and quiet vocal runs.[6] Lyrically, the song delves into the sorrow following a breakup and growing older. Del Rey also alludes to her earlier style by mentioning Russian poetry, and her sister Chuck.[7]

Reception

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Steffanee Wang from jjb encapsulated "Blue Banisters" as "a crescendoing, towering ballad", noting how "Del Rey is able to signal her growth in perspective regarding feminism" "elegantly" on the track.[8] Alisha Mughal from Exclaim! emphasized how Del Rey sounds "unprocessed, raw, unaffected, and so, so beautiful" on the song.[9] Ben Bryant from The Independent portrayed how "the stunning, spacious" song "is as luxurious and haunting as a Jim Buckels painting".[10]

Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Blue Banisters" was released on 20 October 2021. The video features a peaceful setting, where Lana rides a tractor and has fun with her friends painting banisters blue, and decorating cakes.[11][12] The video is serene until Lana's expression turns serious at the end.[4] Jon Blistein from Rolling Stone described how the "clip toes the line between literally and abstractly complementing the lyrics",[13] a feat also noted by Sam Kemp from Far Out.[14]

An earlier version of the music video was first teased on April 28, 2021[15] and was set to feature Del Rey's partner at the time, Clayton Johnson, who also posted a picture of himself in his music video costume on November 25, 2020.[16] The original concept was likely scrapped after Del Rey and Johnson broke up.

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Blue Banisters"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[17] 31
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] 42


Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Label
Various May 20, 2021

References

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  1. ^ Peters, Daniel (28 April 2021). "Lana Del Rey announces new album 'Blue Banisters'". NME. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. ^ Haylock, Zoe (20 May 2021). "Lana Del Rey Uploads 3 Singles With No Warning". Vulture. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  3. ^ Strauss, Matthew (20 May 2021). "Lana Del Rey Releases 3 New Songs: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Schube, Will (2021-10-20). "Lana Del Rey Rides A Tractor And Decorates Cakes In 'Blue Banisters' Video". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  5. ^ Wang, Steffanee. "Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Banister' Singles Are Her Most Personal To Date". Nylon. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  6. ^ Corcoran, Nina (21 May 2021). "Lana Del Rey Releases New Songs "Blue Banisters", "Text Book", and "Wildflower Wildfire": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  7. ^ "On Edge: Anticipating Lana Del Rey's Blue Banisters". The Edge. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  8. ^ "Lana Del Rey's New 'Blue Banister' Singles Explained". Nylon. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  9. ^ "Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Banisters' Delivers Elizabeth Grant, Unfettered | Exclaim!". Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Banisters' Delivers Elizabeth Grant, Unfettered | Exclaim!. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  10. ^ Bryant, Ben (2022-05-05). "Lana Del Rey review, Blue Banisters: One revelation colours the singer's entire body of work". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  11. ^ Dazed (2021-10-20). "Lana Del Rey hops on a tractor for her new 'Blue Banisters' music video". Dazed. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  12. ^ Curto, Justin (2021-10-20). "Lana Del Rey Paints Banisters Blue in Her 'Blue Banisters' Video". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  13. ^ Blistein, Jon (2021-10-20). "Lana Del Rey Gets Literal About Painting 'Blue Banisters' in New Clip for Title Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  14. ^ "Lana Del Rey releases video for new single 'Blue Banisters'". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  15. ^ "Lana Del Rey Twitterissä: "I'm writing my own story. And no one can tell it but me… "". 2021-04-28. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  16. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  17. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
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