"Big Eyes" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

. It was written by Del Rey and producer Dan Heath and served as the title track to

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

's film ''

Big Eyes ''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It is about the relationship between American artist Margaret Keane ...

''. It was officially released on December 23, 2014 via digital download by Interscope Records as part of the movie's soundtrack album. The song's lyrics make reference to the lead character's emotions as she discovers her paintings being sold in a supermarket in the middle of the film. The song was nominated for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards. On December 13, the song was shortlisted as one of 79 potential nominees for the Academy Awards for Best Original Song, but failed to earn a nomination.

Background and composition

Del Rey wrote and performed two songs for ''Big Eyes''. The title track is heard during the film, while "I Can Fly" plays over the end credits. According to

Larry Karaszewski Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer * Larry Boon ...

, one of the film's producers, "Tim showed her the film and she fell in love with it. Women in particular seem to get the movie, and Lana really got the movie. The whole thing is about a woman who can't find her voice. Lana's song expresses what Margaret is feeling so perfectly, it's like a soliloquy of her inner thoughts."

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

said both "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly" "begin life as minimalist piano ballads before exploding into lush orchestral overtures, with Del Rey’s achy croon providing layer upon layer of heartache and melancholy."

Promotion

A teaser

lyric video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "Big Eyes" featuring

Amy Adams Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...

, who stars in the film, was released on December 1, 2014. The official audio was uploaded on Del Rey's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

account on December 19, 2014, reaching over 14.5 million views as of December 4, 2020.

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...

, the film studio behind ''Big Eyes'', decided to submit the song to the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Reception

'' Billboard'' Chris Payne wrote that Del Rey's "vocal theatrics and some harrowingly haunting string-laden production draw us in". Esther Zuckerman of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' said the title track "delivers on its Del Rey-ian promise with a dramatic, retro flair".

Accolades

"Big Eyes" was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Original Song on December 13, 2014, with final nominees announced on January 15, 2015, failing to earn a nomination. On December 11, 2014, the song was nominated for

at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards. On December 15, 2014, it received a nomination for Best Song at the

20th Critics' Choice Awards The 20th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 15, 2015 at the Hollywood Palladium, honoring the finest achievements of 2014 filmmaking. The ceremony was broadcast on A&E and hosted by Michael Strahan. The nominees were announced on D ...

, which took place on January 15, 2015.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2010s ballads 2014 songs Lana Del Rey songs Pop ballads Songs written for films Songs written by Lana Del Rey