"Burning Desire" 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 ...

. Initially available for immediate digital download upon pre-ordering Del Rey's third EP, ''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

''. "Burning Desire" was released as a promotional single on March 19. On

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

of 2013, a music video for the song was released. Lyrically composed by Lana Del Rey and her long-time collaborator,

Justin Parker Justin Parker is an English songwriter and record producer best known for his work with female singer-songwriters such as Lana Del Rey, Bat for Lashes, and Banks. Career Parker began writing music when he was 17, but his career breakthrough c ...

, the record was produced by

Emile Haynie Emile Haynie (born July 13, 1980), often credited simply as Emile, is an American music producer from Buffalo, New York. His range of production includes alternative rock, hip hop, indie and pop music. Haynie has worked with several prominent ar ...

Background and composition

In 2012, Del Rey was named the new figurehead of the latest brand of the

Jaguar F-Type The Jaguar F-Type (X152) is a series of two-door, two-seater grand tourers manufactured by British car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover under their Jaguar Cars marque since 2013. The car's JLR D6a platform is based on a shortened version of the ...

automobile. To promote the photoshoot, she sang "Burning Desire" at the

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...

, wearing red

lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...

and a white sundress. The song is composed by Del Rey and

, co-author of the bulk of '' Born to Die''. "Burning Desire" is a tragically-themed

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

, with the lyrics: "I drive fast, wind in my hair/ I push it to the limits/ 'Cause I just don't care". Breathless pants and groans begin the track. On writing the song, Del Rey said:

Making art means making tough decisions. I do believe you create your own life path and that you will be rewarded for following your passions - and sticking to it. It's just good to know now, with people like Jaguar and working with them, that I'm not the only one out there with such strident, creative beliefs.

Music video

A promotional video for "Burning Desire" appeared online on

of 2013, featuring Del Rey as her usual

lounge singer Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

persona, interspersed with snippets of the Jaguar F-Type. Directed by Anthony Shurmer the video was filmed in the

Rivoli Ballroom The Rivoli Ballroom is the only intact 1950s ballroom remaining in London, England. It is famed for its original decor and interior fittings, including red velvet, flock wallpaper, chandeliers, glitter balls and oversized Chinese lanterns. The v ...

in London's South end. The video contains "bright red floral imagery, California landmarks name-checked, reckless automotive shout-outs, old Hollywood imagery and cinematic glamour, some epic lipstick ... ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called the video "typically sumptuous", heavy on the

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...

. Desire Thompson of ''

VIBE ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' noted that Del Rey channeled her inner

Jessica Rabbit Jessica Rabbit is a fictional character in the novel '' Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' and its film adaptation, ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''. She is depicted as Roger's human toon wife in various Roger Rabbit media. Jessica is renowned as one of the ...

in the 1960s social-scene video for the promotional single.

Critical reception

Music reviewer Carl Williot wrote that "On "Burning Desire, ..Lana is no longer willing to let you play your

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

, she's the active agent." Nicole Sia of ''

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'' said the video was a straightforward affair, channeling Del Rey's typical retro-inspired style, interloped with old-fashioned video clips. "Fast cars might not be everyone's idea of

paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

, but at least for LDR it pays the bills." Sia concluded. After hearing the song, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' dubbed the singer, "Queen of sultry pop".

Usage in other media

The song serves as the title track to a 13-minute promotional short film for the Jaguar F-Type, called ''Desire''. The film, directed by Adam Smith, produced by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

and stars

Damian Lewis Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor, presenter and producer. He is best known for portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', which earned him a Golden Globe nomination ...

. Filmed in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

in 2012, the film was launched in April 2013 at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

and available for free streaming online. In the movie, Lewis going by the name Sydney Clarke delivers the Jaguar F-Type to a notorious gangster named Ernesto Martinez (played by

Jordi Molla Jordi () is the Catalan form of the ancient Greek name Georgios. Jordi is a popular name in Catalonia and is also given in the Netherlands and in Spanish-, English- and German-speaking countries. Jordi may also refer to: * Sant Jordi – patron ...

) and finds trouble in a love interest (played by

Shannyn Sossamon Shannon Marie Kahololani "Shannyn" Sossamon () is an American actress, director, and musician. She has appeared in the films ''A Knight's Tale'' (2001), '' 40 Days and 40 Nights'', ''The Rules of Attraction'' (both 2002), '' The Order'' (2003), ' ...

) in a desert setting.

Release history

Charts

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2012 songs Lana Del Rey songs Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Emile Haynie Songs written by Justin Parker Songs written by Lana Del Rey Songs about cars