"Cinnamon Girl" 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 ...

from her sixth studio album, ''

Norman Fucking Rockwell! ''Norman Fucking Rockwell!'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey released on August 30, 2019, by Polydor and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with additional cont ...

'' (2019). The song was written and produced by Del Rey and

Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...

Background

Del Rey first previewed the song on her

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account on October 12, 2018, deleting her post with the sample later that same day. She shared a second snippet via Instagram on October 15, 2018, showcasing the chorus of the song. The song was initially believed to be titled "Cinnamon", which was also the original name for Del Rey's ''

Born to Die ''Born to Die'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 27, 2012, through Interscope Records and Polydor Records. The album was reissued on November 9, 2012, as an e ...

'' song "

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", which features the line "Now my life is sweet like cinnamon/Like a fucking dream I'm living in". While promoting her record ''Lust for Life'' (2017), Del Rey stated in an interview with ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'': Following a fan posting that quote online, Del Rey commented on the post that "The quote rom ''Pitchfork''is a perfect quote to go along with cinnamon ic Some people don't deserve a chance."

Lyrics and composition

"Cinnamon Girl" was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, while being mixed by Laura Sisk, mastered by Chris Gehringer with Will Quinnell and Jonathan Sher, while being recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. Lyrically, the song speaks of a toxic relationship in which Del Rey hints at a lover trying to become estranged from her while being a prescription pill addict ("You try to push me out/But I just find my way back in"). The outro of the song samples "Wild Heart" by the band of producer Jack Antonoff. Musically, the song has been described by Shaad D'Souza of ''Fader'' as a "''Born to Die'' style

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

track". Several critics reviewing the record made connections between the song and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

's 1969 song of the same name, citing Del Rey's use of the title as possibly an homage to him. include Del Rey's soft, almost shaky vocals on the song as well as the electronic beats used in the studio version of the song.

Critical reception

Upon the release of ''Norman Fucking Rockwell'', the song received acclaim from critics for the most part, with several calling it a "standout track" on the album. Raisa Burner of ''

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'' gave the song a positive review, praising the song for Del Rey's "angelic falsetto even as she describes emotional devastation". Kitty Power of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' cited "Cinnamon Girl" as a standout track compared to the rest of the record, due to its production being different than the rest of the album: " he recordexists in some timeless, catgut-strewn place where 3am bar pianos and washes of keyboards serve as the tear-stained mat under Del Rey’s glass slipper of a voice – until, that is, a song such as Cinnamon Girl suddenly unspools an unexpectedly long, lyrical instrumental coda, in an electronic-tinged echo of Young’s famous meandering." Radio.com called the song a "standout" and "fan favorite". Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' praised the song's

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

influences, pointing out its instrumental differences to the majority of songs on the record which have more of a folk-rock and surf pop sound. Lindsay Zoldaz of ''The Ringer'' praised Del Rey's ability to find the good in the bad: "Amid all the chaos and hurricanes, though, there is a radical kind of tenderness now present in Del Rey's music, a preserved innocence that once seemed irrevocably lost. Even if it’s only temporary, she reminds us, love can build shelter from the storm."

Ann Powers controversy

In her review of ''Norman Fucking Rockwell'' for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, famed critic

Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...

gave the record a positive review, but was somewhat critical of "Cinnamon Girl", writing that: Del Rey took to

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to denounce the article, writing that "...I don't even relate to one observation you made about the music. There's nothing uncooked about me. To write about me is nothing like it is to be with me. Never had a persona. Never needed one. Never will", in one tweet and "So don't call yourself a fan like you did in the article and don't count your editor one either—I may never never have made bold political or cultural statements before- because my gift is the warmth I live my life with and the self reflection I share generously", in another one. Following backlash from Del Rey's fans, Powers refused to change her opinion, stating that: "It is a critic's responsibility to be thoughtful and honest to herself in responding to artists' work, and an artist's prerogative to disagree with that response. I respect Lana Del Rey and hope that her music continues to receive the passionate appreciation it has received for years." Powers then took to Twitter to announce she would be taking a few days off of social media, encouraging people "I still think ''NFR'' is a deeply compelling, crucial album and hope everyone spends time listening to it (and goes back to '' Ultraviolence'' and '' Lust for Life'' too)..." Shortly afterwards, Del Rey received criticism from music critics and fans of Powers alike.

Jessica Hopper Jessica Hopper (born September 5, 1976) is an American writer. She published ''The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic,'' a compilation of her essays, reported pieces, zines, and reviews, in May 2015. In 2018, she publish ...

criticized Del Rey taking offense to Powers' critic of "Cinnamon Girl", citing Powers' coverage of female artists as what she believes to be what has allowed women to be taken more seriously in the music industry. The conflict became a top story on

, with "Ann Powers" and "Cinnamon Girl" becoming trending topics nationwide in the US and several other territories.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Norman Fucking Rockwell!''. Personnel * Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriting, production * Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, engineering, mixing, programming, guitar, keyboards, piano * Laura Sisk – engineering, mixing * Jonathan Sher – assistant engineering * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Will Quinnell – assistant mastering Technical * Mastered at Sterling Sound * Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads Electronic songs Lana Del Rey songs 2019 songs Music controversies Songs written by Lana Del Rey Songs written by Jack Antonoff Song recordings produced by Lana Del Rey Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff