''Honeymoon'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American singer-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 ...

. It was released on September 18, 2015, by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

, and was produced by Del Rey alongside longtime collaborators

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...

of ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. Lyrically, the album touches on themes of tortured romance, resentment, lust,

escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or genera ...

, and violence. Upon release, ''Honeymoon'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics, appearing on the 2015 best albums lists of many publications. At the time of its release, several critics considered the album Del Rey's best album to date. The album debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 116,000 units in first week, and peaking at number one in Australia, Greece and Ireland. The album was supported by the release of two singles: " High by the Beach", and "

Music to Watch Boys To "Music to Watch Boys To" is a song by American singer Lana Del Rey from her fourth studio album ''Honeymoon'' (2015). It was written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels. It was released as the second single from ''Honeymoon'' on September 11, 2015, via di ...

Background and recording

Del Rey finished the recording of her third studio album, '' Ultraviolence'', in March 2014, and by June of the same year she had begun working on a follow-up idea stating that the process was "growing into something I really like. I'm kind of enjoying sinking into this more noirish feel for this one. It's been good". In a December 2014 interview with ''Galore Magazine'', Del Rey revealed she had begun working on a new album. In January 2015, Lana Del Rey announced via ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' that she had begun work on her fourth studio album, announcing she was going to release an album entitled ''Honeymoon'' sometime that same year. During the time of the announcement, Del Rey also said that she had written and recorded nine songs that could possibly be featured on the album and stated that she was covering

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

's "

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for the American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, who recorded the first version in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been cover ...

". During the interview with ''Billboard'', Del Rey stated that the album would be different from her previous release, ''Ultraviolence'' (2014), but similar to her first major release, ''

'' (2012), and the extended play ''

'' (2012). During the album's recording process it was reported that producer

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

had collaborated with Del Rey for ''Honeymoon'', but their writing sessions did not produce any material for the album. In December 2014, Del Rey stated to ''

Grazia ''Grazia'' (; Italian for ''Grace'') is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany. Greece, Indonesia, I ...

'' magazine that she wanted to introduce orchestrations with monumental choruses with a touch of subdued grudge for the album, during the recording sessions she played ten songs to Mark Ronson and stated that the album would be exploring a sound close to the golden age of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Besides working with Ronson, Del Rey also worked with Dan Heath and

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

s continuing to state that "Dan Heath and Rick Nowels are two of my dearest friends and producers and we are always up to something". Heath would eventually not feature on the album; however, Rick Nowels went on to co-produce and co-write each song with Del Rey. In January 2015, Del Rey confirmed the song "

" which was initially intended to be the title for the whole album, she also revealed that she wrote it in a visual, noirish way saying "the title (of the song) lends itself to a visual of shadows of men passing by, this girl's eyes, her face. I can definitely see things". The same month, Del Rey stated she was aiming to record a few more songs to tie the project together. " High by the Beach" was recorded as one of the last tracks for the album. Its development started with its chorus, which was inspired by a period when Lana Del Rey frequently drove by the beach.

Composition

Music and lyrics

Musically, ''Honeymoon'' has been variously described as a

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

-styled work of "grand, cinematic

", "elegantly melancholy

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

", and a return to "the cinematic

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 ...

" of Del Rey's debut album ''Born to Die'' and incorporates elements of

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

downtempo pop Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis ...

, and jazz. The album's production was noted as containing sighs, whispers, subtly layered vocals, melodies that lazily unwind, decaying

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

, echoing guitar lines,

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, hazes and restrained

drum pattern A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes o ...

s. Built over chopped-and-screwed samples, hints of jazz and Morricone-like soundscapes, ''Honeymoon'' has been characterized as Del Rey's most sophisticated album. According to Nick Levine of '' Time Out'', ''Honeymoon'' was seen as a departure from the " grungy" tones of ''Ultraviolence'' opting for a "glossier" production, which was characterized as containing swirls of cinematic strings, twangy guitars and exquisitely miserable melodies. Andy Gill of ''

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 ...

'' noted Del Rey's vocals as being "multi-layered cooing", airy and ethereal. Gill continued in-depth to say:

''Honeymoon'' finds Del Rey reverting, after the more atomised, individual characters of last year's ''Ultraviolence'', to a composite persona closer to the dissolute subject of her ''Born to Die'' debut. Not only does her vocal delivery remain the same throughout, but also its protagonist's "voice"; while the emotional impact of what might sometimes be traumatic developments seems somehow damped, as if experienced through a narcotised haze. Happy or sad, angry or apologetic, dominant or submissive, it's apparently all the same to Del Rey, who floats through these songs with a weird indifference.

Lyrically, ''Honeymoon'' features content that touches upon tortured romance, bitterness, lust and violence. It also features lyrical content involving eroticism, drugs, mythology, and "the American soul".

Songs

The album opens with the title track, a baroque pop and

blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...

song. ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

'' described the song as containing "sweeping strings and stuttering snares" that "float through the background of the song". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' called the song "characteristically broody" and "cinematic", and suggested it "leans closer to the sounds of her breakthrough LP ''Born to Die'' than the material she cooked up with

the Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

". "Music to Watch Boys To" contains a "narcotic haze" according to Alex Hudson of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''; Hudson stated that the song is built over a synth orchestrations, with flute-like sounds and "crawling" beats that serve as "the sultry backdrop for the vocalist cooing breathily about pink flamingos and creepy, destructive romance". "

Terrence Loves You "Terrence Loves You" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for her album ''Honeymoon'' (2015). It was released as the album's first promotional single on August 21, 2015. Written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, the song has ...

" has been described as "hypnotic", with Del Rey singing over piano, strings, and a "moaning" saxophone. The song contains an interpolation of the song "

Space Oddity "Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album ''David Bowie''. After the commercial f ...

" by English singer-songwriter

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

from his eponymous second studio album. The song opens with isolated guitar notes plucked and dropped, before moving into the distance as piano chords appear, followed by violins, and Del Rey's vocals. The chorus is delivered in an operatic style and lyrically talks about strength in the face of abandonment. Throughout the chorus there is brief saxophone sections inserted and David Bowie references with lyrics such as "Ground control to Major Tom/Can you hear me all night long?". "God Knows I Tried" features guitar backing with layered harmonised vocals, with lyrics that touch upon Del Rey being wounded by "Mr. Wrong" as well as touching upon themes of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. "High by the Beach" is a hip hop-influenced synth-led, trap-pop song. Relatively upbeat and structurally sedate, it serves as a combination of all Del Rey's musical styles, particularly recalling the hip hop and trip hop influences of ''Born to Die'' (2012). It is more uptempo and pop-indebted than her previous releases, and is based around laidback, airy

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

production and a swooning orchestral arrangement. The song comprises a slow and clear trap beat, prominent, dreamy synth beeps, hip hop-influenced

percussions A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...

and

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

; in contrast with brooding, eerie organ instrumentation, pertaining to an additional slow and airy feel. The drums were noted to put emphasis on its

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

. "

Freak A freak is a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first attested with this meaning in the 1880s as a shorter form of the phrase " freak of nature ...

" contains a steady bass thump and lyrics about drugs that have been compared to the work of

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

. Amy Davidson of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

noted the song had a similar "sultriness" to that of "High by the Beach", Davidson continued to call the song a "slow motion" and compared it to a '90s R&B song. A reviewer from ''

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 ...

'' noted the song to contain trip hop beats with lyrics that celebrate California. "Art Deco" is a slow jazz-styled ballad with hazy beats and saxophone riffs, the lyrics of the song contain "hollowness and American ennui". "Art Deco" was rumored to be about rapper

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In 2 ...

. Del Rey dismissed these allegations in an interview with ''

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 ...

'', saying that the song "is actually about a group of teenagers who go out every night." The eighth track on the album is an interlude entitled "Burnt Norton (Interlude)", the short

spoken-word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

piece features Del Rey reciting an extract of the first poem from T. S. Eliot's ''

Four Quartets ''Four Quartets'' is a set of four poems written by T. S. Eliot that were published over a six-year period. The first poem, ''Burnt Norton'', was published with a collection of his early works (1936's ''Collected Poems 1909–1935''). After a f ...

'', which speaks about the nature of time, and meditates on the idea of fate, with an underlying suggestion our present experiences are out of our control. The words are recited over an

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

instrumental production. "Religion" was noted as being one of Del Rey's most optimistic love songs, however the song was also noted for still be "tinged with the singer's favourite kind of noirish self-destruction". Lyrics that were noted for being optimistic were; "Everything is bright now" but this lyric is immediately followed with resignation "No need to survive now". " Salvatore" mixes violins, military

drumbeats Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular rec ...

and verses sung in Italian which have been described as evoking " 1940s Italy via

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

". Lyrically, the track was seen as a sequel to "

Summertime Sadness "Summertime Sadness" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey from her second studio album, ''Born to Die'' (2012). The Pop music, pop ballad was released on June 22, 2012, by Interscope Records as the fourth single of the album. In ...

" with lyrics such as "Summer's hot but I've been cold without you". "Salvatore" was described as a two-step song by Nina Corcoran of ''

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 ...

'', Corcoran noted the song sound as being "straight out of a resort hotel ballroom" before to continuing to describe the track as having jazz drums with "clean and rich" production. "The Blackest Day" is a post-breakup ballad, that primarily deals with the stages of grief. The first verse explores themes of denial, apparent in lyrics such as "I don't really wanna break up, we got it going on". The second stage of grief, anger, is exemplified by the tone of the bridge: "You should've known better, than to have, to let her, get you under her spell of the weather". The second verse shows Del Rey

bargaining In the social sciences, bargaining or haggling is a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service debate the price or nature of a transaction. If the bargaining produces agreement on terms, the transaction takes plac ...

: "Carry me home, don't wanna talk about the things to come/Just put your hands up in the air, the radio on", before Del Rey reaches the point of acceptance in the outro: "I'm on my own again". "24" is a cinematic song that received comparison to the James Bond theme songs, due to its musical style and lyrics which were noted as being sung from the perspective of a

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...

. "Swan Song" is a smooth, elegant theatrical song, that contains humming and low beats, with tragic lyrics that hear Del Rey repeatedly whisper "I will never sing again" and contains themes of Del Rey pleasing to run away from responsibility. The album closes with a cover of Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", which showcase Del Rey's

operatic Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

readings of classical '60s Hollywood melodrama and contains organ riffs.

Packaging and artwork

The album's cover artwork was photographed by Del Rey's sister, Caroline "Chuck" Grant, and features Del Rey posed on a Starline tour bus, a sightseeing bus system in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

that tours the city. As part of a promotional gimmick, the 1-800 phone number displayed on the side of the bus was answered with clips of tracks from the album when called, and on some occasions, Del Rey herself answered the phone to talk with fans. Originally, Del Rey had collaborated with photographer Neil Krug on a cover for the album, and taken a series of photos. "The pictures were perfect, but something was missing," Del Rey commented in a 2015 interview. "Maybe it was the need for movement and motion or the search for a single frame that felt extra graphic." The liner notes to the CD and vinyl releases, however, still feature additional photography by Krug. In addition to

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

, the album was also released as a

double LP A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

pressed on black

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

. An exclusive limited edition double LP was also released by

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...

, pressed on translucent red vinyl; the release also features alternate cover art showing a close-up of Del Rey wearing a sun hat, taken by Krug.

Release and promotion

Lana Del Rey suggested in May 2015 that ''Honeymoon'' would be released in September, and confirmed on August 14 that the release date was scheduled for September 18. In June 2015, she had created a separate

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account solely for the album with the username "honeymoon". She unveiled the track listing through her main Instagram account on August 20, the day before the record was made available for preorder on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. Unlike her previous studio albums, which were released in several deluxe versions with extended track listings, ''Honeymoon'' is packaged as a single 14-track recording. The album's title track was released to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on July 14, 2015, accompanied by a video with a short clip of Del Rey along with the song's lyrics, as well as releasing the album artwork, tracklist and pre-order. Del Rey also released a promotional single, "Terrence Loves You", on August 21, 2015. The song had previously been accessible by calling Del Rey's Honeymoon Hotline, via the number present on the album cover. Additionally, the Honeymoon Hotline played the track "Burnt Norton (Interlude)" upon immediate connection to the number. The hotline would provide weekly updates on the album, as well as lectures chosen by Del Rey. On September 9,

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

's Beats Radio 1 station premiered "Music to Watch Boys To" two days ahead of its release as the third promotional single. The following day, Del Rey released a sampler of ''Honeymoon'', which included the tracks "Terrence Loves You", "Music to Watch Boys To", "Freak", and "High by the Beach". Del Rey did not promote the album with television performances or interviews, instead relying on a couple of print interviews, music videos, fan meets, and social media. Urban Outfitters held an early listening event on September 12 in select stores. Post the listening session, low-quality recordings of all the tracks from the album were leaked onto the Internet. On September 15,

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

premiered "Salvatore" and briefly interviewed Del Rey for

Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...

' (in place of

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

's) Hottest Record In The World show. Following the release of ''Honeymoon'', Del Rey hosted 3 meet-and-greets in late September at select Urban Outfitters stores to promote the record. On February 9, 2016, she held a music video premiere for the song "Freak" at

The Wiltern The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a ...

, in Los Angeles.

Critical reception

''Honeymoon'' received positive reviews upon release. At the review aggregate website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, it has scored a 78 out of 100, based on 31 critics, becoming Del Rey's most acclaimed album of her career at the time. ''The Independent'' gave ''Honeymoon'' four out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Gill writing that the album "finds Del Rey reverting, after the more atomised, individual characters of last year's ''Ultraviolence'', to a composite persona closer to the dissolute subject of her ''Born to Die'' debut. Not only does her vocal delivery remain the same throughout, but also its protagonist's "voice"; while the emotional impact of what might sometimes be traumatic developments seems somehow damped, as if experienced through a narcotised haze". ''The Guardian'', also giving the album four out of five stars, commented that "there's a timelessness to ''Honeymoon'', and an intrigue that should linger longer than her previous LPs". ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' praised the album, saying "Producing three major-label albums in four years has developed Lana Del Rey into an artistic innovator who fearlessly draws from style and substance across the past century, whose vision is completely original and not remotely predictable". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' shared similar thoughts in regards to the strength of the album, saying that "whatever her intentions, they've led to her most genuinely thrilling music ever." Jessica Hopper of ''

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 ...

'' gave the album a positive review, calling it her "most artistic" work yet, adding: "It is a dark work, darker even than ''Ultraviolence''. While she's obviously a pop artist, ''Honeymoon'' feels as though it belongs to a larger canon of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

albums, and synthesizes ideas she's been vamping on from the beginning into a unified work." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' awarded the album four out of five stars, and called it "an ambient album for broken-hearted hipsters" and praised the melodies and arrangements on the album. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' believed the album "shows that Del Rey's sound has evolved and matured in captivating ways", while giving a three-out-of-four-stars review for the album. In a four-star review, ''The Metropolist'' thought "Del Rey has found a balance in sounds" and praised how the album's production "beautifully harmonises lush strings, muddy baselines and haunting melodies, all blending to create a fluent and ethereal body of work". ''

London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' also praised the album's production, remarking how it "swells in time to the oceans of longing in Del Rey's voice". ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'' named the record album of the week, and reviewer Tom Doyle deemed it "an assured refinement of el Rey'sstyle" and her "best lbumyet," though noting: "From here, Del Rey will surely be forced to redraw the blueprint." Sam Mac of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' gave the album a middling review, noting: "It's the first album Del Rey has failed to find some kind of dynamic shape for," and ultimately deemed it a "wildly uneven sprawl."

Year-end lists

Commercial performance

''Honeymoon'' debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, moving 116,000 album-equivalent units, 105,000 of which were pure album sales while the rest is a mixture track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The album dropped to number 15 the following week. In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, becoming Del Rey's third consecutive number one following ''Born to Die'' and ''Ultraviolence'', which both spent one week at the top of the charts. In France, ''Honeymoon'' has sold 50,000 copies. In December 2015, ''Honeymoon'' was certified Silver in the United Kingdom and then certified Gold in March 2017. Two singles were released from the album—"High by the Beach" on August 10, 2015, and "Music to Watch Boys To" on September 11, 2015. "High by the Beach", the lead single, debuted at number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, though ''Billboard'' initially reported it at number 7, which was corrected after a miscalculation.

Track listing

Personnel

* Lana Del Rey – vocals ;

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are severa ...

; electric piano ; keyboards ; percussion ; celesta * Kieron Menzies – synthesizers ; drum programming ; synth bass ; percussion ; sampler ; effects ; loops ; engineering * Nicolas Essig - recording engineer *

Patrick Warren Patrick Warren (born March 26, 1957) is an American musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Magnolia'', ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Boogie Nights'' and ''Red State'', as well as the television series '' ...

– strings,

winds Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

, keyboards, programming *

Curt Bisquera Curt "Kirkee B." Bisquera is an American drummer known for his extensive work as a touring and session musician. Biography Bisquera has worked with Johnny Cash, Josh Groban, Mick Jagger, Seal, Sarah McLachlan, Elton John, Johnny Hallyday and To ...

– live drums * Brian Griffin – drums * Leon Michels – winds, keyboards, saxophone * Derek "DJA" Allen – percussion *

Rusty Anderson Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known for his work as the lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's touring band though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career. Car ...

– electric guitar, guitar effects * David Levita – strings *

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, and Imperial Drag. He has also spent several years as a member of Beck's backing band, contri ...

– bass,

Omnichord The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument introduced in 1981 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate known as "Sonic Strings", preset rhythms, auto-bass line functionality, and buttons for ma ...

* Chris Garcia – engineering * Trevor Yasuda – additional programming, engineering * Phil Joly – assistant engineering * Iris Sofia – assistant engineering * Emerson Day Rhodes – assistant engineering * Josh Tyrrell – assistant engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2015 albums Albums produced by Rick Nowels Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios Baroque pop albums Interscope Records albums Lana Del Rey albums Dream pop albums by American artists Trip hop albums by American artists Ambient albums by American artists Adaptations of works by T. S. Eliot