Raised in upstate New York, Del Rey moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career. After numerous projects, including her self-titled debut studio album, Del Rey's breakthrough came in 2011 with the viral success of her single "Video Games"; she subsequently signed a recording contract with Polydor and Interscope. She achieved critical and commercial success with her second album, Born to Die (2012), which contained the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness". Del Rey's third album, Ultraviolence (2014), featured greater use of guitar-driven instrumentation and debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200. Her fourth and fifth albums, Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017), saw a return to the stylistic traditions of her earlier releases, while her critically acclaimed sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), explored soft rock. Her next studio albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, followed in 2021. Her ninth studio album, “Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” was released on all platforms March 24th 2023. It includes singles like the title track - "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd", "A&W", and "The Grants".
Del Rey has collaborated on soundtracks for visual media; in 2013, she wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed musical short Tropico and released "Young and Beautiful" for the romantic drama The Great Gatsby. In 2014, she recorded "Once Upon a Dream" for the dark fantasy adventure film Maleficent and the self-titled theme song for the biopic Big Eyes. Del Rey collaborated with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus on "Don't Call Me Angel" for the action comedy Charlie's Angels (2019), which peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Del Rey published the poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass (2020).
She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Brit Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for six Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century".
Pretty Baby
Lana Del Rey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you don’t like the way that I touch you
Then I won’t touch you no more, yeah
Pretty baby if you don’t like the
Way that I love you
Then throw my love on the floor
My mean daddy, my bad baby
I don’t believe you when you say
You want to leave darling, honey
If you don’t think that you're gonna want me
Then, honey, let me know listen, honey
I don’t wanna keep thinking you love me
Just to find out you don’t
Aren't you gonna miss me?
Honey, I’ll miss you
I just wanna kiss you, tonight
Pretty baby
If you don’t like the way that I hold you
Then, honey, let me go pretty baby
If you don’t like the way that I told you
Then, baby, tell me so
In Lana Del Rey's song "Pretty Baby," the lyrics explore themes of desire, insecurity, and the fear of rejection in a relationship. The song showcases a plea from the singer to their lover, expressing a willingness to change their behavior if it means keeping the relationship intact. The opening lines, "If you don’t like the way that I touch you, then I won’t touch you no more," illustrate a desire to please the partner, and a willingness to adapt to their desires and preferences.
The lyrics also capture the singer's yearning for validation and reassurance from their lover. They express doubt in their partner's feelings, as they sing, "I don’t wanna keep thinking you love me, just to find out you don’t." The fear of being abandoned is apparent in the lines, "Don’t you want me? I don’t believe you when you say you want to leave darling, honey." These lyrics reveal the singer's vulnerability and desperation to maintain the relationship, even though they sense their partner might not feel the same way.
Overall, "Pretty Baby" portrays the internal struggle of the singer, torn between their desire for affection and the fear of rejection. It highlights the complexities of romantic relationships and the need for open communication and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty baby
Hey there, my beautiful baby
If you don’t like the way that I touch you
If my touch doesn't please you
Then I won’t touch you no more, yeah
I will stop touching you if it bothers you
Pretty baby if you don’t like the
Hey there, my lovely baby, if you're not happy with
Way that I love you
The way I express my love to you
Then throw my love on the floor
Then reject my love completely
My mean daddy, my bad baby
My emotionally distant father figure, my troublesome lover
Don’t you want me?
Don't you desire me?
I don’t believe you when you say
I doubt your words when you claim
You want to leave darling, honey
You want to abandon me, my dear
If you don’t think that you're gonna want me
If you don't believe you'll desire me in the future
Then, honey, let me know listen, honey
Then, my love, inform me, oh my love
I don’t wanna keep thinking you love me
I don't want to continue believing in your love for me
Just to find out you don’t
Only to discover you don't actually feel that way
Aren't you gonna miss me?
Won't you long for me?
Honey, I’ll miss you
Oh darling, I will yearn for you
I just wanna kiss you, tonight
I simply desire to kiss you this evening
Pretty baby
Hey there, my beautiful baby
If you don’t like the way that I hold you
If my embrace doesn't satisfy you
Then, honey, let me go pretty baby
Then, my love, allow me to leave, my lovely baby
If you don’t like the way that I told you
If my words didn't please you
Then, baby, tell me so
Then, my dear, communicate it to me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cochran
on West Coast
Amazing how the film maker lifted the filming of this video directly from the Chet Baker documentary Let's Get Lost - black & white hanging at the beach and cruising in the backs of convertables
ciggywater
on National Anthem
such a goddess
Abygail Fernandez Smith
on West Coast
ganda
Inside Bilderberg
on Cruel World
Love this song.
Romatizzalid Bozin Veda Loca
on West Coast
barcelona akhawa
Dawit Dawit
on Ultraviolence
nice
Dawit Dawit
on West Coast
best