Every previous Lana Del Rey song referenced on ‘Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’
Fans of Lana Del Rey will know that the singer has a penchant for referencing her previous work within her music. With such a vast array of songs, including hundreds of unreleased tracks, Del Rey is known to dip back into her archives and borrow lines and melodies for newer pieces.
By doing so, the musician both communicates her connection to her previous work and connects with her diehard supporters, whether to signify growth or highlight that particular sentiments haven’t changed. With the rate that Del Rey slips in self-reflexive easter eggs, there are surely no coincidences within her work. Even her uses of one specific word or phrase are intentional, although these subtle allusions often go under the radar.
On her most recent record, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, arguably her most personal yet, Del Rey weaves more references to old work than she has ever done before. This suggests that her music is intrinsic to her being, and she sprinkles allusions to past lyrics and melodies into her work to bind her past and present self.
With that, we have compiled a guide of every past Lana Del Rey song referenced on Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, ranging from nods to unreleased tracks like ‘Yes to Heaven’ to big hits like ‘Summertime Sadness’.
‘The Grants’
Opening with ‘The Grants’, a reference to Del Rey’s family, given that she was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, the singer beautifully touches upon the importance of memories, singing: “My sister’s first-born child/ I’m gonna take that too with me/ My grandmother’s last smile (Ah)/ I’m gonna take that too with me”.
She kicks off her first verse with reference to a popular unreleased track, ‘Yes to Heaven’, singing: “Do you think about Heaven?/ Oh-oh, do you think about me?” which parallels the lyrics “say yes to heaven/ say yes to me”. Del Rey also contrasts “It’s a beautiful life/ Remember that too for me” with “life is beautiful, but you don’t have a clue” from ‘Black Beauty’. Moreover, the lines “I’m doin’ my time/ I’m doin’ it for us, for our family line” allude to ‘Doin Time’ and ‘Get Free’.
- ‘Yes to Heaven’
- ‘Black Beauty’
- ‘Doin Time’
- ‘Get Free’
- Borrows a melody from ‘Terrence Loves You’
‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’
The gorgeous ballad ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’ is a sprawling meditation on loneliness and Del Rey’s place in the limelight. The musician addresses the criticisms wagered against her over the years following her decision to present herself much more naturally. Alluding to the themes explored in ‘Young and Beautiful’, Del Rey sings: “When’s it gonna be my turn?/ Don’t forget me”.
She also refers to a quintessentially American symbol, the Eagles, particularly their classic song ‘Hotel California’, which she sings about in ‘God Knows I Tried’ from Honeymoon. The lines “there’s a girl who sings ‘Hotel California'” mirror Del Rey’s position in the earlier track, which includes the words “put on that ‘Hotel California’/ Dance around like I’m insane”.
- ‘Young and Beautiful’
- ‘God Knows I Tried’
‘Sweet’
Gentle, piano-led ‘Sweet’ sees Del Rey worrying about her place in life, posing the question to a lover, “do you contemplate where we came from?” before asking, “do you want children? Do you wanna marry me?/ do you wanna run marathons in Long Beach by the sea?” Del Rey borrows the melody from her 2015 collaboration with Emile Haynie, ‘Wait For Life’, as well as the unreleased lullaby ‘Roses Bloom For You’.
The musician also refers back to one of her greatest songs, ‘Ride’, paralleling the lines “stars in my eyes, hiking up Griffith” with the euphoric climax of the Paradise cut, in which she sings: “I’m tired of driving ’til I see stars in my eyes”. Finally, Del Rey declares: “I’ve got things to do, like nothing at all”, which bears similarities to “miss doing nothin’ the most of all” from ‘The Greatest’, emphasising the importance she places on living simply.
- ‘Wait for Life’
- ‘Ride’
- ‘The Greatest’
‘A&W’
Before Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd was released, the epic single ‘A&W’ brought plenty of attention to the upcoming record. Divided into two halves, a mellow, introspective piece opens the track before segueing into a trap-influenced earworm, in which Del Rey refers to an old, mysterious character, “Jimmy”. Appearing as a motif in many early songs, ranging from 2006’s ‘You’re Gonna Love Me’ to 2014’s ‘Ultraviolence’, Del Rey has never explained who he is, although he appears to reflect an idea more than a person, with vivid aspects of destruction and cruelty.
The lines “It’s not about having someone to love me anymore” also reflect “they say that the world was built for two/ Only worth living if somebody is loving you” from ‘Video Games’, marking Del Rey’s progression towards independence and finding happiness without relying on another.
- ‘Ultraviolence’
- ‘You’re Gonna Love Me’
- ‘Video Games’
‘Candy Necklace’
‘Candy Necklace’ is a collaboration between Del Rey and Jon Batiste, who also features on the aptly titled ‘Jon Batiste Interlude’. It is undoubtedly one of the album’s standout tracks, with Del Rey lamenting on an unfulfilling relationship where her lover has been acting “pretty reckless”, yet his offers of “candy necklaces” – superficial attention – keep her going.
Del Rey weaves several direct references into the song for eager fans to spot. The opening line, “white fire”, alludes to “white hot forever” from ‘Tulsa Jesus Freak’ and “cinnamon on my teeth” is, of course, a direct nod to “cinnamon in my teeth/ from your kiss, you’re touching me” from ‘Cinnamon Girl’. Moreover, she plays with the line “I just wanted you to know/ that, baby, you the best” from ‘Summertime Sadness’, turning it into, “you the best, but, baby, you’ve been bringin’ me down”.
- ‘Tulsa Jesus Freak’
- ‘Cinnamon Girl’
- ‘Summertime Sadness’
‘Kintsugi’
On ‘Kintsugi’, Del Rey sings about past family memories, referencing Japanese kintsugi, which is the art of fixing broken pottery without attempting to conceal its flaws. Talking to Rolling Stone, the musician said: “‘Kintsugi’ I started writing naturally when my sister and my dad and I were at my great uncle Dick’s hospice in Manhattan Beach with all 50 of the Grant members. Almost don’t need to explain that metaphor to the idea of falling apart and rebuilding one’s life back even more beautifully”.
This track only contains one reference to Del Rey’s previous work – a poem, not a song. With the line “I don’t trust myself with my heart,” she alludes to ‘Sportscruiser’ from Violet Bend Backwards over the Grass, in which she writes: “The instructor shook his head, and without looking at me said ‘You don’t trust yourself’.”
- ‘Sportscruiser’
‘Fingertips’
Using minimal instrumentation, Del Rey allows her thoughts to pour out on ‘Fingertips’, using a stream-of-consciousness style of writing to communicate her thoughts and fears. Poignant lines include, “will the baby be alright?/ will I have one of mine?/ can I handle it even if I do?/ It’s said that my mind/ Is not fit, or so they said, to carry a child”. The emotional piece borrows a melody from ‘Bartender’, a song in which she similarly reflects on her life.
At the end of the track, Del Rey includes a niche reference to an unreleased track, ‘Serene Queen’, which was supposedly written during the Lust for Life sessions in 2015. She sings, “and go back to being a serene queen,” directly paralleling the track’s lines, “he’d call me the serene queen”.
- ‘Bartender’
- ‘Serene Queen’
‘Paris, Texas’
Taking inspiration from Wim Wenders’ stunning film Paris, Texas from 1984, starring Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, Del Rey finds confidence in leaving a failing relationship in the song of the same name. She sings, “when you know, you know/ that it’s time to leave”. The beautiful piano-led piece is another standout on the album, harnessing an effortlessly romantic and whimsical sound.
The words “like the summer breeze” allude to “I hear the birds on the summer breeze” from ‘Ride’, a track in which Del Rey advocates for taking midnight rides to soothe her internal strife. In ‘Paris, Texas’, the musician seems much more certain and happier with being alone. She uses the phrase, “when everyone’s star is bright/ Brighter than you are”, much like “you are, by far, the brightest star
I’ve ever seen” from ‘Prom Song (Gone Wrong)’ and “you’re brighter than the brightest star” from ‘California’.
- ‘Ride’
- ‘Prom Song (Gone Wrong)’
- ‘California’
- ‘No One’s Home’
‘Let the Light In’
Del Rey’s astonishing collaboration with Father John Misty is yet another unforgettable moment from the album. It is gorgeously tender and romantic, even if certain lines suggest that the romance is actually an affair: “At your back door yelling ’cause I wanna come in”. In one verse, Del Rey loads reference after reference into each line. “Usually we got nothin’ to do” refers to ‘The Greatest’ along with “therе’s so much ridin’/ on this life and how we write a lovе song” suitably references ‘Ride’ (or the unreleased gem ‘Ridin’) and ‘Love song’.
The addictive singalong bridge, “’cause I love to love, to love, to love you/ I hate to hate, to hate, to hate you”, is a direct allusion to ‘Music To Watch Boys To’ from Honeymoon, in which Del Rey sings: “Live to love you/ And I love to love you/ And I live to love you, boy”.
In ‘Let the Light In’, Del Rey offers more maturity and hopefulness than in ‘Music To Watch Boys To’.
- ‘Ride’
- ‘Ridin’
- ‘Love song’
- ‘Music To Watch Boys To’
- ‘Kintsugi’
- Borrows melody from ‘When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing’
‘Margaret’
‘Margaret’ was written as a tribute to the relationship between Del Rey’s close friend and producer Jack Antonoff – who sings on the track – and his fiancé, actor Margaret Qualley. The simple rom-com storytelling of the song is endearing, with both Del Rey and Antonoff repeating lines from ‘Paris, Texas’ – “when you know you know”, emphasising the power of intuition.
The lines “maybe tomorrow you’ll know” offer an optimistic flip on the lines proposed in ‘Tomorrow Never Came’, in which she sings: “You said to meet me up there tomorrow/ But tomorrow never came”. Some attentive fans have even noticed that part of the melody resembles ‘Love song’ from Norman Fucking Rockwell!.
- ‘Paris, Texas’
- ‘Tomorrow Never Came’
- ‘Love song’
‘Fishtail’
In ‘Fishtail’, Del Rey describes a relationship in which her lover does not truly care for her. She sings: “Don’t you dare say that you’ll braid my hair, babe/ If you don’t really care/ You wanted me sadder, you wanted me sadder”. This song is loaded with references and other lines which find a home on the following track, ‘Peppers’. She harks back to her childhood with the line “skipping rope in the bayou”, which also doubles up as a reference to the naivety explored in ‘Lolita’.
Additionally, Del Rey sings, “palm trees in black and white”, a line taken directly from an early unreleased track, ‘Jump’, where she sings: “Palm trees in black and white/ Last thing I saw before I died”. The musician also quips, “lately, I’ve been thinking”, just as she does in ‘Change’.
- ‘Peppers’
- ‘Lolita’
- ‘Living Legend’
- ‘Jump’
- ‘Change’
‘Peppers’
Del Rey channels trap influences into ‘Peppers’, which samples ‘Angelina’ by Tommy Genesis. The hair braiding motif from ‘Fishtail’ turns from something intimate and tender into something overtly sexual, with Genesis singing: “Let me put my hands on your knees/ You can braid my hair”. Del Rey reclaims her independence and sexuality on ‘Peppers’, referring to an effortless ability to write “hit songs” – something she sought to achieve in ‘The Next Best American Record’.
Del Rey’s refrain of “I’m in love” is reminiscent of ‘West Coast’ and “honey on the vine” is taken from ‘Nectar of the Gods’. Moreover, the singer continues her lyrical exploration of driving as a form of freedom by referencing a truck she takes for a “midnight drive”, just as she does in ‘Bartender’.
- ‘Fishtail’
- ‘The Next Best American Record’
- ‘West Coast’
- ‘Nectar of the Gods’
- ‘Bartender’
‘Taco Truck x VB’
The record ends with ‘Taco Truck x VB’, which triumphs over every other track in terms of Del Rey interpolating her previous work. After a mellow yet groove-inducing introduction, the track transforms into a trap remix of Norman Fucking Rockwell’s standout moment, ‘Venice Bitch’. Del Rey adds some humourous, self-aware ad-libs, such as “get high” and “never die.” According to Rolling Stone, the version heard at the end of ‘Taco Truck x VB’ is the original version of ‘Venice Bitch’, which is much more abrasive.
Del Rey couldn’t end the self-reflective album any more appropriately, tieing up the record with one last, giant reference to her oeuvre. The musician demonstrates that she is not scared to push boundaries by taking an already acclaimed song and working it into something totally new, which is why Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is such a thrilling record.
- ‘Venice Bitch’
