How Harvey Weinstein’s conviction changed Lana Del Rey sets
Throughout her career, Lana Del Rey‘s lyrics have often been criticised for being provocative. Rather than being received as artistic statements, some listeners accused her of endorsing everything from drugs to stripping in her songwriting. We saw it in the backlash to ‘Ultraviolence’ when she rehashed The Crystals’ lyric that is said to glamorise domestic violence. Since her 2011 debut, cultural attitudes to certain topics have seismically shifted, and Del Rey’s setlist has always moved with the tide.
2012’s ‘Cola’ is one such song that doesn’t appear in her sets anymore. While some baulked at its opening lyric: “My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola”, it wasn’t the sexualised edge that made it a no-show. Since its release, rumours swirled that it referenced the now disgraced film producer and convicted sex offender, Harvey Weinstein.
Page Six reported the line: “Ah, he’s in the sky with diamonds” wasn’t a Beatles reference, but originally was: “Harvey’s in the sky with diamonds.” Reportedly, Weinstein insisted it was changed after being name-checked after a source told the outlet Del Rey had “rebuffed” his advances after the two met in 2012 and worked together on Tim Burton’s Big Eyes.
Del Rey resisted commenting on the rumours but eventually opened up to MTV News to shed light on the song’s inspiration. “When I wrote that song, I suppose I had like a Harvey Weinstein, Harry Winston-type of character in mind,” she said.
When the horrific allegations against Weinstein were brought to light in 2017, Del Rey officially retired the song. “I envisioned, like, a benevolent, diamond-bestowing-upon-starlets visual, like a Citizen Kane or something. I’m not really sure,” she said. “I thought it was funny at the time, and I obviously find it really sad now. I support the women who have come forward. I think they’re really brave for doing that. Obviously, I don’t feel comfortable with it now.”
Although Del Rey is often wrongly accused of including short-sighted visuals and references in her work, she has quickly adapted it when the political climate calls for it. Ahead of the Lust for Life tour, she announced the Americana iconography associated with her Born To Die era would be phased out after Trump’s election.
She told Pitchfork it was an “uncomfortable” association, one that didn’t feel apparent in 2013. “I definitely changed my visuals on my tour videos. I’m not going to have the American flag waving while I’m singing ‘Born to Die’. It’s not going to happen. I’d rather have static. It’s a transitional period, and I’m super aware of that,” she explained. She added that Lust For Life’s musings on sexism and war might have sounded uncharacteristic of her usual brand of nihilism, but “things have shifted culturally,” and so must her performances.
