National Anthem (song)

"National Anthem" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, taken from her second studio album Born to Die. It was released as a single on July 6, 2012, through Interscope Records. The song serves as the album's fifth single. "National Anthem" is a trip hop song that ties together elements of alternative hip hop, indie pop, and baroque pop. The music video for the song premiered on June 27, 2012. It is directed by Anthony Mandler. It depicts Del Rey as Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy and ASAP Rocky as John F. Kennedy. It centers around the theme of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Critical commentary accompanied the song and video. Positive reviews noted the song's critical evaluation of lavish lifestyles, saying it fit together with the lyrical structure of the entire album.

Composition
"National Anthem" was produced in the alternative hip hop and trip hop genres. In the chorus, Del Rey half-sings, half-raps the line, "Tell me I’m your national anthem/ Red! White! Blue!" At the close of the recording is a multi-layered narrative treatment. The introduction features a sample of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as performed by Marilyn Monroe. Unlike the other songs on Born to Die, Del Rey employs an alternative rapping technique, hip hop beat and heavy basslines, similar to that of "Off to the Races" and "Diet Mountain Dew". Pitchfork said the rapping technique was almost "chatting".

Critical reception
Bill Lamb, a reviewer at About.com, wrote that "National Anthem" "[seems] lost in a messy blend of money, sex, and corporate greed, but it is the rousing yet graceful arrangement that solidifies the song's point of view as a clever critique of a society that is just as messy as these words." "National Anthem", Lamb says, fits into the lyrical structure of Born to Die in that the theme, as a whole, is that of a "bitter, albeit narcotized, criticism of all of the wealth and emotional artifice Lana Del Rey is accused of embracing." Vocally, NME observed that Del Rey sings like a "perfect mannequin" on "National Anthem", criticizing the track for baldly revisiting the beat-driven chorus of "Born to Die". Further, NME praised certain elements of the track, saying: "As she sings of a relationship of a well-heeled man and a blank canvas woman, she invokes not only the dreamland of the monied classes (The Hamptons) and their could-be motto 'Money is the anthem of success' but also invokes the spectre of Vietnam with a reference to 'The Queen Of Saigon'." Digital Spy called the running theme of Born to Die, "demonic Stepford moll", to which "National Anthem" fit into. The track was praised for having a: "laconic, anaesthetised vocal that conjures up images of her swigging from a bottle of Hendricks. There's a deep sadness underneath the sweeping string section and gangster hip-hop beats, but it's the chorus's fleeting glimpse of euphoria that'll keep you coming back."

Music video
The music video for "National Anthem" was directed by Anthony Mandler in May 2012. It premiered on June 27, 2012. Mandler stated the concept was Del Rey's and that she was "really interested in exploring this loss of innocence, this idea that what you think you're experiencing is maybe not what it's always going to be. Because when you say 'Kennedy,' that immediately evokes something, just like when I say 'It's a Romeo and Juliet story.' So I think using that power, that pedigree of the story is a really fascinating place to show the loss of something, the breakdown of something."

It begins with Del Rey as Marilyn Monroe in a reenactment of Monroe's 1962 performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President". The rest of the video depicts Del Rey as Jacqueline Kennedy and ASAP Rocky as John F. Kennedy in reenactments of home videos. The video ends with a reenactment of the infamous Zapruder film showing Kennedy's assassination and Del Rey reading a dialogue as Onassis concerning her and Kennedy's relationship.

Mandler described the video as being seen "through [Onassis'] eyes, seeing this kind of castle crumble in the moment, and that shot where she's coming up out of the car, and the pain in her eyes, that destruction, it's like the whole castle is crumbling around her." Del Rey cited the video as "definitely the most beautiful thing" she's ever done. Del Rey wrote the treatment for herself and ASAP Rocky saying "he'd be really perfect to star in it."

As of June 10, 2013 the official music video on Lana's VEVO channel has gained over 9 million views.

On her official non-VEVO account, the video has gained 14 million views there fore adding up to an amount of 24 million views.

Track listing

 * Digital EP
 * 1) "National Anthem" – 3:50
 * 2) "National Anthem" (Fred Falke Remix Edit) – 3:46
 * 3) "National Anthem" (Tensnake Remix) – 3:43
 * 4) "National Anthem" (Afterlife Remix) – 3:48


 * Picture Vinyl
 * 1) "National Anthem" – 3:50
 * 2) "National Anthem" (Breton Labs Remix) – 5:23

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Born to Die liner notes.
 * Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriter
 * The Nexus – songwriter, vocal producer
 * Justin Parker – songwriter
 * Emile Haynie – producer, drums, keyboards
 * Jeff Bhasker – additional production, additional keyboards, guitar
 * James Bauer-Mein, David Sneddon, Emilie Bauer-Mein – backing vocals
 * Larry Gold, Dan Heath – string arrangement, conductor
 * Steve Tirpak – string assistance
 * Manny Marroquin – audio mixing
 * Erik Madrid, Chris Galland – audio mixing assistance