Ultraviolence (album)

chronology
Ultraviolence
Studio album by Lana Del Rey
Publication ; (s)	June 13, 2014
Label (s)	Interscope Records , Polydor
Format (s)	CD, digital, vinyl
Genre (s)	Dream Pop
Title (number)	11 (+ bonus tracks)
running time	51:24 (+ bonus tracks)
occupation	Lana Del Rey
production	Dan Auerbach • Lana Del Rey • Paul Epworth • Lee Forster • Daniel Heath • Greg Kurstin • Rick Nowels • Blake Stranathan
Studio (s)	The Bridge • The Church Studios • East Eye Sound • Echo Studios • Electric Lady Studios • Green Building
April 14, 2014	West coast
May 26, 2014	Shades of Cool
4th June 2014	Ultraviolence
June 8, 2014	Brooklyn baby
15th December 2014	Black Beauty

Ultraviolence is the third studio album by the American pop singer Lana Del Rey . Ultraviolence is a new word created from ultra and violence ( English for "violence") and comes from the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess . This means extreme violence.

Creation and artwork

With the exception of one composition, all songs were composed by Lana Del Rey in cooperation with changing composers. The composer Rick Nowels took part most often . The songs were produced by Dan Auerbach , Lana Del Rey, Paul Epworth , Lee Forster, Daniel Heath, Greg Kurstin , Rick Nowels and Blake Stranathan. Most of the tracks were produced by Dan Auerbach. The album was mastered by Metropolis Mastering in London , under the direction of the British John Davis. All songs by Dan Auerbach, Collin Dupuis, Phil Joly, Greg Kurstin and Robert Orton were mixed. The album was released under the music labels Interscope Records and Polydor . On the black and white cover of the album - next to the label of the album - you can see Del Rey in a white top with a bra that shimmers through against the background of a Mercedes-Benz . The cover picture and the pictures in the booklet were shot by photographers Neil Krug and Myan Soffia. The artwork is from Mat Maitland.

Publication and promotion

The album was first released on June 13, 2014, as a digital and physical release, in Germany , the Netherlands , Austria and Switzerland . The release in the United Kingdom followed on June 16, 2014 and in the United States on June 17, 2014. The album consists of eleven new studio recordings, one of which is a cover song . In addition to the regular album release, a “deluxe edition” with three additional bonus tracks was released at the same time. In addition to the worldwide released deluxe edition, there are also many regional releases of the album, all of which differ in the number and selection of bonus tracks.

To promote the album, Del Rey went on a North American tour from April 11 to May 27, 2014 with a total of 22 concerts. Before the album was released, Del Rey said "less is more" and for this reason did not appear on television or radio. She only made music videos for her singles and gave some interviews that were published in the print media and social networks .

background information

After the release of Born to Die , Del Rey abandoned plans for a new album because she had already said everything she wanted to say. Nevertheless, she started working on this album in February 2013. She said of it, “It's a little stripped down, but still cinematic and dark. I've been working on it very slowly, but I love everything I've done. I wrote the lyrics in Santa Monica and I knew what the record should sound like. Now I just have to finish it. Musically I worked with the same three guys. "

When a demo recording surfaced in July 2013 , Del Rey made the following statement: “I feel discouraged. Yes. I don't know what to put on the record. I could just put songs on it and see what happens. Whenever I compose ... I never write a song if I didn't think it would be perfect for the album. ”She also stated that she writes stripped down songs and that she is with Dan Heath and her boyfriend Barrie-James O'Neill worked. She also wishes to work with Lou Reed .

In October 2013, Del Rey said, “When people ask about my new album, I have to be honest - I don't know. I don't know what to say. Definitely yes, the next one will be better than this one because I don't believe in a next one. My muse is very fickle. She only comes to me sometimes, which is annoying. "

In January 2014, Del Rey and Auerbach planned to record the album in three days, in the end it took them two weeks. On February 20, 2014 , Del Rey tweeted a picture of himself and Auerbach with the caption “Me and Auerbach are excited to present you Ultraviolence .” About working with Del Rey, Auerbach said the following: “She impresses me every day. There were moments when she fought me. I could feel that she might not want anyone to think she was out of control because I'm sure it has to be very tough as a woman in the music business. So we bumped our heads a bit, but at the end of the day we danced to the songs. "

Del Rey was inspired by the west coast of the United States and Brooklyn for this album . It also includes hard guitar sounds and jazz tones . The inclusion of Auerbach happened at the last minute. They met in New York when Del Rey thought the record was ready.

content

With the exception of the songs West Coast and Ultraviolence , all lyrics are entirely in English. There is a Spanish line in each of the aforementioned pieces. The song The Other Woman is a cover version. The original is from the 1959 by the singer Nina Simone . The song Gods and Monsters contained on some special editions was released two years earlier on Del Rey's eighth EP Paradise and six months earlier on Del Rey's tenth EP Tropico . Musically, the songs move in the realm of dream pop . With each of her songs she was supported by different instrumentalists. (see contributors)

Track list
#	title	Author (s)	Producer (s)	length
1	Cruel World	Lana Del Rey , Blake Stranathan	Dan Auerbach	6:39
2	Ultraviolence	Lana Del Rey, Daniel Heath	Dan Auerbach	4:11
3	Shades of Cool	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Dan Auerbach	5:42
4th	Brooklyn baby	Lana Del Rey, Barry O'Neill	Dan Auerbach	5:51
5	West coast	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Dan Auerbach	4:16
6th	Sad girl	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Dan Auerbach, Rick Nowels (Co)	5:17
7th	Pretty When You Cry	Lana Del Rey, Blake Stranathan	Lana Del Rey, Lee Forster, Blake Stranathan	3:54
8th	Money Power Glory	Lana Del Rey, Greg Kurstin	Greg Kurstin	4:30
9	Fucked My Way Up to the Top	Lana Del Rey, Daniel Heath	Dan Auerbach	3:32
10	Old money	Lana Del Rey, Robbie Fitzsimmons, Daniel Heath	Daniel Heath	4:31
11	The Other Woman	Jessie Mae Robinson	Dan Auerbach	3:01
	Deluxe edition
12	Black Beauty	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Paul Epworth , Rick Nowels (Co)	5:14
13	Guns and Roses	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Lana Del Rey, Lee Forster, Rick Nowels	4:30
14th	Florida kilos	Dan Auerbach, Harmony Corrine, Lana Del Rey	Dan Auerbach	4:14
	Germany, Austria, Switzerland edition
12	West Coast (Radio Mix)	Lana Del Rey, Rick Nowels	Dan Auerbach	3:47
	iTunes edition
15th	Is This Happiness			3:44
	Japan edition
15th	Flipside	Lana Del Rey, Blake Stranathan	Lana Del Rey, Blake Stranathan	5:10
	Japan iTunes Edition
15th	Is This Happiness			3:44
16	Flipside	Lana Del Rey, Blake Stranathan	Lana Del Rey, Blake Stranathan	5:10

Single releases

Two months before the album was released, on April 14, 2014, the single West Coast was released in advance . The single Shades of Cool was also released three weeks earlier, on May 26, 2014, and the single Ultraviolence one week earlier . One week after the album was released, on June 17, 2014, the so far last single Brooklyn Baby followed . Each of the singles was able to place itself in the charts.

Chart successes in the single charts

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, , Placements, weeks, awards, comments)					Remarks
year	title	DE	AT	CH	UK	US	Remarks
2014	West coast	DE22 (14 weeks) DE	AT39 (4 weeks) AT	CH13 (13 weeks) CH	UK21 (7 weeks) UK	US17 (2 weeks) US	First published: April 14, 2014 Sales: + 120,000
	Shades of Cool	-	-	CH43 (1 week) CH	-	US79 (1 week) US	First published: May 26, 2014
	Ultraviolence	-	-	-	-	US70 (1 week) US	First published: June 6, 2014
	Brooklyn baby	-	AT64 (1 week) AT	CH16 (2 weeks) CH	UK86 (1 week) UK	-	First published: June 17, 2014

Contributors

Album production

Dan Auerbach : Mixing (song 2 and 14) , electric guitar (song 1–6, 9 and 14) , guitar (song 5) , background vocals (song 14) , clapping (song 1) , composer (song 14) , producer (Song 1–6, 9, 11 and 14) , Shaker (song 5) , synthesizer (song 5, 6, 11 and 14)
Julian Burg: Arrangement (Song 8)
Vira Byramji: arrangement (song 13)
Harmony Corrine: composer (song 14)
John Davis: Mastering
Lana Del Rey : vocals , backing vocals (songs 2 and 5) , composer (songs 1–10, 12–14 and 16) , producer (songs 7, 13 and 16)
Collin Dupuis: arrangement (song 1–6, 9, 11 and 14) , mixdown (song 2 and 14) , programming (drums) (song 6) , synthesizer (song 6)
Paul Epworth : Producer (Song 12)
Robbie Fitzsimmons: Composer (Song 10)
Lee Forster: Producer (Song 7 and 13)
Brian Griffin: drums (songs 6 and 13)
Milton Gutiérrez: Mixing (Song 10)
Ed Harcourt: Piano (Song 12)
Daniel Heath: arrangement (song 10) , composer (song 2, 9 and 10) , producer (song 10)
Tom Herbert: bass guitar (song 12)
Phil Joly: arrangement (song 7 and 14) , mixdown (song 13)
Seth Kaufmann: electric guitar (song 2, 4, 6 and 9) , background vocals (song 4 and 14) , clapping (song 1) , omnichord (song 3) , percussion (song 4) , synthesizer (song 1)
Greg Kurstin : Mixing (song 8) , composer (song 8) , producer (song 8)
Nikolaj Torp Larsen: Philicorda (song 12) , Mellotron (song 12)
Alfreda McCrary Lee: background vocals (song 2)
Ann McCrary: Backing vocals (Song 2)
Regina McCrary: background vocals (song 2)
Matthew McGaughey: orchestral arrangement (song 10)
Kieron Menzies: arrangement (song 6, 12 and 13)
Leon Michaels: clapping (song 1) , mellotron (song 1–4, 6, 9, 11 and 14) , percussion (song 4 and 11) , piano (song 2 and 9) , synthesizer (song 1, 2, 9, 11 and 14) , tambourine (songs 4 and 11) , tenor saxophone (songs 4 and 11)
Nick Movshon: bass guitar (song 1–3, 5 and 9) , double bass (song 2) , clapping (song 1) , drums (song 4–6, 11 and 14)
Rick Nowels : composer (song 3, 5, 6, 12 and 13) , piano (song 12) , producer (song 6, 12 and 13)
Barry O'Neill: Composer (Song 4)
Robert Orton: Mixing (songs 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9-12)
Russ Pahl: acoustic guitar (song 4 and 6) , electric guitar (song 3 and 14) , pedal steel guitar (song 1, 2, 4, 9 and 11)
Alex Pasco: arrangement (song 8)
Jessie Mae Robinson: composer (song 11)
Blake Stranathan: guitar (song 7 and 13) , composer (song 1, 7 and 16) , producer (song 7 and 16)
Pablo Tato: Guitar (Song 12)
Leo Taylor: drums (song 12)
Kenny Vaughan: acoustic guitar (song 4) , electric guitar (song 1–3, 9 and 11) , mellotron (song 6) , synthesizer (song 6)
Maximilian Weissenfeldt: clapping (song 1) , drums (song 1–5 and 9)
Matt Wiggins: Mixdown (Song 12)
Andy Zisakis: Mixing (song 10)

Artwork

Neil Krug: Photographer (booklet and cover)
Mat Maitland: Artwork (booklet and cover)
Myan Soffia: Photographer (booklet)

Companies

The Bridge: recording studio
The Church Studios: recording studio
East Eye Sound: recording studio
Echo Studios: recording studio
Electric Lady Studios : recording studio
Green Building: recording studio
Interscope Records : music label
Metropolis Mastering: Mastering
Polydor : music label

reception

Reviews

Alexis Petridis of the Guardian wrote that “Every chorus pops, the melodies are nice and even, rising and falling. With this, Del Rey demonstrates her great confidence in her voice. Everything is done so well that you think that all the songs merge without creating a sleepy impression. ”They gave 4/5 stars.

Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote, "Ultimately, she's milking classic manly fantasies of the sad Marilyn Monroe , the babe in despair who can only be saved by you and your dollars ."

Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone commented: “Ultraviolence is a melancholy crawl through doomed romance, incorrigible addictions, blown American dreams. [...] The album wraps desire, violence and sadness into a tight bundle that Del Rey doesn't always seem sure how to unpack. "(3.5 / 5 points).

Charts and chart placements

Ultraviolence reached position three in the album charts in Germany and stayed in the top 10 for three weeks and in the charts for 19 weeks. In Austria, the album reached position five and stayed in the top 10 for two weeks and in the charts for 13 weeks. In Switzerland, the album reached position two and stayed in the top 10 for six weeks and in the charts for 21 weeks. In the United Kingdom, the album reached number one and was at number one for a week, three weeks in the top 10 and 19 weeks in the charts. In the United States, the album also reached number one , staying at number one for one week and in the top 10 for five weeks. Ultraviolence was placed in the 2014 annual album charts at position 49 in Germany, position 16 in Switzerland and position 43 in the United States. In 2015, the album was in the US annual album charts at position 184.

The album also reached number one in the following countries: Australia , Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark , Finland , Greece , Canada , New Zealand , Norway , Poland and Spain .

For Lana Del Rey it is the second chart success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain, as well as the fourth in the USA. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain it is her second top 10 success in the album charts, as well as the third in the USA. It is her second number one album in the UK and her first in the United States. In the United Kingdom and the United States, no album was able to get higher in the charts today (in Great Britain along with Born to Die ).

Chart placements
Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	3 (19 weeks)	19th
Austria (Ö3)	5 (13 weeks)	13
Switzerland (IFPI)	2 (21 weeks)	21st
United Kingdom (OCC)	1 (21 weeks)	21st
United States (Billboard)	1 (53 weeks)	53

Annual charts
Charts (2014)	placement
Annual charts (2014)
Germany (GfK)	49
Switzerland (IFPI)	16
United States (Billboard)	43

Charts (2015)	placement
Annual charts (2015)
United States (Billboard)	184

Awards for music sales

Ultraviolence has been awarded gold nine times and platinum three times worldwide. The album received record awards for over 1.1 million copies sold.

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	gold	35,000
Brazil (PMB)	platinum	40,000
Denmark (IFPI)	gold	10,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	100,000
France (SNEP)	platinum	100,000
Italy (FIMI)	gold	25,000
Canada (MC)	gold	40,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)	gold	30,000
Austria (IFPI)	gold	7,500
Poland (ZPAV)	platinum	20,000
United States (RIAA)	gold	500,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	gold	230,000
All in all	9 × gold 3 × platinum	1,137,500