# Ultraviolence (song)

"Ultraviolence" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for her third studio album of the same name (2014). It was co-written by Del Rey and Daniel Heath, and produced by Dan Auerbach. The song was released on June 4, 2014, by Polydor and Interscope Records, as the third single from Ultraviolence. A music video, directed by Francesco Carrozzini, was released on July 30, 2014.

## Composition

According to Brenna Ehrlich of MTV News, "Ultraviolence" tells the story of a "typical Lana Del Rey romantic relationship: broken, failed and painful". In the line "I can hear sirens sirens, he hit me and it felt like a kiss," Del Rey references the 1962 The Crystals song "He Hit Me (and It Felt like a Kiss)", and according to Harriet Gibson of The Guardian, "appear[s] to romanticise brutality". Molly Lambert of Grantland noted that the song is about a "difficult man" named Jim. Lambert hypothesized that "Jim" might be a reference to cult leader Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre, due to the line "you're my cult leader." Aimee Ferrier of Far Out said fans often assume Jim "represents a figure akin to Jim Jones."
Kevin Rutherford of Radio.com remarked that "Ultraviolence" maintained the theme of songs previously released from the album; it "ups the lilting, low-tempo, strings-heavy form" Del Rey had established in her earlier work. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described "Ultraviolence" as a "laconic, string-laden torch song". A writer for the Music Times commented that the "violins, lightly thumping drums and Del Rey's angelic singing" gave the song a "church-y" feel, pointing out that the track presented her "title sound".

## Critical reception

   She exalts a violent man on the title track, referencing the Crystals' 'He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)'. It's harder still to listen knowing that Del Rey claims these situations are all true-to-life. 85% of domestic violence victims return to their abusers, submission is an ancient peccadillo, and there's no accounting for taste. But she conjures them with surface-level sadness worn like a shade of eyeshadow, which swiftly wears thin if you have no time for one-dimensional cads.
Nolan Feeney of Time criticized the song for its glorification of domestic violence, mentioning Lorde's comment on Del Rey's music: "This sort of shirt-tugging, desperate, don't leave me stuff. That's not a good thing for young girls, even young people, to hear." However, Feeney also stated that Del Rey would "likely" not endorse the "screwed-up tales of vice and luxury" her character, Lana Del Rey, sings about. While noting that Del Rey did not offer a positive or negative opinion on domestic violence, Harley Brown of Spin said that the lyrics to the song could generate controversy, especially since Del Rey dismissed feminism in an interview with The Fader, saying, "For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept. I'm more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what's going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities. Whenever people bring up feminism, I'm like, god. I'm just not really that interested." By the end of 2014, NME named "Ultraviolence" the 32nd best song of the year.

## Music video

A music video, shot entirely on an iPhone on the 8mm Vintage Camera app, was released on July 30, 2014 by Noisey (Vice). It was directed by Francesco Carrozzini and filmed on July 3 in Portofino, Italy. In the video, Del Rey can be seen wearing a white wedding dress with a veil and a bouquet of flowers in her hands, wandering around an outside setting and later entering a church (Cappella di San Sebastiano).

## Live performances

Del Rey premiered "Ultraviolence" as part of her set at the PNE Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on May 25, 2014.

## Track listings

* Digital download
* "Ultraviolence" – 4:41
* Digital download (Hook N Sling Remix)
* "Ultraviolence" (Hook N Sling Remix) – 5:29

## Credits

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ultraviolence.
Performance credits
* Lana Del Rey – vocals, background vocals
* Alfreda McCrary Lee – background vocals
* Ann McCrary – background vocals
* Regina McCrary – background vocals
Instruments
* Dan Auerbach – electric guitar
* Collin Dupuis – drum programming
* Seth Kaufman – electric guitar
* Leon Michels – piano, mellotron
* Nick Movshon – bass guitar
* Russ Pahl – pedal steel guitar
* Kenny Vaughan – electric guitar
* Maximilian Weissenfeldt – drums
Technical and production
* Dan Auerbach – production, mixing
* John Davis – mastering
* Collin Dupuis – engineering, mixing
* Robert Orton – mixing

## Charts

| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) | 34 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) | 12 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 38 |
| CIS Airplay (TopHit) | 160 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 59 |
| France (SNEP) | 88 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 70 |

## Certifications

Certifications for "Ultraviolence" :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000$^‡$ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Platinum | 60,000$^‡$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Gold | 15,000$^‡$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Country | Date | Format | Label |
| Australia | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| Belgium | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| Finland | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| France | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| Luxembourg | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| Netherlands | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope |
| United States | June 4, 2014 | Digital download | Interscope Universal |
| United Kingdom | August 18, 2014 | Digital download | Polydor |
| Italy | October 3, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Polydor |