Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, released on March 24, 2023, by Interscope and Polydor Records. The album features production by Del Rey, Mike Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji and includes collaborations with Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, SYML and Riopy.
Upon release, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom felt the lyrical style depicts a mature Del Rey. Two singles and one promotional single preceded the release of the album: the title track was released as the lead single on December 7, 2022, while "A&W" was released as the album's second on February 14, 2023. The release of the third single ,"The Grants", followed one month later on March 14, 2023.
Background and recording
Work on the album started shortly after the release of her eighth studio album, Blue Banisters, in October 2021. Del Rey departed from her signature colorful language and world-building, found in her other work, in favor of a conversational style, relying on a process she named "automatic singing". She would sing whatever came to her mind into the voice notes application on her phone, later "sending those really raw-sounding" recordings to composer Drew Erickson, who would add reverb to her vocals, as well as an orchestral instrumental. The first song written for the album, "Fingertips", was recorded this way, with no prior writing.
Del Rey eventually began working with other collaborators. She began working with Mike Hermosa, a prominent collaborator on the album, when he would visit Del Rey and play her piano. Del Rey would hear him play and ask to record to the melody. Towards the end of production, Del Rey brought in previous collaborator, Jack Antonoff, which she revealed was when she felt she was making an album.
Composition
Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd includes influences of 70s piano pop, hip hop, dance, gospel, folk, trap, soul, and psychedelic music. The album is in contrast with Del Rey's traditional approach of "world-building", found in her other work, such as in Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). Del Rey called the creation of the album "totally effortless", saying that she wanted the music to have "a spiritual element". Produced by Del Rey with frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, Mike Hermosa, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji, the album features guest appearances from Jon Batiste, SYML, Riopy, Father John Misty, Bleachers (led by Antonoff), and Tommy Genesis.
Songs
The album opens with the song "The Grants". Titled after her family name, the song serves as an ode to her family. The song is followed by the album's title track. "Margaret", the thirteenth track, was inspired by Antonoff's fiancé at that time, Margaret Qualley, and features Antonoff's band, Bleachers. "Kintsugi" and "Fingertips" were described by Del Rey as "super long and wordy", containing her "innermost thoughts". The title of "Paris, Texas" is a reference to the 1984 movie of the same name and samples SYML's "I Wanted to Leave". "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing" samples RIOPY's piano track "Flo". The album closes with "Taco Truck x VB," which features an early demo of her 2018 single "Venice Bitch" from Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). Del Rey described the version of "Venice Bitch" featured on the song as "the grimy, heavy, original and unheard version" of the song.
Artwork
The album artwork was shot by Del Rey's frequent collaborator, Neil Krug, and chosen from 65 different images, including one where the singer appeared nude. Speaking on the decision not to use the nude image, Del Rey said she "wanted to reveal something about myself that I actually thought was beautiful", but later wondered if the decision to appear nude was an artistic expression or would be seen as fulfilling a need to be seen. She ultimately decided against using the photo to "let the songs do the talking for now". The nude image was finally used for a limited vinyl edition.
Release and promotion
Originally slated for a March 10, 2023 release, the album was pushed to March 24 on January 13, 2023, for undisclosed reasons. The album's track listing was revealed on January 13, 2023. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd was issued worldwide on March 24, 2023, in several formats, including vinyl record and cassette tape.
To promote the album, Del Rey made several promotional appearances. The album was announced and made available to preorder on December 7, 2022. Del Rey covered the March 2023 issue of Interview where she was interviewed by Billie Eilish. She was interviewed by Kristin Robinson for a Billboard feature over Del Rey winning the inaugural Visionary Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards. Del Rey embarked on a tour in support of the album, during which she headlined several music festivals, including the MITA, Glastonbury, and Outside Lands festivals.
Singles
Three singles have been released from Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. The album's title track was released with the album's preorder with no prior announcement as the lead single from the album on December 7, 2022. The song peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and received positive reviews from critics. "A&W" was released as the album's second single on February 14, 2023. The song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, and reached number 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. "A&W" generated critical acclaim for its experimental production and lyrics. "The Grants" was released on March 14, 2023, as the third single from the album. "The Grants", was debuted on BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo program, and was subsequently released on streaming platforms. The song peaked at number 35 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In a review for Clash, Robin Murray dubbed the album "an ambitious, at times unsettling record", anchored both in classicism and experimentation", but "never truly succumbs to either." Lucy Harbon of Gigwise called the album Del Rey's magnum opus, and lauded her vocal performance and references to her own past work. Writing for The Guardian, Shaad D'Souza called the album "her quietest, most wilfully inscrutable record" since Honeymoon (2015). Annabel Nugent of The Independent described the album as "sweeping, layered" and "ruminative", pointing out that some of the songs "can be repetitive, but [...] alluring." In a review for NME, Rhian Daly's pointed out that Del Rey "steps into new lyrical territory" in the album, as well as "new sonic worlds", cementing Del Rey as one of modern music's "most intriguing" songwriters. Pitchforks Olivia Horn named the album "Best New Music". The site also called it a "sweeping, sterling, often confounding work of self-mythology and psychoamericana."
In mixed reviews, Paul Attard of Slant called the album "one of Del Rey's most obtuse artistic statements to date." Attard criticized the album's duration, calling it "bloated", but praised moments such as "A&W" and "Paris, Texas". The Line of Best Fit writer, Liam Inscoe-Jones opined that the songs are "easily among her most complicated, emotionally", but criticized its interludes, as well as the songs at the end of the tracklist. Lisa Wright of DIY noted that the album is some of Del Rey's best work, but "doesn't always completely land". Regarding the album as style over substance, Neil McCormick of The Telegraph found the album boring and lacking ambition, criticizing the dull production, repetitive themes, "baggy" lyrics, "dreadful" pace, and "shapeless" songs.
In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "strange and lovable, possessing the aesthetic and structural looseness of an artist who defies genre and form".
Commercial performance
Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd debuted at number one in the UK with 41,925 sales (9,717 CDs, 20,809 vinyl albums, 2,582 cassettes, and 998 digital downloads, as well as 7,819 units from sales-equivalent streams). It became Del Rey's sixth number one album in the UK as well as the fastest-selling album of 2023 in the UK. On April 28 it was certified silver in the UK for selling 60.000 units.
In the United States, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd opened at number three on the Billboard 200 chart with 115,000 album-equivalent units, of which 87,000 were traditional sales, while earning an additional 28,000 units from 36.14 million on-demand streams. It is Del Rey's biggest opening week sales since 2015's Honeymoon, and became her ninth project to debut inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200. On its second week, it dropped to number 10, selling 38,000 units.
Track listing Notes'
indicates an additional producer.
Samples and interpolations
"Sweet" contains an interpolation of "Wait for Life", written by Emile Haynie, Lana Del Rey, and Thomas Bartlett and performed by Del Rey.
"A&W" contains a sample of "Norman Fucking Rockwell", written by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff and performed by Del Rey and an interpolation of "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop", written by Bob Smith and performed by Little Anthony and the Imperials.
"Paris, Texas" contains a sample "I Wanted to Leave", written by Brian Fennell and performed by SYML.
"Grandfather Please Stand on the Shoulders of My Father While He's Deep-Sea Fishing" contains a sample of "Flo", written and performed by Riopy.
"Fishtail" contains a sample of "Wanderlust", written and performed by Aljosha Frederick Konstanty.
"Peppers" contains a sample of "Angelina", written and performed by Tommy Genesis.
"Taco Truck x VB" contains an earlier version of "Venice Bitch", written by Del Rey and Antonoff and performed by Del Rey.
Personnel
Musicians
Lana Del Rey – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 1–4, 12, 13, 15, 16), glockenspiel (4), whistle (8)
Mike Hermosa – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 12, 15), piano (12)
Melodye Perry – background vocals (1, 2)
Pattie Howard – background vocals (1, 2)
Shikena Jones – background vocals (1, 2)
Zach Dawes – bass guitar (1, 12)
Benji Lysaght – electric guitar (1, 12, 15), acoustic guitar (2, 12), sound effects (2), 12-string acoustic guitar (12)
Drew Erickson – piano, string arrangement, synth bass (1–3, 9, 12); Hammond B3, strings (1, 9, 12); synthesizer (1, 12), conductor (2, 3), organ (3); Mellotron, synth pads, Wurlitzer electric piano (9); drums (12)
Jack Antonoff – drums (2, 4, 7, 8, 13–16), programming (2, 4, 5, 7, 13–16), synth bass (2, 4, 10, 11, 14, 16), electric guitar (2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13–16), piano (4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16), Mellotron (4, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16), acoustic guitar (4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15), synth pads (4, 11), 12-string acoustic guitar (4, 13, 14), bells (4, 15), Moog bass (4), bass guitar (7, 13), synthesizer (8, 13–16), vocals (13, 16); background vocals, banjo (13); keyboards (16)
Christine Kim – cello (2, 3)
Jake Braun – cello (2, 3)
Logan Hone – clarinet, saxophone (2)
Jim Keltner – drums (2)
Andrew Bulbrook – violin (2, 3)
Charlie Bisharat – violin (2, 3)
Paul J. Cartwright – violin (2, 3)
Wynton Grant – violin (2, 3)
Sam Dew – background vocals (4)
Judah Smith – vocals (5)
Connor Gallaher – acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel (6)
Ian Doerr – celesta, Mellotron, Rhodes, string arrangement (6)
Felix Havstad Ziska – cello, string arrangement, violin (6)
Brian Long – double bass (6)
Jackson MacIntosh – electric guitar (6)
Nick Waterhouse – electric guitar (6)
Will Worden – electric guitar (6)
Jon Batiste – piano (6, 7), vocals (7)
Brian Fennell – piano (10)
Riopy – piano (11)
Evan Smith – saxophone (11, 13)
Josh Tillman – vocals (12)
Sean Hutchinson – drums (13)
Mikey Freedom Hart – electric guitar, synthesizer (13)
Mike Riddleberger – piano (13)
Zem Audu – saxophones (13)
Chuck Grant – speaker (14)
Gus Seyffert – bass guitar, keyboards (15)
Carla Azar – drums (15)
Phoenix Grant – synthesizer (15)
Tommy Genesis – vocals (15)
Margaret Qualley – speaker (16)
Technical
Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering
Dick Beetham – mastering (11)
Dean Reid – mixing (1, 3, 6, 9, 12), engineering (1–3, 9, 12)
Laura Sisk – mixing, engineering (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13–16)
Jack Antonoff – mixing (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13–16), engineering (4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13–16)
Michael Harris – mixing (3), engineering (2, 3, 9, 12, 15)
Ian Doerr – engineering (6, 7)
Kaleb Rollins – engineering (6, 7)
Brian Fennell – engineering (10)
Oli Jacobs – engineering (11)
Evan Smith – engineering (13)
Mike Riddleberger – engineering (13)
Mikey Freedom Hart – engineering (13)
Sean Hutchinson – engineering (13)
Zem Audu – engineering (13)
Jon Sher – engineering assistance (1–5, 7–16)
Mark Aguilar – engineering assistance (1, 2, 10–16)
Bill Mims – engineering assistance (1, 2, 12)
Ben Fletcher – engineering assistance (2, 3)
Megan Searl – engineering assistance (2, 4, 5, 7–11, 13–16)
Brian Rajaratnam – engineering assistance (2, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15)
Matt Tuggle – engineering assistance (2, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15)
Ivan Handwerk – engineering assistance (2, 3)
Daniel Cayotte – engineering assistance (4)
Rémy Dumelz – engineering assistance (4)
Bobby Mota – engineering assistance (6)
Gregg White – engineering assistance (6)
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
2023 albums
Album chart usages for Hungary
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Interscope Records albums
Lana Del Rey albums
Polydor Records albums
Pop albums by American artists