Body Electric (song)

"Body Electric" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. It appears on her third extended play, Paradise. Upon the release of the EP, the song charted in the regional charts of France and the United Kingdom while also charting on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart in the US.

"Body Electric"
Song by Lana Del Rey
from the EP Paradise and Tropico
ReleasedNovember 9, 2012
Recorded2012
GenreBaroque pop
Length3:53
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Nowels
  • Dan Heath

Writing and composition

The song was written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, who also produced the song with Dan Heath. The song was recorded in 2012.[1] Lyrically, the song speaks of a lost love, with Del Rey recounting her memories of him while directly referencing the Walt Whitman poem, "I Sing the Body Electric".

Usage in media

Alongside Paradise, Del Rey launched a short film titled Tropico that features the songs "Body Electric", "Gods and Monsters", and "Bel Air".[2][3] "Tropico" was filmed in late June 2013; it was directed by Anthony Mandler,[3] who also directed Del Rey's previous music videos for "National Anthem" and "Ride". Via social media platforms, Del Rey released several promotional images for the film, one depicting Del Rey in a wimple reminiscent of Mary, Mother of Jesus and another with Del Rey holding a snake and posing as Eve, the biblical wife of Adam from Genesis.[2][3] In August 2013, Del announced on Twitter that the film would have two premieres: One at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles and one in an unspecified location in New York; she referred to the short film as a "farewell".[2][3][4] Critics noted that this contradicted other claims by Del Rey that she would release a third studio album, with a demo of the song "Black Beauty" leaking online.[2][3] It was later cleared that Del Rey meant a farewell to the Born to Die era before moving on to the follow-up, "Ultraviolence". On November 22, 2013, an official trailer for "Tropico" was released; at the end of the trailer, it was announced that the film will be uploaded to Del Rey's official VEVO account on December 5, 2013.[5] On December 3, 2013, Del Rey announced on Facebook that "Tropico" will be screened at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California on December 4, 2013 prior to its VEVO release.[6]

Critical reception

Since its release, the song has received generally positive reviews from critics. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said the songs was one of the standouts from Paradise, further adding that "[the song] sees [Del Rey] revisiting her Marilyn Monroe persona with more believable results than previous attempts."[7] John Bush of AllMusic was critical of the Ep as a whole, panning the songwriting. He singled out the lyrics of "Body Electric" ("Elvis is my daddy/ Marilyn's my mother/ Jesus is my bestest friend/ We get crazy every Friday night/ drop it like it's hot in the pale moonlight") as being "cliche" and "babyish", a trend pervading the entire album.[8]

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak
position
scope="row"France (SNEP)[9] 103
UK (Official Charts Company)[10] 160
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[11] 32
gollark: With heavy ARing it might even have been possible to make it die before it could be abandoned.
gollark: TJeggs?
gollark: I think someone got an egg (Death Egg) on some popular chinese sites, and bombarded it with stupid amounts of views.
gollark: 🎟 ⬆ ⛳ 🐪 🚯 🐣 🌦 🌤 🌵
gollark: "4 Golds"

References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/song/body-electric-mt0046023915
  2. "Lana Del Rey, as the Virgin Mother, Hints 'Tropico' Film Will Send Her Career to Heaven". Spin. Spin Media. August 19, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  3. "Lana Del Rey confuses fans by tweeting about 'the farewell project'". NME. August 18, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  4. Del Rey, Lana. "TROPICO". Lana Del Rey. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  5. Video on YouTube
  6. https://www.facebook.com/lanadelrey/posts/660269120682208
  7. https://www.digitalspy.com/music/album-reviews/a437881/lana-del-rey-paradise-ep-review/
  8. Bush, John. Body Electric at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  9. "Lescharts.com – Lana Del Rey – Body Electric" (in French). Les classement single.
  10. "Zobbel.de: CLUK Update 24.11.2012 (wk46)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  11. "Lana Del Rey - Chart History - Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
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