Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass is the debut book by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. A poetry collection featuring over thirty original poems and photography,[2] including "13 longer poems" and several short pieces, the collection will be Del Rey's first published work and will be released by Simon & Schuster on September 29, 2020.[1]

Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass
AuthorLana Del Rey
LanguageEnglish
Release number
1
GenrePoetry
Published2020
PublisherSimon and Schuster
Publication date
September 29, 2020[1]

In December 2019, Del Rey announced that she would be releasing a spoken word album to accompany the book, also featuring music by Jack Antonoff, which was set to be released in January 2020. Following a delay due to personal problems, the album was set to be released in February through Interscope/Polydor. The final release date for the book was announced on July 9, with the audio book being released on July 28, 2020 and the hardcover book to follow on September 29, 2020.[3] Half of the proceeds from the book will go to benefit the Navajo Water Project.[4]

Background and development

Since her musical beginnings, Del Rey has expressed how she has been inspired by poetry, with Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg being instrumental to her songwriting.[5][6] Del Rey has written several poems which she has used as spoken monologues in her films and music videos, the most notable being the lengthier, melancholic pieces featured in the films Ride (2012) and Tropico (2013), in the latter of which she also recited poems from Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

In 2018, Del Rey announced her intentions to release a book of poetry.[7] She explained how following some writer's block while beginning work on Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) in 2017,[8] she had begun writing poetry.[9] Shortly afterwards, Del Rey revealed she would be binding the book herself and be selling copies for as little as a dollar.[10] When asked why the book would be so inexpensive, Del Rey replied "because my thoughts are priceless."[11][12]

During her promotional cycle of Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Del Rey described the book as consisting of "thirteen long poems",[13] though she has teased shorter pieces on social media since, including "Never to Heaven",[14] "Happy", and "Quiet Waiter-Blue Forever," among other pieces.

Confirmed poems
  • "Never to Heaven"[15]
  • "All You Have to Do is Change Everything..." (stylized in title case)[16]
  • "It Comes In Waves" (stylized in title case)[16]
  • "The Land of 1,000 Fires"[16]
  • "Quiet Waiter-Blue Forever"[17]
  • "Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving" (stylized in title case)[18]
  • "Happy" (stylized in title case)[19]
  • "LA Who Am I to Love You?"
  • "Tessa DiPietro"
  • "Paradise Is Very Fragile"
  • "Bare Feet on Linoleum"

Audiobook

In addition to the physical book, Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass was released as an audiobook on July 28, 2020 through Interscope and Polydor, with the single "LA Who Am I to Love You" available on streaming.[1] The poems are accompanied with music by Jack Antonoff, a frequent collaborator of Del Rey's and the producer of her 2019 album Norman Fucking Rockwell.[20]

Following the announcement of the book, Del Rey stated her intentions to release a spoken word album. Del Rey said in an Instagram livestream that the album would also be $1 in price and that 50 percent of proceeds would benefit charities supporting Native American land constancy and protecting indigenous rights in the United States, with the charities rotating every couple of years following the release of the record.[21][22]

Track listing
Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass track listing[23][24]
No.TitleLength
1."LA Who Am I to Love You"5:20
2."The Land of 1,000 Fires"4:04
3."Violets Bent Backwards Over the Grass"1:04
4."Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving"1:54
5."Salamander"1:54
6."Never to Heaven"2:05
7."Sport Cruiser"6:53
8."Tessa DiPietro"2:00
9."Quiet Waiter - Blue Forever"1:28
10."What Happened When I Left You?"1:18
11."Happy"2:22
12."My Bedroom Is a Sacred Place Now – There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed"2:00
13."Paradise Is Very Fragile"3:36
14."Bare Feet on Linoleum"2:52
Total length:38:50

References
  1. D'Souza, Shaad (July 8, 2020). "Lana Del Rey's "eclectic and honest" new album is out this month". The Fader. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  2. "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass". Lanadelrey.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass". Lanadelrey.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  4. "@lanadelrey". Instagram. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  5. "Lana Del Rey hates personal critics". STV. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  6. Moore, Alex. "Here's Lana Del Rey's new Walt Whitman-referencing track, 'The Body Electric'". Death and Taxes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  7. Hood, Bryan (January 2, 2019). "Lana Del Rey is a poet now".
  8. Kaplan, Ilana; Kaplan, Ilana (March 24, 2019). "See Lana Del Rey Perform 'Mariners Apartment Complex' for First Time".
  9. "Lana Del Rey's new album 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' – everything we know so far". August 22, 2019.
  10. "Lana Del Rey is set to sell her new poetry book for $1". DIY.
  11. "Lana Del Rey says her new album is coming "in two months"". The FADER.
  12. "Lana Del Rey says she'll sell her new book of poetry for $1". The FADER.
  13. "Lana Del Rey's First Book of Poetry Is Forthcoming, and Expectations Are Mixed". June 19, 2019.
  14. "Lana Del Rey Releases New Poem". PAPER. April 12, 2019.
  15. https://www.papermag.com/lana-del-rey-poem-2634482035.html
  16. "Lana Del Rey teases poetry book with intriguing social media posts". NME.COM. April 24, 2019.
  17. https://www.instagram.com/p/BupT-ukjffF/?hl=en
  18. "Lana Del Rey on Instagram: "Past the bushes Cypress thriving"". Instagram.
  19. "Lana Del Rey on Instagram: "a poem from my book...."". Instagram.
  20. "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass". Lanadelrey.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  21. "Lana Del Rey Announces New Spoken Word Album In 2020". December 26, 2019.
  22. Times, Christi Carras Los Angeles. "Music | Lana Del Rey makes spoken-word album as 'reparation' to Native Americans". The Columbus Dispatch.
  23. https://store.universalmusic.com/lanadelrey/*/Music/Violet-Bent-Backwards-Over-The-Grass-Picture-Disc/6L490UDT000
  24. https://www.saturn.de/de/product/_lana-del-rey-violet-bent-backwards-over-the-gras-b%C3%BCcher-cd-2667681.html
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