National Anthem (Lana Del Rey song)

Composition

In the chorus, Del Rey sings, "Tell me I’m your national anthem/ Red! White! Blue in the sky! Summer's in the air, baby heaven's in your eyes" At the close of the recording is a multi-layered narrative treatment. The introduction features the classic rendition "Happy Birthday Mr. President" as performed by Marilyn Monroe. Unlike the other songs on Born to Die, Del Rey employs an alternative rapping technique, hip hop beat and heavy basslines, similar to that of "Off to the Races" and "Diet Mountain Dew". Pitchfork Media said the rapping technique was almost "chatting".

Critical reception

Vocally, NME observed that Del Rey sings like a "perfect mannequin" on "National Anthem", criticizing the track for baldly revisiting the beat-driven chorus of "Born to Die". Further, NME praised certain elements of the track, saying: "As she sings of a relationship of a well-heeled man and a blank canvas woman, she invokes not only the dreamland of the monied classes (The Hamptons) and their could-be motto 'Money is the anthem of success' but also invokes the spectre of Vietnam with a reference to 'The Queen Of Saigon'." Digital Spy called the running theme of Born to Die, "demonic Stepford moll", which "National Anthem" fit into. The track was praised for having a: "laconic, anaesthetised vocal that conjures up images of her swigging from a bottle of Hendricks. There's a deep sadness underneath the sweeping string section and gangster hip-hop beats, but it's the chorus's fleeting glimpse of euphoria that'll keep you coming back."

Music video

The music video for "National Anthem" was directed by Anthony Mandler in May 2012. It premiered on June 27, 2012. Mandler stated the concept was Del Rey's and that she was "really interested in exploring this loss of innocence, this idea that what you think you're experiencing is maybe not what it's always going to be. Because when you say 'Kennedy,' that immediately evokes something, just like when I say 'It's a Romeo and Juliet story.' So I think using that power, that pedigree of the story is a really fascinating place to show the loss of something, the breakdown of something."

It begins with Del Rey as Marilyn Monroe in a re-enactment of Monroe's 1962 performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President". The rest of the video depicts Del Rey as Jacqueline Kennedy and ASAP Rocky as John F. Kennedy in re-enactments of home videos. The video ends with a re-enactment of the infamous Zapruder film showing Kennedy's assassination and Del Rey reading a monologue as Onassis concerning her and Kennedy's relationship.

Mandler described the video as being seen "through [Onassis'] eyes, seeing this kind of castle crumble in the moment, and that shot where she's coming up out of the car, and the pain in her eyes, that destruction, it's like the whole castle is crumbling around her." Del Rey cited the video as "definitely the most beautiful thing" she's ever done. Del Rey wrote the treatment for herself and ASAP Rocky saying "he'd be really perfect to star in it."

In January 2015, Billboard named the video as one of the 20 best music videos of the 2010s (so far).

Track listing

1. "National Anthem" – 3:50
2. "National Anthem" (Fred Falke Remix Edit) – 3:46
3. "National Anthem" (Tensnake Remix) – 3:43
4. "National Anthem" (Afterlife Remix) – 3:48

1. "National Anthem" – 3:50
2. "National Anthem" (Breton Labs Remix) – 5:23

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Born to Die liner notes.