Released December 20, 2011 Genre Alternative hip hop Label Stranger
Interscope | Format Digital download Length 5:01 | |
Writer(s) Lana Del Rey
Tim Larcombe | ||
"Off to the Races" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. First appearing on her self-titled Interscope debut, the song was re-released on her second studio album, Born to Die (2012). The song was written by Del Rey and Tim Larcombe. Emile Haynie and Patrik Berger paired up for the song's production. It was released in the UK as iTunes Single of the Week on December 20, 2011. In the Netherlands, "Off to the Races" was released as a digital single on January 6, 2012.
Contents
Composition
Del Rey employs a rapping technique, hip-hop beat and heavy basslines, similar to that of "National Anthem" and "Diet Mountain Dew" in the song. Pitchfork Media said the rapping technique was almost "chatting." The song references the novel Lolita, with lyrics such as, "Light of my life, fire of my loins".
Background and performances
"Off to the Races" was released in the UK as iTunes Single of the Week on December 19, 2011. It was then released as a digital single in the Netherlands on January 6, 2012 on the iTunes Store. A video for "Off to the Races" was released through digital channels and was produced solely by Del Rey, similar to her previous hits. The video features Latin American gangsters, femme fatale figures with guns, and a race track. At the Ruby Lounge in Manchester, UK, Del performed the song for the first time, along with "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans". It was the final song of the set. She also performed the song on The Endless Summer Tour.
Critical reception
"Off to the Races" received mixed reviews, having been lyrically described as "a freak show of inappropriate co-dependency", Giving the song a negative review, indie music website Pitchfork said it "...aim[s] for chatty, sparkling opulence," adding that she "doesn't have the personality to bring it off." The Guardian wrote that "Off to the Races' turns Del Rey from vintage siren to R&B hoochie most convincingly. There's jazz in Del Rey's dextrous vocal, and new territory in the swoop and pow of Haynie's undertow." Comparing the song to "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans", The Huffington Post blogged that the song was "...pretty good...and it sounds just as catchy..." Of the song's music video, reviewer Robbie Daw commented: "...it seems the video’s producer was off to find the cheesiest footage of old shoot-'em-up '80s B-movies for this clip."
Track listing
- "Off to the Races" – 5:01