Video Games (song)

Music and lyrics

"Video Games" is four minutes and 42 seconds long (4:42). The song was written and composed by Elizabeth Grant (Lana Del Rey) and Justin Parker in the key of F♯ minor. Set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 123 beats per minute, Del Rey's vocal range spans from E₃ to A₄. Lindsey Johnstone of The Scotsman described the song as an "ode to being ignored and the exquisite pain of clutching at an illusion of happiness". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised how Del Rey's vocal performance, against ballooning orchestration and pizzicato strings, overlapped the subdued theme of an aloof, beer-drinking boyfriend figure. Del Rey described her music and day-to-day style as "gangsta Nancy Sinatra", with contemporary critics noting the song as a doom-filled ballad that unapologetically displays vulnerability.

Prominent lyrics in the song include, "I heard you like the bad girls, honey, is that true?"; "Heaven is a place on earth with you/ Tell me all the things you want to do"; and "open up a beer... and play a video game?" In an interview for British online magazine The Quietus, Del Rey stated that the inspiration for the song came from her ex-boyfriend, commenting, "I think we came together because we were both outsiders. It was perfect. But I think with that contentment also comes sadness. There was something heavenly about that life – we'd go to work and he'd play his video games – but also it was maybe too regular." The singer also stated that she used lower vocals for "Video Games" because she felt that the public did not see her as a serious artist. Thematically, the lyrics have been labeled as antifeminist. Of the musical composition, MTV lauded the cinematic atmosphere of the song, adoring its feathery violins, echoing electronic thumps, and melancholic crescendos — wound into a dramatic exhibition.

Critical response

Following the release of the single, Ian Cohen dubbed the song "Best New Music" on Pitchfork Media commenting, "on her stirring debut single, New York singer-songwriter Lizzy Grant transforms into the more bombastically named Lana Del Rey and absolutely wallows in it." Digital Spy writer Robert Copsey noted Del Rey "combines a near-identical [Nancy Sinatra] vocal with her own fascination for the tragically glamorous — or 'Hollywood sadcore' as she succinctly labels it." Lewis Corner, also of Digital Spy, said, "New York-born, London-based Lana Del Rey is currently working on her debut album, but if this newly released preview track/video is anything to go by, it's going to be avant-garde pop at its very best." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian considered "Video Games" the best song of 2011 and added, "it's tempting to say with a song that good it doesn't matter who sings it, but that's not strictly true. As pop divas who collaborate with Eg White go, Lana Del Rey sounds hugely understated."

In a poll performed by NME, readers ranked it as the tenth best song of the year. Maura Johnston of The Village Voice, however, called the song and the accompanying music video overproduced, while New York magazine contributor Amanda Dobbis commented that "it's hard to totally separate Del Rey's looks from the criticism that's been bubbling around her." In responses to this controversy, Paste's Luke Larson said, "when 'Video Games' first hit the web, people weren’t freaking out about Lana Del Rey or fake lips or Lizzy Grant. People were freaking out because they had stumbled upon a fresh voice and a beautifully written song and ultimately, does the rest really matter?" Krystina Nellis of Drowned in Sound said the single reminded her of something from a David Lynch movie.

Additional, Drowned in Sound wrote of "Video Games":

Above all the noise of the internet, ‘Video Games’ still works and is magical; I still have to listen on quiet because whenever I do I become convinced something absolutely terrible is about to crash through the window; it might as well be sung by Laura Palmer and be about the Bobs at the end of your bed. Either way, it is a brilliant, beautifully-executed pop song, a proper shivery, proper classic.

The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "Video Games" at number seven to find the best music of 2011, tied with Britney Spears's "Till the World Ends". The British magazine NME named "Video Games" the best single of 2011.

Commercial performance

"Video Games" attained commercial success across Europe, reaching number one in Germany and top-ten positions in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song was also voted number six in Triple J's Hottest 100 songs of 2011.

Music video

The music video for "Video Games" was directed and edited by Del Rey. It features video clips of skateboarders, cartoons and shots from old movies, as well as paparazzi footage of Paz de la Huerta falling down while intoxicated. These are interspersed between shots of Del Rey singing, which she filmed herself using a webcam. When asked if she would change anything about the video's production, Del Rey stated, "Had I known so many people were going to watch the video, I'd have put some more effort into it. I would have got my hair and make-up done and tried not to be so pouty, seeing as everyone talks about my face all the time. And I'd have put more of a storyline into it." The singer also revealed that she was "trying to look smart and well turned-out, rather than 'sexy' [in the music video]. Of course I wanted to look good, but 'smart' was the primary focus."

New York magazine contributor Amanda Dobbins noted the music video "predictably [...] garnered some attention" from the public. Rya Backer of MTV questioned Del Rey's originality, saying, "it's hard to know what to make of Lana Del Rey at first glance. Is she as Jools Holland once dubbed her an 'Internet phenomenon' worth no more than a few salacious blog posts? Or is she a legitimate chanteuse wrapped in the hyper feminine, yet innately American (and admittedly well-curated) image she's projected in videos for such tracks as 'Video Games' and 'Blue Jeans'?" Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen commented that the music video "fits between surrendering to romance and depression, moving with the elegant wastefulness of the kind of day drunk that's a true privilege of the beautiful, idle class."

Directed by Ben Coughlan, Del Rey filmed a second video for the song, titled "Video Games (Live At The Premises)". Uploaded to her official VEVO account on October 18, 2011, the song features Del Rey in jean shorts and a white T-shirt, singing into a microphone barefoot, while accompanied by a pianist. The Huffington Post wrote that the video was "loaded", indicating that the title was a contradiction and not, in fact, a live performance whatsoever. Additionally, they wrote: "we understand the takedowns of her hype (there is a lot of hype), but that doesn't change the fact that "Video Games"—the tune Lana's singing live this time—is one helluva song." Aside from criticizing her pillowy lips and long fingernails, The Guardian applauded Del Rey for amping up on the coquettish glances and hushed vocals as she devastatingly delivers the line, "I heard that you like the bad girls, honey, is that true?"

Live performances and usage in other media

"Video Games" was performed by Del Rey in a number of live appearances, including for MTV Push, and at the Bowery Ballroom, where, according to Eliot Glazer of New York, "the polarizing indie hipstress brought her 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra' swag". Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone commented that, despite Del Rey being nervous and anxious while performing the song live, the singer "sang with considerable confidence, though her transitions from husky, come-hither sexuality to bratty, girlish petulance could be rather jarring". Del Rey also performed the song on Dutch television program De Wereld Draait Door, on British music television show Later... with Jools Holland, and in an intimate show at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California. On January 14, 2012, Del Rey performed the song on Saturday Night Live (along with "Blue Jeans"). Her performance soon came under scrutiny and was even criticized by NBC anchor Brian Williams. Williams referred to the performance as "one of the worst outings in SNL history". Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who hosted the show the night Del Rey performed, quickly came to her defense, stating that criticism toward her was less about the performance and more about "her past and her family". Del Rey performed ″Video Games″ live at ECHO Awards in Berlin, March 22, 2012.

"Video Games" has been covered by several artists, including Boy George, TYP, John Mayer (on guitar), Bristeil (in the Belarusian language), Ben Howard, Maverick Sabre, Tyler Hilton, Amanda Palmer, Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus, Patrick Wolf, Tom Odell and English rock bands Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian. The song was featured in the Ringer "If You Ever Want a French Lesson..." episode from its first season. It was also featured in the sixth episode of the fifth season of Gossip Girl. A remix of the song was featured in "The Dead Don't Stay Dead," an episode of 666 Park Avenue. On February 25, 2012, Masha covered "Video Games" on her popular YouTube channel.