High By The Beach

Album: Honeymoon (2015)
Charted: 60 51
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This sun-drenched torch song with a trap beat finds Del Rey dissing her bad boy lover and determining to dump him. The only way she can get away from her disastrous beau is to get high by the beach.
  • Del Rey told Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe the story of the song. "It started with the chorus," she said. "I was driving by the beach a lot. This was probably one of the last ones on the record. Even with the harmonies, it almost sounded monotone. But with the beat, it has this trap influence."
  • We hear Del Rey lashing out in anger, telling her lover:

    Don't need your money, money to get me what I want
    Lights, camera, action
    I'll do it on my own


    The "lights, camera, action" line was previously used by the singer on "Put Me in a Movie," a track from her 2010 album, Lana Del Ray.
  • The song's music video gives us an alternative interpretation of the lyrics as we see Del Rey being stalked by a helicopter carrying a photographer at a beachside house. The singer pulls out a guitar case from beneath a pile of rocks, opens the case and removes a large firearm from it, which she uses to shoot down the helicopter. Based on the clip, it seems the target of Del Ray's ire is the way the media portrays her rather than the singer's bad boy lover.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.