Off To The Races

Album: Born To Die (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This piece of pulp fiction finds a hell-raising Lana singing of her love for her bad boy boyfriend. "He doesn't mind I have a Las Vegas past. He doesn't mind I have a LA crass way about me/He loves me with every beat of his cocaine heart," she sings. The relationship between the Bonnie & Clyde couple however, is doomed.
  • Lana namechecks LA's legendary Chateau Marmount Hotel on this song: "Likes to watch me in the glass room, bathroom/Chateau Marmont/Slipping on my red dress, putting on my make up." Built in 1927, The Chateau Marmont is located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood and has served as the backdrop for a number of events in the lives of well-known rock stars and actors - John Belushi, for instance, died of a drug overdose in one of its garden bungalows. Footage of the hotel can be seen in the music video for Lana's debut single, "Video Games."
  • This quotes the opening lines of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel Lolita: "Light of my life, fire in my loins." The controversial book is about a middle-aged literature professor's obsession with his underage stepdaughter, whom he nicknames "Lolita" and describes her as a "nymphet." Lana, who once described her style as "Lolita got lost in the 'hood," envisions herself in a similar scenario as a provocative young woman trapped in a toxic romance with an older man.

Comments: 3

  • Maddie from MississippiMy best friend got me into this wonderful song, thanks!
  • Rich from Portsmouth, NhWhenever we would be pulling out of the driveway (W. Burke Vt), my grand dad would exclaim "off to the races!"
  • Sarah from Yuba City, Cai love all the Lolita references..."Light of my life, fire of my loins" are seriously the first words of the first chapter. i really like how she tells the story in the song. this is probably my favourite song from her album. Well, this is the best of the more upbeat, playful ones... i think "Video Games" is the best of the slower songs on Born to Die. :)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Janet Jackson

Janet JacksonFact or Fiction

Was Janet secretly married at 18? Did she gain 60 pounds for a movie role that went to Mariah Carey? See what you know about Ms. Jackson.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.