Brooklyn Baby

"Brooklyn Baby" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her third studio album Ultraviolence (2014). It was written by Del Rey, and Barrie O'Neill, while production was handled by Dan Auerbach.^[2] The song was released on June 8, 2014, by Polydor Records and Interscope Records.^[3] The song's lyrical content is notable for its satirical elements targeting the New York hipster subculture:^[3] its chorus highlights "a stable of cliches about hipsters, Brooklyn, millennials and other things Del Rey herself is known to idolize".^[4]

"Brooklyn Baby"
Single by Lana Del Rey
from the album Ultraviolence
Released	June 8, 2014 (2014-06-08)
Studio	Easy Eye Sound (Nashville)
Genre	Dream pop[1]
Length	5:52
Label	Polydor Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Lana Del Rey Barrie O'Neill
Producer(s)	Dan Auerbach
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
"Ultraviolence" (2014) "Brooklyn Baby" (2014) "Wait for Life" (2015)
Licensed audio
"Brooklyn Baby" on YouTube

Composition

Miriam Coleman of Rolling Stone described Del Rey's vocals as "breathy" and called the melody of the song "reminiscent of 1960s girl-group hits".^[3] In the song, Del Rey pokes fun at New York City and celebrates hipster subculture, referencing several cliches about them, Brooklyn, and Millennials.^[5] Del Rey said that she wrote the song with Lou Reed in mind. She was supposed to work with him and flew to New York City to meet him, but he died the day she arrived.^[6] He is referenced in the line "And my boyfriend's in a band/ He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed".^[7]

Critical response

The song received widespread critical acclaim. Miriam Coleman of Rolling Stone described it as a "dreamy song... with a breathy vocals and a melody before moving into Del Rey's typically languid, dreamy soundscape". Duncan Cooper of The Fader stated that "Brooklyn Baby" is the standout track of Ultraviolence, pointing out the "uncharacteristically self-assured gem", "Yeah, my boyfriend's pretty cool/ But he's not as cool as me."^[8] Sharan Shetty of Slate complimented the melody of the song, however disliked the lack of "big, chewy vocal hooks".^[9] The song was placed at number twenty two on Rolling Stone's 50 Best Songs of 2014 list.^[10]

Track listing

Digital download^[11]

1. "Brooklyn Baby" – 5:52

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ultraviolence.^[12]

Performance credits

• Lana Del Rey – vocals, background vocals
• Seth Kauffman – background vocals

Instruments

• Dan Auerbach – electric guitar
• Seth Kauffman – electric guitar, percussion
• Leon Michels – mellotron, tambourine, percussion, tenor saxophone
• Nick Movshon – upright bass, drums
• Russ Pahl – pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar
• Kenny Vaughan – acoustic guitar
• Maximilian Weissenfeldt – drums

Technical and production

• Dan Auerbach – production
• John Davis – mastering
• Collin Dupuis – engineering
• Robert Orton – mixing

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[13]	35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14]	64
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15]	32
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16]	60
CIS (TopHit)[17]	341
Finland Download (Latauslista)[18]	6
France (SNEP)[19]	33
Italy (FIMI)[20]	50
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21]	87
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22]	19
Russian Digital Songs (Lenta)	10
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23]	36
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24]	16
UK Singles (OCC)[25]	86
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[26]	1

Certifications

Certifications for "Brooklyn Baby"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27]	Platinum	70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28]	2× Platinum	120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[30]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Worldwide[11]	June 8, 2014	Digital download	Interscope Polydor

References

1. Carter, Caitlin (June 10, 2014). "Lana Del Rey Releases New 'Ultraviolence' Single 'Brooklyn Baby' [LISTEN]". Music Times. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
2. "iTunes — Music — Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey". Itunes.apple.com. January 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
3. Coleman, Miriam (June 8, 2014). "Lana Del Rey Pokes Fun at New York Hipsters in 'Brooklyn Baby'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 12, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
4. Jacobs, Matthew (June 9, 2014). "Lana Del Rey's 'Brooklyn Baby' Is An Ode To Hipsters". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
5. Jacobs, Matthe (June 9, 2014). "Lana Del Rey's 'Brooklyn Baby' Is An Ode To Hipsters". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
6. Jonze, Tim (June 12, 2014). "Lana Del Rey: 'I wish I was dead already'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
7. Ehrlich, Brenna (June 8, 2014). "Lana Del Rey Drops 'Brooklyn Baby' For All Of Us Hipsters". MTV. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
8. Cooper, Duncan (June 4, 2014). "Cover Story: Lana Del Rey Is Anyone She Wants to Be". The Fader. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
9. Shetty, Sharan (June 8, 2014). "Lana Del Rey's Latest Song, "Brooklyn Baby," Is a Lovely Ballad". Slate. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
10. "50 Best Songs of 2014". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
11. "Brooklyn Baby – Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
12. Ultraviolence (booklet). Lana Del Rey. London, England; Santa Monica, California: Polydor Records, Interscope Records. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
14. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
15. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
16. "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
17. Lana Del Rey — Brooklyn Baby. TopHit. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
18. "Lana Del Rey: Brooklyn Baby" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
19. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
20. "Top Digital – WK 23 (dal 2014-06-02 al 2014-06-08)". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
21. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
22. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
23. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" Canciones Top 50.
24. "Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
26. "Lana Del Rey – Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
28. "Brazilian single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
29. "British single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
30. "American single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

External links

• "Brooklyn Baby" lyrics at AllMusic