Dealer

Album: Blue Banisters (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Lana Del Rey slamming her worthless lover. He takes her money and does nothing in return, making Del Rey regret the relationship.
  • Del Rey sings only the song's chorus. Miles Kane of The Last Shadow Puppets croons the two verses from a different perspective, addressing someone who is trying to contact him. He has disassociated from society and warns this person it's a waste of time talking to his family or associates. His father has been absent from his life for years, and neither his weed dealer nor doctor will pick up the phone.
  • Del Rey originally recorded the song in 2019 for a collaborative album with The Last Shadow Puppets. When they scrapped the project, she considered the track for inclusion on Chemtrails Over the Country Club. It didn't make it onto that album, but eventually landed on her Blue Banisters set.

    Other tracks from Del Rey's aborted project with The Last Shadow Puppets include Norman F---ing Rockwell's "California" and Blue Banisters' "Thunder."
  • During the chorus, Del Rey breaks into a wild wail, screaming with anguish: "I don't want to liiiivvveeeeeeEEEEE." Speaking in an interview with Jack Antonoff for the September 2020 issue of Interview Magazine, the singer discussed her tormented vocal: "I'm just screaming my head off. People don't know what it sounds like when I yell. And I do yell."
  • Del Rey wrote the song with:

    Miles Kane and Zach Dawes of Last Shadow Puppets

    Kane's collaborators Tyler Parkford, and Loren Humphrey. They co-penned three songs on Kane's solo Coup de Grace album, including the title track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.