Lana Del Rey is gearing up to release Norman Fucking Rockwell, her upcoming fifth record, and if the singles we’ve heard so far are any indication, it’s gonna be an absolute corker. First came the dreamy “Mariners Apartment Complex,” followed by the 10-minute epic “Venice Bitch” (which we called the fifth best single of 2018.) Now, we’ve been given [deep intake of breath] “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it,” a sparse new Jack Antonoff-produced ballad from NFR. While the song’s incredibly long title might gesture towards another lengthy track like “Venice Bitch,” “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it” is actually a mere five minutes.
“hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it” is beautiful, pained and ostentatious in a way that only Lana can really pull off—it includes the line “I’ve been tearing up town in my fucking white gown like a goddamn-near sociopath”—and it’s a fine addition to Lana’s collection of great NFR tracks. Interestingly, there’s also a line—”Got this black narcissist off my back/ She couldn’t care less and I never cared more/ So there’s no more to say about that”—that appears to fire shots at Azealia Banks, who Lana recently feuded with. There’s probably not enough there to be conclusive, but… yikes! Listen below.
