A&W (song)

Del Rey addresses the "experience of being an American whore". The singer tells a story of a woman who has been relegated to "sidepiece" meeting a man at a hotel for sex. But she also touches on themes of loss of innocence, rape culture, and drug use. She makes cultural references to Forensic Files and Teenage Diary of a Girl.

"A&W" was written and produced by Del Rey alongside Jack Antonoff.[2] Described as a folk, trap, and pop ballad,[3][4] the song is composed of two halves. The first half is folk-oriented, prominently featuring acoustic guitar. The second half ("Jimmy") is trap-oriented, which Rolling Stone noted for "harkening back to some of her early hip-hop-inspired productions". The second melody takes on a more experimental beat for Del Rey.[5] The song contains a reference to Down Down Baby, a nursery rhyme that has been used in various songs and media productions since the mid 20th century,[6] including the 1959 R&B song "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop" by Little Anthony and the Imperials.[7][8] It drew further comparisons to the "Lizzy Grant era" of Del Rey's career (which describes unreleased songs, demos, and early recordings with a signature girl-ish, youthful timbre).[9][10]

On March 28, 2023, four days after the release of the song's parent album, a demo recorded during Del Rey's Ultraviolence sessions titled "Earthquakes" leaked online. The song features the same interpolated lyrics as "A&W," and is considered a possible precursor to the song.[11]

The song was released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2023, as the album's second single.[12][13] In an Instagram post announcing the album's title and release date, Antonoff teased the track, calling it his "favorite we've ever done."[14]

The song received acclaim from critics for its experimental production. Shaad D'Souza of Pitchfork named the song "Best New Track", lauding it as a "psychedelic, collagist freakout".[3] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone called it "classic Lana in every way imaginable", intertwining themes of "bad love" with "Americana symbolism.[15] Ken Partridge of Genius described the song as a "complex character study", noting the lyrical references to other media, and the verse critiquing rape culture.[16] Tomasz Lesniara of Paste ranked "A&W" as Del Rey's greatest song of all-time and highlighted the lyrics to be her one of her best works.[17]

"A&W" debuted at number 129 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.[18] In the United Kingdom, "A&W" peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles chart.[19] In Canada, it debuted at number 84 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.[20] In the United States, it debuted at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart,[21] and did not enter the Hot 100. "A&W" peaked at number 10 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.[22]

• Lana Del Rey – songwriting, production, vocals, background vocals, glockenspiel
• Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, mixing, recording, 12-string acoustic guitar, acoustic guitar, bells, drums, Mellotron, Moog bass, piano, synth bass, synth pads
• Sam Dew – songwriting, background vocals
• Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering
• Laura Sisk – mixing, recording
• Daniel Cayotte – engineering assistance
• Jon Sher – engineering assistance
• Megan Searl – engineering assistance
• Rémy Dumelz – engineering assistance

• Maddala, Vivek (April 10, 2023). "A Composer Breaks Down The Music Theory Behind Lana Del Rey's "A&W"". Stereogum.