"Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey from the 2023 studio album of the same name, her ninth album. It was released as the lead single from the album on December 7, 2022.[1][2] Del Rey wrote the song with Mike Hermosa and both produced it with Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, and Zach Dawes.
| "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lana Del Rey | ||||
| from the album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd | ||||
| Released | December 7, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Lana Del Rey singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Licensed audio | ||||
| "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" on YouTube | ||||
Background and release
editThe song was written by Del Rey and Mike Hermosa, with whom she also co-produced it, alongside Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, and Zach Dawes. The track is a slow dreamy ballad[3] described as baroque orchestral pop.[4]
In an interview with Billie Eilish for Interview, Del Rey revealed that "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" was the first song written for its parent album of the same name. She also shared that the song and title were inspired by a sealed tunnel under the Jergins Trust Building in Long Beach, California, and a 1974 track by Harry Nilsson titled "Don't Forget Me". She had read that "the [tunnel's beautiful] mosaic ceilings were still perfectly preserved, but no one could get in", and was compelled to write a song inspired by Nilsson's track using her own metaphors.[5]
There is no known connection to the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard at Sea Mist Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, built in the 1980s but no longer used as of 2022.[6]
Impact
editThe Jergins Tunnel that was referenced in the song received renewed interest after the song was released.[7] In November of 2023, it was announced that the Jergins Tunnel will reopen as a speakeasy that will be part of a new Hard Rock Hotel. The project will be completed in 2027, one year prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics.[8]
Critical reception
editSam Sodomsky of Pitchfork described the song as a "slow, dreamy ballad filled" with "incidental moments" and found the tunnel in the title to be "less a geographic focal point than a window into the potential she sees in the most familiar scenes and well-traveled routes".[3]
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from Tidal.[9]
- Lana Del Rey – vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer
- Mike Hermosa – producer, songwriter, acoustic guitar
- Jack Antonoff – producer, drums, electric guitar, synth bassist, programmer, mixer
- Drew Erickson – producer, conductor, string arranger, piano, synth bass
- Zach Dawes – producer
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Benji Lysaght – acoustic guitar, sound effects
- Christine Kim – cello
- Jake Braun – cello
- Logan Hone – clarinet
- Charlie Bisharat – violin
- Andrew Bulbrook – violin
- Wynton Grant – violin
- Paul J. Cartwright – violin
- Vonciele Faggett – background vocals
- Melodye Perry – background vocals
- Shikena Jones – background vocals
- Laura Sisk – engineer, mixer
- Michael Harris – engineer
- Dean Reid – engineer
- Bill Mims – assistant recording engineer
- Jon Sher – assistant recording engineer
- Mark Aguilar – assistant recording engineer
- Ben Fletcher – assistant recording engineer
- Matt Tuggle – assistant recording engineer
- Ruairi O'Flaherty – assistant recording engineer
- Brian Rajaratnam – assistant recording engineer
- Ivan Handwerk – assistant recording engineer
- Megan Searl – assistant recording engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greece International (IFPI)[10] | 41 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11] | 87 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[12] | 94 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13] | 19 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 98 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] | 23 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[16] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Jones, Damian (December 7, 2022). "Lana Del Rey announces new album and single 'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd'". NME. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ Martoccio, Angie; Mier, Tomás (December 7, 2022). "Lana Del Rey Asks on New Album, 'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Sodomsky, Sam (December 7, 2022). "Lana Del Rey: "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ Griffiths, George (December 8, 2022). "Lana Del Rey's ninth album Did You Know There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd will be released early next year". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ Lent, Caitlin (February 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish Fall in Love". Interview Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Williamson, Caroline (December 19, 2022). "Fact check: Is Lana Del Rey's new album referencing Myrtle Beach's Ocean Boulevard?". The Sun News. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Hannah (August 1, 2023). "Lana Del Rey: a great American poet". New Statesman. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ Richardson, Brandon (November 13, 2023). "Hard Rock Hotel plans 2027 opening in Long Beach; Jergins Tunnel to be a speakeasy, mayor says". Long Beach Business Journal. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Credits / Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd / Lana Del Rey". Tidal. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "2022 50-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved September 2, 2024.