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Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It

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"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Lana Del Rey. The track was released as the third single on January 9, 2019, through Polydor Records, to promote her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!.[1] It follows the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch".[2][3]

"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It"
Single by Lana Del Rey
from the album Norman Fucking Rockwell!
ReleasedJanuary 9, 2019 (2019-01-09)
Recorded2018
Studio
  • Rough Customer (Brooklyn)
  • Sunset Banana Split (Los Angeles)
Length
  • 5:24 (digital album and single version)
  • 5:58 (physical album version)
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jack Antonoff
  • Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
"Venice Bitch"
(2018) 		"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It"
(2019) 		"Doin' Time"
(2019)
Licensed audio
"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" on YouTube

Background

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In early January 2019, Del Rey posted a preview of the song on Instagram[4] and said in a statement that it was a "fan track".[1] The track was originally named "Sylvia Plath", in honor of the American poet whom she references in the song.[5]

Composition

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"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It" is a ballad with a "muted, underwater-sounding piano" and an "elegiac melody".[6] Producer Jack Antonoff said on Twitter that the track was recorded in his first recording session with Del Rey and that it was "recorded no click mostly live". He also commented its combination of "felt piano" and Del Rey's "perfect vocal" had "sounded exactly like that in the room".[7]

In the song, Del Rey discusses religion,[8] family, troubled romance, her struggle with alcoholism, her "journey to sobriety", and her refusal of fame and complex relationship with the limelight. "Hope" also contains references to Sylvia Plath, after whom the song was originally named.[9]

Critical reception

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The song received widespread critical acclaim. Writing for Rolling Stone, Ryan Reed called the track "mournful" and a meditation on "religion, family, alienation and the myths that surround celebrity".[1] Nick Reilly of NME said the song features Del Rey "delivering one of her most confessional offerings to date as she compares herself to troubled poetry icon Sylvia Plath".[10] Trace William Cowen of Complex called it "delightfully minimalist".[3] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin found the track to be "exceptionally crafted" with "standout lyrics".[6] Ahead of the release of the parent album, Billboard named it the best song recorded by Del Rey, describing the lyrics of the chorus as "most vulnerable moment in Lana Del Rey’s discography, and the most truthful".[11]

Live debut

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"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It" premiered live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, October 10, 2019, in a performance by Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with dancer Alexandria Kaye interpreting the music in the light and shadows of the upstage LCD screen.[12]

Credits and personnel

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  • Lana Del Rey – vocals, songwriting, production
  • Jack Antonoff – production, songwriting, recording engineering, mixing, piano
  • Laura Sisk – recording engineering, mixing
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineering

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13] 31
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[14] 24
Canadian Digital Songs (Billboard)[15] 45
France (SNEP)[16] 68
Hungary (Single Top 40)[17] 40
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 80
Lithuania (AGATA)[19] 50
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20] 11
Scotland (OCC)[21] 77
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[22] 70
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[24] 99
US Alternative Digital Songs (Billboard)[25] 8
US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[26] 20

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (January 9, 2019). "Hear Lana Del Rey's Mournful New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing...'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Gray, Julia (January 9, 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it'". Stereogum. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Cowen, Trace William (January 10, 2019). "Lana Del Rey Drops New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It'". Complex. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "Lana Del Rey Shares Minimalist New Track 'Hope Is A Dangerous Thing': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Lana Del Rey Teases Fans With 'Sylvia Plath' Snippet: Listen". Billboard. October 25, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Cook-Wilson, Winston (January 9, 2019). "Lana Del Rey – 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it'". Spin. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "hope is a dangerous thing is one of 2 songs that happened the first day that lana and i were in the studio. recorded no click mostly live, felt piano + lana's perfect vocal. sounded exactly like that in the room. this one means a lot. listen at night alone". Twitter. January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Reed, Ryan (January 9, 2019). "Hear Lana Del Rey's Mournful New Song 'Hope Is a Dangerous Thing…'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  9. ^ "From Lolita to Sylvia Plath, Lana del Rey reinvents herself in "Hope Is A Dangerous Thing"". Atwood Magazine. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Reilly, Nick (January 9, 2019). "Listen to 'hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me...', the new single from Lana Del Rey". NME. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  11. ^ Every Lana Del Rey Song, Ranked: Critic's List
  12. ^ Shaffer, Claire (October 11, 2019). "Lana Del Rey Performed 'Sexiest Song Ever' 'Wicked Game' With Chris Isaak". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. ^ "Lana Del Rey – Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "Lana Del Rey Chart History - Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 3, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  17. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  18. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  19. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 18, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  22. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 3. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  23. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 3, 18 januari 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  25. ^ "Alternative Digital Song Sales : Jan 19, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019. (subscription required)
  26. ^ "Pop Digital Song Sales - January 19, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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