"Say Yes to Heaven" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Lana Del Rey. It is an outtake from the sessions of her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014). After the song was leaked online and went viral on
TikTok, it was
surprise-released as a
single on May 19, 2023. The song was written by Del Rey and
Rick Nowels, who also produced it. "Say Yes to Heaven" is an
ambient and
downbeatballad about a narrator's attempt to escape with her lover.
In reviews of the track, critics praised it for its lyrics and the production. Commercially, the song peaked at number 18 on the
Billboard Global 200 and the top 10 on
singles charts in Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Say Yes to Heaven" peaked at number 54 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and received a gold
certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also received certifications from Greece, Poland, and the UK.
Background and release
Lana Del Rey wrote the song with long-time collaborator
Rick Nowels in 2012.[1] It was recorded in November 2013[1] during the sessions of Del Rey's third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014), but did not make the final track-list.[2] The song began to spread in around 2016.[1] In October 2020, "Say Yes to Heaven", also known as "Yes to Heaven",[3] was fully leaked onto the internet and went viral during the next two years;[4] 2022 in particular saw the rise of a
sped-up snippet of the song in
TikTok.[1] In March 2023, the song was claimed for copyright by
UMG and
Polydor Records, sparking speculation that an official release was imminent.[5] Polydor and
Interscope Recordssurprise-released the song as a
single on May 19, 2023, with a sped-up version as its
B-side.[6][7][8] Interscope sent the song to US
adult alternative radio on June 5, 2023,[9] followed by
alternative radio on June 6.[10]
Composition
"Say Yes to Heaven" runs for three minutes and twenty-nine seconds.[8] Nowels produced the song, and played electric guitar and
Hammond organ. Other musicians include
Patrick Warren (guitar,
marimba, strings), Tim Pierce (electric guitar), and Brian Griffin (
percussion). Dean Reid and
Roy English provides
drum programming for the song, which was
engineered by Kieron Menzies, John Christopher Fee, Trevor Yasuda, and Rocci. It was
mixed by Reid and
mastered by Ruairi O'Flaherty.[11]
"Say Yes to Heaven" is an
ambient[7] and
downbeatballad[12] about a narrator encouraging her lover to run away with her.[13] The acoustic production[14] incorporates muted drums,[15] tambourine,[12] and reverbed, finger-picked guitar arpeggios.[16][5][12] Del Rey's vocals throughout the song is laid back but sharp according to critic Ted Davis of American Songwriter.[17] The lyrics features romantic
imagery and
motifs that were previously used in Del Rey's other songs, such as red dress, heaven and dancing.[5] Jo Vito of Consequence[15] and Jonathan Cohen from Spin found "Say Yes to Heaven" to be distinct from the leak but thought the song maintains its overall tone.[16]
"Say Yes to Heaven" opens with gentle acoustic guitar strumming and electronic chords, with the narrator's submission to her lover: ("If you dance, I'll dance / And if you don't, I'll dance anyway / Give peace a chance / let the fear you have fall away").[17] In the
chorus, Del Rey sings in a more breathy voice as she describes the narrator's plead to her lover: ("I've got my eye on you / Say yes to heaven / Say yes to me").[5] Towards the end, the narrator's yearning comes out more resolute than desperate to her lover: ("If you dance, I'll dance / I'll put my red dress on, get it on").[17]
Reception
"Say Yes to Heaven" was praised for its lyrics and the production. They described it as "dreamy",[7][12][17] "heavenly",[7] and "melancholy".[17] Davis praised Del Rey's "playful" vocals and her songwriting for capturing a sense of "stoic, timeless, and implicitly flawed yearning" in the song.[17] Vito commended Del Rey's "signature, poetic ambiguity" and the sonic pallette that "[she became] so good at crafting".[15]Nylon's Sophia June called the song a "simple gut-punch about submission and yearning"[5] and
Alternative Press' Sadie Bell called the song a "sweet, lovelorn ballad".[6]
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ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202321 into search. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202321 into search. Retrieved May 29, 2023.