Born to Die

Born to Die is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. The album was released on January 27, 2012 on iTunes and on January 31, 2012 by Interscope Records, Polydor Records, and Stranger Records. After signing a record contract with Stranger in June 2011, released her debut single, "Video Games", which propelled her to online popularity. "Video Games" was included on Born to Die, which yielded five further singles: "Born to Die", "Blue Jeans", "National Anthem", "Summertime Sadness", and "Dark Paradise". Musically, Born to Die is a pop album that derives characteristics from such musical genres as alternative hip hop, trip hop, and indie pop. Critical reaction was polarized, with some praising its distinctive sound, while others criticized the songs' repetitiveness and the melodramatic production, which they thought was too overwhelming over the course of 12 to 15 tracks. Despite attracting polarization from music commentators, the album was generally a commercial success. It topped the charts in eleven countries including Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. As of November 2012, Born to Die has sold over 3.4 million copies worldwide. Born to Die was also named as the third biggest selling album of 2012 on the UK iTunes Chart. Del Rey embarked on a worldwide tour in 2011 in support of her debut album. In November 2012, Del Rey reissued a "Paradise" edition of Born to Die which features an additional nine tracks. "Blue Velvet", a popular 1960s song, was covered by Del Rey and used as a promotional single for the re-release, while "Ride" served as the first traditional single. "Cola" was then announced to be released as the EP's second official single.