If there’s one thing Lana Del Rey loves, it’s symbols of faded American beauty. Bonus points if they have to do with California. So it’s fitting the singer is into the Jergins Tunnel, the abandoned underground passageway in Long Beach, CA, that provides the central metaphor in her brand-new single, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.” It’s the title track of her just-announced ninth album of the same name, and within hours of its release, the song shot to No. 1 on the Genius Top Songs chart.
Written by Lana and Mike Hermosa, who together produced the song with Drew Erickson, Jack Antonoff, and Zach Dawes, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” leans heavily on somber strings and piano. It begins with Del Rey describing the Jergins, which opened in 1928 and closed in 1967, as the Long Beach Public Library was happy to explain via Tweet this afternoon.
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard?
Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the wall
Lana seems to see herself in that closed-off tunnel, which once connected people to the beach. She ends the first verse with the following:
I can’t help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul
Handmade beauty sealed up by two man-made walls, and I’m like
In the chorus, she hints at feelings of self-loathing and dreams of being rescued by the love and validation—or maybe just the raw passion—of another.
When’s it gonna be my turn?
Open me up, tell me you like it
Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself
There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard
In the second verse, Lana makes reference to another classic song about wasting away in the Golden State. (Del Rey name-checks the same Eagles classic on 2015’s “God Knows I Tried.”)
There’s a girl that sings “Hotel California”
Not because she loves the notes or sounds that sound like Florida
It’s because she’s in a world, preserved, only a few have found the door
Lana returns to the ’70s in the third verse, referencing singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson’s 1974 song “Don’t Forget Me.” Indeed, Nilsson’s voice crackles with emotion around the indicated time—and it adds to LDR’s feeling of intense loneliness.
Harry Nilsson has a song, his voice breaks at 2:05
Somethin’ about the way he says “Don’t forget me” makes me feel like
I just wish I had a friend like him, someone to give me five
Toward the end of the song, Lana clearly spells out the kinship she feels to the abandoned Jergins Tunnel, a landmark she’s helped to bring back into the public consciousness.
Don’t forget me
Like the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd is slated to arrive on March 10. Guests on the project will include Jon Batiste, Father John Misty, and Tommy Genesis.
You can read all the lyrics to “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” on Genius now.
