Continuing my track-by-track appreciation of Lana Del Rey’s newest album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd…
Track 13: ‘Margaret’
Yesterday’s track was the first love song on this album, and it’s quickly followed up by an even more overtly romantic one.
‘Margaret’ is about the relationship between producer Jack Antonoff and actress Margaret Qualley. Antonoff (under his Bleachers moniker) even sings one of the verses, making this the most meta song on Ocean Blvd.
This is a very pretty and sweet song, though it’s the slightest thing here. It’s perhaps most notable for apparently revealing the wedding date of Antonoff and Qualley (December 18, which incidentally is my own parents’ anniversary).
It will be interesting to see if the pair actually ties the knot on that day, or if they’re even still together (sorry to be cynical, but showbiz romances aren’t exactly known for their staying power).
This is a simple song, gonna write it for a friend
My shirt is inside out, I’m messy with the pen
He met Margaret on a rooftop, she was wearin’ white
And he was like, “I might be in trouble”
He had flashes of the good life, he was like
“Should I jump off this building now or do it on the double?”
[Pre-Chorus]
‘Cause, baby, if your love is in trouble
Baby, if your love is in trouble
Baby, if your love is in trouble
[Chorus]
When you know, you know
When you know, you know
It kinda makes me laugh
Runnin’ down that path
When you’re good as gold
‘Cause when you know, you know
[Verse 2: Jack Antonoff]
Word to all my friends
With their rеd flags, their white knights
Their black еyes and their blue lies
If you’re askin’ yourself, “How do you know?”
Then that’s your answer, the answer is “No”
You gotta run, gotta run, run, run, run like your head’s on fire
Run away like your head is on fire
[Pre-Chorus]
‘Cause, baby, if your love is in trouble
Baby, if your love is in trouble
Baby, if your love is in trouble
[Chorus]
When you know, you know
When you know, you know
It kinda makes me laugh
Runnin’ down that path
When you’re good as gold
‘Cause when you know, you know
And when you’re old, you’re old
Like Hollywood and me
The diamond on your ring
The soul that you bring to the table
The one that makes me sing
In a minor key
‘Cause when you know, you know
When you know, you know
[Interlude]
So if you don’t know, don’t give up
‘Cause you never know what the new day might bring
[Bridge]
Maybe tomorrow you’ll know
Maybe tomorrow you’ll know
Maybe tomorrow you’ll know
I mean, join the party
By the way, the party is December 18
(Alright, let’s waltz this out, kids)
[Chorus]
‘Cause when you know, you know
And when you’re old, you’re old
Like Hollywood and me
That diamond on your ring
The soul that you bring to the table
The one that makes me sing
In a minor key
Diamond on your ring
‘Cause when you know, you know
When you know, you know
Meet Me In Montauk 
If she had listed the venue, the song could have substituted for an invitation.🥂
I was very excited to hear this song – since I always love a Bleachers feature. I have to say – I was a bit disappointed that the vibes were so mellow and the song was drawn out longer than (in my opinion) it needed to be. But, hey, I hope Jack is happy and it’s a sweet sentiment for sure. Maybe this one will grow on me in the future… with less immediate expectations weighing it down.
Yeah, I agree it’s more of a vibe than a great song. It’s in my bottom 2-3 on the album, even though it’s a nice listen.
Curious why this album got the song by song breakdown rather than a grouping of 3s from least to most favorite, the way you did with Swift’s Midnights. As a less than casual fan, I would have been interested to hear that progression from someone who loves her music so much.
That was my original plan, but the album came out on the Friday before I was leaving town for a long weekend, so I didn’t have time to listen to the whole thing multiple times, come up with my ranking, and write the first several posts before departing. This way I could listen to, and write about, the first few songs (two of which had been released early) and make it back in time to handle the rest.
That said, I hadn’t given the whole album treatment to anything in awhile, so this also felt like a good candidate given that it was my most anticipated release of the year.
Our anniversary date and my name—nice
I have to agree with Maddie on this one. I will sing the praises of Antonoff’s production all day long. However, on this track there seems to be a strong desire to abandon the structure of a more conventional radio-friendly track with its long interlude and muddy vocals. This can sometimes be effective and welcome on an album, but, here, it feels redundant since Lana already indulged that desire on a track like “A&W”. Runtimes don’t have to be long just because you have a beautiful, versatile voice that can fill those pockets with captivating sound-bytes. This song could use a little bit of editing even if I might like some of Antonoff’s most Springsteen-esque deliveries and Del Rey’s always consistent crooning.