Last month, when news broke that studio executive Harvey Weinstein had been paying off his sexual harassment accusers for decades—and over 40 women, including Lupita Nyong’o and Ashley Judd, came forward to support the allegations—Lana Del Rey’s name surfaced as a speculated victim of his advances due to cited lyrics from her 2012 song “Cola.”
It was reported that the track’s original lyrics were “Harvey’s in the sky with diamonds and he’s making me crazy / All he wants to do is party with his pretty baby,” but that they were edited once Weinstein got wind.
In a new interview with MTV News, Del Rey doesn’t confirm or deny a personal incident with Weinstein, but admits to envisioning his persona, and that of famed jeweler Harry Winston, when penning the song. She also revealed her plans to retire the track from her sets, saying [at the 12:16 mark]:
“When I wrote that song, I suppose I had a Harvey Weinstein/Harry Winston-type of character in mind. I envisioned, like, a benevolent, diamond-bestowing-upon-starlets visual, like a ‘Citizen Kane’ or something. I’m not really sure. But I thought it was a funny at the time, and I obviously find it really sad now. And I support the women who have come forward. And I think they’re really brave for doing that….I mean, it was in the ether, I suppose. But obviously I don’t feel comfortable with it now. I thought of that right away….I think that, yes, I would say definitely [retire it from my catalog]. That would be the only right thing to do.”