miriam coleman of "rolling stone" described del rey's vocals as "breathy" and called the melody of the song "reminiscent of 1960s girl-group hits". in the song, del rey pokes fun at new york and celebrates hipster subculture, referencing several cliches about them, brooklyn, and millennials. del rey said that she wrote the song with lou reed in mind. she was supposed to work with him and flew to new york city to meet him, but he died the day she arrived. he is referenced in the line "and my boyfriend's in a band/ he plays guitar while i sing lou reed".