The EP's lead single was the ballad "Ride", which became a modest hit in the United States, Switzerland, Ireland and France and reached the top 10 in Russia.

In December 2013, Del Rey released the Anthony Mandler-directed Tropico, a short film that includes the songs "Body Electric", "Gods & Monsters" and "Bel Air".

[citation needed] In an interview with Tim Blackwell for radio station Nova 100 in Melbourne, Australia, Del Rey added that her upcoming November release would not be a new album, but more like an EP, which she described as the "Paradise Edition" of Born to Die.

The prior album's re-release, titled Born to Die: The Paradise Edition, was available for pre-order offering an immediate download of "Burning Desire" in some countries.

On the day of "Ride"'s release as the EP's first single, Del Rey uploaded a teaser trailer to video-hosting website YouTube, that contained snippets of each track on Born to Die: The Paradise Edition.

[9][10][11][12] A promotional video for "Burning Desire" appeared online on Valentine's Day 2013, featuring Del Rey as her usual lounge singer persona, interspersed with snippets of the Jaguar F-Type.

[35] In the song, Del Rey sings, "Roses, Bel Air, take me there/ I’ve been waiting to meet you/ Palm trees, in the light, I can see, late at night/ Darling I’m willing to greet you/ Come to me, baby.

"[36] Rolling Stone praised the shift in persona that Del Rey exhibited in the video, noting a significant difference from her usual Americana lounge singer, Jackie O and biker chick alter egos.

[37] Alongside Paradise, Del Rey released a short film titled Tropico that featured the songs "Body Electric", "Gods and Monsters" and "Bel Air".

[38][39][40] Critics noted that this contradicted other claims by Del Rey that she would release a third studio album, coinciding with a demo of the song "Black Beauty" leaking online.

On the snippet video, he said, "...the new songs gives a peek at the gangster Nancy Sinatra's ongoing fascination with a sleepy, seductive sound and lyrics that mix old-fashion girl group obsession with sometimes profane, shocking new-school swagger.

[58] Calling it Del Rey's most interesting song to date, Williot compared the narration on "Yayo" to the plight of Anna Nicole Smith and said it was "woozy" and "burlesque".

[58] As a whole, Williot noted the theme between Born to Die and Paradise shifted from infantilization on the former to sexualization on the EP; songs such as "Burning Desire" and "Ride" were decisively more mature than tracks like "Video Games" from the singer's mainstream debut.

[58] Closing the review, Williot said the EP was best listened to "while wearing formal cocktail attire that has become slightly rumpled following some sort of intense argument and/or sexual dalliance.

"[58] John Bush of AllMusic commented that the EP kept the glacial string arrangements and slow drums that characterized the cinematic atmosphere of Born to Die, while improving in terms of vocals.

He singled out the lyrics of "Body Electric" ("Elvis is my daddy/ Marilyn's my mother/ Jesus is my bestest friend/ We get crazy every Friday night/ Drop It Like It's Hot in the pale moonlight") as being "cliché[d]" and "babyish", a trend pervading the entire album.

[44] On a positive note, Bush proposed that "Blue Velvet" proved Del Rey was more than capable of performing vocally when given tasteful content.

According to Bush, the album's significance was embodied by a simile from "Gods and Monsters": "Like a groupie incognito posing as a real singer, life imitates art.

[59] Digital Spy said: Current single "Ride" finds her wearing The Boss's influence on her sleeve most plainly with its galloping verses and sweeping melody, albeit delivered with Lana's '50s-styled Hollywood demeanour.

The multiple hooks in "Cola" feel polished without compromising her rebellious nature (she opens it with the line: "My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola"), while the booming "Body Electric" sees her revisiting her Marilyn Monroe persona with more believable results than previous attempts.

[29]Pointing to "Blue Velvet" and "Yayo" as the weaker songs, LGBT lifestyle magazine So So Gay analyzed Paradise as a whole: "The existing themes, stunning musicality, and lyrical strength of the original are complimented [sic] by a series of new tracks that give the listener 'more of the same'.

"[60] Slant Magazine said the EP could not live up to Born to Die, with tracks "Gods and Monsters" and "Burning Desire" standing in its shadow,[48] and termed it a "grubby cash grab".

Whereas Born to Die was self-conscious and chart hungry, Paradise allows Lana the freedom to get a little more daring and fully indulge in her love of David Lynch.