Its accompanying music video directed by Clark Jackson features Del Rey and the Weeknd singing on the top of the Hollywood Sign as referenced in the lyrics.
Some critics pointed out a parallel between some of the lyrics and imagery accompanying the song and the 1932 suicide of actress Peg Entwistle who killed herself by jumping off the "H" of the sign.
To promote "Lust for Life", the singer performed it for the first time at the 2017 KROQ Weenie Roast y Fiesta concert and later appeared at the 2017 BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend on May 27, 2017.
"Lust for Life" was the first song Lana Del Rey wrote for the album, during the writing process she felt it as a good record, however, she wasn't really satisfied with the initial version of the track, re-editing and rewriting the lyrics several times.
She went back to Rick Nowels' place the following day where she reworked on the track addressing what Martin had suggested, she turned the verse into the chorus and for her, it sounded "perfect".
[1] It has doo-wop and Motown-inspired production that recalls the music of past girl groups, with Del Rey paying homage to the Angels' 1963 single "My Boyfriend's Back.
The first verse quotes the poem "Invictus" by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) using the lines "We're the masters of our own fate / We're the captains of our own souls.
"[18][19] The Weeknd appears later on in the song; complementing to Del Rey's breathy vocals during the chorus as they sing together over distorted synths, "Take off all your clothes".
[21] Roisin O'Connor of The Independent applauded the chemistry between the duo commenting that their mutual power is in their "ability to keep things hidden, whilst seeming utterly explicit.
"[24] Analyzing the lyrics, Chris Mench of Genius commented that Lana seems to reference the infamous suicide of Peg Entwistle, who killed herself by jumping off the "H" of the Hollywood sign in September 1932, at the age of 24.
Club's writer Annie Zaleski noted that the song captures the sensation of having "dizzying sexual chemistry" with someone,[26] while The Line of Best Fit's Erik Thompson perceived "Lust for Life" fluidly blends "the sensual with the inspirational", going from the liberating assertion of being "masters of our own fate" and "captains of our own souls" to taking off all clothes in a "hot, breathless second.
Libby Cudmore of Paste called "Lust for life" one of the album's "low points," emphasizing that the "vintage vibe" which the singer projected for this song "did not work so well."
"[17] Leonie Cooper of NME said that Del Rey's vocals in "Lust for Life" nearly made her a "parody of herself" and called the chorus "a bit silly, but also utterly fabulous.
Prefix magazine's Jon O' Brian noted "Lust for Life" as one of the moments that in which Del Rey indeed a much more "optimistic and accessible" sound than her previous album Honeymoon (2015).
"[30] The Independent's Roisin O'Connor wrote that "Lust for Life" proves a "masterful pairing," and expressed a positive thought about Del Rey's collaboration with the Weeknd, stating they stand out among their peers as two artists who "have succeeded at crafting their own myth.
[43] The singer then appears in a TV set wearing a red dress and a headband while performing a simple dance routine and sings among her two dancers Alexandra Kaye and Ashley Rodriguez in the background.
[47] Upon the release of the video, some critics pointed out again a parallel between some of the lyrics and imagery accompanying the song and the album Lust for Life and the 1932 suicide of actress Peg Entwistle.