Ultraviolence is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, released on June 13, 2014, by Polydor and Interscope Records.

Originally dismissing the possibility of releasing another record after her major-label debut Born to Die (2012), Del Rey began planning its follow-up in 2013.

The album saw additional contributions from producers such as Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Daniel Heath, and Rick Nowels, and features a more guitar-based sound than Del Rey's previous releases.

In May 2015, Del Rey embarked on The Endless Summer Tour featuring live shows with singers Courtney Love and Grimes, to support the album.

[8] Del Rey and Auerbach were initially scheduled to work together for three days but ended up spending six weeks recording a full album.

I feel like it has a narrative; it starts with my favorite song from the record, called 'Cruel World,' with these heavy guitars and I like that because it's symbolically referencing the West Coast, and from there we move into parts of Brooklyn, sonically.

[22] In the title track, "Ultraviolence", Del Rey directly references the Crystals' "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" in the chorus, which she had also heard a rendition of by Hole.

[24] The song consists of "a chiming guitar, slow-burn bass line, and swelling orchestra" which surround Del Rey's vocals.

[3] "Fucked My Way Up to the Top" was written about an undisclosed female singer who, at first, mocked her for her supposedly unauthentic style, but then "stole and copied it" and became successful with it.

"[32] During the premiere of her short film Tropico on December 4, 2013, Del Rey explained to the audience that "I really just wanted us all to be together so I could try and visually close out my chapter [of her second studio album Born to Die and third extended play Paradise] before I release the new record, Ultraviolence".

[33] Journalists identified the phrase from Anthony Burgess' dystopian novella A Clockwork Orange (1962), although initial reports were conflicting as to whether or not the title would be stylized as the one-word "Ultraviolence" or two-word "Ultra Violence".

[49] Prior to the album release, Del Rey announced a North American concert tour, as well as performances at several European festivals.

[52] In September, she first cancelled two private concerts for Virgin Radio in Paris, and then the remaining dates of her European tour for medical reasons.

[54] Del Rey announced her 2015 Endless Summer Tour on December 1, 2014, which she headlined with punk vocalist Courtney Love, former frontwoman of alternative rock band Hole.

[57] The Guardian writer Alexis Petridis wrote that "Every chorus clicks, the melodies are uniformly beautiful, and they soar and swoop, the better to demonstrate Del Rey's increased confidence in her voice.

It's an aesthetic that demands total commitment from both artist and listener, and it would be difficult to buy into if she didn't deliver such fully realized cinema".

He also added, "Ultraviolence masterfully melds those elements, and completes the redemption narrative of a singer whose breakout-to-backlash arc on 2012's Born to Die made her a cautionary tale of music-industry hype".

Caryn Ganz for Rolling Stone gave a positive review, commenting the album "is a melancholy crawl through doomed romance, incorrigible addictions, blown American dreams," although she also wrote " [it] wraps desire, violence and sadness into a tight bundle that Del Rey doesn't always seem sure how to unpack".

[66] Rolling Stone named it the seventh best album of 2014 and third best pop album in its annual compilations, later commenting: "Ultraviolence qualifies as a radical statement from a pop star in 2014 – it's mostly produced by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who relies on electric guitar and other live instruments, and none of its eleven tracks sound much like a potential radio hit.

"[1] Justin Charity of Complex magazine noted, "Ultraviolence is a blues affair, with moody innuendo spilling bloody and bold as the opening sequence to a vintage Bond saga".

[71] Alexandra Molotkow, writing in The Globe and Mail, praised the album as "more vivid, nuanced and ripe than [her debut], Born to Die.

[52] After two weeks, Ultraviolence sold over 220,000 copies in the US;[92] at the time of release, it held the record for the largest album sales debut by a female artist in 2014, until was overtaken by Taylor Swift's 1989 in November.

[93] Overall, Ultraviolence debuted at number one in 12 countries,[94] including the United Kingdom, making it her second consecutive number-one album, following Born to Die.