The singer pulled from Lana Del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell” and Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” to create the bluesy “50 Ways to Leave Your Norman”
Rosé stopped by the Howard Stern Show for a solo showcase. The Blackpink singer brought her own hit single, the Bruno Mars-assisted “APT.,” but also whipped up a fusion of two songs from two distinct artists. In a medley performance, Rosé pulled from Lana Del Rey‘s “Norman Fucking Rockwell” and Paul Simon‘s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” to create the bluesy cover record “50 Ways to Leave Your Norman.”
The two songs share a loose narrative thread. Rosé started off singing about a pretentious poet in her less explicit version of “Norman Fucking Rockwell,” crooning, “You talk to the walls when the party gets bored of you/But I don’t get bored, I just see it through/Why wait for the best when I could have you?” As she transitioned into “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” a sudden realization comes to light thanks to some much needed advice.
“You just slip out the back, Jack/Make a new plan, Stan/You don’t need to be coy, Roy/Just get yourself free,” Rosé sang with an edge of funk from her band in the studio. “Hop on the bus, Gus/You don’t need to discuss much/Just drop off the key, Lee/And get yourself free.”
While on the show, Rosé also shared the original demo for “APT.” before Bruno Mars contributed his feature. In the original verses, she encouraged a similar exit strategy, only with different motives. “We’ve been talking seven days a week/But you can’t hold my body through a screen/So you should leave your friends back at the bar,” she sang on the recording. “The night is still young, I got what you need/You can go and call yourself a car/Don’t tell anyone that you gon’ meet me at the…”
“APT.” appeared on Rosé’s debut solo album Rosie, which arrived in December. This weekend, she’ll perform the record at Global Citizen Festival in New York City.
