“Margaret” by Lana Del Rey (ft. Bleachers)

It has been generally accepted that one of the subthemes of Del Rey’s “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” is the album serving as a shoutout to her close family members. So with that understanding in mind, Lana’s definition of family must extend outside the realm of blood relatives, as “Margaret”, the last song she penned for the album, is in honor of Jack Antonoff.

Who is “Margaret” named after?

This song is named after Margaret Qualley, a Hollywood actress who has been active since the mid-2010s and in more recent times, since the onset of the 2020s, has been the recipient of notable critical acclaim. 

But more to the point as far this track is concerned is Margaret being the fiancée of Jack Antonoff, since 2021. So even though some outlets are reporting that the two of them are married, that isn’t officially true as of the release of this song on 24 March 2023.

As for Jack Antonoff, he has been heavily involved with Lana’s career since working on “Norman F*cking Rockwell” (2019), which came three studio albums prior to this one. And in-between then and now he also contributed heavily to Del Rey’s 2021 LP, “Chemtrails over the Country Club”.

Moreover, it is Jack who alongside Lana Del Rey who wrote and produced “Margaret”. So obviously, their relationship has developed into one which transcends the professional realm, to the point where it was Lana’s idea to “write a song for” Jack which, as noted earlier, ended up being named after his significant other. 

To note, all of the aforementioned projects, including this one, are products of Interscope Records and Polydor.

So who the heck is Bleachers?

So what we are met with, even though the song is named after Margaret, is the main subject more or less being “a friend” of the vocalist, not Qualley herself. And we already know, even though his name isn’t dropped, that would be Jack Antonoff. 

Indeed in this case, Antonoff, who plays various instruments on this song (as he normally does with Lana’s track), even goes as far as to contribute vocals, which isn’t what he’s primarily known for.

Anyone, including readers of this blog, who is familiar with the inner workings of the music industry would likely know that Antonoff is an A list behind-the-scenes’ man. A lesser known fact is that he fronts a band known as Bleachers. 

Since Jack can play a number of instruments, as well as write and produce songs on his own, Bleachers is, in actuality, a one-man show. That is, of course, unless he plays live, where he employs other instrumentalists. 

And Antonoff has experienced some success under that brand – dropping three studio albums between 2014 and 2021 – but not even remotely as much as he has producing the works of other musicians. So he’s actually the featured artist on the track, though you wouldn’t know unless you’re also familiar with his Bleachers moniker.

The Lyrics of “Margaret”

So what we are met lyrically with reads like an ode to friendship and more specifically in the painfully-poetic style we have come to accept from Del Rey. All of the wording is not about friendship per se. 

For instance, the second verse, as rendered by Antonoff, is apparently meant, in part, to speak to the power of words, how they can be used constructively or destructively. 

And the chorus comes off as if it is mostly centered on romance, presumably celebrating that Jack has actually found a spouse. 

But later in the passage, Lana also uses it to point to how Antonoff inspires her as a music artist.

And as far as the first verse is concerned, Del Rey seemingly uses that opportunity to harp back Jack’s fears, if you will, in relation to falling for Margaret as hard as he has. 

So going back to a notion that we’ve noted spoken on numerous times in the past, there really isn’t anything like a straightforward Lana Del Rey song. As an artist, she seems to enjoy throwing listeners for a loop, so to speak. 

So there are parts of this song, such as bridge, which may have you scratching your head. But the main thing to keep in mind, all things considered, is that Margaret didn’t turn out as much of an ode to Jack Antonoff as it is a celebration of his successful relationship with Margaret Qualley.

This is a simple song, gonna write it for a friend
My shirt is inside out, I’m messy with the pen
He met Margaret on a rooftop, she was wearin’ white”