Wistful and ethereal pop poetry
New York native Elizabeth Woolridge Grant or famously known as singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has been a major influence on the pop scene since the success of her first radio hit “Summertime Sadness,” the Cedric Gervais remix. Although she didn’t hit mainstream success until 2012, Del Rey has been making music since 2005. Over the almost 15 years of her musical career, Del Rey has released plenty of albums, EPs and singles and has even received a handful of Grammy and Golden Globe nominations. Now, she’s released her sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell and with it, she shows the world just what a talented icon she continues to be.
The album opens with “Norman Fucking Rockwell” one of Del Rey’s classic melancholic ballads filled with a soft, old-school piano sound and defeated lyrics such “‘Cause you’re just a man/ it’s just what you do/ your head in your hand as you color me blue.” In her song “Mariners Apartment Complex,” the saddened nostalgic sound she is known for continues and is infused with a slight old country sound. Listeners even get a taste of her signature unrivaled lyrics “And who I been is with you on these beaches/ your Venice bitch, your die-hard, your weakness/ maybe I could save your sins.”
The theme of Venice beach matched with her famous eccentric lyrics continue in track “Venice Bitch” in the first verse “Fear fun, fear love/ fresh out of fucks forever “ and in the chorus with “Oh God, I miss you on my lips/ it’s me, your little Venice bitch.” The song most likely to find commercial success might be “Fuck it I love you” with it’s California references and catchy melody. The first hint of a slight Hip-hop influence is on track “Doin’ Time” which is a cover of the 1996 Sublime song that Del Rey manages to turn into her own with her spoken-word singing and trademark dreamy flow.
In tracks like “Cinnamon Girl” and “How to disappear,” there’s an extra emphasis on her emotional vocals and vulnerable words that make these songs in particular sound so hauntingly beautiful. Maybe the track that channels her vintage sounding vocals most is “The Next Best American Record,” but with a modern-day twist. The album ends with the most somber and eerie song of the bunch, “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it” that sounds almost like poetry come to life with understated vocals and dark lyrics such as “I’ve been tearing around in my fucking nightgown/ 24/7 Sylvia Plath/ writing in blood on the walls ‘cause the ink in my pen don’t work in my notepad” accompanied by a soft melody leaving the listener feeling a bit heavyhearted.
Though many try, no one has completely emulated Del Rey’s otherworldly style. The themes of ethereal sorrow and wistful nostalgia emphasized by the starkness of particular lyrics are what make Norman Fucking Rockwell the very essence of the Lana Del Rey sound. Heartache and ’60s vibes ring true in every note of the album and are both so classically Del Rey yet different from any of her previous works. Her growth and unmatched sound are heard in every song and make it clear that Lana Del Rey will continue to be a pop symbol for years to come.
Leave a Comment