Lana Del Rey's highly anticipated debut album has finally been released. Del Rey says of her album, "I think it’s beautiful. This album is my self in song form," with the Telegraph backing her up, describing it as "a literate, emotional collection of beautifully crafted, pithily memorable songs."
The first track, fittingly, is Born to Die, the album's title and second released single. With haunting vocals and profound lyrics, the song speaks of a relationship doomed to fail, as well as hinting at some religious undertones. But mostly, it's about sitting back and enjoying the ride, because in the end, we are all 'born to die'. The next track, Off to the Races provides a refreshingly different sound. It is full of attitude and as the beat builds up, almost sounds like new-age 'white girl' rap. Having said that, she still manages to maintain her Old Hollywood in the sound, living up to her 'gangster Nancy Sinatra' image.
Blue Jeans, one of her more well-known songs that she performed at the infamous SNL show, has a very western feel to it, especially the opening guitar riff at the start. It has a quality that wouldn't be out of place in a Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack. The lyrics highlight a quiet desperation, not wanting to lose the one see loves and wanting to wait it out ("I will love you till the end of time/I would wait a million years"), and yet still remaining true to her style and ("Love you more/Than those bitches before"). This song remains to be my favourite of hers. Fourth track, Video Games, is the song that catapulted her into the limelight, the video racking up over 21 million views on YouTube to date. The song is completely striped down in order to show off her vocals, with soft strings accompanying her in the background as she sings nostalgically about happier times.
Diet Mtn Dew is very reminiscent of hip hop, which is strange to hear after listening to Video Games, but it works surprisingly well. Having listened to the original demo, you can tell that Lana has become more daring with her sound. Her lyrics, however, remain true to herself, as she sings of the bad boys that she lusts after ("You're no good for me/But baby I want you"). You can tell that hip hop has been a big influence on Del Rey as National Anthem takes a similar turn in terms of the 'white girl rap' theme, but with a pleasant twist of a string procession (which is very 'Bitter Sweet Symphony') at the start of the song. Heavy themes of the American Dream and 'nouveau riche', with dark undertones and reckless abandon.
Dark Paradise is melancholia at its best. The combination of orchestral strings, rhythmic drums and haunting lyrics makes for a strong song which is both melodic and heartbreaking. Her songwriting really shines through and shows her off as the talent she really is. Next is Radio, which to me sounds like a bit of a 'fuck you' to those hating on her, vilifying her, and who didn't believe she would make it. "Now my life is sweet like cinnamon/Like a fucking dream I'm living in/Baby love me 'cause I'm playing on the radio/How do you like me now?" It's like a love song for chasing your dreams.
Carmen is a dreamy ode to a woman every girl wants to be, but with hints of dark secrets and emphasised with Lana's sultry voice. Towards the end of the track, you can hear a woman speaking French in a low voice, which adds to the mysterious quality of the song and who it is about. Another heartbreak ballad, Million Dollar Man, is another track that showcases Del Rey's soaring vocals. As always, her lyrics are sincere and melancholic, as well as reminiscent of Old Hollywood. "You're screwed up and brilliant/Look like a million dollar man."
Summertime Sadness differs from its live version, sounding a lot like Blue Jean's younger sibling in the opening refrain, then switching up to military inspired drums in the first verse. There is very strong lyrical imagery going on throughout, and also sounds like it should be its own film. It is definitely up there as one my favourite tracks on the album that haven't already been released as singles. This Is What Makes Us Girls recalls Lana's boarding school days in Connecticut when she was fifteen, and is a song about teenage rebellion and the feeling of being able to do anything ("Remember how we used to party up all night/ Sneaking out looking for a taste of real life").
The next few tracks are found on the Deluxe version of the album. Without You probably has my favourite opening verse out of all the songs on the album: "Everything I want I have/Money, notoriety, and rivieras/I even think I found God/In the flash bulbs of the pretty cameras/Pretty cameras, pretty cameras/Am I glamorous? Tell me, am I glamorous?" Beautifully written, this song fits very well with her general theme of nostalgia and 'what once was'. It's a poignant reach for something lost as she sings, "All my dreams and all the lights mean/Nothing without you." The penultimate track, Lolita, is much more upbeat as we head to a close. The lyrics are fun and lighthearted, and shows how versatile Del Rey can be while still being true to her 'Old Hollywood' style. Last but not least is Lucky Ones. Optimistic and heartfelt, it is definitely a great way to close a great album.
Born To Die is a brilliant album, which is sure to start off a great year for both Lana Del Rey and the music industry itself.
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