Lana Del Rey and her ‘Lust for Life’
Lana Del Rey’s latest full length LP ‘Lust for Life’ is somewhat of a departure from her previous four records. Even on first glance this body of work is different. Take a look at the album’s artwork. That may be the same truck as used on the cover of 2012′s ‘Born to Die’. However, Lana is smiling. Yes, I repeat. Lana Del Rey is smiling.
To date, Lana Del Rey’s discography has been a sombre recount of her troubled past, violent relationships and dark thoughts. Since ‘Video Games’ went viral online in 2011, Del Rey has managed to rally a hugely fanatical fan base of ‘kids’ who literally worship her. However, it is fair to say that she has rubbed quite a few people up the wrong way in the process. From her controversial ‘Ride’ music video, to the line ‘he hit me and it felt like a kiss’ on 2014′s ‘Ultraviolence’, Lana has been constantly criticised for glorifying drug abuse and domestic violence. In the last six years, the cinematic sound and vintage visuals have remained consistent with her four records documenting what she describes as ‘faded Hollywood glamour’.
Lust for Life is different. For the first time in Del Rey’s career she appears to be living in the real world.
Lead single ‘Love’ begins the album. The opening line, ‘look at you kids with your vintage music’ immediately addresses her army of dedicated fans who for the past six years have found comfort in her gloomy, sorrowful sound.
“You’re part of the past, but now you’re the future. Signals crossing can get confusing. It’s enough just to make you feel crazy, crazy, crazy…”
These are perhaps my favourite lines of the song. The ‘kids’ of whom Lana speaks of, are us, the fans. Here Lana acknowledges that a lot of us are at crossroads in our lives. Not only are we ‘young’ and having to make difficult choices about education, careers and relationships; but today’s political climate is far from straightforward. With big decisions that are sure to effect us all, being made by such radical leaders, it’s enough just to make you feel crazy. With ‘Love’, Lana encapsulates a desire to almost comfort her fans during this uncertain time.
You can read my full thoughts on the track ‘Love’ here.
The title track follows, and features The Weeknd, the first of five collaborations on the record. Never before has Lana included a feature on one of her albums, another thing marking ‘Lust for Life’ as a step in a new direction. This song is perhaps the most upbeat of the 16 tracks. As The Weeknd and Lana sing about this romantic lust for one another, the song’s deeper meaning becomes evident in lines such as, ‘cause we're the masters of our own fate, we're the captains of our own souls...there's no need for us to hesitate...’
Among the other four collaborations on Lust for Life, is the legendary Stevie Nicks. ‘Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems’ is by far one of the records most stripped back tracks. Lana and Stevie sing about how trivial a lot of our personal problems can seem in the grand scheme of things, ‘beautiful problems, God knows we've got them’. Their quite different vocal styles work surprisingly beautifully together, Del Rey’s adoration for Nicks is very noticeable as they harmonise towards the end of the song.
On ‘Coachella - Woodstock in my Mind’, Lana ponders over her time spent at this year’s Coachella music festival. The song tackles Lana’s inability to kick back and relax whilst tensions rise between North Korea and her country. She sings about turning off the music and almost feeling guilty for enjoying something so insignificant as Coachella at such a dangerous time.
‘What about all these children and all their children's children, and why am I even wondering that today? Maybe my contribution could be as small as hoping, that words could turn to birds and birds would send my thoughts your way.’
Lana Del Rey’s ‘contribution’ is a main theme on Lust for Life. On the album’s closing track ‘Get Free’ she sings, ‘this is my commitment, my modern manifesto. I'm doing it for all of us...’, lyrics which are a million miles from those on her previous four LPs.
‘I made my first four albums for me, but this one is for my fans and about where I hope we are all headed.’
‘Change’, the album’s penultimate track, is another moment on the record where Lana sings about the big picture. The song is a very simple piano ballad and by far the most modest cut from the album. It is brilliantly placed towards the end of the record as it’s optimism and huge sense of hope ends Lust for Life in a similar way it began. On ‘Love’ Lana sings ‘don’t worry baby’, and on ‘Change’ she urges that, ‘maybe it's enough to just be where we are...’
‘Every time that we run, we don't know what it's from, now we finally slow down, we feel close to it. There's a change gonna come, I don't know where or when but whenever it does, we'll be here for it.’
The line, ‘there's something in the wind, I can feel it blowing in. It's coming in softly on the wings of a song’ references her wish that, ‘words could turn to birds and birds would send my thoughts your way’ on ‘Coachella - Woodstock in my Mind’. Moments like these are peppered throughout the record for the savvy among listeners who piece together Del Rey’s lyrics.
As well as a lyrical shift, Lana’s production styles also differ on Lust for Life. Don’t get me wrong, her signature cinematic, ethereal vibe is very much present on tracks such as ‘13 Beaches’ and ‘White Mustang’, as is the more folky feel of tracks ten to thirteen. However, as well as her long time collaborator and producer Rick Nowels, there are a number of different producers on Lust for Life.
'Summer Bummer’ and ‘Groupie Love’ both feature rapper A$AP Rocky; friend of Lana’s and the artist who featured in Del Rey’s 2012 music video for National Anthem. Both these tracks, along with ‘In My Feelings’ and ‘Coachella - Woodstock in my Mind’, are quite obviously hip-hop inspired. ‘Summer Bummer’ in particular is built around a heavy hip-hop beat. Lana’s high-pitched vocals float in and out and almost take a back seat as Rocky and Playboi Carti take the lead with their verses.
Despite Lust for Life’s generally upbeat tone, the record is not without it’s dark, melancholy moments. On the track ‘Heroin’, possibly the most ‘Lana Del Rey’ sounding song on the record, she sings about flying to the moon and dreaming about the drug. The line ‘writing in blood on my walls and shit’ is very Ultraviolence, and of course, in true LDR style, she had to give her old man a shout out.
‘13 Beaches’ has to be my favourite track on the album. Again, this song, like most tracks on Lust for Life, has a deeper meaning which isn’t obvious on first listen. The intro of the song contains a vocal sample from the 1962 horror movie Carnival Of Souls.
‘I don't belong in the world, that's what it is. Something separates me from other people. Everywhere I turn, there's something blocking my escape’
From there, the song turns into yet another beacon of hope for fans. She sings about freedom and feeling ‘hazy in the ballroom of my mind’. The main premise of the song being that although it may take a while, you will ultimately find happiness and solitude.
‘It took thirteen beaches to find one empty, but finally, I'm fine.’
Lust for Life is everything we love about Lana Del Rey and something which none of us ever thought she would make.
Sonically, she has turned it up a notch. Lyrically, she has really switched it up.
The darkness is still there; tracks like ‘Cherry’ and ‘White Mustang’ showcase that she isn’t done singing about her overly complex love life. However, with track titles like ‘God Bless America - And All The Beautiful Women In It’ and ‘When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing’ Lana has really delivered a topical album which is exactly what she says it is; her ‘modern manifesto’.
Lust for Life is out now.
