The notion of “guilty pleasures” bugs me, especially when talking about music. People often associate certain musicians with this categorisation – ABBA, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, etc. – but really, there is no guilt in listening to music that makes you go wild and scream out the lyrics. So when I say I like Lana Del Rey, people tend to assume I mean that as a guilty pleasure; but this woman’s bad rap is old news.
I first became familiar with Lana when I heard “Born To Die” playing on the radio, and I was very intrigued. I had never heard a voice quite like hers before, and still it remains unique: at first seemingly lazy, but upon closer listening beautifully melancholy and with great control. “Born To Die” was closely followed by “Video Games”, “Blue Jeans”, and the infamous “Summertime Sadness”, but it was “Blue Jeans” that got me hooked. This was all before I had encountered Spotify, so I didn’t listen to the full album until her second album, Ultraviolence, came out in 2014. And so, enabled by Spotify, by obsession with Lana Del Rey bloomed.
So, why am I shamelessly obsessed with Lana? And, more importantly, why should you give her a chance? Essentially, it’s because her music carries so much raw emotion in such an attractive, “old-timey” style. Her songs cover a vast range of stories and evoke an equally vast range of feelings. Listen to “High By The Beach”, and you’re cruising in slow motion in a vintage convertible down the California coast – the wind in your hair, oversized sunglasses covering your eyes, Lana in your ears. Want to light some candles and just be alone in your bedroom while the rain falls outside? Lana’s got you covered with “God Knows I Tried” and “Old Money”. Looking for a love song? Give “Brooklyn Baby” a try! From the tragedy of “Carmen” to the sass of “Radio” and “National Anthem”, Lana really has something to offer for everyone.
Furthermore, Lana teaches us that it’s okay to be a little depressing and dark sometimes. The story she tells through her music is one of broken beauty, but beauty nonetheless. However, this brings us to her most recent release: “Love”. A single that came seemingly out of the blue with an absolutely stunning music video – “Love” is different from her previous work. It seems Lana is moving towards a less melancholy aesthetic, one that is more matured but still undoubtedly “Lana-esque”. If you haven’t already, watch it NOW.
If you’ve stuck around to the end of this article (thanks), and you’ve got an idea of how much I love Lana Del Rey, you may be wondering what my favourite song by her is. To be honest, I don’t know… possibly “Black Beauty”, though. Lyrically, there are few artists that make me “feel” so much, but I think these are the kind of artists people would do well to investigate. Never mind the public opinion; if you love something, don’t write it off as a guilty pleasure.
Kurt van Wyk, Class of 2019, is a science major from Germany.
Picture from www.lanadelrey.com
