Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[GeminiLanaFan 45,774]

I feel like either Venice Bitch or the Greatest would have been great album closers, and maybe HIADT could be a interlude almost like Coachella? The album is almost perfect but I feel like the track order could be better

Ending the album with the Greatest would wreck me every time. It’s probably my fave from NFR and I get so emotional listening to it. But it’s also such a downer, I need to listen to something else to cheer me up a bit. VB would have worked perfectly as a closer. But I must say I don’t hate Hope as a closer. If LFA has made it to NFR, that track would have been the “most perfect” closer.

Thoughts about The Good Life???

 

People were soooooooo mad about it before it leaked...now no one is even talking about it.

There’s lots of praise for it on its own thread... It didn’t disappoint: it’s both dreamy/ chill and UV at the same time.

[WaitForLife 5,015]

I still can't believe we got the album.

[LanaBoi 1,810]

I can imagine that she wanted to put TNBAR, Yosemite and Roses bloom for you on an album- She said at Amoeba LA in Summer 2017 that she will put out those two songs (i know she said as a standalone but TNBAR made into the album and TNBAR and Yosemite are sister tracks-the ying to the yang and she said that loves those tracks ). In December 2017 she posted again a video in which you could hear Roses bloom for you. She also had a writers' block in fall 2017. During the making of NFR! she decided to put Yosemite & Roses bloom not on the album because it wouldn't really fit or for whatever reason. Maybe she was thinking that California would fit into the album and decided to put it on NFR!.  I think she felt so comfortable with Jack that she showed him  Hope as PARADIXO said... but I think she wasn't planning to put it on an album before she meets Jack and felt so comfortable with him. Maybe she had parts of HIAB and decided to put in on NFR! as well and finished that song with Jack. But it is just speculation

And don't judge me...I have too much time to think about those things because of the quarantine

 

I still have a theory that Yosemite was reworked into Mariner’s apartment complex.... though I’m probably wrong!! 

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

You all are gonna drag me for saying this but Cinnamon Girl shouldn't be on the album either. Along with Doin' Time, TNBAR and Hope. I love Hope but it's such a depressing song and as much as I like CG, it's too long, it gets repetitive and just doesn't fit with the rest of the album.

[WaitForLife 5,015]

You all are gonna drag me for saying this but Cinnamon Girl shouldn't be on the album either. Along with Doin' Time, TNBAR and Hope. I love Hope but it's such a depressing song and as much as I like CG, it's too long, it gets repetitive and just doesn't fit with the rest of the album.

Cut the outro and it's perfect. Hope is not depressing at all for me.

[sjatib 5,030]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsJV_s0TZ18&t=1004s

 

Don't know if this review had been discussed yet here, but it's one of the few ones that doesn't adhere to the mainstream view about the album (the "incredible masterpiece" "second coming after Christ" thing), and it also highlights many of the flaws that some of us have highlighted about it since the beggining. The guys reviewing are very funny, and it's even funnier to see how pissed the people are in the comments about their review. Check it if you haven't, sure a nice thing to entertain to during quarantine

[CinnamonGay 10,513]

 

There’s lots of praise for it on its own thread... It didn’t disappoint: it’s both dreamy/ chill and UV at the same time.

 

Link pls

[urgirl 5,632]

Link pls

 

 

http://lanaboards.com/index.php?/topic/11370-leak-the-good-life/

[IanadeIrey 60,672]

NFR! Album Timeline (from what we can infer based on what Lana and Jack have said and conclusions made on LB!) Just thought it would be nice to compile all the info here

 

 

Early 2016 / 2017 re-work

The Next Best American Record 

- originally written and recorded for Lust for Life in 2016

- NFR version likely rewritten/rerecorded in 2017 with "Topanga lyrics" (in an interview with Zane Lowe on July 12, 2017, Lana stated that TNBAR was "all about Topanga")

 

February - March 2017

California

- written/produced with Zach Dawes while Lana had her side-band from December 2016 to March 2017

- additional production with Jack in 2018/2019

 

Late 2017

Bartender 

- written/produced with Rick Nowels prior to Jack's involvement 

- mentioned by Lana to Pitchfork at the Grammys on January 28, 2018 - regarded as "a weird track...[that] doesn't belong to an album yet"

 

Happiness is a Butterfly

- Rick is credited as a writer, so we can conclude that HiaB was in its early stages while Lana was primarily working with Rick

 

 

January 2018 - sessions with JACK ANTONOFF begin

At this point, The Next Best American Record, California, and Bartender are the first three songs "finished" for the album.

 

Love Song

- written the morning after the Clive Davis Party/the morning of the Grammys (January 28, 2018) with Jack in approx. an hour

- first song formally written for the album with Jack

 

Hope is a Dangerous Thing For a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have it 

- journaled by Lana slowly over three years 

- same session as "Love Song" (January 28, 2018)

- recorded a cappella / subsequently accompanied by Jack on piano 

 

 

February - March 2018

Norman Fucking Rockwell

- confirmed as the third song written in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- originally titled "Bird World"

- regarded as "the cliffnotes of the album" by Jack in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

 

Mariners Apartment Complex 

- confirmed as written at the same time/shortly after the title track in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- referred to by Lana as what she hoped would be "at the heart of the record" in an Instagram Live on September 3, 2019

 

Venice Bitch

- confirmed as written at the same time/shortly after the title track and "Mariners Apartment Complex" in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- title was used as a caption in an Instagram post of Lana's mural on a building in Venice, California on February 22, 2018

 

Happiness is a Butterfly

- first snippet posted by Lana on March 29, 2018

- marks Jack's involvement with the song since Lana and Rick starting it in 2017

 

September 2018

- in an interview with Zane Lowe on September 18, 2018 to premiere Venice Bitch, Lana confirms:

- the album is called Norman Fucking Rockwell

- at this point, it has 11 tracks

 

 

October 2018

Cinnamon Girl

- some lyrics written on October 3/4 2018 after Lana was "fucked up in Boston" (Instagram Live, September 4, 2019) along with "How to Disappear"

 

How to Disappear

- some lyrics written on October 3/4 2018 after Lana was "fucked up in Boston" (Instagram Live, September 4, 2019) along with "Cinnamon Girl"

- references "Joe," a boxer who Lana is presumed to have had a relationship with

- regarded as "the last song recorded" for NFR! by Lana at the Apple Event in Brooklyn, NY on October 30, 2018

 

November - December 2018

The Greatest

- references Lana's comments on Kanye West's Instagram post from September 30, 2018

- must have been recorded AFTER "How to Disappear" considering Lana's activity and references, and comments on/in the song.

- potentially "the last song" at one stage of mastering, as Lana confirmed the album was "finished" and "mastered" in an Instagram Live on December 30, 2018.

 

March - April 2019

Doin' Time

- recorded for the Sublime doc. produced by Interscope

- in an interview with Vogue Korea in May 2019, Lana stated that NFR! has 13 tracks, which would make sense if Doin' Time were the last song tacked onto the record at the time

- in an interview with 104.3 MYfm on August 28, 2019, Lana revealed that she wanted to include Doin' Time on the tracklist next to "Venice Bitch" a few days after finishing the track; this makes sense as "Fuck It, I Love You," which appears next to "Venice Bitch" in the tracklist instead, had likely not been recorded yet.

 

May - June 2019

Fuck It, I Love You

- regarded as the "last song" recorded for the album in an interview with Annie Mac on August 22, 2019

- the version that appears on physical copies of the record was likely finished and mastered in May 2019, as Lana stated in an interview with KROQ on August 29, 2019, that she has to have finished a record 90 days before the release date so the vinyl can be pressed in time

- the version that appears in the music video was likely finished in June 2019, as Lana stated in an interview with KROQ on August 29, 2019, that she "was definitely done [the record] in June, just putting some final touches on it" - the final touches likely being the added "surf drums." 

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

Venice Bitch is still that bitch. What a beautiful song.

[Mafiosa 1,088]

You all are gonna drag me for saying this but Cinnamon Girl shouldn't be on the album either. Along with Doin' Time, TNBAR and Hope. I love Hope but it's such a depressing song and as much as I like CG, it's too long, it gets repetitive and just doesn't fit with the rest of the album.

i don't mind hope & tnbar on the record but i agree w cg and doin' time

 

i would take off:

love song OR happiness

htd

cg

doin' time

 

and it would be a near perfect album

[maxthehitman 1,727]

I am totally into it just for the bass and the Beatnik bongo drums.

 

grooovy man...  just grooovy 

 

[Make me your Dream Life 83,105]

So. which songs have ya guys changed opinions on? songs ya used to hate etc. ? 

[GeminiLanaFan 45,774]

So. which songs have ya guys changed opinions on? songs ya used to hate etc. ?

HTD grew on me a lot. I used to hate its production, but now I really love the strings (Melotron?). The Greatest is now my favorite from this record because it’s been the song I kept going to the most when I was feeling down. HIaB became one of my faves as well. There are now songs I hate, though TNBAR is the one I skip the most, because I overplayed it too much before Norman came out.

[Ocean Boulevard 38,991]

So. which songs have ya guys changed opinions on? songs ya used to hate etc. ?

How to disappear as well. I had problems getting into this song but now I really like this track. It's somehow such a dreamy track.

And I had a weird "relationship" to the title track. At first, I liked this song but after a few weeks/months I didn't really like the song and now I start to like NFR again.  The TNBAR demo lyrics are superior but I get used to album version lyrics and can really enjoy this track now. Doin' Time isn't necessary for the album but it is nice to have this cute little bop before Love Song. Love Song is soft, beautiful and touching but I think because it is placed after DT it has more intensity..like you are dancing to DT and then Love Song starts and suddenly you find urself lying on the floor with tears in your eyes...

[LanaBoi 1,810]

NFR! Album Timeline (from what we can infer based on what Lana and Jack have said and conclusions made on LB!) Just thought it would be nice to compile all the info here

 

 

Early 2016 / 2017 re-work

The Next Best American Record 

- originally written and recorded for Lust for Life in 2016

- NFR version likely rewritten/rerecorded in 2017 with "Topanga lyrics" (in an interview with Zane Lowe on July 12, 2017, Lana stated that TNBAR was "all about Topanga")

 

February - March 2017

California

- written/produced with Zach Dawes while Lana had her side-band from December 2016 to March 2017

- additional production with Jack in 2018/2019

 

Late 2017

Bartender 

- written/produced with Rick Nowels prior to Jack's involvement 

- mentioned by Lana to Pitchfork at the Grammys on January 28, 2018 - regarded as "a weird track...[that] doesn't belong to an album yet"

 

Happiness is a Butterfly

- Rick is credited as a writer, so we can conclude that HiaB was in its early stages while Lana was primarily working with Rick

 

 

January 2018

Love Song

- written the morning after the Clive Davis Party/the morning of the Grammys (January 28, 2018) with Jack in approx. an hour

- first song formally written for the album with Jack

 

Hope is a Dangerous Thing For a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have it 

- journaled by Lana slowly over three years 

- same session as "Love Song" (January 28, 2018)

- recorded a cappella / subsequently accompanied by Jack on piano 

 

 

February - March 2018

Norman Fucking Rockwell

- confirmed as the third song written in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- originally titled "Bird World"

- regarded as "the cliffnotes of the album" by Jack in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

 

Mariners Apartment Complex 

- confirmed as written at the same time/shortly after the title track in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- referred to by Lana as what she hoped would be "at the heart of the record" in an Instagram Live on September 3, 2019

 

Venice Bitch

- confirmed as written at the same time/shortly after the title track and "Mariners Apartment Complex" in an Instagram Live in the studio on September 4, 2019

- title was used as a caption in an Instagram post of Lana's mural on a building in Venice, California on February 22, 2018

 

Happiness is a Butterfly

- first snippet posted by Lana on March 29, 2018

- marks Jack's involvement with the song since Lana and Rick starting it in 2017

 

 

October 2018

Cinnamon Girl

- some lyrics written on October 3/4 2018 after Lana was "fucked up in Boston" (Instagram Live, September 4, 2019) along with "How to Disappear"

 

How to Disappear

- some lyrics written on October 3/4 2018 after Lana was "fucked up in Boston" (Instagram Live, September 4, 2019) along with "Cinnamon Girl"

- references "Joe," a boxer who Lana is presumed to have had a relationship with

- regarded as "the last song recorded" for NFR! by Lana at the Apple Event in Brooklyn, NY on October 30, 2018

 

November - December 2018

The Greatest

- references Lana's comments on Kanye West's Instagram post from September 30, 2018

- must have been recorded AFTER "How to Disappear" considering Lana's activity and references, and comments on/in the song.

- potentially "the last song" at one stage of mastering, as Lana confirmed the album was "finished" and "mastered" in an Instagram Live on December 30, 2018.

 

March - April 2019

Doin' Time

- recorded for the Sublime doc. produced by Interscope

- in an interview with Vogue Korea in May 2019, Lana stated that NFR! has 13 tracks, which would make sense if Doin' Time were the last song tacked onto the record at the time

- in an interview with 104.3 MYfm on August 28, 2019, Lana revealed that she wanted to include Doin' Time on the tracklist next to "Venice Bitch" a few days after finishing the track; this makes sense as "Fuck It, I Love You," which appears next to "Venice Bitch" in the tracklist instead, had likely not been recorded yet.

 

May - June 2019

Fuck It, I Love You

- regarded as the "last song" recorded for the album in an interview with Annie Mac on August 22, 2019

- the version that appears on physical copies of the record was likely finished and mastered in May 2019, as Lana stated in an interview with KROQ on August 29, 2019, that she has to have finished a record 90 days before the release date so the vinyl can be pressed in time

- the version that appears in the music video was likely finished in June 2019, as Lana stated in an interview with KROQ on August 29, 2019, that she "was definitely done [the record] in June, just putting some final touches on it" - the final touches likely being the added "surf drums." 

 

OMG I LOVE THIS! 

 

Also to add

 

- September 2018 - Lana says the album is finished with 11 Tracks.

 

- January/Febuary 2018 - Lana later says she had 3 songs when she started working with Jack. ( I take Hope NOT to be one of these songs, as it was lyrics/ journaling before she turned it into a song with Jack) 

[IanadeIrey 60,672]

OMG I LOVE THIS! 

 

Also to add

 

- September 2018 - Lana says the album is finished with 11 Tracks.

 

- January/Febuary 2018 - Lana later says she had 3 songs when she started working with Jack. ( I take Hope NOT to be one of these songs, as it was lyrics/ journaling before she turned it into a song with Jack) 

Thank you so much! I will add those into the OP

I take the 3 songs she had prior to working with Jack to be The Next Best American Record, California, and Bartender 

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

So. which songs have ya guys changed opinions on? songs ya used to hate etc. ?

 

I love MAC and FIILY much more than I initially did. California is one of the songs I find myself skipping

[Make me your Dream Life 83,105]

I love MAC and FIILY much more than I initially did. California is one of the songs I find myself skipping

I was going to like this, but then, the California diss kept my finger from the mouse 

[Ocean Boulevard 38,991]

I still can't believe we got the album.

 

I still can't believe that Google Play leaked 'The Greatest'