Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[bored 7,830]

So, I was thinking about a potential greatest hits / best of album from Lana Del Rey and how that would sound. I think her biggest market in terms of singles is the UK?

 

So I compiled this list, based on her UK chart positions... It's nice to see 3 singles from Norman make the final list considering only 1 single made it from Ultraviolence and Honeymoon; next to each song is the peak position it charted.

 

 

01. Summertime Sadness (#04)

02. Video Games (#09)

03. Born To Die (#09)

04. West Coast (#21)

05. Young And Beautiful (#23)

06. Blue Jeans (#32)

07. Ride (#32)

08. Lust For Life (#38)

09. Love (#41)

10. Doin Time (#42)

11. Norman Fucking Rockwell (#44)

12. High By The Beach (#60)

13. Mariners Apartment Complex (#79)

14. Summer Bummer (#81)

15. Brooklyn Baby (#86)

16. National Anthem (#92)

[electra 20,630]

One great thing about NFR lyrically is that there's far less repetition of a phrase such as the song title (apart from FIILY)

 

really good choruses mostly

 

that's one thing i hate about some of her music - like you could probably guess half of her song choruses without even seeing the lyrics.

[PARADIXO 31,566]

So, I was thinking about a potential greatest hits / best of album from Lana Del Rey and how that would sound. I think her biggest market in terms of singles is the UK?

 

So I compiled this list, based on her UK chart positions... It's nice to see 3 singles from Norman make the final list considering only 1 single made it from Ultraviolence and Honeymoon; next to each song is the peak position it charted.

 

 

01. Summertime Sadness (#04)

02. Video Games (#09)

03. Born To Die (#09)

04. West Coast (#21)

05. Young And Beautiful (#23)

06. Blue Jeans (#32)

07. Ride (#32)

08. Lust For Life (#38)

09. Love (#41)

10. Doin Time (#42)

11. Norman Fucking Rockwell (#44)

12. High By The Beach (#60)

13. Mariners Apartment Complex (#79)

14. Summer Bummer (#81)

15. Brooklyn Baby (#86)

16. National Anthem (#92)

 

Love this!

 

 

that's one thing i hate about some of her music - like you could probably guess half of her song choruses without even seeing the lyrics.

 

Well, a lot of her influences have repetitive choruses / repeat the name of the song a thousand times. I mean even Fiona Apple's new songs repeat the titles countless times

[electra 20,630]

Love this!

 

 

 

Well, a lot of her influences have repetitive choruses / repeat the name of the song a thousand times. I mean even Fiona Apple's new songs repeat the titles countless times

true, but i think when i was younger i tended to find it a little repetitious. i mean, i didn't even notice that til someone else brought it up. but its always nice to hear something more articulate, because she's not bad at creating beautifully written choruses.

[PARADIXO 31,566]

true, but i think when i was younger i tended to find it a little repetitious. i mean, i didn't even notice that til someone else brought it up. but its always nice to hear something more articulate, because she's not bad at creating beautifully written choruses.

 

Oh, definitely, There has to be balance. I love NFR's mix of expansive, long choruses (Mariners, Love song, California, Happines...) and simpler, classic LDR ones (title track, Fuck it, Cinnamong Girl).

I remember everyone's complaint about Ultraviolence (when 50% of y'all hated it before it suddenly became a fan favorite) was the extreme repetitiveness of the choruses. To me, the choruses on UV are mere transitions between the verses (perhaps the strongest melodic parts of the whole record). She's telling a story with each track and during the chorus she's making a mood, she's taking a breath before continuing.

 

Of course execution is very important. Just to give an example, Pretty When You Cry and Guns and Roses share the same chorus but the execution is vastly different.

[electra 20,630]

Oh, definitely, There has to be balance. I love NFR's mix of expansive, long choruses (Mariners, Love song, California, Happines...) and simpler, classic LDR ones (title track, Fuck it, Cinnamong Girl).

 

and (underappreciated!) Venice Bitch - so much repetition and layering, but by going back and forth from the versus in this beautiful psychedelic way "it's me your little venice bitch, touch me with your finger tips, it's me your little venice bitch").

 

the lyrics of venice bitch are so wavy and all over the place. psychedelic perfection. a great way of her utilising her habits in repetition to make something new and unexpected.

[PARADIXO 31,566]

and (underappreciated!) Venice Bitch - so much repetition and layering, but by going back and forth from the versus in this beautiful psychedelic way "it's me your little venice bitch, touch me with your finger tips, it's me your little venice bitch").

 

the lyrics of venice bitch are so wavy and all over the place. psychedelic perfection. a great way of her utilising her habits in repetition to make something new and unexpected.

 

Oh yes I love the Venice Bitch lyrics Since the day it came out. So cute and honest. I actually posted a little analysis in the pre-release thread, trying to connect all the songs/snippets we had.

 

 

 

I think it's safe to say that the tone and narrative of NFR is that of a very hurt woman who is going through a phase of lamenting her past, which happens right after deciding to get over it (on LFL we see her finally choosing a life-changing path, often blinded by her new-found optimism) and prior to actually gettting over it (whatever comes next).

 

On songs like Cinnamon, she's basically asking her lover not to do her wrong like everyone else. On HIAB, she accepted she had her standards (for men and life in general) too low, but at the same time there is a positive feel to it -- she suffered so much that there's barely anything she can't handle now ("What's the worst that could happen to a girl that's already hurt?").

 

Venice Bitch has some of my favorite LDR lyrics of all time. Her problems and life experiences made her cold-hearted ("Ice cream, ice queen") and now she's doing her best to open her heart again ("Fear fun, fear love [...] Trying to be stonger for you [...] I'm sweet for you"). It didn't work for her and now she's lamenting her past again ("Oh God, miss you on my lips") and is doing anything to get him back; she's repeatedly telling him to "come over" and get high with her because "[they're] older" now (perhaps a metaphor to her being mature and open-hearted now).

 

http://lanaboards.com/index.php?/topic/10278-norman-fucking-rockwell-pre-release-thread/page-1308&do=findComment&comment=749826

[godsmonster 13,777]

Lana on her way to the studio to record The Greatest

it was supposed to be that video of Liz Gillies power walking in that red suit with "I Feel Love" playing

https://twitter.com/LizGillies/status/1045792885319323648

Edited April 18, 2020 by godsmonster

[Creyk 11,495]

One great thing about NFR lyrically is that there's far less repetition of a phrase such as the song title (apart from FIILY)

 

really good choruses mostly

Now if only they also had bridges.

[FallingCherry 7,731]

Now if only they also had bridges.

I don’t think any of the songs that don’t have a bridge need one. The title track and MAC have intros and outros. FIILY has three verses and a long third chorus. Love song has long choruses. HTD has an instrumental bridge and I think it’s great as it is because the instrumentalisation is strong. California has long choruses. The greatest has a beautiful outro. Bartender has long choruses. HIAB has long pre-choruses and choruses. Hope has three verses and a sort of outro. All of the songs that don’t have a bridge on the album are built in a way that they don’t lack a bridge. At least that’s my opinion. I never listened to the album thinking there was anything missing, especially not bridges.

[TrashMagiq 55,296]

The only song off of NFR that I feel needs a bridge is Cinnamon Girl, but even then it got that outro that kinda makes up for it. The other songs all got little melodic moments that don’t make me feel like something’s missing.

[bored 7,830]

So, I was thinking about a potential greatest hits / best of album from Lana Del Rey and how that would sound. I think her biggest market in terms of singles is the UK?

 

So I compiled this list, based on her UK chart positions... It's nice to see 3 singles from Norman make the final list considering only 1 single made it from Ultraviolence and Honeymoon; next to each song is the peak position it charted.

 

 

01. Summertime Sadness (#04)

02. Video Games (#09)

03. Born To Die (#09)

04. West Coast (#21)

05. Young And Beautiful (#23)

06. Blue Jeans (#32)

07. Ride (#32)

08. Lust For Life (#38)

09. Love (#41)

10. Doin Time (#42)

11. Norman Fucking Rockwell (#44)

12. High By The Beach (#60)

13. Mariners Apartment Complex (#79)

14. Summer Bummer (#81)

15. Brooklyn Baby (#86)

16. National Anthem (#92)

 

Okay after doing some research, turns out Ultraviolence made Top 100 in the US and Dark Paradise charted quite well in Europe. I added Music To Watch Boys To despite charting terribly, just to make it so Honeymoon appeared more than once.

 

So I attempted to compile a greatest hits album, if you like. The version I listen made replaces any album versions with radio edits / radio mixes.

 

 

01. Video Games

02. Summertime Sadness

03. Norman Fucking Rockwell

04. Love

05. High By The Beach

06. Doin Time

07. West Coast

08. Blue Jeans

09. Summer Bummer (feat. A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti)

10. Music To Watch Boys To

11. Ride

12. Mariners Apartment Complex

13. Ultraviolence

14. Dark Paradise

15. Lust For Life (feat. The Weeknd)

16. National Anthem

17. Young And Beautiful

18. Born To Die

[American Whore 47,526]

not exactly NFR related but only related since it was released around the same time but

 

SEASON OF THE WITCH COULDVE EASILY BEEN ADDED FOR A TITTY SHAKING TRACK UGH SO GOOOOOOD

[cheaptrailertrashglm 3,189]

NFR is my fav album after UV.

it is beautiful, just saying.

[WaitForLife 5,010]

One great thing about NFR lyrically is that there's far less repetition of a phrase such as the song title (apart from FIILY)

 

really good choruses mostly

I have nothing against her repetitive choruses. It shows in what state she was when the wrote the songs.

[Thunder Revenant 20,680]

I feel like the title track definitely needed a bridge, even an instrumental bridge like Religion would have done

[GeminiLanaFan 45,763]

Still trying to figure out, after all these months, what was the lead single for this album hahaha

Even Interscope didn’t have a clue.

 

But on another note: I don’t get why she had to swear so much on FIILY: it could have been a perfect single for radios.

[bored 7,830]

Still trying to figure out, after all these months, what was the lead single for this album hahaha

Even Interscope didn’t have a clue.

 

But on another note: I don’t get why she had to swear so much on FIILY: it could have been a perfect single for radios.

Honestly singles wise I go...

 

Official:

 

Mariners Apartment Complex

Venice Bitch

Doin Time

Norman Fucking Rockwell

 

Promo:

 

Hope Is A Dangerous Thing...

Fuck It, I Love You

The Greatest

[clementines 9,659]

I'm still thinking about how this could have been her best album if these songs had bridges

[WaitForLife 5,010]

I'm still thinking about how this could have been her best album if these songs had bridges

Not this conversation again. UV could've been better of it had real choruses.