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I agree with everyone about the wonderful company she keeps on this "flop" list. As to whether or not Tropico makes sense as a career move, whether you like the video or not, it's hard to believe Tropico will hurt her relative to her accomplished grammy nominations or her oscar consideration (keeping fingers crossed). The short film seems well timed for those and hopefully it will help.

^ LDR is kind of a magpie collagist, so the only thing we really know for sure about her use of the poem is that she likes it. BTW John Wayne, actually does recite this, see below. If I had to commit to a meaning for the America poem, I'd say it relates more to the Marilyn quote: "Sex is a part of nature; I go along with nature", though it could also be cited as an instance of "rah rah rah America shit", but maybe it's a viewer's choice on this. So, for instance, the poem could also be a way of representing Eden reasserting itself at about the time of the paradise ascension.

Hopefully somebody else in the artist world will write an opposing viewpoint. The great thing about the site is you must have a musician cred to write a review. Artist's perceptions of other artists is just so fascinating to me; it almost doesn't matter if the review is good or bad, because, if it's a crapily executed review, you learn something about the artist (i.e., reviewer). I wonder if LDR will ever stan for (or trash) somebody there in the future. The Tropico review was not good because readers do not want a bunch of opinions about what it was all about (as @@PrettyBaby suggested), but a review that might let them know what type of person would like it. What she said (minimally) in that regard is that if you're expecting music videos you won't like it as much (which is not really news): "But why bother presenting a trinity of promo clips, which would stand fine alone, as a film? Why not schedule a half-hour MTV Takeover?" Well, yeah, if you can't see the bother, you really haven't attempted to understand the "short film". But I really recommend this site, for instance: Lou Reed on Yeezus (excellent example of a good music review). Moby on R. Kelly Amanda Palmer on Janelle Monáe (there's also an LDR shade in that one unfortunately, but it's still fascinating to know she doesn't "believe" in LDR songs, regardless of whether I do; just search for "lana del rey", if you don't want to read the review and just see the shade).

Interesting negative review from Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz) of Tropico. Anyone hear of the group? She's somebody who went to Kent with LDR but is obviously not a fan (or bothered to listen to Paradise on Spotify very much, although she indicates she might revisit the video because she likes the songs). Very interesting site (musicians talk music). Hope more LDR reviews coming from there someday (if they aren't there already). http://thetalkhouse.com/features/view/sadie-dupuis-lana-del-reys-short-film-tropico

The problem of comparing female artists to each other more often than males or groups to each other is an old one. I have nothing against Lorde (think she's pretty and like her music) but can't stand it when a critic or music journalist forces a comparison to LDR, especially in non-musical terms. It seems like it's done with the same motivation that one takes a stick to an anthill (as @ suggests). I suppose the most you should say (as music journalist) is something like: "if you like Lorde's music, you might like LDR's, and vice versa" and maybe give a few concrete examples about why, but that's about it.

I agree totally that the Satellites and Golden Globes are simply awards and nominations based on opinion of a non-artistic population. These opinions can be (and probably are) influenced for reasons other than quality. However, the Satellites might be more valid (as an opinion of the Press) if more people vote in the IPA and their population is less specialized (HFPA excludes the US, by definition). Unfortunately, I can't find IPA voting numbers, so maybe it's a sham organization. However, I'm under the impression that the GGs only reflect the voting of 90 foreign-press members. WTF. Why should their opinion matter much? How did they get so much (supposed) validity attached to them? Just asking. Why would the Oscar voting even be influenced by it?

The Golden Globes award is bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which is composed of 90 members from around the world (they have a base of operations in L.A.). Granted these are entertainment journalists, but there are so few of them. So why such a keen interest in these nominations and awards? Just asking! I wouldn't dream of snubbing them. It's their awards, they can nominate who they like. http://www.hfpa.org/members/ With regard to LDR getting snubbed. The fact that HFPA are journalists is consistent with an interesting LDR polarization I have imagined seeing, namely: critics/journalists tend to dislike her, but artists (e.g., the Grammy voting population) tend to like her. However, the Satellite Award is also of journalist's, and apparently there's more members than in the HFPA, and they did nominate her. So why are the Satellite awards not prestigious? http://www.pressacademy.com/members/ Unlike HFPA, the International Press Academy includes US press. I think LDR's biggest Oscar competition (that I know of, at least) is Florence (and for Gatsby too!). If LDR doesn't get nominated, Florence may, but hopefully, both will get nominated. If I were the Oscar's voting population, I might consider LDR's artistic interest in videos and movies as a factor. It may seem like a silly factor, but if all the songs are considered to be equally good, things like that should matter in a voting population like the Oscar one.

She tweeted (or retweeted) about the "godparticle" being confirmed (i think it was back in 3/12), and that may be related broadly to her interest here (as speculation, also as suggested by @@parkin link to info one of the prize winners). At any rate this is nice interesting press for her. Wonder if it were spur of the moment or planned by her for some time.

I remember seeing a youtube video for Break My Fall that listed EG as "writer" and commenting about that in a forum. So he may have contacted that uploader as he did @ with the same request. That particular video was taken down (I suppose, not sure, can't find it). I just wanted to say, he's not listed on BMF at ASCAP (note the *RAY* spelling, which is why I think it doesn't show up under Lana Del Rey). https://www.ascap.com/Home/ace-title-search/index.aspx 23.BREAK MY FALL Work ID: 882356340 ISWC: Not Assigned WritersIPI #Current Affiliation COOPER MIRANDA DEL RAY LANA WHITING ANTHONY EDWARD295440645PRS Publishers / AdministratorsIPI #Current Affiliation 269137346 PRS * SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING (UK) LIMITED * Refer to About ACE - Notice of Limitations I'd say the amount of negative evidence well exceeds the positive (an understatement). @ could also say to EG, UMG was emailed and the response indicated he was unknown there. If there's no evidence for him anywhere in songwriting creds, that would be suspicious. Topic switch: For those thinking it would be bad form for LDR to release an album with older songs, let me just say, aside from better production of the songs, older material would have a chance for some kind of impact on pop music. As @ suggests, the best case scenario (for a music consumer, like me) is doing both leaked session vols. simultaneously with new releases. It would be a really ballsy thing to do (i.e., how many artists do you know could do that?). Here's another random thought about "Ultraviolence". What would Kurt do (and what did he actually do)? An album called Incesticide was released after the *wildly* popular Nevermind. This has been described as "retrospective" and "a compilation of out-takes, doodles, and unreleased tracks from the BBC sessions". The quotes are from Sanford (1995, pg. 74, pg. 262 respectively), the biography that most Cobain fans hate. So if LDR has liner notes that are abstractly similar to these (I have Incesticide and verified it), I'd be a little worried: http://www.livenirvana.com/digitalnirvana/discography/nirvana/incesticide_note.html INB4U? (if that's the way you use that expression).

While the record companies submit for consideration of nominations, it's the voting members that determine who is nominated and later who wins. The voting members are determined by eligibility (look for that info synopsized on the second column of the 2nd page) and whether they join and pay the dues, so this document tells who will determine if LDR wins anything. The pre concert TV show said at the end that about 12000 can vote, but voters are encouraged only to vote in their categories of expertise and it's quality that supposed to determine their vote (they have a limited number of votes to spread over the specific categories). http://www2.grammy.com/PDFs/Members/naras_app.pdf I'm hoping LDR will be pleased even if she doesn't win anything. It's great being nominated.

Like some others, I have some problems with slowness and dependence on pretty looks in parts (e.g., the Bel Air sequence), and it is as much a poetry video as a music video, which is to say she may be more interested in the poems and visuals than the music. Still I've watched 3 times and not really bored by it. The strongest, I think, is the Body Electric intro and sequence, which to me is just brilliant (and not just because of the snake scene). In a universe where John Wayne is God, Lana being Eve is perfectly sensible. I predict criticism will be coming for putting Jesus in the context of pop culture icons, but that's just Lana (and the BE song tbh). The monologue after the Body Electric sequence is derived from Walt Witman's Body Electric, not surprisingly. Although I couldn't find it in the credits. Maybe an oversight on her part, or maybe we're all assumed at this point to know that Whitman's gonna happen there. I'm particularly struck by these lines (in fact at the end scroll all the way down): The thin red jellies within you, or within me—the bones, and the marrow in the bones, The exquisite realization of health; O I say, these are not the parts and poems of the Body only, but of the Soul, O I say now these are the Soul! This is profoundly unChristian, of course, yet she is Christian (of course). As the monolog happens after corruption (via the apple), it's uncertain (for me) whether @@Ultraviolence attribution to Whitman-- "Man will then be reborn through this glorification of his body, for the human body is as sacred as the spirit."-- actually applies to the video meaning. But my point is not to say that he's wrong but just that the interpretation is uncertain for me. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. On the idea that the body monologue is an effect of biting the apple, LDR and SR could be dead at the end (aka beautiful spirits) and going to heaven, so Bel Air would actually be a song about dieing (and a fundamentally Christian song). Wouldn't be the first time characters died in an LDR video.

It's interesting that she has enough leaks/unreleased that could fit an album with that title e.g.: kind of outta luck serial killer scarface noir push me down you can be the boss hundred dollar bill she's not me catch and release golden grille velvet crowbar tired of singing the blues But I'm sure nobody thinks she's gonna do that.

The more records she sells the more awkward it will be (for the music industry) for her not to get awards or nominations. So lets hope she sells a lot of records while keeping her artistic integrity. YAB can win something, if Skyfall can, and if not, all she has to do is persist at being incredible, and she'll win something eventually. Anyway, the article below had some comic relief for me. http://www.cracked.com/article_15856_the-7-most-unforgivable-grammy-award-snubs-all-time.html I mostly agree with them (Steely Dan being the one exception).

I'll assume this is the Barrie video thread. He's got another, and it's pretty awesome, though you have to wonder at the ending...

Maybe she's going to do her own version of this? http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/22/a-clockwork-orange-the-musical-yes-its-happening/ http://www.spin.com/articles/my-fair-droogs-introducing-clockwork-orange-musical/ Also, this was a Youtube comment of hers? I went back to try to find it but think she may have deleted it. So she might have changed her mind (about what I'm not sure). Or perhaps she wanted to call her next album "The Ocean" and her label (unwisely) said no.

Kind of odd that she lists New York but not Los Angeles. Wonder if that was intentional.

Looks like it could be Daniel Heath.

@@JhnMabius, @@HeartshapedChevrolet, @@Hundred Dollar Bill are not contradictory. What's a matter of opinion is not whether LDR sings well, but what aspect of her musical performance is more important flawlessness and power, or character (Dylan or Cohen, anyone?). But the problem with any statements about LDR's live is she's inconsistent. Sometimes she's blasé; sometimes she's freakin amazing. I suppose being unreliable is the same as being not quite as good (as Miley), but there is an open issue of whether, Miley, who is a stellar vocalist, could tackle one of LDR's harder songs, like Off to the Races (which has at least 4 Youtube live performances, but none from BTD or Paradise tours). Also for a good LDR SS live to compare to Miley see: But I agree with formal training being a good idea. It's supposed to be relevant to confidence/nerves issues as well. I suspect even super divas get training or coaching regularly, if only to figure out ways of challenging themselves vocally to better see what their vocal limits are.

I like Angel Haze's a little more, but this is not bad (and she gave it her own spin). I think people like covering LDR because a) she writes interesting songs b) it reminds the critics they can be wrong.

The idea of outtakes from Paradise has always seemed weird to me given it was so short. I never got the "afterthought to Born to Die" idea (certainly Blue Velvet and Yayo weren't afterthoughts). I always thought "Hollywood's Dead" and "Damn You" were going to be on whatever was released after Born to Die and was somewhat shocked neither showed up on Paradise. I was somewhat shocked, given all the material she has, she didn't decide to do a sophmore album at that time (or just a longer "EP"). The most recent leaks (the ones on BlurredLinesVEVO) are all contenders for a next album, especially if they were produced after Paradise. I'd vote JFK for being intended on the basis of it sounding the most spiritual (vocal melody and style, not topic). Hawaiian Tropic on the basis of Spanish Guitars (and perhaps because it is somewhat more suppressed on Youtube, though on the basis of that, I would expect Scarface on the next release, LOL, although I really wouldn't mind that happening). Lana Del Rey AKA Lana Del Ray AKA Lizzy Grant: So many people have had their way with her music (remixes, covers) that I wouldn't see any artistic compromise with her re-releasing original AKA and then redoing selected songs on future albums. She'd just be doing what everybody else has been doing. The idea of physical vs. digital is minor for me, as I don't have non-official digital (or physical) copies of AKA. So while it's currently true all AKA tracks are available on Youtube, I'm depending on the kindness of strangers to experience them. I'm assuming LDR has excellent control of what stays up on Youtube (and what comes down), so my experience for AKA is also due to her kindness. Her inconsistent nature works in my favor in that case (and I love her for that).

The problem I have with saying it's ok NOT to re-release AKA is that I find it similar to saying something like "it's ok for every Depeche Mode album prior to 2007/2008 to be out of print". I mean what's the difference conceptually with respect to AKA? LDR's in good company wrt to suppressed earlier work (Amos, Morissette, Gaga, Perry/Hudson, Tyler the Creator), but I just don't understand that phenomenon, because these artists are guaranteed to have potential new fans 10 years in the future. Also just because some fans have listened to something 500 times (or has AKA already) doesn't mean everybody has.

I think it's a good song, given it's a slow stripped-down number, which is hard to pull off in pop (or anywhere else). It still holds attention after multiple listens, and I like the camp beginning and the very understated organ. I'd assume LDR's filming him (especially if those are her legs). Barry's kind of EMO in the video and his twitter, so Nightmare Boy works for me. Maybe this attitude is tongue in cheek, but who knows who "Black Beauty" is really about. On the other hand, Lana Del Rey and Nightmare Boy kind of suggests EMO superheros (like Batman and Robin), which I can't say is either a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not clear on what Barry's song is about, other than some kind of return and disappointment. A Video-Games method I can buy off on, although the style of the video seems a bit more coherent (but not synched too well to the song lyrics). They just seem like morbidly fun visuals. Also the shout out is to Pink Floyd, which is refreshing as none of PF met an untimely demise. If he's inspired by PF, I hope he attempts to be inspired by the full range of PF. "then tells the people fuck you sado's!" I don't get the apostrophe, but I think sado could be slang for sadist or maybe the spelling should be saddist.

Some highpoints for me: MERTENS REINFORCED: "One of the apartments she stayed in was that of her then-boyfriend, Steven Mertens, a fixture in New York's alt-rock and antifolk scenes. He wound up producing her first album, Lana Del Ray a.k.a Lizzy Grant, which was eventually re-recorded by David Kahne for the independent label 5 Points Records." @@evilentity's comment that Barry should be worried about LDR's mention of Steve in 2 interviews is interesting and I find it plausible they were romantically linked. However, even if they were, another possibility is that they (Lana and Barry) are thinking of forming a band and are trying to get him on board. I don't think it's coincidence (or an acid flashback) that she's mentioned him twice and the 2nd time seems to reinforce the first (i.e., like she's really trying to convey that she means/knows what she's saying and it's not just a journalistic mistake of the first interview). If Mertens were involved more with early AKA demos, my guess would be he was the No Kung Fu guitarist. Of course, she may just dissing Kahne a bit. FICKLE MUSES, MUSIC SCENES: " 'We talk about the future, what we want to do, and how we're going to work out everything with timing, since I have a lot of shows coming up," she says. 'Driving is our thinking time. Then we'll come back and write.' ... The couple have been recording some 70's style rock with producer Jonathan Wilson in Silver Lake for fun, but Del Rey characterizes her next release as a work-in-progress, done on her own terms and timetable." So she has some kind of disciplined writing routine and writes for fun with Barrie and she *does* hang out with a music scene. Jonathan Wilson bears looking into (his Youtube stuff reminds a bit of Mazzy Star): http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2009/06/laurel-canyon-jam.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Wilson_(musician) OTHER ARTISTS ARE DIFFERENT (uncool) EXPLAINED (sort of): "The two initially bonded over a mutual love of Kurt Cobain. "He's a big part of our daily conversation. Jeff Buckley is another big inspiration. And Jim Morrison -- I mean, we talk about these people like we know them. They're a part of our relationship. We always say, 'All of our friends are dead, and they never knew us'. I'm lucky to have met someone who feels that way, too." So the dimension of uncoolness is a certain lack of particular past reverence, which LDR thinks is rare in the music biz, and is not (necessarily) a musical merit/talent thing. Perhaps it is a bit of stretch to say that this also refers to the BEATS comment about her musical peers being uncool, and I'd hope that it's mainly the music that makes Cobain, and the others she mentions, so admired.

As well as her voice as an instrument (combined with some guitar), couldn't she also be some kind of GarageBand virtuoso? Couldn't this explain the lo-fi effects on songs like Noir and Baby Blue Love? Her Acapellas are probably done with a program like garageband, and the Carmen Acapella I'm thinking of is mostly the song on BTD with some non-popular-sounding (artsy) arrangements and extra melody. I'd be curious if people think that was her initial demo before her collaborators got with her to make it more commercial. @@merman opines: "Most pop today is determined by accountants and marketing people. There is very little creativity left as the majority of chart music is written by a small group of mostly male song writers ..." and later @@merman opines: "You seem to be completely unaware that Lizzy has been in development for a long time, a close friend said she had been working with top producers and writers in Europe for several years, that's where all the early demos come from." The problem I have with the opinions is believing songs like Axl Rose Husband or for that matter all of Sirens suggest years of development by commercially minded producers. I think LDR's been upfront about collaborators in Album creds (where she's always listed first). Copyright appears to be something else. I don't even think you need to be the author to hold the copyright. Still, a lot of her leaks are a mystery to me and I wish there were more info on them (e.g., who's behind the beats on, Behind Closed Doors, Making Out, Lift Your Eyes, and many others; if it's Lana I want to know that too).

I guess I have to agree, but the issue is whether or not the copyright takes some kind of higher validity than the album notes. I would stick to Bel Air as an example case. The reason I think you're right is, I tried it for John, Elton and found some hits where music and words were credited separately (the way you would expect). However most of the cases were like this: Type of Work: Music Registration Number / Date: RE0000822044 / 2000-01-10 Renewal registration for: EFO000156240 / 1972-06-01 Title: Honky cat. Notes: Words & music. Copyright Claimant: Elton John, Bernie Taupin (A) Names: John, Elton Taupin, Bernie So if not a lawyer reason, maybe a sloppy who gives a what reason (on the part of the authors).