IanadeIrey

This is really insightful. And I actually think it could have to do with how she “transformed” in the eyes of Sean. At first she “called him up” and he “c[a]me into [her] bedroom” — which she calls a “sacred place” in Violet — and this reflects the Lana who represents wholesome Americana and domestic idealism. This is what Lana was reaching for in Chemtrails and was en route to achieving in her relationship with Sean. But then it “ended up” that they “fuck[ed] on the hotel floor” — so now this previous act of lovemaking (Lana’s “legacy” as described in Salamander) that occurred in her “sacred place” is now a mere hookup. And given the nature in which he approached her for this hookup as revealed by Lana on TikTok, she was non-consensually placed into a mistress role, that of an “American Whore”. So, before, it was about having someone to love her. But after this “transformation” that had become externalized onto her by Sean, she had no choice but to live “the experience of being an American Whore.”

The fan from the Instagram live on Blue Banisters release day - his name is Zach

Lol I got you! Thank you for bringing it up in the first place ❤️ Definitely a song with so many layers, and I’m totally with you on the Jimmy segment. In my opinion, she’s telling in the first part of the song, but then showing in the second part of the song - she now embodies “the experience of being an American Whore” through a seemingly fun and loose breakdown. With the samples of the NFR title track, the Jimmy segment feels a bit like a pastiche of two Lanas (the critics’ darling, Lana and the subject of harsh criticism, Lana) - it takes the song that represents Lana’s most critically-acclaimed career-period and periodically distorts it against hip-hop beats and more vibe-y than narrative-driven lyrics. This, in my opinion, is a juxtaposition that marries the Lana who says she lives in Rosemead and the Lana who’s at the Ramada. So I think she’s just representing the lyrics from earlier in the song, but through sonics rather than lyrics. And I think she just wanted to fuck around in the studio with Jack lol. With her fashion choices and behaviour on social media over the last year-and-a-half, it really seems like she’s having fun with this image of the “American Whore” and reclaiming this stigmatized label assigned to her (by the media, and, perhaps as a result of how things ended with a certain someone based on the lyrics she sang on TikTok).

So true. And she divulged so much about her life that gives real context to the newer music/poetry. Thinking about that talk she had with Zach where she laid everything out on the table about Sean - and how it triggered this kind of historical “hysteria” where she got in touch with her “panicked” side (which links to the Interview Mag 2020 video and the subtitle, Insights from an *Institution*), chemistry never dying between people, etc. We have a lot to look out for now..

Omg yes your mind. She had been letting these Ocean Blvd thoughts simmer (and splash out of the pot), I fear. First the Harry Nilsson/Don’t Forget Me references, now this. We have to rewatch that livestream once the album is out lol

I think you’re right—and sorry no one is engaging meaningfully with you on this because what you’re saying has so much merit lol. Yes, the lyric has its first dimension in meaning (where she says she’s at home in Rosemead but really she’s at the Ramada Inn for a sexual encounter). But the line represents more than just that - it’s not purely literal. It expresses a kind of dichotomy that the media often captures about Lana. The line contains within itself the oscillation between a wholesome domestic idealism and a more suggestive, perhaps crass femme fatale-ism that the public loves to project onto Lana. They tend to both fetishize and weaponize these two conceptions of Lana in their think-pieces, and she completely toys with that in the line, concluding that “it doesn’t really matter” whether or not she’s presenting herself as one or the other.

Off topic (sorry to undo your efforts here) but the way her change in expression in this gif was in response to how that fan—bless his heart—said the reason she gets criticism is because she doesn’t “fit the status quo”. You could tell she was not convinced at allll (especially given how one of her rebuttals to that criticism was that she did in fact have peers and belonged to an echelon of artists who operated similarly to her) — but points to him for attempting an explanation!

I’ve taken more of an interest in the idea of my family lineage for that reason. Hearing Lana talk about knowing her familial roots (and all the baggage that accompanies it) to consciously follow her own intuition so as to “heal up to seven generations forward” was inspiring. I also think that it gives you a sense of connectedness, feeling like you’re a part of some grander genealogical thread. If you’re a pretty individualistic person who has only focused on their immediate family like me, then it’s definitely an interesting experience to ground yourself in the most extended of extended family!

Ultraviolence Honeymoon Norman Fucking Rockwell! Born to Die Paradise Lust for Life Blue Banisters Chemtrails Over the Country Club Lana Del Ray AKA Lizzy Grant I think Ocean Blvd will be my number three…

I totally didn’t realize this was happening this week. February’s flown by! Hoping for a speech as long and as insightful as the one she made at the Variety Awards. And obviously excited to see her look - something tells me she’ll be channeling her exxxxtra glamorous sensibilities on Wednesday…💄💅💋

Less than a month away and I’m feeling so excited. You can tell she feels “on” in terms of embodying this record and I think it has a lot to do with 1) how it felt effortless to make, according to her and 2) how it delves deeper into things she maybe glossed over in the last few records. 9 albums in and the creative spark doesn’t stop - that’s a feat in and of itself!

I don’t care - if she doesn’t come to my city, I’m flying to the nearest show and completely abandoning all responsibilities because I can just tell that this tour will feel like a reunion.

Good catch! A backbeat is a musical term (it refers to an emphasis on beats 2 and 4 in a song where each bar has 4 beats - so 1 2 3 4). So I think she’s saying that when he calls Lana, he turns on music with a heavy “backbeat” rhythm to mask their conversation. This would directly tie in with the lines about him putting the shower on while he calls her and slipping out the backdoor to talk to her!

Bold move to fuck with a song like West Coast - nothing beats the original. That’s all I’ll say. But he is clearly talented.

The alternate lyrics seem to link back to the poem she free-styled for Vogue in September 2020 about “being led on.” She met with Sean in July 2020 while in Oklahoma, and seemingly never interacted with him again after that. So something must have happened in summer 2020 where she thought things were potentially going to be rekindled but it ended up being that she was a “side-piece at 3[5]” (I think she said “33” just for rhyme’s sake).

I mean, how can you not love her with that dry humour . She’s wayyy more aware of what fans say/do than she’s previously let on .

Gorgeous! Love the homage to her classic makeup looks from way back. This shot is immediately striking and is my favourite –

The Billboard interview made me even more excited for this record, as if that was possible. I'm always perched for her to go deeper lyrically, and I appreciate that she now is keen to go as deep as possible. The alternate A&W lyrics she sang on TikTok are also indicative of her readiness to disclose the breadth of her experience. That little video alone has shed so much more light on the album version's bridge lyrics (the section beginning with "God's a charlatan..." now seems to be extremely coded).

This is really sweet and I’ll definitely be listening to this. Congrats to Rob!

I’m not referring to that, though. Production critiques on their own can be valid. In my initial response to you, I listed the kinds of comments that I was referring to. It’s unfortunate that that’s not translating. Also - the part of my very first post about “meaningless discourse” and “nitpicking” was very ancillary to the main point, so rest be assured that I’m not stifling any discussion lol! I’m not that powerful or important to be able to do that.

You are quoting this from my post so let me be clear that I’m not talking about people not liking the song. People can have whatever opinions they want. I’m talking about baseless claims of unoriginality on Jack’s part, frivolous comparisons between other artists to dismiss this song, and the ever futile talk about sales. There are ways of expressing those things thoughtfully, which isn’t always the case in online spaces.

Ugh you guysssss. A&W is just phenomenal - I know I’ve made like, 5 different posts just saying that. But it’s the utmost truth. She did not hold back at all - sonically, melodically, lyrically, all of it. I obviously loved the last two records so much but I haven’t felt this way about a song since I heard Venice Bitch. Enjoy the music and don’t let meaningless discourse and nitpicking get in the way. Focus on what’s to love, which is that we got a fucking amazing 7 minute track!

I’ve recently rediscovered the joy in doing this. To quote Courtney Love at Paris Fashion Week, “stay the fuck offline.” And she’s so right, because doing just that really lets you enjoy things in a completely unaffected way, free of the dissenting opinions and preconceptions that really contribute to the “white noise” around the music.

OK but the arrangement of the “American Whore” part of A&W reminded me so much of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged special on first listen. I would LOVE if there was more of this stripped-down grunge sound on the rest of the album.

This is one of her best songs (a declaration I can make just 1 day after its release!). It has that uncanny, instant classic quality that Venice Bitch and West Coast had.