IanadeIrey

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.

I feel so bad for newer fans who don’t have the lived experience of being a longtime fan of Lana - because having witnessed the trajectory of her career and the direct culmination of that into these new songs (A&W especially) is just so satisfying. I hope that doesn’t read as condescending because I really mean it in the way that this record isn’t just a mere ninth album release. It’s the result of deliberating on years of LDR lore - the two new songs (and likely this new record entirely) will reframe existing conceptions we’ve had about LDR’s world.

"Forensic Files wasn't on" ––––– but was it?

Aw, my fave! ❤️ I am here (and my thoughts above!) - thank you for thinking of me. I need to catch up and read your thoughts too! Totally seconding you on graham, but we've sounded like broken records for the last few years in regards to that...

These photos are EVERYTHING! The trademark early-career Lana Del Rey feel is so surreal to see in full force in 2023. Glamorous and incredibly artistic at the same time – I am so glad she worked with Nadia Lee Cohen because she has truly captured Lana in a way that depicts something even greater than herself. There's a very thoughtful statement that can be read simply from these photos. And of course, loved the insightful interview with Billie.

A&W is incredible. She primes the listener so brilliantly with the opening lines' mention of her childhood and her mother. That serves to function as a precursory explanation for why "it's not about having someone to love [her] anymore," and why she now is embarking on the experience of an American Whore –––– which is then developed throughout the song and depicted as a byproduct of her early formative experiences AND how heavily she has been berated by the media. She has internalized projections of herself, which came from her externalized interactions with others (in her early childhood and in her career 2011–onward), which has changed the way she conducts herself altogether. Sociology queen! The lyrics are confessional, yet so coded at the same time. She has mastered the art of revealing so much while keeping things completely abstract. "Jimmy" is SUCH an unexpected, yet welcome sonic twist. It is a true melodic embodiment of the completely uninhibited quality she sings about in the first ~4 minutes of the track. And let's talk about the killer one-liners that evoke Question for the Culture (which is now becoming a centre-point for lyrical interweaving between songs in the grander LDR narrative). Lines like "Do you really think I give a damn what I do after years of just hearing them talking?" / "Do you really think anybody would think I didn't ask for it?" / "I'm testifying, you already fucked up my story on top of this," / and "Did you know a singer can still be looking like a side-piece at thirty-three?" are just feral. I use this phrase very sparingly, but – she ate. This album is going to be a new pinnacle in her discography.

You’re so right! The way she carries herself and treats others has always been evident from the very beginning - I really think anyone who discovered her in their teens and extrapolated all the ”right” things is ultimately a better person because of it. A little kindness and humanity always goes a long way!

Love to see how much fun Lana is having with everyone involved in the promotion behind this record. Whether it be makeup artists, hair stylists, journalists, or personnel at her label, it's really great to see her establish a rapport with everyone she works with. In our day and age of fast-paced impersonality, it's refreshing to see!

Ahhhh Lana and Joan! This is going to be amazing, I bet it's a real trip for Lana that just 17 years ago she was writing songs about "Joan & Bobby" as a mere fan of both – and now gets to call one of them a friend. We have a lot to be excited about over the next few months!!

Valentine’s Day is going to be super special with the new song and the cover story for Interview Mag ❤️ it’s really album season!