IanadeIrey

That is GORGEOUS I’m excited to get one!

Look at us! We’re in sync

To echo the talk about K, I’ve actually always thought he was a real, living person! There is the obvious reference to him in the two “For K” tracks, but I believe the story about his death. For one, the entire record being called Born to Die is even more chilling when you add that piece to the whole pie. Lana has said before that it’s in reference to how her existence was overshadowed by awareness of her own mortality as a child — which was fleetingly eased upon experiencing true love — but given the subject matter of songs like the title track, Blue Jeans, Video Games, Dark Paradise, and Summertime Sadness, it really seems like there was a literal loss and Lana is reconciling these worlds of love and death. I think the “K” trilogy of BTD, BJ, and VG is interesting, though, because we know VG’s verses are about Josh, but the choruses are about how she wished things went with someone else (and perhaps she can only wish, because he’s no longer here). BJ suggests a tumultuous road, the result of which sees Lana vow to love him till the end of time (perhaps in a way that honours someone whose spirit lives on in your memories, in your heart, etc.). And BTD is the thesis statement that precedes these two tracks — the first verse sees Lana touch upon the afterlife, where she hopes she’ll be reunited with him. I also found it telling that in a 2012 interview, Lana was asked if the boy in question knew about these songs, to which she replied “he doesn’t know — his mother knows.” I’ll put it in the spoiler below. Now, Josh has never really fallen out of contact with Lana (as we have seen photos of them together around the early 2000s, in 2009, in 2011, in 2012, Lana posted about his engagement in 2018, and Josh has posted several times about how he inspired Video Games) — so I really do think that this person’s fate as described in Lana’s songs is legitimate and true. But alas, I think this will remain one of the most elusive Lana mysteries unless she herself opens up about it. It’s her story to tell, and if she does choose to tell it, I know it’ll be insightful and moving.

That label always confused me because I read early interviews from 2011 and even EARLIER interviews from 2008/2009 and she even talks about how she writes about the way things used to be during happy times. It’s just thoughtful — and I think that speaks volumes about the status quo’s conflation of reflection and sadness. She was absolutely right when she identified how the world loves to project onto you to try and reconcile what they lack.

Someone on TikTok recalls the time Lana “photobombed” their picture in LA based on the image, setting, and story they shared, it seems that this was in February 2019 at Frieze LA (which Lana posted pictures from at the time), and I guess qualifies as an unseen image! Two different parts — https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8VTbrJ6/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8VTCtkY/ Here’s the image —

FINALLY! <3

Carmen is such a well-written song. There’s the obvious storytelling about its namesake, but there are also two extended metaphors related to addiction and actual substances that make it such a genius, layered piece of poetry. The interplay between — 1. The verses + bridge (that detail Carmen’s experiences, perhaps as a user) 2. The chorus (which analogizes Carmen — the user — into the actual substance, with lines about potential effects [“cartoon eyes”, “butterflies”, a “mind like a diamond”] and “white lightning” being a likely street name for a substance that Carmen gets compared to) — is so enriching to listen to. It’s a tragically beautiful song and is just so eerily glamorous. It’s one of my favourites off of Born to Die and it’s so, so underrated. I think there is so much more to this song than people give it credit for, and what I’ve just written here barely scratches the surface. I could write a whole dissertation on this! The live version she did for NPR in 2012 is probably my favourite version. The acoustic arrangement makes it more haunting and lonesome, and her vocals shine beautifully here. The “weaknesses” are the strengths. They convey the true depression and pain of this track that I find to be absolutely beautiful, real, and raw. This fan-edited music video is perfect for this version too, and conveys its bone-chilling beauty. I recommend that everyone who comes across this post gives it a watch — I’ve seen this for years but it’s so worth revisiting.

This is so fun! 1. No Vacation — Dræm Girl 2. Lana Del Rey — Cherry Blossom 3. Warren G, O.G.L.B. — This D.J. 4. Mazzy Star — Blue Light 5. Dolly Parton — Jolene 6. Led Zeppelin — Houses of the Holy 7. The Flamingos — I Only Have Eyes for You 8. Lana Del Rey — Interlude - The Trio 9. Hole — Jennifer’s Body 10. Ludacris — Rollout (My Business)

Banned for exposing me!

I can’t believe we broke the game — nothing is right Banned for actually keeping us on track

We are just that in sync

Crying at how me and my girls turned this thread into a friendship fest, nobody does it like us!

It’s true, it’s true As LB’s resident Lizzy Grant and Lana Del Rey, it’s only right that we are the most enigmatic

@honeybadger Banned for making the most beautiful, gorgeous, Americana, trailer-heaven, kitschy, campy, and overall professional, polished, would-buy-multiple-pressings-of LANA DEL RAY AKA LIZZY GRANT vinyl mock-up! @Super Movie Banned for creating iconic concept albums using unreleased tracks that put real concept albums to SHAME whilst being the nicest and coolest user who has the best taste in music

Mermaid Motel (Demo) vs. Chemtrails Over the Country Club

So hard! Both are Lana Americana classics. But I’d have to say… If You Lie Down With Me vs. Riverside

I actually really love Radiohead too, and was sad to see that dispute lol. I wonder how Lana must have felt, given that she is/was a Radiohead fan — I remember she listed them as influences/one of her favourite bands on her “Lizzy Grant” MySpace page. Love both Get Free and Creep still to this day.

Obsessed with this record at the moment! @Surf Noir @Super Movie I’m joining your little Lizzy Grant club and campaigning for the QOTGS video — we can be a triad!

Oh right!!! I think you told me this last week, actually thank you for answering my question about this again

OK the discourse surrounding Yes to Heaven and Chemtrails always baffled me because I have no idea where there was confirmation that the song was meant for the album. I just remember fake fanmade snippets that were sung in the melody of Yes to Heaven, and claims that it was reworked into ‘White Hot Forever’ — and I guess misinformation about Yes to Heaven and Chemtrails spread like a wildfire. How do we know about the alleged James Ford version from the 2017 TSLP x LDR sessions, by the way?

@YourGirl666 ☠️ Lipster of the Year ☠️

I’ve actually been thinking about this record a lot lately. It’s quite stunning and really lends itself to the glamour of New York and New Jersey, wandering around at night in the neon lights. I can’t believe she wrote this record between the ages of 21 and 22. It is amazing how much star power it has, and how she’s always had this gift of writing — art flows through her like a true force. I actually think this album is her most arthouse-y and is just so evocative of everything she cited as influences at the time, she truly nailed it. I love it, it truly does sound like a black-and-white movie, a sad party, and it does sound famous.

Ultraviolence on vinyl. It doesn’t get better than that

I’m with you! I really like how eerie and sinister the live strings sound. Then the arrangement becomes a bit gritty with the guitar, but then gets super dark and grand when Byron goes into the lower octaves on the piano. It’s magical, paired with Lana’s switching between sultry, deep vocals and siren-like riffs.