Vertimus

Exactly. She has a certain responsibility to her audience, just as all retailers, wholesalers, salesmen and businesses do. Once she finds out she's made a false statement, or her statement has been invalidated by some incident, all she has to do is drop a tweet or message on IG. Period. And should it be her record company making decisions or changing hers, then all she has to say is, "I don't know yet, but once I've heard from Interscope and I'm 100% sure, I'll make sure you all know."

That's not true, that "she's always been like this," "that this has been happening from the beginning." UV and HM were released exactly when it was announced they would be, and we've been led to believe that LFL was delayed 3 months or due to the 'Love' leak, which is probably true. So for all intents, three albums were released when they were supposed to have been. As I wrote above, the whole NFR fiasco taught me a lesson about believing in 99% of what she says, but, as another member posted, you wouldn't think she could possibly delay an album that was intended to fill the gap due to another earlier project being delayed, and then delay the second project without notice, and on Christmas. EVEN THAT is something I would think she wouldn't have the gall or rudeness to do. And since she seems to believe in 'mystical' ideas like karma, she should consider what sort of bad karma she's creating for herself, which to me is simply the bad faith she's creating in her own fanbase.

This isn't an issue of Stanning or of 'tweeting all day.' It's a matter of being honest, reliable and communicating what is important to the right audience. Being dishonest, entitled, rude and unreliable doesn't represent mystery to me. A lot of 'Stans' are masochistic, but I'm not one of them. I don't belong to any sort of 'Lane Del Rey Cult,' and never will, nor do I make cult figures of anyone, in any capacity.

That may "just be her nature," but it doesn't make her behavior in this regard any less rude or crass. She knows what decent manners and civilized behavior are, and I bet she expects both in her daily life from strangers, her staff and her record company, and from her family and friends as well. Some people have an innate and often irrational desire to steal from their friends; that doesn't excuse it or make it right. It's troubling to know that she has this huge ethical blind spot regarding her remarks about her own releases, and doesn't even seem to care how idiotic they make her appear. She comes off as entitled, above it all, not subject to the manners, social rules and expectations that the rest of civilized society is subject to.

That's the kind of behavior today we call entitled and privileged. It's inexcusable in this day of instant communication via IG or Twitter. I don't care how talented she is, she's not above common courtesy.

Exactly, your first paragraph. Acts like this make her seem like an indifferent, arrogant madwoman. Luckily, the NFR year long + run up largely broke the LDR spell for me, but, as you say, her make-up album for COCC’s long delay ALSO gets delayed, with no comment, no notice, no apology. I do not forgive her her lack of professionalism and simple good manners.

She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut unless she’s 100% positive— how many times have people expressed that here h by y now? A 1000 or more? She’s not only unprofessional, she’s rude and discourteous. And why not a short note to let the world know it’s not coming today?

With her record, this is inexcusable, especially on Christmas.

I feel the opposite way, that she’s abandoned it and is probably working on another album of her own material. That is, if it isn’t released today.

It's possible that she will drop it without fanfare. She's mentioned doing that and I didn't expect any pre-release press or nonsense. Whether we're acting like Charlie Brown, Lucy and the football again remains to be seen. It's Christmas; I have a little faith it will be released, but have never counted on this, due to the past.

I think all three of Dylan's 'standards' albums were brilliant. Linda Ronstadt's were with the Nelson Riddle orchestra (who had worked with Sinatra), and performed in their original classic mode, and were excellent. Carly Simon released four such albums with looser, more contemporary arrangements, with good, but spotty, results. Rickie Lee Jones did one too, which I personally didn't care for. Of course Rod Stewart also released several which, to me, were pure schlock, but very popular with the hoi polloi. It is true, as someone said here earlier, that artists usually release these albums when their popularity and commercial careers are waning. That's not where we perceive LDR right now, but 'Summertime' shows she can master 'American standards' with aplomb. If she chooses the right material, I think the album will be excellent. I would be disappointed if she were to select tired, campy 'classics' like 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy.' She could probably do wonders with 'The Shadow of Your Smile,' 'So In Love,' 'Laura,' 'Skylark,' 'Ebb Tide' and even 'Love Is A Many Splendored Thing,' or, reaching back into the 19th century, 'Gentle Annie.' She could go out on a limb and do 'Love For Sale.' If she covers Patsy Cline, then I hope she avoids the overly-covered Cline classics like 'Walking After Midnight' and 'Crazy,' which can't, in my estimation, be bettered or fail to be compared with the originals. If she's going to do a song, or songs, from the mid-60s on, imagine her doing the Beach Boys' 'In My Room' or 'God Only Knows,' or Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay'--the former would really suit her voice.

Correct.

Yes, some of Cline's songs are American standards, especially because there is no such thing as a finite 'Great American Songbook' or absolute set of 'American Standards.' 'Walking After Midnight,' 'Heartache,' 'Crazy,' 'Back in Baby's Arms,' 'She's Got You,' and 'I Fall To Pieces' are definitely 'American standards,' as well as songs she covered that had been recorded before, but which Cline's versions made famous, or were considered 'the definitive version,' like 'The Wayward Wind' and 'You Belong To Me.'

Yes----not so much a 'classic,' which is a vague term, but rather an 'American standard,' of which there are hundreds, if not thousands. An American standard is basically any very-famous-in-its-era song from 1850 to about 1970, though the term is usually used more for songs from the 1920s to the late 1960s. But technically, 'Lorena,' 'Marching Through Georgia,' 'Sweet Adeline' and 'Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider' are American standards, and 'By The Old Mill Stream' too. Some of which were popular during the Civil War.

I feel the opposite way--I hope she continues in a classic vein in terms of the musicians, background vocals and instrumentations. I'm fairly certain she said "On Christmas Day." Since she's mentioned dropping records without any publicity or fanfare, I assume that will be the case here, though of course she's failed in her own predictions several times at least. I'm hoping for it but not counting on it.

I feel the opposite way--I hope she continues in a classic vein in terms of the musicians, background vocals and instrumentation.

Almost every Patsy Cline song is so well known, over-covered and overplayed that I can't imagine anyone doing anything fresh with any of them. Many of her songs have become, unfortunately, 'camp classics,' that draw titters instead of hearts and ears. Maybe LDR could cover Cline's 'Strange' or 'Why Can't He Be You?', and make those work. If it's an album of standards, I hope she covers one or more of the following: So In Love Love Is A Many Splendored Thing The Shadow of Your Smile 'Round Midnight All The Things You Are Last Night When We Were Young Skylark When Your Lover Has Gone Stormy Weather Laura Look at the lyrics to 'Round Midnight; pure Lana. And as it's a slow, burning piece of classic jazz, it should be right in her wheelhouse. It begins to tell 'round midnight, 'round midnight. I do pretty well till after sundown. Supper time I'm feelin' sad But it really gets bad 'round midnight. Memories always start 'round midnight, 'round midnight Haven't got the heart to stand those memories When my heart is still with you And ol' midnight knows it too. When a quarrel we had needs mending Does it mean that our love is ending? Darlin', I need you; lately I find You're out of my heart and I'm out of my mind. Let our hearts take wings 'round midnight, midnight Let the angels sing for your returning Till our love is safe and sound And old midnight comes around.

Now we know the final, 4:27 'official' version is better all the way around. It's leagues more controlled and 'remastered' than the earlier versions, of which I have two, which were of 3:00 and 3:12 duration. Now I can imagine myself listening to it from time to time. It still broadens her reach, and that's a good thing for her.

Thanks for that information. Good to know.

Agreed. It expands her reach and story, and that's good. It's not a fiasco by any means. But it's not something I'll probably ever listen to again by choice.

I agree. It's a shame that she chose the approach the material that she did; it doesn't suit her voice at all. I assume she had to do something that would, at some point, meld with the male chorus, and we really don't know what was her decision and what was not. Perhaps the arrangement was something she had to agree to. We heard that bloke on IG explaining how the track was fitted together separately, in different countries even, so LDR probably had a lot less control than she usually does. I also dislike PDLMBM--a great deal.

Agree all the way. Her diehard fans will love it

Okay, I've now heard the version LDR released on IG last night, and it is a huge improvement over the other orchestrated version I heard earlier yesterday, without any kind of chorus. I guess it represents another new side to her career and the many ways she's making herself known to the world. I don't love it, but it's good enough. The approach taken doesn't seem right for her voice.

The one I heard earlier is 3:12, is a complete song, and has no choir of any kind and very heavy orchestration.

Thanks Elle—this is NOT the one I heard earlier with the overwhelming orchestra and no male choir or any kind of choir.