rubytuesday

Loool I was surprised there was a bonnie thread on here and then realised I made it 11 years ago where did that decade go. Anyway I can’t believe it’s taken this long and my original feelings on this sound still stand but I luv her

I agree! Hawaiian Tropic for me is the most obviously about him (and by default EMGHW and Daytona Meth although she mixes them up) because every single line is a reference. But there’s so many others I think are. I also always suspected the “Hawaiian Surf” theme was partially inspired by him as her Elvis references start hardcore in the trailer park era

I truly believe way more songs than just “Elvis” are actually about Elvis or at least directly referencing him so I love this for her

I’m a lifelong elvis fan so there’s a bunch of songs that I think are about him (like All Smiles) but don’t technically have references. but I don’t know how big of a fan she was - if she’d read a bunch of the books about him then there’s other niche references too. because her look was so heavily Priscilla influenced I’m inclined to think she was a Big fan and might have read some oh and also! more direct references would be super movie which references Sand hotel casino, Chevrolets, Vegas and the cococabana which are all heavily associated with elvis .

Soo many. Firstly it seems like most of her references to him start in the trailer park era - so I think possibly the whole entire “Hawaiian surf” theme was inspired by him. he was closely associated w hawaii because of movies, vacations and the aloha special worldwide satellite broadcast. Off the top of my head, not including the one offs where she mentions his name or Velvet Elvis etc hawaiian tropic (and therefore Daytona Meth and EMGHW) I think is the most obviously a song for him. Black hair, Cadillacs, red hawaiian shirt, being bad and then going patriotic, Coca Cola and rollercoaster references (two of his favourite things), he gave Priscilla a white corvette, plus “king”. So any time she mentions a bunch of those references. Plus King Creole is an Elvis movie where he plays at being a criminal, and a lot of the “watching tv” stuff. I’ll edit this with some more when I think of them edit: Supermovie has Sands Hotel Casino, chevrolets, cocacobana, vegas . All Smiles I believe is.

Omg I can’t believe I posted that 8 years ago I’ve been here forever. also I’ve started to think a lot of her songs are about musicians that have passed away. Elvis for example I think has soo many possible references apart from the obvious named ones.

I agree with Lineage or even Lithium. I think it’s probably Lineage but I actually think Lithium could be interesting as it’s a mood stabilizer. I think there was an absolute shift in her writing around the time she started discussing Violet Bent Backwards and she’s heavily implied there was a hospital stay around then, and “With Lithium came poetry”, that time seemed to mark her writing becoming a lot more inward (at some points a little navel gazing but that’s just me) and self searching. A lot less focused on outside recognition and if I’m honest, men. It started to regularly reference women and then motherhood which was never a point of focus in her work before, aside for a few mentions of ‘girls’. There was also, in my eyes anyway, perhaps not a ‘peace’ in her work but an acceptance of her current reality and an enjoying of it which wasn’t there before. As someone on lithium for bipolar disorder, the meds and the diagnosis completely changed my life. Just my two cents on it.

I was in the UK for the tropico release and Virgin TV music video on demand accidentally made it available early

im an addict and I totally love how Lana constantly discusses feeling crazy even when you’re clean/sober, I find it really comforting. also I loved this video - by far the most exciting thing she’s done for years for me personally. I love when her vision is EXACT and fucking BIZARRE. That’s Lana at her best for me

I think she had a strenuous relationship with her mother for most of her life "My Momma" but something happened and there was a big rift in the past year or two. The sudden significant referencing of being Motherless, growing up without love recently online and in Violet indicates it's a new, recent wound. Or the opening of an old one from childhood. I'd imagine being sent away to boarding school when you're going through something (I mostly believe she was just partying a bit too much and her parents wanted to curb her behaviour and thought it was a good school because she was musically gifted) feels like an abandonment age 15. And from pure speculation not based in much, I feel like they didn't get along because her mother was emotionally unavailable. The reference to her mothers glamour etc always seemed a lot colder, more aloof than her mentioning of her father. And it would make sense if there really was a short time when she didn't speak to her parents that her father might have been more eager to apologise/re-connect.

so absolutely beautiful. love this two particularly, they got me "Maybe an artist has to function a little bit above themselves, If they really want to transmit some heaven” ... "Oh - and Jim died at 27 So find another frame of reference When you’re referencing heaven"

This exactly. I don’t care what criticisms she’s facing on twitter or insta when I’m watching protesters of systemic racism and police murder be tear gassed and maimed by rubber bullets that the UK made to brutalize the Northern Ireland protesters in the 70s. This is so serious and if your words get twisted THAT easily that means u weren’t clear enough tbfh. She should have de-centred herself.

That actually makes a lot of sense. The title does sound like the title of a book/collection of poems/spoke lmao word something rather than a music album... but who knows. It’s Lana

I honestly think Lana's original point is REALLY interesting and REALLY complex - where's the line between asking women to be responsible with their output and then asking them to edit their truth? men aren't asked to be responsible. men aren't asked to edit their truth. That is a genuinely complex and nuanced question. But her point became moot when she used those those WOCs names as if to suggest they haven't recieved far worse critisism than Lana has ever or will ever recieve. there could have been a really interseting conversation that came from her post if she hadn't executed it the way she did. the hate she recieved from mostly women at the start of her career WAS notably vicious and i think hurt her immeasurably to not be taken seriously and to be accused of fabricating her authenticity.

I’m like that too. But I have a feeling they’ve actually reached out and questioned her about it and she hasn’t liked what they’ve said - I feel like she hinted that in the video maybe?

Honestly I think it’s unhealthy when fan bases blindly support their artist. She’s human and she has things to learn and we all love and support her (many of us have been here for years and years) but we have to hold others accountable.

Absolutely agree with you. I love her but this is so tone deaf. I also feel like she’s going through something at the moment because most of what she’s getting criticized for now could have been avoided if she’d taken that first paragraph and the names of those WOC out of her mouth. She DOES come across as a WW who’s wilfully ignoring people who are trying to inform her - sounds like shes losing close friends because of it too from the video? Love her but she’s tiring lmao

anyone else think California might be about Barrie? the “flipside” and the “weather” references from Ultraviolence make me think of it. also she always made very American references about him despite him obviously not being. and in songs he’s often marked by her trying to help/look after him in his sadness.

I remember really early on in 2011/12 Lana herself said she had bad taste in fashion and that 'all her friends and her sister' laughed so much that she was getting called a fashion icon. I'm sure it was a magazine article? I think she's super visual and when she has a 'phase' and a good team it gets directed and channeled into her style. Her style back then matched the sound of BTD and Paradise, which was super polished. And at the moment her music isn't polished like that anymore. Like the Lizzy Grant era stuff matched her sound then and some of that is gorgeous and some of it is fucking bizarre lol.

Can not wait for this!

Zella' been my favourite artist for years now and it made me kind of emotional to see her open. soo stoked for her, she's wanted to do s/t with lana for years and she deserves this so much. she's insanely talented.

omg Zella is my favourite artist. bless. she's a huge lana fan too, imagine that dream coming true holy shit.

can't believe i've spent all these years wondering what the tattooed ass line was and i missed the official lyrics being posted two years ago omg

BTD came out when i just got out of rehab at 17 & it was exactly what i needed. i never understood how people felt it was a dark album, to me it's just sunshine and having a good time and appreciating being young. i'd never listened to an album that wasn't tied up in old memories and old ways of being and it helped me so much. same with Paradise as it came out in the winter and i was still getting used to living a new life. Ride will always be one of my favourite songs and it still makes me cry with just those intro chords. it fit whatever life state i've been in: recovered, relapsing whatever. UV felt more grown up, but out of the bubble of being defined by recovery. which is kind of a scary place to be when you're still only 19/20. it was more of a confused album and more chaotic. west coast was a big deal to me that summer as i tried really hard to make it work and be happy. HM is way more peaceful and I just never clicked with it. maybe I will when i'm in a more peaceful place lmao. and LFL has got me in a good if overwhelming place of just starting to make my own way and take some big risks in terms of moving away and perusing the things and people i want to peruse. Love was the perfect single for me in the spring too and actually was one of the first lana songs in a long time to make me cry, although i can't really say why. maybe cause life was moving and she was just out there singing that it was enough just to be young and be present.

imagine rhiannon