letthelightin

So here is my theory on who Jim is..
 
Based on her Fader interview, she had an affair with the head of her label for seven years.
 
http://www.thefader.com/2014/06/04/lana-del-rey-cover-interview/
 
Jimmy Iovine was the head and co-founder of Interscope. He was there until like a month or two ago, so just about the entire time Lana was making music.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Iovine
 
He is also mentioned in the "Thank Yous" for the album. Perhaps for the inspiration?
 
http://lanaboards.com/index.php?/topic/4806-ultraviolence-post-release-thread-poll/page-15
(Scroll near the bottom and someone posted to the thank-yous from the booklet)
 
This works because
It fits in the timeline It explains why she is attracted to rich, older men They can't be together because he got married, and in the present it would look suspicious But that didn't stop them because she talks about being the other woman a lot The only thing I don't understand is how she would have found him all those years ago when she wasn't known. And how that connection wouldn't have made her famous sooner. The scenarios she sings about also sound like they are with a younger guy. I don't know but this, in my opinion, sounds like the most plausible "Jim".

Overall
Overall, I feel like this album is a much more mature, cohesive work than BTD. I miss the orchestral production of BTD, but I love how she seems to have matured some lyrically. The stripped back production is nice too, I know in BTD there were some songs that I felt were better as their low-key demo forms rather than the album versions (I could write for days about how they messed up “Diet Mountain Dew”)
I personally would have called the album some other name off the tracklist, maybe “Sad Girl”, “Pretty When You Cry” or something that wasn’t on there, like “Noir” (a throwback to unreleased song would be awesome) or something that was more prevalent throughout the album. Although after I heard her explanation for the album title it seemed a little better, but since so many people were convinced it was an A Clockwork Orange reference, and the album had nothing to do at all with the movie/novel, it seems misleading (especially with track titles such as Cruel World and Money Power Glory – those could have been tied in with some of the themes of ACO). This discontent comes mostly from my expectations and aren't really a platform for judgement I guess.

Cruel World
This was the biggest disappointment of the album for me. It is a good song, but it doesn’t fit the title at all and it doesn’t have a single bit of the amazing intro she was singing at the beginning of her concerts in North America. This is mostly coming off of what I was expecting versus what she gave us, so it is partly my fault for assuming what the song would be about, but with a name like Cruel World, it was disappointing that she didn’t sing anything at all about our “cruel world”, especially when that would have went really nicely with the rest of the album. And that intro… why isn’t that intro in this album?


Ultraviolence
I think this song is quite underrated. I really believe the lyrics are personal to her, as “Jim” is referenced many times in some of her other songs. The lines “Jim raised me up / he hurt me but it felt like true love / Jim taught me that / loving him was never enough” were absolutely heartbreaking to me when I first heard them, especially the way she sang them live. The chorus is a bit repetitive and the talking part is annoying, but the verses I think make up for it. I gave my theory for who Jim is in the Ultraviolence lyrics discussion thread. I like the production, especially the first bit with the orchestra-sounding instruments. It reminds me of BTD a little.


Shades of Cool
I was not excited about this song when I first heard it, although the initial guitar part was pretty amazing. I like that she had a guitar solo (because I’m into that stuff) and I think it varies to the sound a bit. It has since grown on me, and of the slower songs like it I’d say it’s the best on the album. It is lyrically one of the stronger ones. Other than that, I didn’t listen too terribly close.


Brooklyn Baby
I really love this song. It made me wish that she and Barrie would write a whole album together. It is the most upbeat, “happy” song of the album, although I totally get she is poking fun at hipsters. Beyond that, I noticed and really loved the vocals in this song. Some of the ways she sang the lower notes such as in the word “amphetamines” were absolutely amazing. I loved the second verse and the guitar parts in the beginning. Barrie coming in at the end was a nice touch too, especially given the line he was singing.


West Coast
When West Coast first came out it certainly took a few listens before I loved it. And while I did enjoy it, in the month that it was the only song out there I was worried that this album would be an overproduced pop mess. It is one of the more heavily produced tracks, but I think it is refreshing with the gentle “whomp whomp whomp” in the background, and the transitions from verse to chorus and back were beautiful. I totally imagine someone cruising through the streets of LA in a convertible with shades on while looking important while listening to this – like an intro to a crime movie or something. The song certainly stands out from the others, giving the album some variety, and it’s a nice summer jam.


Sad Girl & Pretty When You Cry
I like these songs but in my opinion they are the weak parts of the album. The two songs essentially sound the same (hence why I grouped them together) and I’m really not a fan of their tediously repetitive choruses. I think they could have somehow been combined to make one really beautiful, sad song, and another song wrote to fill in the gap.


Money Power Glory
I don’t have much opinion on this song. It is okay to me but it didn’t really stick with me, honestly. I found her referring to herself as a bitch was a little weird. I guess it fits the album but it was just off to me somehow.


Fucked My Way Up to the Top
I remember seeing the tracklist and was immediately shocked at this title. Who knew it would actually be one of my favorite tracks. It could stand to be longer, but she has another great display of vocals here. I like the lyrics, I confess. I personally don’t think this song is about Lorde, because it would be kind of petty to call a teenager a whore. I don’t think it is about any of the obvious choices (Lorde, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift) because that would be too easy for the media to flare up at and she probably doesn’t want that kind of publicity. But I love the background music and the catty lyrics stunned me  in a “I can’t believe she just said that but this is actually amazing” kind of way.


Old Money
The title didn’t impress me but good grief when I heard it I was in love and almost cried. I really wonder if this wasn’t the song she had originally wrote for Gatsby before Young and Beautiful came along. It certainly would have fit, title and all. When she gets to “if you change your mind/ I’ll come come come” .. oh it is just so tragically beautiful. I like the violins in the background, it sounds so elegant. The only thing that bothers me is the “ooohhs” that she sings after the chorus sound similar to the melody that The Neighborhood wails in “Sweater Weather” to me.


The Other Woman
This wasn’t my favorite but it isn’t as awful as people say. It is very boring but the lyrics fit Lana pretty well – it sounds like something could have wrote herself. I like how it contradicts Sad Girl, giving two sides of the same story. I’m not a fan of having covers on albums though because it takes up room that could be used for original things.


Black Beauty
I like what was done with this song. The demo was beautiful, but the new production took some of the monotony out of it and gave it a little more life. It sounds like the exact same vocal recording though (I could be wrong) so I wish she would have tweaked it some with the new techniques and style she used in some of the other songs, but that would have only been icing on an already very nice cake. This is the only song where I feel like the repetition of the title doesn’t come across as super lazy.


Guns and Roses
This song is okay. Its more background music to have while you aren’t really paying attention since the chorus is, as everyone has said, pretty bad. I think it could have had a lot of potential because the versus aren’t awful, but it is what it is. There’s always bound to be some duds in even the best of albums.


Florida Kilos
I do think this song is out of place, but it is fun. I’m not a huge fan because the repetition of “yayo” sounds odd. She just sounds odd vocally in this song but it gives some variety. I can see how people can like it, I just don’t really. I can’t mentally get past the fact that she is singing about cooking hard drugs but that is just my own sheltered tastes. It seems to go back to Lizzy Grant days, or even back to Off to the Races in some ways and it is nice to see her being able to bring her foundational artistry out in the public.

Is This Happiness?
This is a beautiful track, though I fear that it is foreshadowing some trouble with Barrie. She gets a little repetitive yet again, but it is forgivable because the lines are varied vocally. I love the simplistic piano, it adds some dramatics. This song has a pretty sad theme to it, and I think it could have fit into the album in place of some other song.

Flipside
A beautiful ending to a beautiful album. Someone really dropped the ball in this not being in the deluxe edition (though I suppose that would be Lana herself since she chooses these things). I love the guitar work in this song, and the lyrics are great. I’m glad I live in the US and am planning to buy the album from Target since I get this beauty since its one of my favorite on the album. I hope she makes more songs like this in the future.
 

Ranking
** My top 5 or so are all just about interchangeable, it was so hard to order them.
1.)    Brooklyn Baby
2.)    Old Money
3.)    Flipside
4.)    Fucked My Way Up to the Top
5.)    Ultraviolence
6.)    West Coast
7.)    Black Beauty
8.)    Is This Happiness?
9.)    Shades of Cool
10.) Cruel World
11.) Money Power Glory
12.) Guns and Roses
13.) Florida Kilos
14.) Pretty When You Cry
15.) Sad Girl
16.) The Other Woman

Visuals
Music aside, I have to say this album is visually very stunning. The album teaser with SOC/UV/BB was so well done and so nostalgic – it fits the songs perfectly and definitely showcases Lana’s unique style. One thing I noticed is how sexy this album is without seeming so. Besides just looking pretty and giving stares to the camera, she isn’t really sexed up the way I felt like she was in the Paradise era. It is maybe too soon to tell though.  I’m excited for the music videos to be made, especially for Ultraviolence.
 
And now I'm excited to wake up and go to Target as soon as they open tomorrow to buy this thing.   

As mentioned, the "dark night" in the AKA version of Yayo.
 
The intro parts to Gramma (especially that noise at 0:07-8), National Anthem (I love the strings, sound of fireworks, etc. favorite instrumental part of all her songs), and Summertime Sadness (the guitar that comes in).
 
The singing of "amphetamines" in Brooklyn Baby, "Jim taught me that/loving him was never enough" in UV (I almost cried when I heard the live YT video, she sounded so heartbroken in that line), and "will I ever get to heaven" the first time in Get Drunk. 
 
The transition from the first chorus back to the second verse in West Coast.
 
High note in Cola.
 
Finally, I don't know if it counts but the outtro of Flipside. 

Brooklyn Baby - I just think that would be an awesome opener. West Coast Gods and Monsters Money, Power, Glory National Anthem Carmen Young and Beautiful Old Money Ride Cruel World Shades of Cool Sad Girl Pretty When You Cry Video Games Ultraviolence Black Beauty Summertime Sadness Blue Jeans Fucked My Way Up To The Top In my head it tells a story. She is a young aspiring artist (BB) who travels to the west coast (WC) to pursue a career. Once there, she finds out how cruel and unforgiving the music industry is (G&M) but begins her ascent (MPG). Once at the top, she sees it might not be all it is made out to be (NA and Carmen). She finds love (YB) that doesn't really last (OM) and runs away elsewhere (Ride). She forgets her old man (CW) and meets a new man (SOC) and becomes his side girl (SG). He lets her down too (PWYC) despite her undying love (VG). She sees their relationship break down (UV and BB) and then he, like the first, is gone as well (SS). She reflects on her past relationship (BJ) and decides she will love the man forever, like she said in UV. And I put FMWUTT last just because that would be such a funny last impression to leave on the audience. FMWUTT could also go elsewhere in my sequence, like between MPG and NA and still fit my story well. If that were the case, I'd say end the show with Yayo because that would make an awesome closing song. 
 
I realize my story might be dumb but I like it 

I don't like Paradise, except Ride (even though its pretty overrated) and Bel Air. I like the idea behind paradise, but the songs (Cola, Body Electric, American) just don't appeal to me. I think the song Born to Die would have fit in with the songs on Paradise more, if you look at Paradise as its own work and not just an extension of BTD. 
 
She was super rigid and awkward on stage, but I didn't think the SNL performance sounded as terrible as people said.

 
I like listening to some of her songs live more than on the album, such as Born to Die and Radio. 
 
I really dislike that she chose the name Ultraviolence for the second album (though I really do love the album). Its seen as a reference to A Clockwork Orange but the album (or song itself) really doesn't feel like the movie at all and it would be a stretch to say that the ideas in the novel/movie are relevant in the album/song. To me, it makes the reference meaningless and just a cheap shot at making her look more cultured/deep than she is. For an example of this done correctly, look at OTTR. So much (correct and relevant) Lolita reference.
 
Had she done the UV reference correctly, Serial Killer would have been an amazing song to redo and put on there.
 
I'm mad forever that the intro she sang at concerts to Cruel World isn't on the album. I can't help but feel cheated every time I listen to it. The title doesn't even match the song at all.
 

 
I get frustrated that her work seems to be a lot of irony and satire to sift through. It isn't obvious to me and I feel like people say its irony when the song is just weird to cover up the fact that she sings about controversial things. Basically, its irony when it makes her seem cool and sophisticated and its sincere when its normal and relateable.
 
I want songs that aren't about boys at all.
 

 
Sorry that was a lot at once.
 

Brooklyn Baby - I just think that would be an awesome opener. West Coast Gods and Monsters Money, Power, Glory National Anthem Carmen Young and Beautiful Old Money Ride Cruel World Shades of Cool Sad Girl Pretty When You Cry Video Games Ultraviolence Black Beauty Summertime Sadness Blue Jeans Fucked My Way Up To The Top In my head it tells a story. She is a young aspiring artist (BB) who travels to the west coast (WC) to pursue a career. Once there, she finds out how cruel and unforgiving the music industry is (G&M) but begins her ascent (MPG). Once at the top, she sees it might not be all it is made out to be (NA and Carmen). She finds love (YB) that doesn't really last (OM) and runs away elsewhere (Ride). She forgets her old man (CW) and meets a new man (SOC) and becomes his side girl (SG). He lets her down too (PWYC) despite her undying love (VG). She sees their relationship break down (UV and BB) and then he, like the first, is gone as well (SS). She reflects on her past relationship (BJ) and decides she will love the man forever, like she said in UV. And I put FMWUTT last just because that would be such a funny last impression to leave on the audience. FMWUTT could also go elsewhere in my sequence, like between MPG and NA and still fit my story well. If that were the case, I'd say end the show with Yayo because that would make an awesome closing song. 
 
I realize my story might be dumb but I like it 

I agree with you. I was so excited for the track because I assumed it would have the same opening lines and melody. There was something so ethereal and ominous about the whole "Let the light in...It's a cruel, cruel wooo-oorlddd." Just the way Lana sung it and moaned those "Ohs" in succession, it made my skin crawl with delight. When I heard the actual track, I was surprised and a bit disappointed as well. Thankfully, "Cruel World" is still one of my favorite songs from the new album.

This intro has been on my mind since I first heard it on YT and at her concert. I think its so beautiful, I was looking forward to Cruel World so so much from this. Seriously, I was convinced from that little tidbit alone that it would be my new favorite Lana song. I was very disappointed when it wasn't on the album, but the fact that she is still singing it at concerts gives me hope that it'll be in some song or another of hers in the future. Maybe we'll know when she starts performing UV songs at concerts if it was supposed to be at the beginning of Cruel World (because she'll sing it that way) or if its a whole thing on its own. I'd say that Cruel World is likely to be the new opening song when she tours for UV as well. 

Tbh I was so excited when I heard that Lana would call her new album Ultraviolence because I ADORE A Clockwork Orange (if it's possible to adore a movie like that but you get the point) and it would be my fave singer + my fave movie = BEST FUCKING ALBUM. I was already seeing Lana go full droogie on the cover and in the songs.
Then I've listened to West Coast, saw the cover art and GOD, was I disappointed. I love the album, it's not that it makes it worse - but I was hoping for more Clockwork Orange references than only the title.
 
(Don't know if 'unpopular opinion' or only 'no one gives a fuck about that except me'.)

As mentioned, the "dark night" in the AKA version of Yayo.
 
The intro parts to Gramma (especially that noise at 0:07-8), National Anthem (I love the strings, sound of fireworks, etc. favorite instrumental part of all her songs), and Summertime Sadness (the guitar that comes in).
 
The singing of "amphetamines" in Brooklyn Baby, "Jim taught me that/loving him was never enough" in UV (I almost cried when I heard the live YT video, she sounded so heartbroken in that line), and "will I ever get to heaven" the first time in Get Drunk. 
 
The transition from the first chorus back to the second verse in West Coast.
 
High note in Cola.
 
Finally, I don't know if it counts but the outtro of Flipside. 

I don't like Paradise, except Ride (even though its pretty overrated) and Bel Air. I like the idea behind paradise, but the songs (Cola, Body Electric, American) just don't appeal to me. I think the song Born to Die would have fit in with the songs on Paradise more, if you look at Paradise as its own work and not just an extension of BTD. 
 
She was super rigid and awkward on stage, but I didn't think the SNL performance sounded as terrible as people said.

 
I like listening to some of her songs live more than on the album, such as Born to Die and Radio. 
 
I really dislike that she chose the name Ultraviolence for the second album (though I really do love the album). Its seen as a reference to A Clockwork Orange but the album (or song itself) really doesn't feel like the movie at all and it would be a stretch to say that the ideas in the novel/movie are relevant in the album/song. To me, it makes the reference meaningless and just a cheap shot at making her look more cultured/deep than she is. For an example of this done correctly, look at OTTR. So much (correct and relevant) Lolita reference.
 
Had she done the UV reference correctly, Serial Killer would have been an amazing song to redo and put on there.
 
I'm mad forever that the intro she sang at concerts to Cruel World isn't on the album. I can't help but feel cheated every time I listen to it. The title doesn't even match the song at all.
 

 
I get frustrated that her work seems to be a lot of irony and satire to sift through. It isn't obvious to me and I feel like people say its irony when the song is just weird to cover up the fact that she sings about controversial things. Basically, its irony when it makes her seem cool and sophisticated and its sincere when its normal and relateable.
 
I want songs that aren't about boys at all.
 

 
Sorry that was a lot at once.
 

You guys do realize she doesn't technically fall down at the end, right? Its a backwards clip of him picking her up (see how her hair moves). I don't know how/if that is relevant to the meaning.

You guys do realize she doesn't technically fall down at the end, right? Its a backwards clip of him picking her up (see how her hair moves). I don't know how/if that is relevant to the meaning.

You guys do realize she doesn't technically fall down at the end, right? Its a backwards clip of him picking her up (see how her hair moves). I don't know how/if that is relevant to the meaning.

You guys do realize she doesn't technically fall down at the end, right? Its a backwards clip of him picking her up (see how her hair moves). I don't know how/if that is relevant to the meaning.