PARADIXO

Lana Del Rey released her fourth major-label studio album Lust for Life on July 21, 2017. It followed 2015's Honeymoon and serves as a development of its concept -- getting over the past -- and sound, a mix of classic baroque pop, modern hip hop and trap beats, slightly electronic production and ambient psychedelia.

Lust for Life was a major commercial success. It debuted at the No. 1 and inside the Top 10 in eleven and fifteen countries respectively. It was one of the best-selling and most acclaimed pop albums of that year, despite being her most divisive among fans. Del Rey promote the album with the highly successful LA to the Moon Tour, which visited the Americas, Europe and Australia.
 


The album could be divided in three parts. The first ("Love," "Lust for Life" and "13 Beaches") features great hooks, trip hop beats reminiscent of her early sound. To achieve this 'soft pop' production, she's worked with Emile Haynie, Benny Blanco, The Weeknd and Max Martin. The lyrics go from positive messages to her fans to her desire to find inner peace.

Highlight: "Lust for Life", an electronic track with intense verses and oppositely care-free chorus about putting love above all during dark times, a theme that is present throughout the whole project.
 


The second part, from the sultry "Cherry" to the anthemic "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing", finds Del Rey at her most extrovert and modern, both lyrically -- from sexual innuendos to slightly political topics -- and musically; hard trap beats, synthesizers and up-to-date collaborators: Boy-1da, A$AP Rocky, Playboy Carti, T-Minus and Metro Boomin.

Highlight: Sister-tracks "Summer Bummer" and "Groupie Love" (both featuring A$AP Rocky), perhaps Lana Del Rey's closest interaction with trap music. The former is a rap battle between Lana and her wooer Rocky, while the latter follows the same concept in a more chilled, trippy way.
 


The third and last part (from the haunting, piano-driven "Beautiful People Beautiful Problems" to the inspiring "Get Free") is a collection of mellow, introspective ballads. Collaborators include Sean Onno Lennon, Stevie Nicks and Justin Parker. The digitally programmed beats are gone and there's space for piano, acoustic guitar, real bass, drums, multiple layers of vocals and reverb in iconic LDR fashion. The lyrics are some of her most personal yet, the main topic being believing in change and its effects (and also, perhaps, proving that one can change).

Highlight: "Heroin", a progressive ambient track about isolation, leaving the past behind and changing for good in order to look back retrospectively.
 


What are your thoughts on this album?
Favorite song? Have any of the tracks grown on you?

Personally, I love this album and, despite not being my ultimate favorite, it's the one that hit me the most emotionally and experiencing live is the most beautiful memory I have. I can even say it helped me save my life.

inb4 it's HIAB footage + snippets of venice bitch, mariners, hope and cinnamon

inb4 it's HIAB footage + snippets of venice bitch, mariners, hope and cinnamon

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

inb4 it's HIAB footage + snippets of venice bitch, mariners, hope and cinnamon

inb4 it's HIAB footage + snippets of venice bitch, mariners, hope and cinnamon

inb4 it's HIAB footage + snippets of venice bitch, mariners, hope and cinnamon

the early moth of mid july?

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I literally could cry omg This is surreal

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I literally could cry omg This is surreal

Ultraviolence ranks No. 6 in my decade-end list (you can check it out, Part 1 2 3)
 

 
6. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
 
"The juxtaposition of those two worlds, the peaceful beginning and the chaotic chorus, it summed up my personal circumstances of everything going easily and then everything being fucked up," Lana Del Rey said about album opener "Cruel World". "It felt like me," she sums up. The same definition applies to the entirety of Honeymoon's previous chapter, the angsty Ultraviolence.
 
On Born to Die, Lana was blind from all the glamour and beauty of her love affairs. She's not able to see the danger, toxicity and darkness hidden in her American dream -- "They will rue the day I was alone without you," she dares in "Off to the Races", but no one lamented it more than herself, and she realizes that in the disturbing drums and psychedelic guitars of Ultraviolence. We find Del Rey at her darkest state of mind -- unlike Honeymoon, there is no positive message or hopeful ending: "the other woman will die alone." It feels like every song was written in the middle of the night. But, seen in retrospective, hitting the lowest low was necessary for later healing. Something we all can relate to.
 
She's angry and sarcastic throughout the whole album. She says she doesn't need "all those special times" spent with her lover anymore, but the tone implies that she's lying. The same goes to lines like "I'm finally happy now that you're gone" or "He hurt me but it felt like true love". She's lying. The blinded confidence and firmness she had on Born to Die is gone, because what happened exactly is that as her lovers got darker and sadder, her love for them slowly faded, ending up dark and sad herself. This depressive concept is perfectly executed in the rock waltz "Shades of Cool" and her saddest song to date, "Black Beauty".
 
 
"But I can't help him
Can't make him better
And I can't do nothing about his strange weather
 
'Cause you are invincible
I can't break through your world
'Cause you live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable."
 
We notice that while she's singing directly to him in the chorus ("You are invincible"), she's in a constant fight and doubt with herself ("I can't help him"). However, she does try to help him, which only results in failure since she's broken herself, as we can see in "Black Beauty":
 
"I paint the house black
My wedding dress black leather too
You have no room for light
Love is lost on you
I keep my lips red
They seem like cherries in the spring
Darling, you can't let everything
Seem so dark blue
But what can I do
To turn you on or get through you?"
 
A glimpse of hope appears in a line from "Pretty When You Cry", opaqued by the one that follows.
 
"Don't say you need me when
You leave and you leave again
I'm stronger than all my men
Except for you."
 
And we all know she ended up being stronger than him.

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

The second chapter from Lana Del Rey's chronological story finds the singer at her darkest and most angry. Gone are the days of unlimited, loyal love for troublesome men -- now, she calls them for what they are: 'fucking crazy' drug-addicts. However, the character is not ready to let go and get out of this violent situation (as we see on the next chapter, the thoughtful Honeymoon), so we accompany her through this world of madness, sarcasm, contagious depression and unexpected fame.

 



 

Ultraviolence is the first and only collaboration between Lana Del Rey and The Black Keys' frontman, Dan Auerbach. The result is a dreamy soundscape of distorted, psychedelic guitars, angsty drum patterns and distant vocals. This state of mind of confusion and haze is elevated by Vincent Haycock and his trippy "West Coast" music video and Neil Krug with his blurry vision of Del Rey.

 



 

The album was Lana's first No. 1 record in the United States and it sold around 3 million copies worldwide. It's also one of her most-streamed projects to date. Its lead single, "West Coast", was universally acclaimed and became one of her biggest radio hits. Ultraviolence was applauded by critics and ranked high in many year-end lists.

 



 

Let's celebrate!

 

What's your favorite song from Ultraviolence and why?

 

What song(s) should have gotten a music video?

 

Have you ever been blessed by a song from this album live?

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I literally could cry omg This is surreal

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: 

I don't want to be melodramatic but I'm so goddamn excited and nervous for NFR to be released because Lana is literally the only thing that's strong enough to WAKE ME UP. Y'all know I have a lot of mental issues and everytime I got a little bit better was because of Lana. Born to Die made me go further in music production, Ultra helped me go through the worst year ever, Honeymoon was perfectly released right when I was in a very 'isolated' state of mind, LFL made me understand so fucking many things and it made me do some CHANGES, when I saw her live I was the happiest in my entire life for a good few months... and now I know Norman will have a big impact on my life ESPECIALLY because I analyze music so so deeply... It will keep me entertained and I know the lyrics will resonate a lot :defeated: