Honeymooner

I heard that after SNL, she had received coaching on the use on in-ear monitors, but I didn't know one way or the other about any vocal coaching.
 
True! The same could probably be said of just about anyone, though.
 
  
Good point.
 
I think it's how she wants to make it sound. Sometimes, when she gets into her mid-high register, she sounds more airy/breathy, and sometimes she sounds more deep/full. Using your name as an example, in the song "Blue Jeans," on the album, she sounds more airy in the upper register ("I will love you till the end of time..."), whereas in her SNL performance, that part of the song didn't have the same sound.
 
I can imagine!
 
Yeah, I don't either. I remember hearing about her being coached in the use of in-ear monitors, but I don't remember about vocal coaching.
 
 
That's especially true in her lower register. I've noticed that in live performances, she often doesn't dive deep into her really low register in songs like "Summertime Sadness" and even "Video Games." In SS, on the album, she hits a low C# below middle C. In live performances (which they often take up a half step), she doesn't go anywhere near that low C# (or really, it would be D when they take it up). I suppose despite being mic'd, with the band and crowd noise, her voice would get lost in that low register, and I'm sure she knows that.
 
Perhaps not, although have you heard her perform "Million Dollar Man" live? She really belts out some of those higher notes, and I've noticed her voice taking on an almost Bernadette Peters-like quality when she does that. I don't know if that's intentional, or if that's just the effect of her trying to sing that loudly and forcefully. It's an interesting sound coming from her... not my first choice, but not bad, either.
 
That's the beauty of studio recordings -- you can manipulate everything, including your voice volume. That's why she can sing those really low notes on the album and still project well.
 
Totally agree with you there.

Hey everyone,
 
I'm curious to see what some of my fellow musicians (instrumental or vocal, doesn't matter) have to say on this topic.
 
I've heard it said that Lana's voice has gotten stronger since Born To Die came out.  I think Ultraviolence is certainly proof of that.  But one thing I've also noticed is that her vibrato has improved dramatically.
 
In the beginning, it seemed like it was sometimes shaky and unsteady, and was always kind of fast and fluttery.  The songs on Born To Die had that quality.  Paradise was a small improvement.  You can really only tell when she holds sustained notes.  "American" is a good example.  Take the chorus: "You make me crazy / You make me wiiiii-iiiild..."  On that last held note, you can hear her vibrato, and while it's better than it had been in the past, it's still a bit fast for my taste.  Fast forward to "Young and Beautiful" -- again, a marginal improvement, but still fluttery.  Fast forward again to "Once Upon a Dream," and there's still more improvement.
 
But, where I noticed the most dramatic change was in the bonus track "Is This Happiness" on Ultraviolence.  When she holds "Is this happineeessssssss". you can really hear a change.  Her vibrato is slower and wider than even on other UV songs.  To me, this is the most beautiful her voice has ever sounded.  I wonder if she had any sort of vocal coaching, or if she just changed on her own, or...?  "Is This Happiness" is definitely my favorite UV track.
 
Look forward to discussion

Her voice is a world wonder. 

I heard that after SNL, she had received coaching on the use on in-ear monitors, but I didn't know one way or the other about any vocal coaching.
 
True! The same could probably be said of just about anyone, though.
 
  
Good point.
 
I think it's how she wants to make it sound. Sometimes, when she gets into her mid-high register, she sounds more airy/breathy, and sometimes she sounds more deep/full. Using your name as an example, in the song "Blue Jeans," on the album, she sounds more airy in the upper register ("I will love you till the end of time..."), whereas in her SNL performance, that part of the song didn't have the same sound.
 
I can imagine!
 
Yeah, I don't either. I remember hearing about her being coached in the use of in-ear monitors, but I don't remember about vocal coaching.
 
 
That's especially true in her lower register. I've noticed that in live performances, she often doesn't dive deep into her really low register in songs like "Summertime Sadness" and even "Video Games." In SS, on the album, she hits a low C# below middle C. In live performances (which they often take up a half step), she doesn't go anywhere near that low C# (or really, it would be D when they take it up). I suppose despite being mic'd, with the band and crowd noise, her voice would get lost in that low register, and I'm sure she knows that.
 
Perhaps not, although have you heard her perform "Million Dollar Man" live? She really belts out some of those higher notes, and I've noticed her voice taking on an almost Bernadette Peters-like quality when she does that. I don't know if that's intentional, or if that's just the effect of her trying to sing that loudly and forcefully. It's an interesting sound coming from her... not my first choice, but not bad, either.
 
That's the beauty of studio recordings -- you can manipulate everything, including your voice volume. That's why she can sing those really low notes on the album and still project well.
 
Totally agree with you there.

Hey everyone,
 
I'm curious to see what some of my fellow musicians (instrumental or vocal, doesn't matter) have to say on this topic.
 
I've heard it said that Lana's voice has gotten stronger since Born To Die came out.  I think Ultraviolence is certainly proof of that.  But one thing I've also noticed is that her vibrato has improved dramatically.
 
In the beginning, it seemed like it was sometimes shaky and unsteady, and was always kind of fast and fluttery.  The songs on Born To Die had that quality.  Paradise was a small improvement.  You can really only tell when she holds sustained notes.  "American" is a good example.  Take the chorus: "You make me crazy / You make me wiiiii-iiiild..."  On that last held note, you can hear her vibrato, and while it's better than it had been in the past, it's still a bit fast for my taste.  Fast forward to "Young and Beautiful" -- again, a marginal improvement, but still fluttery.  Fast forward again to "Once Upon a Dream," and there's still more improvement.
 
But, where I noticed the most dramatic change was in the bonus track "Is This Happiness" on Ultraviolence.  When she holds "Is this happineeessssssss". you can really hear a change.  Her vibrato is slower and wider than even on other UV songs.  To me, this is the most beautiful her voice has ever sounded.  I wonder if she had any sort of vocal coaching, or if she just changed on her own, or...?  "Is This Happiness" is definitely my favorite UV track.
 
Look forward to discussion

For the most part, she already does have the same people playing with her every time. She has the same pianist (Byron), guitarist (Blake), keyboardist and drummer pretty much all the time. I think she gets different string players, depending on where she is. For most of her European performances whose videos I've seen, it's been the same string group, but then there were different ones here in the US.

There would be less focus on her as an individual if she were part of a band, I suppose.  When I think of Guns 'n' Roses, I don't think of only Axl Rose.  When I think of The Doors, I don't think of just Jim Morrison.  Anyone who thinks of The Beatles wouldn't be thinking of only John Lennon or only Paul McCartney.  Perhaps if she hadn't been a solo artist, she would never have adopted the moniker Lana Del Rey, and would be known as Lizzy Grant, the lead singer of blah-blah-blah.

There would be less focus on her as an individual if she were part of a band, I suppose.  When I think of Guns 'n' Roses, I don't think of only Axl Rose.  When I think of The Doors, I don't think of just Jim Morrison.  Anyone who thinks of The Beatles wouldn't be thinking of only John Lennon or only Paul McCartney.  Perhaps if she hadn't been a solo artist, she would never have adopted the moniker Lana Del Rey, and would be known as Lizzy Grant, the lead singer of blah-blah-blah.

For the most part, she already does have the same people playing with her every time. She has the same pianist (Byron), guitarist (Blake), keyboardist and drummer pretty much all the time. I think she gets different string players, depending on where she is. For most of her European performances whose videos I've seen, it's been the same string group, but then there were different ones here in the US.

I'm a bit late to the party on this thread, but I'll say pretty much what a lot of others have said: Lana hasn't been around long enough for us to be able to determine whether or not she is an icon. She certainly has a unique style and sound, but that in itself doesn't make her an icon.
 
Two of my other favorite singers, Kim Wilde and Laura Branigan, were around for a long time (Laura died in 2004, but Kim is still around and still making music). They both made music for a long time, but I wouldn't consider either of them icons. The Beatles? Jim Morrison? Those are icons.

For the most part, she already does have the same people playing with her every time. She has the same pianist (Byron), guitarist (Blake), keyboardist and drummer pretty much all the time. I think she gets different string players, depending on where she is. For most of her European performances whose videos I've seen, it's been the same string group, but then there were different ones here in the US.

One line in "Brooklyn Baby" sounds like she says "...and my Zaz collection rocks..."
That's funny! Even better than my "Keep your server on", LOL...

One line in "Brooklyn Baby" sounds like she says "...and my Zaz collection rocks..."
That's funny! Even better than my "Keep your server on", LOL...

From your original post, my favorites are #2 and #6. I also like the retro glam look in #12. Great job!

I just got through this thread.  Some damn fine remixes you have there!  Even though I like Born To Die better than Ultraviolence, my favorite remixes are West Coast and Old Money.  Great job!

I honestly don't really relate to the words in her music.  I'm male and straight, so all the stuff about men and dependence is lost on me.  And, being happily married, even turning it around and having it be about women instead of men wouldn't affect me.  Not only that, but having never been into drugs or alcohol, I can't relate on that level, either.  (And I wish she didn't smoke!  LOL)  I do like the concepts in the song "American," though.
 
Where I DO relate is just in the fact that her music (both the lyrics and the instrumental) and her voice are simply beautiful.  I love listening to my group of 17 songs over and over.  The fact that I'm a classical musician has a lot to do with that, I'm sure.  Only one of the songs in my collection from Ultraviolence follows that pattern, though (Old Money).  Maybe I'm just a fan of chamber pop?   But I've never been affected so much with a desire to want to meet an artist in person and just talk with them, as I have with Lana.
 
This may sound crazy, but I think she and I are destined to be connected somehow.  Not in a relationship, just... connected as friends, or something.  There have been a lot of things that happened with her and with me at the same time, such as:
 
January 2012 -- I started a new job AND moved into a new house; "Born To Die" was released. August 18 -- My birthday, and the day that Ultraviolence (the single) was released in the U.S. in 2014. June 21 -- The wedding anniversary of my favorite actress, Marina Sirtis (OK, that one's not directly about me); Lana's birthday. June 2010, my dad passed away; June 2014, Ultraviolence (the album) was released. And I figure that since Lana lives in LA and I live in San Diego, there's at least a slight chance that I'll get the chance to meet her.  Of course, if she ever plays a concert in Southern California, I'm there!!

Happy that the song will be released on my birthday.

Yes indeed it is. And while I like Lana better (despite not having liked her for as long as Lorde), I wouldn't be a Lana fan if not for Lorde. (If you want to know why, see my introductory post.)

Hey everyone,
 
I hope this is the right area.  This is a type of art, after all.
 
Aside from being a big Lana fan, I am also a classical musician and arranger, and I play in a lot of string trios and quartets for wedding, parties, that sort of thing.  I've arranged a lot of music over the past couple of years, including John Powell's "Kisses and Cake" and Pharrell Williams' "Happy."  I also recently played for a wedding where the bride and groom had a somewhat unusual request: Lana's "Young and Beautiful" for the bridesmaids, and "Video Games" for the bride.  I did the string quartet arrangements for both.
 
I had this idea of getting a string quartet together to record several of her songs, put them on a CD, and present them to Lana if she is in concert in San Diego (or somewhere in southern California) and I can get tickets.  I'm wondering if anyone out there is, perhaps, a string player in the SoCal area who would be interested in participating in a recording project?
 
Aside from the 2 tunes above, I have completed arrangements of "Summertime Sadness" and "Blue Jeans," and am currently working on "Dark Paradise."  I plan to also do "Blue Velvet" and "Once Upon a Dream" (both in Lana's style), as well as "Born To Die," "National Anthem," "American," and "Old Money."  That will be a total of 11 songs (hope they all fit on one CD!).  I could try to get a group of people here that I already know, but I'd rather have people who are Lana fans and know her music as well as I do.
 
Anyone interested??
 
Thanks!

Hey everyone,
 
I hope this is the right area.  This is a type of art, after all.
 
Aside from being a big Lana fan, I am also a classical musician and arranger, and I play in a lot of string trios and quartets for wedding, parties, that sort of thing.  I've arranged a lot of music over the past couple of years, including John Powell's "Kisses and Cake" and Pharrell Williams' "Happy."  I also recently played for a wedding where the bride and groom had a somewhat unusual request: Lana's "Young and Beautiful" for the bridesmaids, and "Video Games" for the bride.  I did the string quartet arrangements for both.
 
I had this idea of getting a string quartet together to record several of her songs, put them on a CD, and present them to Lana if she is in concert in San Diego (or somewhere in southern California) and I can get tickets.  I'm wondering if anyone out there is, perhaps, a string player in the SoCal area who would be interested in participating in a recording project?
 
Aside from the 2 tunes above, I have completed arrangements of "Summertime Sadness" and "Blue Jeans," and am currently working on "Dark Paradise."  I plan to also do "Blue Velvet" and "Once Upon a Dream" (both in Lana's style), as well as "Born To Die," "National Anthem," "American," and "Old Money."  That will be a total of 11 songs (hope they all fit on one CD!).  I could try to get a group of people here that I already know, but I'd rather have people who are Lana fans and know her music as well as I do.
 
Anyone interested??
 
Thanks!

These are amazing!  Great job!
 
Interesting choice of a radiantly smiling Lana for "Summertime Sadness," though...

I really don't see the instrumentation as being a problem.  I haven't listened to Bel Air, but if it's the same type of thing as Lucky Ones, then it would be fine to play live.  If you watch some of the live Video Games performances, you may notice the harp at the beginning, but there's no harp on the stage.  There are also no backup singers on stage.  I've often noticed a laptop sitting by the synthesizer player.  Those will have some tracks going that may include instruments that aren't on the stage, and will also include backing vocals.  If you've ever watched Lorde perform live, if you get a close-up on the stage, there's a laptop by the keyboardist.  The laptop runs her background vocals along with other instruments.  So, for Lana, in the case of something like Lucky Ones, the chimes, harp, and timpani could all be done through tracks.  The chimes could even by played live by the synth player.

Actually, I take that back... I HAD heard it, just didn't remember the name.   Listening to it again now...
 
OK, so Bel Air *could* easily be performed live.  It's strings, percussion, and piano, all of which she has at every concert (except when it's a really small venue, then she usually just has piano and guitar, and maybe percussion).

Blue Jeans:  "Love you more / than those pictures before"
 
American:  "Play house, put my favorite bird on"