I've been thinking about this a lot and you're absolutely right! It actually underlines the second paragraph of the Question for the culture™ and while maybe not a mindblowingly great song it still manages to convey her intentions in that case very well. Thanks for your explanation, makes me like the song a bit more.
Will we still love her? Can we allow her to change and grow and stay along with her for the ride? The song is beautifuuuuullll, the video radiates love and also heartbreak (not unlike Video Games, really). A Lana classic - it’s a thematic continuation of Young and Beautiful
Also, it’s nice to see the Pitchfork review is pretty positive! Not best new music (i didn’t expect that anyways) but it’s still actually pretty complimentary! We won!
So she’s talking about loving like a woman, right? After watching the video (which obviously isn’t a masterpiece but is very cute and suits the song) I feel like what she means by that is that she’s finally come to terms with what real love is. It’s not steeped in fatalistic tragedy and drama like the love she sings about on Born to Die and Paradise and UV. She sang about love like that when she was a girl because that’s what love feels like to someone who hasn’t been around the block more than once or twice. She’s grown now and sees love for what it truly is. It’s not end all, be all, die for you stuff and it doesn’t even have to be romantic; it’s about trust, and compassion, and recognizing annoying things your loved ones do that don’t matter because that won’t change how you feel and you just want to be around them.
A few tidbits in the song that make me think this:
-She’s talks about leaving LA for somewhere smaller, and LA is a city of dreams, and stars, and grand notions. Romances in films and dreams are often larger than life and she’s coming to terms with love that is a bit more simple and natural.
-She sings about wanting the subject of the song to join her in her journey but she knows she’ll be ok if they don’t.
-The line “I want/need you to come” to me is like echoes of the younger version of herself that was super fatalistic and heavy hearted. That girl is still an important part of Lana’s story and will have ripple effects throughout the rest of her life, but that’s not the person calling the shots anymore.
So yeah, ultimately loving someone like a woman has nothing to do with sex or even romance, it’s just loving someone with a firm grasp on what’s important.
Also, to add one last thing, I’ve seen some folks refer to Lana as having “lost her fire” but I don’t think that’s true at all! Sure she’s not an all consuming wildfire anymore, burning down everything in her path, but she’s a more life sustaining fire now! One that provides warmth and comfort to her and others. It’s actually a mark of growth, I think. :3
MorriganKinsley liked a post in a topic by Rust Dress in Lana at her book signing at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA - October 2nd, 2020