CriesMarmalade

I doubt Lana was sexually abused as a child, given that there seem to be many more sexual abuse victims who grow up to become frigid/put off by sex, and afraid/hesitant of men (assuming the abuser was male) than those who find emotional comfort in men and physical intimacy. I honestly don't think Lana's need for love/intimacy is much different from a lot of women's; the difference with her is that rather than downplaying it for the sake of seeming like a stable, well-adjusted person, she exaggerates it for the sake of art and drama. Also, I don't mean to dismiss teenage alcoholism on the whole, but given her upbringing and tendency toward 'artistic license' I'm very skeptical about Lana having been a real alcoholic at the age of 14. My guess is that she had started getting into partying and binge drinking like a lot of teenagers do, and was probably also starting to slip academically, so her parents panicked and sent her to a boarding school to set her on the right path. You would think that upon finding out that their daughter had a serious addiction at the age of 14, Lana's parents would have wanted to deal with the issue rather than just send her away to someplace where they had zero control over her and where she wouldn't be able to escape potential peer pressure. I'm sure Lana came into contact with substance abuse later in life, though. And if we're going to assume that the song 'Boarding School' is at least accurate in terms of documenting Lana's general impressions/associations, it was not an experience that was beneficial in helping her combat her supposed alcoholism.

It suits a couple of the songs really well (Brooklyn Baby, West Coast, Florida Kilos) in that it has this cool, laid back summer vibe, but the rest of them draw much more strongly from noir/jazz themes to which the cover doesn't do any justice. It's kinda weird hearing Lana sing about her diamonds and her pearls while having an image of her in shorts and a t-shirt. I feel like she was trying to prove her effortlessness while at the same time trying to be unapologetic about her trademark glamour in the lyrics. It's a weird combination to me.

Hell yeah, this shot is gorgeous and evokes so much more depth of feeling than the 'Oh hey, just got back from the supermarket' look of the UV cover (and it references Old Money with the blue hydrangeas). Lana has this weird love/hate relationship with mundaneness that I don't get sometimes.

I'm hoping for 'Divorce', 'Unlovable' or 'Forever Alone'.

I think people have a tendency to overrate songs that are melancholic, wistful, and slow due to the subtlety and emotional depth they associate with them, even if they're simplistically written and have some pretty standard/boring lyrics. Not to mention the Old Money melody isn't even original. If you're gonna take some artistic license why not pick a more interesting melody?

Lana has one of those pink to creamy skin tones that allow her to pull off every colour, but I think auburn only looked good on her so long as she didn't have any tan. When she was pale I would say it was her best hair colour, but when she got darker it looked a bit fake/trashy. Dark hair really brings out her full sex appeal though, especially now that she's older and has gained weight and no longer gives off this girlish pixie vibe that she did as Lizzy. The only colour I hate is the light brown highlights she got a short while back, but I just hate highlights in general.

I even get the sense that the Daddy/little girl dynamic is exaggerated to a large degree. Her relationship with Barrie seemed to be equal (I think she was giving him a great deal of emotional support too) as does the one with Francesco. The dominance of her relationship with the record executive probably stemmed from the fact that he had a great deal of music, business, and life experience, whereas Lana was still young and had a lot to learn. Lana has said that she felt mature beyond her years and was seeking people she felt were equals at the time, which is in strong opposition to women who seek relationships with older men because they feel themselves to be undeveloped or are seeking guidance. I also think a lot of the submissiveness people attribute to Lana comes from the fact that she is a hopeless romantic who obsesses over love (both current and lost) and is willing to sacrifice a great deal for the men she loves. A lot of columnists and the like have also referred to this behavior as 'masochistic', particularly when discussing Video Games, which is rather ridiculous, given that the song's lyrics reflect Lana's satisfaction with the harmony of her relationship, something an emotional masochist would not be able to experience. I think this mentality stems from the idea that modern, enlightened women are not supposed to enjoy 'oppressive' things like submission and devotion, therefore it must be pathological masochism leading to such tendencies. Also, there is a modern tendency to treat art as a kind of inspiration board where people focus on the things that drive them and make them happy, rather than an outlet of mostly afflictive feelings that they struggle with, which is why many assume that Lana is drawn to, and idealizes the scenarios she sings about. Of course in bed It's obvious Lana is a total freak though

I think Lana's obsession with older men is mainly put on because she likes the image associated with it. I'm sure she's into Daddy/little girl relationship dynamics but it doesn't seem like very many of her boyfriends were considerably older than her.

1: When did you first discover Lana Del Rey Late 2012 2: What was the first song that made you fall in love with her music Elvis 3: Favorite Lana hairstyle Her classic ginger curls, but I also love this look: 4: Favorite live performance Pin Up Galore, just because it's 100% better than the studio verson 5: Favorite lyric Happy like a twister over Oklahoma 6: Would you make out with Lana if you had the chance to? Duh? 7: Favorite facial feature Her lips, though they looked terrible when she first had them done 8: What's one thing you don't like about Lana? She tells unnecessary lies, seems to get defensive easily, and sometimes chooses awful lyrics. Oh, that's three... 9: Have you ever met Lana? No 10: Who's you favorite artist after Lana? Erik Satie, Broadcast, Queenadreena 11: Would you say you're obsessed or just a really big fan? Mildly obsessed 12: What if Lana was secretly an evil zombie would you still love her? Yes, but it would kinda ruin her enigma

Not sure how unpopular this is, but I detest Lana's obsession with gangsta culture. Some of her rapping is cute though.

For some reason I get the impression it's the video her fans obsess over the most (aside from maybe the Born to Die video).

I dislike the Ride video. It has a great concept and some shots are beautifully filmed, but the high production ruins it for me. It's supposed to be a story centred on the seedy/raw underbelly of society, but it looks straight out of a fashion magazine.

Probably the same reason she makes drug and alcohol references in every second song despite claiming to be sober for several years, and constantly refers to herself as 'bad' and 'dangerous'. I agree it's probably a defense mechanism (it's pretty obvious Lana can be shy and oversensitive) but I also think she just likes the image she projects with it.

This line seriously makes me wonder how she can touch anything down there with those long ass nails of hers

This is classic Lana for me:

I think many people prefer rocker Lana because they associate it with her becoming more self-assured, naturalistic, and raw, but I think that has a lot more to do with the experience she's gained through the years rather than the change of style. Although I prefer the Ultraviolence era music I almost feel that her rocker/bad girl persona is more of a pose in that she's deliberately channeling something that is only authentic when it has nothing to do with a consciously affected attitude or aesthetic. And though Lana often says she doesn't care about fashion/the way she looks, it's obvious from early on that image was something she put a lot of thought into. I mean, wearing fake nails, eyelashes, hair extensions, and full makeup/styled hair, in addition to having had plastic surgery done just makes those kinds of statements sound ridiculous. I wish Lana would own her glamour more rather than try to downplay it. On some level, I think she's doing it in an effort to be taken seriously and deflect the accusations about her being 'manufactured'. That being said, I think she looks sexy as fuck with the smudged dark eye makeup and natural hair.

The Lips Edition EP: 1. These Lips are Mine (Cause I Bought Em') 2. That's Just How I Look (When I Sing) 3. Cocoa Puffs On Sale 4. My (Pussy) Lips Taste Like Pepsi Cola 5. Will You Still Love Me When I'm No Longer Pouty? 6. You Got Your Gun, I Got My Mouth 7. Collagen Speedball 8. I Plan On Using These Lips To Pay, Honey 9. Puffy When I Cry 10. If They Get a Little Bigger, Can I Be Your Baby? 11. Operating Table Sex 12. My Surgeon Is Out Of Town Bonus Tracks: 13. Love Letters In Lip Liner 14. He Hit Me (And It Made My Lips Bigger)

That's what I thought as well. But I think it's 'Bonnie' as in, Bonnie and Clyde.

Bentley. The vocal echoing is hauntingly beautiful, especially with the lack of instrumentals. I love Lana's avant garde side.

Bob Dylan never capitalized on his looks or sex appeal though, and even though I find him very attractive in his prime, it was never the general consensus nor was he ever marketed to the public on that basis. It is true that age is a much less relevant factor for men even when they are sex symbols, but men and women judge attractiveness based on different criteria, and this age/attractiveness disparity for women existed long before the music industry did. You could also argue it's unfair and sexist that hordes of marginally/not at all talented women make it in the entertainment industry on a regular basis due to their looks, something men can usually only achieve when they're very young and marketed toward preteen girls. I also have to disagree that it's 'superficial and petty' to care about an artist's age, unless you just meant people nitpicking about the exact figure? Every age comes with its own set of values, ideals, influences and aspirations, and the ability for fans to relate to these is very important for most artists.

True, a couple of the clips of Lana in there are damn sexy.

Kill Kill, because it's the only song on the album that I think would really work as an opener. Cruel World is also a good one, but I think Shades of Cool might have been an even better choice.

I think the video for 'Video Games' is awful and don't understand all the praise it has gotten. I like generally like Lana's homemade video aesthetic but the pacing of this one is totally out of sync with the song's tempo and the clips don't match the melancholic, gentle tone of the song. And that bumblebee top/dress is terrible (unless it's a reference to the bee stung lips?)

I completely agree, and what makes the affected bad girl persona so cringeworthy is that Lana claims to have sworn off drugs and alcohol for good. Not to mention she always complains when she gets bad publicity and says that she just wants to be known for her music rather than any scandals/notoriety. I mean it's nice to have these bad girl/good girl contradictions in the context of her art but they don't cross over so well into reality. I love Lana's bad girl side like everyone else but it's just disappointing that she turns into a blameless goody two shoes whenever it backfires. Make up your mind girl.

Surprised to see how many people dislike Guns and Roses. I think it has a beautiful atmosphere and vocal effects, its only flaws are its repetitiveness and the awkward Game Boy line