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IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME
 
I'm not the slightest bit sorry to say that I am the one (1!) Lana fan most deserving of a signed copy of AKA because... let's be real here, I'm Lizzy Grant Stan #1
I'm just kidding, of course! But, come on, don't say you don't agree

IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME
 
I'm not the slightest bit sorry to say that I am the one (1!) Lana fan most deserving of a signed copy of AKA because... let's be real here, I'm Lizzy Grant Stan #1
I'm just kidding, of course! But, come on, don't say you don't agree

IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME
 
I'm not the slightest bit sorry to say that I am the one (1!) Lana fan most deserving of a signed copy of AKA because... let's be real here, I'm Lizzy Grant Stan #1
I'm just kidding, of course! But, come on, don't say you don't agree

IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME
 
I'm not the slightest bit sorry to say that I am the one (1!) Lana fan most deserving of a signed copy of AKA because... let's be real here, I'm Lizzy Grant Stan #1
I'm just kidding, of course! But, come on, don't say you don't agree

Okay I found the girl and she said
 
“I feel like I’m annoying locals with so many response tweets but she did sign it! And I said “I’m not sure how you feel about that one so u don’t have to sign it” and she said “I don’t know how I feel either but you’re the one person I’ll sign it for so let’s do it” and that I’m the only person who has it signed haha”

She has...the ghost of Lizzy Grant
 
I wonder what she thinks about AKA now, if she's embarrassed of it at all (not that she should be because it's great, but she's grown A LOT since then). It must seem like a past life to her, I wonder if she's made uncomfortable by fans bringing it up to her

she looks like she saw a ghost, shooked

I listened to Lana Del Ray again tonight, for the millionth time-- my feelings haven't changed. This album is genius, and it definitely saddens me that Lana will likely never return to this set of aesthetics and style of music.
 
However, the genius of AKA is not *just* Lana. I give a sizable part of my respect for the album to David Kahne, as well. While Lana created killer melodies, lyrics, and concepts that would work extremely well under the guidance of any producer, Kahne had the perfect touch to push the songs from "excellent" to "god-like", in my opinion. 
 
It definitely deserves repeat listens-- some subtle flourishes Kahne brought in are best noticed after you've been bowled over a few times by Lana's handiwork with the stories told and pictures painted here. To me, the perfect example of Kahne's "Midas touch" on AKA is "Pawn Shop Blues". As evidenced by a live performance and a demo, PSB was a staggeringly beautiful, tender, and poignant track when Lana was doing it on her own. However, Kahne took it to another level-- while PSB in its raw state is mournful and brimming with sadness, Kahne's instrumentation gives it depth-- it goes from being a "sad" song to something better described as "bittersweet". With the angelic echoes and trembling guitars, Kahne doesn't detract at all from Lana's lyrics-- instead, he gives them deeper meaning and manifold facets. Pawn Shop Blues becomes, all at once, a hopeful look at living for a purpose outside of yourself, a melancholy assertion on the nature of love and loss, and a somber reminder of how one can lose it all for nothing. With these extra dimensions, the track becomes infinitely interesting, as it's hard to tell where the hope begins and the desperation ends. 
 
I'm rambling-- my point being, AKA is an absolutely genius record that I'll love 'til the day I die, and both David Kahne and Lana are geniuses for putting just the right elements in just the right places to create an album that is cohesive yet kaleidoscopic, and that has so many facets and subtleties that it demands repeat listens. Fabulous. Please continue sharing info and thoughts on AKA here, because it means the world to me and I want to know all there is to know about it!
 
Thanks for reading all this 

I listened to Lana Del Ray again tonight, for the millionth time-- my feelings haven't changed. This album is genius, and it definitely saddens me that Lana will likely never return to this set of aesthetics and style of music.
 
However, the genius of AKA is not *just* Lana. I give a sizable part of my respect for the album to David Kahne, as well. While Lana created killer melodies, lyrics, and concepts that would work extremely well under the guidance of any producer, Kahne had the perfect touch to push the songs from "excellent" to "god-like", in my opinion. 
 
It definitely deserves repeat listens-- some subtle flourishes Kahne brought in are best noticed after you've been bowled over a few times by Lana's handiwork with the stories told and pictures painted here. To me, the perfect example of Kahne's "Midas touch" on AKA is "Pawn Shop Blues". As evidenced by a live performance and a demo, PSB was a staggeringly beautiful, tender, and poignant track when Lana was doing it on her own. However, Kahne took it to another level-- while PSB in its raw state is mournful and brimming with sadness, Kahne's instrumentation gives it depth-- it goes from being a "sad" song to something better described as "bittersweet". With the angelic echoes and trembling guitars, Kahne doesn't detract at all from Lana's lyrics-- instead, he gives them deeper meaning and manifold facets. Pawn Shop Blues becomes, all at once, a hopeful look at living for a purpose outside of yourself, a melancholy assertion on the nature of love and loss, and a somber reminder of how one can lose it all for nothing. With these extra dimensions, the track becomes infinitely interesting, as it's hard to tell where the hope begins and the desperation ends. 
 
I'm rambling-- my point being, AKA is an absolutely genius record that I'll love 'til the day I die, and both David Kahne and Lana are geniuses for putting just the right elements in just the right places to create an album that is cohesive yet kaleidoscopic, and that has so many facets and subtleties that it demands repeat listens. Fabulous. Please continue sharing info and thoughts on AKA here, because it means the world to me and I want to know all there is to know about it!
 
Thanks for reading all this 

Imagine the music she would've made if AKA had taken off, though... 

Imagine the music she would've made if AKA had taken off, though... 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LANA DEL RAY!

Seven years ago today, Lana's official debut album was released. 

May it continue to "raise us up".

 



 

(I'm a little late, lol. Also, credit to adoringlana on tumblr for these beautiful gifs!)

This iconique cover :
 

 
I normally don't like using fanmade covers unless they correspond w/the timeframe of the music (like... typically, for something recorded in 2007, I'd use a cover that has a 2007 or before photoshoot), but this one's an exception. Even though it's a 2010 photoshoot, this was one of the first fanmade covers I saw (and was the cover that was w/NKF when I first downloaded it) and now i can't separate them
 
 
There is, apparently! However, if I recall, Eclipse once told me that even *he* didn't have Mertens' AKA. This was before he leaked the Brite Lites snippets, though, so perhaps that changed 
 
(really, really, REALLY hoping someone does have it and will choose to be generous if they can... i am such a slut for AKA so it would probably put me in an early grave ngl)

you ought to know good and well that symbols like these mean a lot to lana. to assume that yayo is just a song about "drugs, motorcycles, and putting on shows for men" is to simplify things too much. it's a song, at least it seems to me, about escaping from the darkness in her life, really feeling happiness for once, and being with someone she loves very much-- i think it's so melancholy, though, because she doesn't believe she'll really get that 

~ only true may jailer stans will get this ~

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeU8yhNhNhG/

A fan for her (bootleg) AKA Lizzy Grant vinyl signed! I’ve never seen one signed before.

I agree wholeheartedly! <3 I think this album (and the people who worked on it, including David Nichtern!) have never received their due. So, I was so happy to be able to start this thread, so as you said, we could coherently gather information and spread the love for AKA! Also, kudos for finding that article! It's certainly one of the most informative out there about this period in Lana's history. You're too sweet
 
I agree too about AKA's artwork-- while I've grown to love it in association with the album, it was not executed well at all. Even Kill Kill's artwork, while not perfect, looks a lot more inviting and evocative of the music than AKA's. Honestly, despite only being released 6 yeas ago, I think AKA was a bit ahead of its time in some respects. Lana was definitely making music that was hard to define, but with more genre-hopping mainstream artists these days (think Marina & the Diamonds or Melanie Martinez, whom I often see grouped in the same circles as Lana),  AKA could be better marketed and received if it were released today, imo. 

I listened to Lana Del Ray again tonight, for the millionth time-- my feelings haven't changed. This album is genius, and it definitely saddens me that Lana will likely never return to this set of aesthetics and style of music.
 
However, the genius of AKA is not *just* Lana. I give a sizable part of my respect for the album to David Kahne, as well. While Lana created killer melodies, lyrics, and concepts that would work extremely well under the guidance of any producer, Kahne had the perfect touch to push the songs from "excellent" to "god-like", in my opinion. 
 
It definitely deserves repeat listens-- some subtle flourishes Kahne brought in are best noticed after you've been bowled over a few times by Lana's handiwork with the stories told and pictures painted here. To me, the perfect example of Kahne's "Midas touch" on AKA is "Pawn Shop Blues". As evidenced by a live performance and a demo, PSB was a staggeringly beautiful, tender, and poignant track when Lana was doing it on her own. However, Kahne took it to another level-- while PSB in its raw state is mournful and brimming with sadness, Kahne's instrumentation gives it depth-- it goes from being a "sad" song to something better described as "bittersweet". With the angelic echoes and trembling guitars, Kahne doesn't detract at all from Lana's lyrics-- instead, he gives them deeper meaning and manifold facets. Pawn Shop Blues becomes, all at once, a hopeful look at living for a purpose outside of yourself, a melancholy assertion on the nature of love and loss, and a somber reminder of how one can lose it all for nothing. With these extra dimensions, the track becomes infinitely interesting, as it's hard to tell where the hope begins and the desperation ends. 
 
I'm rambling-- my point being, AKA is an absolutely genius record that I'll love 'til the day I die, and both David Kahne and Lana are geniuses for putting just the right elements in just the right places to create an album that is cohesive yet kaleidoscopic, and that has so many facets and subtleties that it demands repeat listens. Fabulous. Please continue sharing info and thoughts on AKA here, because it means the world to me and I want to know all there is to know about it!
 
Thanks for reading all this 

Imagine the music she would've made if AKA had taken off, though... 

I'm sensing some negativity, no? Let's keep this civil and on-topic, okay? 

"This is... this is a song I used to perform, about ten years ago. Let's see if I can remember the words... It's called 'Pin Up Galore'." 
 
CAN YOU IMAGINE

Okay so I decided to do a long write-up about my entire concert-going experience yesterday, mostly because the situation with game day and all was pretty unique. I know a lot of people don't care about the boring details of my life so everything that is about Lana is in bold so you can skip the stuff that's not about her.
 
 
 

"This is... this is a song I used to perform, about ten years ago. Let's see if I can remember the words... It's called 'Pin Up Galore'." 
 
CAN YOU IMAGINE

Okay so here’s my full write-up of the LA To The Moon Tour Philadelphia show! I am still hopped up on some adrenaline so ignore any grammatical errors or parts that don't make sense lol...