Born to Die Turns 7

[PARADIXO]

 

Lana Del Rey's breakthrough studio album turns 7 years old on January 27.

 

 

By the time Elizabeth Grant and Interscope Records officially released the moody, iconic piano ballad "Video Games", Maroon 5 had the No. 1 hit of the moment with "Moves Like Jagger". Before that, Katy Perry and LMFAO were at the top with "Last Friday Night" and "Party Rock Anthem", respectively.

 

America wasn't ready for the LDR brand which, ironically, was an exaggeration, emphasis and glamourization of their own culture. She brought back the delicacy of the 50s, the beauty of the 60s, the freedom of the 70s, the grandiosity of the 80s, the fetichism of the 90s and the ambition of the new century.

 

 

Her project was impossible to ignore and inevitable to criticise for the media. And it's not new. The same thing happened back in the early 90s when Madonna put out the longing, provicative and intimate Erotica. People simply can't stand women feeling free enough to share their most disturbing thoughts and ideas. However, Erotica is now considered a masterpiece of its decade and an important part of the history of feminism and pop culture. Lana wasn't being universal, and that's what made people mad. Her Instagram-filtered world of abusive millionaire men, alcohol and ruined youth, along with Portishead-styled trip hop beats and dramatic orchestra wasn't relatable. Her being able to say she would die without her lover is just as important as Beyoncé singing girls run the world.

 

 

At the end of the day, Born to Die served as inspiration for both future and well-established artists. Music-wise, it was a pioneer of different trends: the new wave of hip-hop, the comeback of emotive, less technical vocalists, organic and slow pop instrumentation and an obsession with all things DIY; the latter leading to her important visual influence -- low budget, vintage and aesthetically pleasing, opposite to the futuristic and colorful trend that was going on before her. Popular musicians like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and many more were so inspired by her music videos that even went to work with her directors.

 

 

"The opening four-song lineup is on par with the elite pop records of this decade, peering into the shadowy corners of relationships that most record labels wouldn’t allow their artists to explore […]  It’s crystal-clear that Lana Del Rey is the mastermind behind this R-rated, retro-pop fantasy. Her voice strikes you like fine wine with a dash of high-class liquor, and her all-star cast of collaborators combine various influences—orchestral pop, electronic R&B, and alternative rock—into songs that function as cinematic dream capsules." - Chris Lacy (Albumism) on his tribute to Born to Die

 

 

"The same reviewers who currently praise her music littered her debut LP back then with a measly two-star rating […] We were too busy worrying about the frivolous details of Lana’s image, something a male equivalent wouldn’t dare be questioned about, that we didn’t realize the future of sad girl pop was standing before our very eyes." - Bianca Gracie (Fuse.tv) on her retrospective review of the album

 

 

"It’s undeniable that the timing of “Video Games” release was pivotal – its unique soundscape seemed even more unique in a mainstream increasingly dominated by identikit EDM. In an interview with T Magazine, Del Rey explained that record labels saw her downbeat, melancholy output as a commercial risk which deterred them from taking a chance. “I would play my songs, explain what I was trying to do, and I’d get ‘You know who’s No. 1 in 13 countries right now? Kesha. ‘Video Games’ was a 4-and-a-half-minute ballad’”, she explained. “No instruments on it. It was too dark, too personal, too risky, not commercial. It wasn’t pop until it was on the radio.”" - Jake Hall (Dazed and Confused) on his retrospective review of "Video Games"

 

[lmdr]

so scary... SEVEN years 

[YUNGATA]

the one that started it all. Radio still remains THE song of her career.

[Barry]

Legendary, I can't believe I totally missed the era and never even heard the songs until probably 1 year or longer after it came out.

[Daytona Meth]

what an icon. I love this album so much

[graham4anything]

and on this weeks January 26, 2019th Billboard Album 200 LP chart for it's 316th week.  while also charting on the Alternative LP chart and the Rock LP Chart this week both of those hit #1.

 

and all without an actual major US radio hit though the songs today are all classics.

[Flowerbomb]

Ya'll trash BTD but remember this: that very album launched her entire career!

 

I love this album with my entire heart and I can't believe it's 7 years old now

[violets]

the impact this woman has...

[godsmonster]

Happy birthday to the INCOMPARABLE LEGEND

[Serene Queen]

Yas! It’s all I’m gonna play tomorrow!!!

[PARADIXO]

 

I would also like to add that Born to Die is the very definition of all things baroque this century. Damn, even the title makes you believe it actually is. Her feelings were so intense and deep she couldn't express them so simply and naturally. She felt the need to turn them baroque: exaggerated, highly ornamented, religious, political and with the idea of turning life into a piece of art.

 

In baroque, characters and images in general are potrayed in extremely emotional and dramatic forms. Jesus bleeding in the cross is baroque.

 

Conveniently, the first time the word baroque was associated with music was in a negative way, just like the early feedback of Born to Die. 

 

 

The first uses of the term 'baroque' for music were criticisms. In an anonymous, satirical review of the première in October 1733 of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, printed in the Mercure de France in May 1734, the critic implied that the novelty in this opera was "du barocque," complaining that the music lacked coherent melody, was filled with unremitting dissonances, constantly changed key and meter, and speedily ran through every compositional device. […] The baroque was a period of musical experimentation and innovation. New forms were invented, including the concerto and sinfonía.

 

In painting:

 

 

In arquitecture:

 

 

In sculpture:

 

 

In fashion:

 

 

Classical baroque music:

 

 

Classical baroque music was known for being heavily narrative. Vivaldi's Four Seasons is the most important example.

[HEARTCORE]

Oh wow. What a most pleasing moment

[kitschesque]

Graham ghostwrote this and I shed a tear or two. Thanks for that sum-up, really captures the spirit of BTD that I sometimes forget about when I listen to it.

 

[pin up galore]

legendary

[YUNGATA]

Ok, lil game. How old were you when BtD came out?

18

[PerwinkleDreams]

so scary... SEVEN years 

I can't believe it's been seven years you've been stanning the same photographer and photoshoots    time really does fly doesn't it

[PARADIXO]

Ok, lil game. How old were you when BtD came out?

18

 

14

[PerwinkleDreams]

Ok, lil game. How old were you when BtD came out?

18

14 Feels like I got drunk for the first time listening to TIWMUG just yesterday

[pin up galore]

Ok, lil game. How old were you when BtD came out?

18

 

10 

[YUNGATA]

10 

 

 

omg no