Do Lana fans live in the past too much?

[creditcardromancer 752]

I've been thinking a lot about this lately with the new album coming "soon". I feel like a lot of us glorify the AKA era and music she recorded before & up to Born To Die, so much so that it kinda takes away from the new music, if that makes sense? Most of us weren't fans back then so it seems like some people kinda look back at those eras as her ~~glory days~~. Like a lot of people on here (me included) get more excited over some random demo leaking than about brand new official music.

 

It just kinda feels like we're longing for that old Lana but she will never do anything like that again obviously because she has a million ideas and never does the same thing twice.

 

I did a really bad job explaining this but does anyone else kind of feel this way too?

[ChaoticLipster 24,618]

It’s because when born to die came out everything was fresh and exciting as with all the AKA and leaked stuff. So people are bound to relate to this period of time the most. Finding Lana and her music and getting to know her was like a religious journey for many. Ultraviolence was amazing too, but I do feel after that things have changed somewhat from feeling fresh and new to just fans being really snobby (me included) and demanding. Lana is now expected to be this conveyor belt musician, providing us with music while we moan about how everything was better between born to die and Ultraviolence.

[softcore babyface 4,376]

the 'old' lana is very elusive and she was so free back then she would just write songs about whatever, she had no filter for the most part. I know I'm still obsessed with the 'untouchable 5' and what that could have been. Granted those songs are from 2012/13. Lana is definitely past her glory days, she's still putting out amazing music but she will never be back to the absolutely iconic state she was in.

[PerwinkleDreams 6,800]

I also feel like Lana was free back then in all styles. There was no "oh this has to be well recieved by the public" or "oh my fans will like this" or "you know what, I shouldn't write about that", it was completely unfiltered and beautiful. I think that's why I enjoy her old stuff so much, she sort of has to go through this "Lana Del Rey filter" now with music. In her old songs, she did pop, she did folk, she changed writing topics, styles, even accents. Nowadays it's sort of "okay 1. I need to sing in my deep dark Lana voice 2. I need to write about something meaningful that will be recieved well without telling too much 3. It needs to be soft, slow and heavenly to match my discography" whereas back then it was like "let's sing about anorexia, overdosing in my mans car, being at Fordham, going to kent, the trailer park, the canyons, okay now I'm doing pop, okay now I'm doing acoustic, okay now I'm doing something jazzy" it was just truly mesmerizing to see this woman go through endless possibilities and flourish in all aspects. Now I just feel she's stuck inside Lana Del Rey. The greatest freedom she had was writing music for herself to enjoy, not us, that's why I think it was so evolved! I don't know how to further explain my thought, but I hope you guys sort of understood!

[poetic jess 2,340]

I’ve been a fan since BTD came out and I think I can agree for the most part that some fans are like this, but personally I long for those days, pre-Honeymoon, for different reasons. Despite all the controversies, I thought Lana was heading in the right direction musically with Ultraviolence and I was excited to hear for what was to come. Her abrupt change from going to interviews and events to becoming more low-key and releasing Honeymoon (which is not ranked high on my fave albums list) really put me in a weird place as a fan, because it felt like her personal life (whether it was Francesco or the continuous toxic friendships/relationships we didn’t know about) probably took a toll on her and stunted her growth. LFL solidified that idea for me. Although she came back into the spotlight again, and she seemed enthusiastic about her work, there was so much indecisiveness and sloppiness that bled into the finished product. I consider LFL her weakest work, so for the first time, I was really anticipating the next album ASAP to forget the mess and in a way hope that it would motivate her get to that state of mind she wanted in Get Free. I didn’t want to be those fans who complain each year, who say her previous work was “better”. I actually really love some songs on my less fave albums. Idc how she looks on her days off as long as she’s healthy and happy. But this time, it’s just... different. Now with NFR, the writing is great, she’s working with someone new and that’s great, but she’s so quiet and doesn’t seem as enthusiastic about her work anymore. At least not to me. And her choices (Hillsong, the new group of friends) don’t give me good vibes. She could be too comfortable, it could just be growing up and changing as a person, it could be her working through her denial of how depressed she actually is or isn’t, who knows... All I know is that I sort of feel like I’ve lost a bit of enthusiasm for her work because it’s just not the same anymore. It’s not always about the glamour, what gets me spending my money on an artists’ work is their passion and talent coming through in their work. That’s the spark that I miss.

 

*sorry if this is too long and dramatic btw, I hope I explained this okay lol*

[LanaFlowers 8,752]

I can't say I glorify anything... I just find Lizzy incredibly endearing. She reminds me a bit of my younger self, and a lot of my close friends from that period of my life. I love her raw vulnerability, her girlish charm, and her defining desire to live life to the fullest. I was never as wild as she was, but that's something I can relate to. And I miss it. Feeling alive. I will never be happy again, I will never be free again -of care, worry, regrets or responsibilities. The girl I used to be is dead. And that's how it should be. Growing up and evolving as a person means learning from your mistakes, not repeating them, leaving damaging behaviors behind, learning how to protect yourself, and being more cautious, mindful, organized and critical. I sacrificed a lot to get where I am right now (including my own "Lizzy-ness"), and I am not happy, but I am wiser, stronger, and a better person overall. Nothing survived. No trinkets, no pictures, not one relationship. No places, either, I've moved away. Lana's old music...it brings me back. She often references places I grew up in, or lived, and places that mean a lot to me. To be honest, I do live in the past. I try so hard not to, but it's hard to stop thinking about happier times when you're miserable. I miss the things she reminds me of.

[pawn shop blues 2,347]

yes. it's hard not to though when her past work was so distinctive and bold. Also for the demos, I think one reason people get so excited for them is because there is a definite end to them. Like, however much we want to deny it, we know that the Honeymoon and pre-Honeymoon eras are Lana as a very different person, and she's not going to come back to that. I think part of its charm is that it's a capsule in time, and it would be kind of weird---and probably not that well received--if Lana tried to revert back to her old themes. She's a different person, she's surrounded by different people, and also the times are different. As much backlash as she got before, she would get a lot more today when there is much more anger and "let's tear a person down" mentality on social media, and I feel like lana is probably aware of that to a certain degree. (But at the same time, if there's someone who could survive a backlash, it's probably Lana.) So everything feels a little bit..."safer" which is kind of disappointing, since I think her I don't give a fuck im going to say it mentality was a plus for a lot of people, including me. But at the same time, I kind of get why she needs to do what she needs to do. 

[evilentity 13,345]

where my original sinners at

[Cacciatore 19,347]

Yes, she has a lot of fans who still think BTD is her best album and dispise the other ones and are always asking her to go back to that sound and aesthetic (big hair, big nails, pretty 60's dresses and stuff).

 

[LunaHasAGun 102]

Yes, she has a lot of fans who still think BTD is her best album and dispise the other ones and are always asking her to go back to that sound and aesthetic (big hair, big nails, pretty 60's dresses and stuff).

 

 

I don't think that anyone really expects her to go back to that exact sound and aesthetic, that just isn't realistic. However, I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to go with a similar sound and aesthetic?

[UltraHeroin 8,803]

I also feel like Lana was free back then in all styles. There was no "oh this has to be well recieved by the public" or "oh my fans will like this" or "you know what, I shouldn't write about that", it was completely unfiltered and beautiful. I think that's why I enjoy her old stuff so much, she sort of has to go through this "Lana Del Rey filter" now with music. In her old songs, she did pop, she did folk, she changed writing topics, styles, even accents. Nowadays it's sort of "okay 1. I need to sing in my deep dark Lana voice 2. I need to write about something meaningful that will be recieved well without telling too much 3. It needs to be soft, slow and heavenly to match my discography" whereas back then it was like "let's sing about anorexia, overdosing in my mans car, being at Fordham, going to kent, the trailer park, the canyons, okay now I'm doing pop, okay now I'm doing acoustic, okay now I'm doing something jazzy" it was just truly mesmerizing to see this woman go through endless possibilities and flourish in all aspects. Now I just feel she's stuck inside Lana Del Rey. The greatest freedom she had was writing music for herself to enjoy, not us, that's why I think it was so evolved! I don't know how to further explain my thought, but I hope you guys sort of understood!

LFL was filled with different types of music styles and she did not worry about how it would be received by the fans, she just dumped everything on a record (why Lana ) I would say that's being really free artistically.

 

And nowadays there's still none of that. She literally released VB, a 9 minute psych pop track that most of the general public straigh up ignores and HIADT, a heavy loaded song with lyrics and a sad sound. I can't imagine Lana in the studio being like, ''Oh yeah let's make the track that way, my fans will so love it!!!'' She has always been doing it for herself and I feel that was never the case.The only valid answer to those things is LFL the song and that's mainly because Lana maybe was pressured by her label to make another ''hit'' although I really doubt it, I think she just wanted another big song herself, but I don't think it ever was ''oh my fans will love that let's do it that way'' 

 

''You know what, I shouldn't write about that'', I see where this is coming from, with her not singing ''he hit me and it felt like a kiss'' (even though she straigh-up dismissed that ''new rule'' after 2 or 3 Ultraviolence performances lol, she's really not pressured in that way), but this one's a bit funny because:

 Multiple people have already said on this thread that in the past she would write about anything without giving a fuck. It's not that. It's not like Lana was: ''oooh yeah sugar daddies and drugs and prostitutes are a bit weird but I don't give a fuuuuck fuck them'' No. Lana has said multiple times: ''I'm just writing about what I know'' She wasn't having a ''I don't give a fuck attitude'', that's just what she was writing, what she had to say, what she was fascinated with at that time in her life. Now, Lana is in a different place in life, a much better one, 'cause trust me, if she wants to write another song about a sad prostitute that's doing meth with a 56 year old dude who drives her around fast while being drunk, she would definetly do it. It's not the ''giving a fuck'' that stops her from what she used to write, it's simply her being a new, much better person. 

 

This was the funniest one because it's literally the other way around. It was in 2012-2013 when she was trying to create and stand behind the whole LDR persona, to stay in that Lana filter.Especially 2012, when she was desperately forcing that deep voice and all the jazz. And it is now, the present when Lana is just getting less and less ''Lana'' and more and more just herself. LFL was such a chaotic album thematically because she's just herself throughout all of it, that's why it's so awfully diverse. LFL and the new songs literally sound the least you'd expect a typical Lana song to sound like (well most of them, not all of them haha), so to say she now is pressured to stay under a ''lana del rey'' filter, unlike the past when she was ''free'' is kind of backwards to me. 

 

Nowadays it's sort of "okay 1. I need to sing in my deep dark Lana voice-LOL what?? All of 2012 was just a huge forced deep voice from her, she hasn't sung like that in years now.

2. I need to write about something meaningful that will be recieved well without telling too much- Well, all she writes is meaningful to her and again, her lyrics are on the more ''well received'' side purely because she's grown as a person and figured out how fucked up the things she was fascinated by are, she doesn't like that type of things anymore. 

3. It needs to be soft, slow and heavenly to match my discography- Summer Bummer is real heavenly, the amalgam of guitars on VB is really soft, yeah. Saying that is so weird because, right from the get go, BTD was not all the same heavenly slow kinda thing. And she's been continuously experimenting over the years.

 

She's as free as she was before, she just doesn't like to write about those things anymore because she's evolved and she's not filtering herself under any type/persona, she's actually leaving it more and more behind. 

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,354]

Yes, she has a lot of fans who still think BTD is her best album

Well it is.

No to be honest, I think it doesn't really matter whether your favourite album is Born To Die, Ultraviolence, or Honeymoon or Lust For Life LMAOOO. As I said, personally I still think Born To Die is her best body of work, but that doesn't mean that I can't love and appreciate all of her other albums (well, I guess there's one notable exception, quelle surprise). But from what I can tell, most fans who "live in the past" don't want her to record Born To Die or Ultraviolence, Honeymoon etc. 2.0, because let's be real, we already have the original, nobody needs a carbon copy. What people – understandably – wish she brought back is everything else that era gave us: a well planned and executed album concept and rollout, stunning music videos and gorgeous visuals in general, a world tour, lots of interesting interviews, TV and award show performances, Lana serving looks, and so much more. Don't forget that most people became fans during that era – because of that era. Of course they are going to compare her more recent eras to Born To Die and more likely than not find them lacklustre, but keep in mind that Lana herself set that benchmark (and again, I'm not talking about the music itself, but everything we get – or don't get – alongside it). Nobody is having unrealistic expectations, but if Lana still wants us to buy her albums and concert tickets, then I think a minimum of effort really is not too much to ask.

[Make me your Dream Life 87,871]

I haven't read anyone else's responses bc I wanted to write my response first from the OP, but I guess first thought, we can't help but not to. I mean she's always ahead of the game since she's our supplier and we're always being strung along for the newest material she gives us, and when we don't get it, we're of course gonna go back to what we know. It's a lot easier and so much more convenient even practical to do. 

For me, BtD was an appetizer course, Paradise is dessert, UV is the main course, and HM is a delicately sized snack in the afternoon w some tea. LFL is like a snack that I just take tracks from every now and then. I think how we always go back to AKA era is because we've never really been able to live it through like we have as awarely w her other album eras. I mean, granted, there are some who were fans who were keenly aware and all that, but I'm sure there's more fans based from lore than anything else. 

Back to the main point, I think since it's always accessible to us, and how we're always projecting what we'd like to hear and see, it's only as if responsible for us to base things off the past. Most of us anyway