Ultraviolence Turns Half a Decade

[PARADIXO 31,605]

 

The second chapter from Lana Del Rey's chronological story finds the singer at her darkest and most angry. Gone are the days of unlimited, loyal love for troublesome men -- now, she calls them for what they are: 'fucking crazy' drug-addicts. However, the character is not ready to let go and get out of this violent situation (as we see on the next chapter, the thoughtful Honeymoon), so we accompany her through this world of madness, sarcasm, contagious depression and unexpected fame.

 

 

Ultraviolence is the first and only collaboration between Lana Del Rey and The Black Keys' frontman, Dan Auerbach. The result is a dreamy soundscape of distorted, psychedelic guitars, angsty drum patterns and distant vocals. This state of mind of confusion and haze is elevated by Vincent Haycock and his trippy "West Coast" music video and Neil Krug with his blurry vision of Del Rey.

 

 

The album was Lana's first No. 1 record in the United States and it sold around 3 million copies worldwide. It's also one of her most-streamed projects to date. Its lead single, "West Coast", was universally acclaimed and became one of her biggest radio hits. Ultraviolence was applauded by critics and ranked high in many year-end lists.

 

 

Let's celebrate!

 

What's your favorite song from Ultraviolence and why?

 

What song(s) should have gotten a music video?

 

Have you ever been blessed by a song from this album live?

[Beautiful Loser 45,989]

I had the impression that critics weren't very impressed by the album?

 

I still remember when I played it for the first time, thinking "what on earth has this girl been through??", being unused to Cruel World's slow beat, feeling new to her changed sound, surprised that she could go darker than Dark Paradise. Still remember when I would stay up at night, playing the album with tears falling - happy to say that it almost always makes me feel happy these days. Took me a little bit to get into Ultraviolence, and today it's my favorite album, constantly fighting for the top spot with Born To Die and Honeymoon. But it always stays on top.

I even plan on getting a black denim jacket and paint her face on the back. I got the paint and some pyrdamid rivets to decorate it with, as well as the drawing I made some months ago. I'll always love this album.

One of my fondest memories of UV is when I was about to leave my university, and I stopped right outside the subway station. In a building nearby, someone had the window open and just blasted the whole album for the rest of the world to hear. I stayed to listen through Shades of Cool and Brooklyn Baby, then I told myself that I better get going before I got too late.

 

Favorite song? I can't pick between Cruel World and West Coast. Shades of Cool and Brooklyn Baby are very close as well.

Pretty When You Cry still deserves a music video, but a high budget video for Brooklyn Baby would have been very appreciated as well.

She entered the stage when I saw her with Cruel World - I knew she would but I was absolutely in heaven when she did - and a little later, she sang Shades of Cool. And later, also Ultraviolence. I can't wait to see her again soon and hopefully she will treat us some more UV songs.

 

Happy anniversary. ♥

[lustforlife 19,008]

The album she will never top :gclap: :gclap:

[PARADIXO 31,605]

Ultraviolence ranks No. 6 in my decade-end list (you can check it out, Part 1 2 3)

 

 

6. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

 

"The juxtaposition of those two worlds, the peaceful beginning and the chaotic chorus, it summed up my personal circumstances of everything going easily and then everything being fucked up," Lana Del Rey said about album opener "Cruel World". "It felt like me," she sums up. The same definition applies to the entirety of Honeymoon's previous chapter, the angsty Ultraviolence.

 

On Born to Die, Lana was blind from all the glamour and beauty of her love affairs. She's not able to see the danger, toxicity and darkness hidden in her American dream -- "They will rue the day I was alone without you," she dares in "Off to the Races", but no one lamented it more than herself, and she realizes that in the disturbing drums and psychedelic guitars of Ultraviolence. We find Del Rey at her darkest state of mind -- unlike Honeymoon, there is no positive message or hopeful ending: "the other woman will die alone." It feels like every song was written in the middle of the night. But, seen in retrospective, hitting the lowest low was necessary for later healing. Something we all can relate to.

 

She's angry and sarcastic throughout the whole album. She says she doesn't need "all those special times" spent with her lover anymore, but the tone implies that she's lying. The same goes to lines like "I'm finally happy now that you're gone" or "He hurt me but it felt like true love". She's lying. The blinded confidence and firmness she had on Born to Die is gone, because what happened exactly is that as her lovers got darker and sadder, her love for them slowly faded, ending up dark and sad herself. This depressive concept is perfectly executed in the rock waltz "Shades of Cool" and her saddest song to date, "Black Beauty".

 

 

"But I can't help him

Can't make him better

And I can't do nothing about his strange weather

 

'Cause you are invincible

I can't break through your world

'Cause you live in shades of cool

Your heart is unbreakable."

 

We notice that while she's singing directly to him in the chorus ("You are invincible"), she's in a constant fight and doubt with herself ("I can't help him"). However, she does try to help him, which only results in failure since she's broken herself, as we can see in "Black Beauty":

 

"I paint the house black

My wedding dress black leather too

You have no room for light

Love is lost on you

I keep my lips red

They seem like cherries in the spring

Darling, you can't let everything

Seem so dark blue

But what can I do

To turn you on or get through you?"

 

A glimpse of hope appears in a line from "Pretty When You Cry", opaqued by the one that follows.

 

"Don't say you need me when

You leave and you leave again

I'm stronger than all my men

Except for you."

 

And we all know she ended up being stronger than him.

[Beautiful Loser 45,989]

We notice that while she's singing directly to him in the chorus ("You are invincible"), she's in a constant fight and doubt with herself ("I can't help him"). However, she does try to help him, which only results in failure since she's broken herself, as we can see in "Black Beauty":

 

"I paint the house black

My wedding dress black leather too

You have no room for light

Love is lost on you

I keep my lips red

They seem like cherries in the spring

Darling, you can't let everything

Seem so dark blue

But what can I do

To turn you on or get through you?"

 

A glimpse of hope appears in a line from "Pretty When You Cry", opaqued by the one that follows.

 

"Don't say you need me when

You leave and you leave again

I'm stronger than all my men

Except for you."

 

And we all know she ended up being stronger than him.

That last line. Straight into my heart. I'm proud of her, she really tries to change from where she was to something better for herself. She deserves it.

[Flowerbomb 65,555]

Wait I thought the album was released on the 17th June?

[Beautiful Loser 45,989]

Wait I thought the album was released on the 17th June?

... Wikipedia and Lana wikia say the 13th, so I hope they're right.

[Flowerbomb 65,555]

... Wikipedia and Lana wikia say the 13th, so I hope they're right.

 

oh that's weird, my wiki says the 17th on the sidebar but on the actual page it says 13th. My bad lol

[Hannus 1,617]

omg the title of the thread makes it seem so old, it feels like just yesterday 

my absolute favourite song from the album (and from her in general tbh) is west coast. it's sounds like what an orgasm feels like. and i remember when it came out i was feeling kinda numb and listening to that song pulled me out of that feeling, and it still does. it will never get old 

as for the music video, florida kilos maybe? it could have been a cute mv imo.

i had the privilege to hear pretty when you cry in August, which i'm very grateful for. i still hope that i'll hear west coast live one day though (or shades of cool. but that will probably never happen lmao)

[net wurker 1,890]

If I had to pick a  favorite Lana album, it would be Ultraviolence.

 

If I had to pick a favorite track from that album, again, it would be Ultraviolence.  With West Coast a close second.

[Nightmare 9,818]

best thing she ever did. then she dipped.

[PARADIXO 31,605]

That last line. Straight into my heart. I'm proud of her, she really tries to change from where she was to something better for herself. She deserves it.

 

Change is a powerful thing indeed

 

---

 

I remember when it came out. It was a cool sunny day. I came home after school and played the record for the first time and... by Pretty When You Cry I was asleep But not because I didn't like it... 2014 was a pretty tough year and I wasn't sleeping at all. I remember falling asleep everywhere, and the album is so dense and slow it put my to sleep! LMAO. But it's my favorite LDR project.

 

As for my favorite song, it's between West Coast, Black Beauty and Flipside.

 

I think Brooklyn Baby should have gotten a video.

 

And I had the pleasure to be blessed by live renditions of West Coast and Black Beauty.

[Wynwood 19,966]

literally her best album

 

the mood

 

the atmosphere

 

the themes

 

the vocals

 

the way she oozed coolness 

 

 

 

glad to believe in the same time as ldr

[Off To The Races 2010 demo pls 19,335]

I can't choose a favorite song, but these definitely are my favorites from this album:

 

1. Old Money

2. Black Beauty

3. West Coast

4. Florida Kilos

5. Money Power Glory

6. Cruel World

7. Ultraviolence

8. Sad Girl

 

And Brooklyn Baby definitely deserved a music video

[Serene Queen 4,776]

Fav song from the album is definitely Brooklyn Baby because it’s so fun and sassy, and has been my go-to summer jam since I became a Lana fan. Song that deserved a video is, again, Brooklyn Baby

[lmdr 9,894]

Sad Girl
Shades of Cool
Pretty When You Cry

Ultraviolence 

Cruel World

 

The rest can CHOKE

[pawn shop blues 2,345]

half a decade? Fuck. I did not expect to feel so old today. 

West Coast will always be my favorite. It was the perfect introduction into the UV era and album. It was so different sound wise for her, but also felt totally like her. I like when artists can surprise in that way. 

[PARADIXO 31,605]

The drums on this album are definitely my favorite thing about it. They represent the angriness she felt so clearly.

 

Maximilian Weissenfeldt (he worked with Ringo Starr!) played them on West Coast, Ultraviolence, Cruel World, Brooklyn Baby, Shades of Cool and Fucked My Way

 

Nick Movshon (drummer from Dan Auerbach's solo project The Arcs) plays on Florida Kilos, Sad Girl, Pretty When You Cry and The Other Woman... you definitely can hear his style!

 

Greg Kurstin played them (and all the instruments) on Money Power Glory.

 

Black Beauty drums by Leo Taylor, Pau Epworth's drummer (he played drums for countless songs by Adele and Ed Sheeran)

 

Brian Griffin plays on Guns and Roses and the radio mix of West Coast (he later plays on many songs from Honeymoon; he's most likely a friend of Rick Newels)

[Flowerbomb 65,555]

I think what is most important during this appreciation thread is that we ALL should appreciate the opulent masterpiece that is  Money Power Glory.

[PARADIXO 31,605]

I think what is most important during this appreciation thread is that we ALL should appreciate the opulent masterpiece that is  Money Power Glory.

 

Agrih