Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[Chocolate Eyes 548]

NFR has grown on me so much. It has now made it into my top 3. 

[sjatib 5,172]

Was listening to this song and got shocked about how much it resembles MAC

 

https://open.spotify.com/track/1SdQxXN4H9YWc5lC76O4CD?si=u45sNzOKT1CN0sJLZlm_2A

[Future Jazz 9,228]

I don’t like how Lana herself, the fandom and the critics painted out this album to be a social commentary when, in fact, 99% of the lyrics are about love and relationships. The Kanye West reference, the “LA’s in flames” line and the “there’s a new revolution” line - because there really isn’t more to it - are not enough to make it a social commentary. She does not even give an opinion on those events/movement she briefly and vaguely alludes to! Lust for Life would be much more of a social commentary. It saddens me because the one album that’s painted out to be deep and politically relevant has lyrics that are so much safer than lyrics on Blue Banisters or even Chemtrails.

[DCooper 37,087]

39 minutes ago, Future Jazz said:

I don’t like how Lana herself, the fandom and the critics painted out this album to be a social commentary when, in fact, 99% of the lyrics are about love and relationships. The Kanye West reference, the “LA’s in flames” line and the “there’s a new revolution” line - because there really isn’t more to it - are not enough to make it a social commentary. She does not even give an opinion on those events/movement she briefly and vaguely alludes to! Lust for Life would be much more of a social commentary. It saddens me because the one album that’s painted out to be deep and politically relevant has lyrics that are so much safer than lyrics on Blue Banisters or even Chemtrails.

 

I get what you mean but I also think there's a lot of uncertainty beneath the surface that mixed with the breezy feeling of the record makes for a really interesting and relevant experience. I love the way it explores Lana's anxieties as a girl who's just trying to do the best she can as she navigates life, without even realizing that the world is collapsing all around her, which of course it does in The Greatest, the album's climax and a shift towards the more complex self-discovery that she's pursued since. She briefly tries to escape this new reality in Bartender and Happiness is a Butterly, but by Hope she's finally facing the weight of the world head-on with one of her starkest and boldest songs ever that really ties the album together. So while I agree it's not overly political, I think the social landscape of the country subtly affects her personal journey on the album and it all comes crashing down in a really incredible way. Maybe it's just the way I interpret the album but those are my thoughts, I love it so much 

[Business Conference 68]

52 minutes ago, Future Jazz said:

I don’t like how Lana herself, the fandom and the critics painted out this album to be a social commentary when, in fact, 99% of the lyrics are about love and relationships. The Kanye West reference, the “LA’s in flames” line and the “there’s a new revolution” line - because there really isn’t more to it - are not enough to make it a social commentary. She does not even give an opinion on those events/movement she briefly and vaguely alludes to! Lust for Life would be much more of a social commentary. It saddens me because the one album that’s painted out to be deep and politically relevant has lyrics that are so much safer than lyrics on Blue Banisters or even Chemtrails.

I definitely think the discourse around the album has been disproportionate to what actually is in the album. 

[Mer 62,097]

I got mad at my dad because he said "is the word 'fucking' really necessary in the title" and OF COURSE it is. It represents irreverence bordering on sarcasm. You're not so "Norman Rockwell" you're soooooo "Norman fucking Rockwell" with your American propaganda and your desire to live in a pastoral little idyllic postcard. 

[lanaismamom 11,549]

On 2/15/2023 at 7:07 PM, SuperMegaStan said:

 

i guess it's the whole Laurel Canyon connection throughout the album and the love story with a self-obsessed man loser and the way that it was originally titled "Bird World"

 

while for Ocean Blvd, it's more like an introspective diary type of "vibe" album

btw i think its actually Burnt World and we kept mishearing it all this time

[love deluxe 8,861]

OH GOD, WANT YOU ON MY LIPS 

 

(I DO, I DO) 

 

 

IT’S ME YOUR LITTLE VENICE BIIIITCH 

 

(MISS YOU, MISS YOU) 

 

 

ON THE STOOP WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS 

 

 

SOUNDIN’ OFF, BANG BANG, KISS KISSSS 

[American Whore 51,541]

i never thought much about this until right now but at the end of lust for life, she says "out of the black into the blue" and by the end of the title track for nfr, she's fading out like into the background while singing "bluuuuue, bluuuuue, bluuuuuuue" so she's literally going into the blue

[IanadeIrey 62,124]

Re-listened to this record in full recently and I have to say (contrary to LB’s belief), it sounds just as good as it did in 2019. One of her best for sure. I have so many positive and formative personal memories that happened to coincide with the release of the singles and then the entire album, so for that reason, NFR! will probably always be in my top favourite Lana albums. It’s funny how we attach parts of ourselves to the music, which totally affects our listening. 

[love deluxe 8,861]

7 hours ago, IanadeIrey said:

Re-listened to this record in full recently and I have to say (contrary to LB’s belief), it sounds just as good as it did in 2019. One of her best for sure. I have so many positive and formative personal memories that happened to coincide with the release of the singles and then the entire album, so for that reason, NFR! will probably always be in my top favourite Lana albums. It’s funny how we attach parts of ourselves to the music, which totally affects our listening. 

nfr will always be my personal favorite i think. i just have so many memories connected to it that its impossible for me to love another album as much as i love it. 

[ultrabanisters 45,609]

her worst album

 

 

[Venice Jesus Whore 4,471]

Bartender is the most underrated song on the album. It’s one of my favorites. 

[emliqua 3,037]

6 minutes ago, Venice Jesus Whore said:

Bartender is the most underrated song on the album. It’s one of my favorites. 

I loooove bartender! Witchy wonderfulness  I love driving through LA listening to it…”from the valley to the beach”

[Dark Angel 202,785]

16 hours ago, Venice Jesus Whore said:

Bartender is the most underrated song on the album. It’s one of my favorites. 

 

bartender is still my personal favorite off of norman! it does feel mysterious and a little witchy, i feel like candy necklace is similar to bartender

[lanaismamom 11,549]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:52 PM, ultrabanisters said:

her worst album

 

 

[Eugene 26,670]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:52 AM, ultrabanisters said:

her worst album

 

 

Blue Banisters 

[blackestday x tough 5,354]

56 minutes ago, margaret soty said:

Blue Banisters 

 

Let's be honest. Ocean boulevard is her worst album.

[TrashMagiq 58,727]

One of her best! Her most replayable next to BTD!

[Vertimus 9,632]

42 minutes ago, Blackestday x CN said:

 

Let's be honest. Ocean boulevard is her worst album.

I don't think it's her worst album, but I have an intuition that it is sort of an end in a way, or the end of a cycle, or of another cycle.

 

If she is indeed engaged and will marry soon (I'm not 100% convinced of this, due to the fairly large number of men she's been involved with over the last 11 years), I think she will shortly want one or more children, and then inevitably her life will change, including her creative life. 

 

If so, then once she has a child, it may be a perfect time to release some sort of career retrospective of some kind, large or small, with a certain amount of unreleased material, or the 'American Standards' album if that was ever completed, or the next poetry record.