Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[Thunder Revenant 20,945]

01. Fuck it I love you

02. California

03. The Greatest

04. Happiness Is A Butterfly

05. Norman F*cking Rockwell

 

Those five songs are probably the ones that are "here to stay" as longterm evergreen-favourites in her official discography: The atmosphere of FIILY, the emotional rawness of California, the melodramatic grandeur of TG, the fragility of HIAB and the instant-classic-quality of NFR.

 

06. Bartender

07. Mariners Apartment Complex

 

Two lowkey-favourites, I enjoy them alot, yet they aren't popping up as big time highlights when I think about NFR. However, both have hogh grower potential. Bartender is hitting suprisingly hard and MAC is one of those tracks that just keeps sticking with me, although I only considered it "okay" when it came out.

 

08. The Next Best American Record

 

Kind of troubled about this one. The song's sound is awesome, yet the chorus' lyrics are terrible and to know that they used to be a bitter masterpiece does not help.

 

09. Doin' Time

 

On the one hand this song completely breaks the flow of the album but it's really fun and the vocals are actually quite outstanding.

 

10. Hope Is A Dangerous Thing

 

The vocas are stunning, the writing is ... interesting. It's just one of the songs you really need to be in the right mood to listen to. I think releasing it as a single ruined the track's momentum.

 

11. How To Disappear

12. Cinnamon Girl

 

Both have solid quality, yet they aren't too exciting on the long run. Nice to listen to, yet not really spectacular IMO.

 

13. Venice Bitch

14. Love Song

 

Venice Bitch is just soooo overrated. The vocal melody is boring, the vocals are meh and yeah, it's 10 minutes long but those 10 minutes aren't really worth much since nothing of interest happens. There are many longass tracks with spectacular instrumental solos, outros, spins and improvisations. But VB just goes on amd on and on without any obvious reason. Song could ve cut to like 6 minutes without much loss.

LV's the opposite: it's short yet it feels super long cause it's boring as hell.

[urgirl 5,748]

I’m so happy Lana covered Sublime but i always wished she covered this one instead, it would be too too perfect

 

[pin up galore 18,997]

the fact that some people dare put the title track towards the bottom of their ranking like do y'all not hear that shit? eargasm from start to finish 

[13bitches 6,176]

the fact that some people dare put the title track towards the bottom of their ranking like do y'all not hear that shit? eargasm from start to finish

 

Yes I hear that shit and it’s just that: shit. Her worst title track and it isn’t even a contest. It sounds half-finished, lazy, and I don’t mind swearing at all but it just feels so forced here. It’s a dud

[godsmonster 14,221]

hmm, ranking NFR is hard

 

1. Doin' Time

2. Cinnamon Girl

3. Mariner's Apartment Complex

4. Happiness is a butterfly

5. Love song

6. The greatest

7. Norman fucking Rockwell

8. The Next Best American Record

9. How to disappear

10. Venice Bitch

11. California

12. Fuck it, I love you

13. Hope is a dangerous thing

14. Bartender

Edited May 18, 2020 by godsmonster

[clementines 9,892]

The greatest is still one of her best songs to date

[Lanalouis1 2,511]

The greatest is still one of her best songs to date

retweet 

[fl0ridakil0s 3,959]

Okay so Love Song is cute, but can we agree that in the total context of the album, it is the weakest song?

[Make me your Dream Life 87,866]

as enticing and playful Bartender is, I've got to say contextually, it might just be the weakest.. 

it's literally a song about retreating, from what I'm guessing is the last leg of the relationship (unbeknownst to her?). and as beautifully sounding it is, there's just a transitory quality to its sound that's meant to go in then out, like she does from highway to highway

Love song sounds frail, but it sort of serves as a sweet surrender n vulnerable nexus of the record. it's secure and focused in its sound that starkly contrasts the chaos in fiily and dt. She sort of sings it in her head, perspective of her love, which in a way, makes it a lot more poignant than HtD, even TG, since the circumstance is solely hers to bear (unlike how in HtD she shares them w the men she loves, and TG more of a collective back to humanity).

it's incredibly stripped, but the solemness of it has the ability to really ground the listener. like, think of the morning after a wild night out, or more symbolically, a new dawn that gets you reluctant, but still willing to move forward

and even if it didn't work out, she still has that moment she can remember where she was brave enough to open herself up to something as consuming as love. like, when u've had ur heart broken so many times, to getting numb of it, it's pretty powerful being able to even open to making that gamble again so wholly

[CinnamonGay 10,527]

Love Song is THAT bitch..!

Truly phenomenal...

[rightofjupiter 16,596]

I used to really hate Love Song but now like the verses a lot. Still think the chorus is boring af and cheesy though. Current album rankings from fav to least fav (Hope would be higher if I didn't have to be in a particular mood to listen to):

 

1. Happiness...

2. The greatest

3. NFR

4. FiiLY

5. Bartender

6. Hope...

7. Cinnamon Girl

8. California

9. MAC

10. Doin' Time

11. Love Song

12. Venice Bitch

13. How to Disappear

14. TNBAR

[Off To The Races 2010 demo pls 19,336]

I lowkey didn't mind the lack of bridges

Also, Love Song is REALLY grower

[KingJay 3,018]

Bartender definitely the weakest song, and is very skippable

[Tristesse 1,765]

While ranking the songs I realized I only listen to my 6 favorites and forget the other ones lol 

1. Venice Bitch
2. Mariners Apartment Complex
3. Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It         
4. Fuck It I Love You
5. Norman Fucking Rockwell
6. How to Disappear                    
7. California
8. Doin' Time                   
9. Bartender                    
10. The Greatest   
11. The Next Best American Record          
12. Cinnamon Girl             
13. Love Song                   
14. Happiness Is a Butterfly

[ArtDecoDelRey 15,284]

okay, okay, I've been too harsh on California. It's not a standout to me, but I do quite like it.

 

Updated

1. Venice Bitch

2. Mariners Apartment Complex

3. Fuck it I love you

4. Happiness is a butterfly

5. Norman fucking Rockwell

6. Cinnamon Girl

7. The greatest

8. California

9. How to disappear

10. Love song

11. hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it

12. Doin' Time

13. Bartender

14. The Next Best American Record

[American Whore 51,340]

My list from fav to least fav

 

1. Norman MOTHERFuckin Rockwell

2. Caliiiii

3. Venice Bitch, (beach)

4. Fuck it I Luhhhh You 

5. Teh Gray-ay-ay-ay-aytest

6. Happiness is a Butterfree

7. Hope is a dangerous thing for a dangerous, jealous, sad girl lyyyke me 2 have butt i have it

8. Mariner's Trailer Park

9. Cinnamon Challenge Girl

10. Luhhh Song

11. BAR

12. Doin' Time (again at Riker's Island)

13. How to disappear 

14. Bartarded

 

 

(inb4 someone blows up on me, i'm making a joke about xanny addicts, not disabled people)

[Veinsineon 76,885]

Venice Bitch

Love Song

The Greatest

[American Whore 51,340]

I think TNBAR sorta serves as like a second chance type of song .. 

 

real quick, analysis incoming. 

 

the song's set in the past tense. follows the desperate cries of California n plays off it well. so it seems like she's glazing over problems she wishes she hadn't seen in the relationship and tries bargaining w Topanga nights and how they were so good together. but it seems she was more invested in it than he was, and she got let down. 

 

song promotes growth, from the demo that we had before.. but it's also duplicitous bc she clearly knows that she can't go back no matter how much she tries to. Even if she wanted to, it'd be a step back, and the past isn't even there anymore as it usually isn't, and she knows that. her dreams were swallowed in a stale void. 

 

and as smooth as the chorus is, u can feel the reluctance in the verses.. the slow guitar. the descending notes. how everything was. 

 

to me, what it feels like is that she's 13beaching and going back in her head, but at least she found a gem of self-assurance in what she wants for herself in the future. or at least that's what she can walk away w for herself after the dizzying ordeal.. 

 

it connects real well to California bc it almost seems like a "feels like we only go backwards.mp3" moment by tame impala. 

venice, bc it gives her better clarity towards the vision of what she wants in the future. that hasn't changed.

norman, in the theme of him being into himself.

 

tl,dr. 

it's a great take on what it feels like to sort of be in denial. swimming in the past in varying grades of reality, and back to the album trailer. was that island of refuge as blossoming as it was? 

 

difficult to ascertain, but she ends the record w hope, and I can't help but feel an overall sense of relief for her in that sense. 

 

 

I've always thought the lyrics were weird. "Cool as heck" come on, we're listening to an album titled Norman FUCKING Rockwell.... lol i just want a 3rd version where she says "he was cool as fuck"

 

Also, the lyrical changes don't make sense compared to the original, especially when you think of the concept of this record of a man child artist who thinks he's the shit but nobody around him thinks so too, except maybe Lana sometimes... The demo's lyrics make much better sense. It could've had a better execution by the end result

[American Whore 51,340]

Venice Bitch is just soooo overrated. The vocal melody is boring, the vocals are meh and yeah, it's 10 minutes long but those 10 minutes aren't really worth much since nothing of interest happens. There are many longass tracks with spectacular instrumental solos, outros, spins and improvisations. But VB just goes on amd on and on without any obvious reason. Song could ve cut to like 6 minutes without much loss.

LV's the opposite: it's short yet it feels super long cause it's boring as hell.

 

I think you're wrong about it. The outro instrumental is really interesting and if you're not listening, you might not notice those things. If you dislike Cruel World, you'd prolly dislike this song. But CW was one of those songs that NEEDED an extended electric guitar (and maybe a little mellotron or synth, the way VB has those spacey, UFO sounds)

 

In a way, it's got a bit of a progressive sound to it, which is what i've been dying for Lana to do. I really want more like it. A ten minute track, who else in a "pop" world could do it like she did? Nobody..... which makes this track more special. I get that some people don't enjoy longer songs, and that's totally fair, but I definitely think she did it well for a ten minute track.

 

Plus, all the greats have at least one long track like that that are well executed. Bowie, Elton, etc etc

[electra 20,644]

(inb4 someone blows up on me, i'm making a joke about xanny addicts, not disabled people)

 

is one more appropriate than the other? lmao