Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[Make me your Dream Life 87,789]

Step into the light. Stream Venice rn

[Foxglove 2,266]

why tf, of all tracks on NFR - including such decent songs as California, Fuh Ih I Luh Yuh, Venice Bitch, Cinnamon Girl, Happiness is a Butterfly, Mariners Apartment Complex, hell even the Greatest - does the title track get all this attention?  I have to be honest: It seems like people just didn't really have the time to listen to the whole album but some higher ups at these music publications decided this was gonna be Lana's year back in February and they just picked the first track because its title is most recognizable (as also being the album title) to laud and applaud...  Is it just me?

[Jared 3,131]

why tf, of all tracks on NFR - including such decent songs as California, Fuh Ih I Luh Yuh, Venice Bitch, Cinnamon Girl, Happiness is a Butterfly, Mariners Apartment Complex, hell even the Greatest - does the title track get all this attention?  I have to be honest: It seems like people just didn't really have the time to listen to the whole album but some higher ups at these music publications decided this was gonna be Lana's year back in February and they just picked the first track because its title is most recognizable (as also being the album title) to laud and applaud...  Is it just me?

 

If you're referring to Pitchfork's list I posted on the previous page, that #1 was for the album, not the title track. 

 

When it comes to songs, publications have picked The Greatest and Hope Is A Dangerous Thing as their favorites.

[West Coast 45,793]

why tf, of all tracks on NFR - including such decent songs as California, Fuh Ih I Luh Yuh, Venice Bitch, Cinnamon Girl, Happiness is a Butterfly, Mariners Apartment Complex, hell even the Greatest - does the title track get all this attention?  I have to be honest: It seems like people just didn't really have the time to listen to the whole album but some higher ups at these music publications decided this was gonna be Lana's year back in February and they just picked the first track because its title is most recognizable (as also being the album title) to laud and applaud...  Is it just me?

 

Oh definitely. I'm honestly not sure how and why Lana even submitted the title track for the Grammys, The greatest would've been a more obvious choice to me.

[GeminiLanaFan 49,031]

Oh definitely. I'm honestly not sure how and why Lana even submitted the title track for the Grammys, The greatest would've been a more obvious choice to me.

I prefer the greatest to the title track as well and it is so emblematic of 2019. But maybe the title track has « better vocals », with its high notes in the end? Or the opening line is more iconic?

[Pico Ocean Boulevard 41,091]

Oh definitely. I'm honestly not sure how and why Lana even submitted the title track for the Grammys, The greatest would've been a more obvious choice to me.

Maybe she was unsure bc of the Kanye West line and the long ass piano outro

[FallingCherry 7,731]

Oh definitely. I'm honestly not sure how and why Lana even submitted the title track for the Grammys, The greatest would've been a more obvious choice to me.

Maybe because it's her favourite song, one of the most powerful vocally (which nowadays, matters a lot because people are obsessed with vocals), and the heart of the record? It sums up the mood of the whole album. It's also one of the songs that show Lana's growth as an artist the most.

[urgirl 5,747]

I despise the opening line of NFR, to me it is the most cringe line ever, even worse than any notorious “living like Jim Morrison” line

[West Coast 45,793]

Maybe because it's her favourite song, one of the most powerful vocally (which nowadays, matters a lot because people are obsessed with vocals), and the heart of the record? It sums up the mood of the whole album. It's also one of the songs that show Lana's growth as an artist the most.

 

Agree. NFR isn't really an album on which she displayed amazing vocal prowess. So in that regard, the title track does differ from the rest of the album, not saying the vocal delivery was the most amazing thing she's done, but other than that there were not really vocal highlights on the record, maybe the vocal run when she sings "and I'm waaaaasted" in 'The greatest'. But that's about it.

I despise the opening line of NFR, to me it is the most cringe line ever, even worse than any notorious “living like Jim Morrison” line

 

I feel like Lana sometimes purposefully writes corny/cringy lyrics for some of her core audience. You know, those that go batshit when she moans in 'Serial Killer' or when she says "bitch", "fuck" in 'Cherry' when performed live.

[Nobody 21,511]

Maybe because it's her favourite song, one of the most powerful vocally (which nowadays, matters a lot because people are obsessed with vocals), and the heart of the record? It sums up the mood of the whole album. It's also one of the songs that show Lana's growth as an artist the most.

 

I love the title track but I'd consider Mariners to be the heart of the record 

[Jared 3,131]

The title track is the best and most epic album opener of all time. 

 

[West Coast 45,793]

The title track is the best and most epic album opener of all time. 

 

 

On the top of my head: Born To Die, Cruel World, Honeymoon... but also, Be Above It, Let It Happen, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Reflektor, Do I Wanna Know?, Body Language (Intro), as well as many others. They all say hi.

[necessary sacrifice 8,865]

Imagine still being so bitter about bad reviews from the beginning of the decade that it makes you unable to enjoy any good reviews.... lol

 

I’m glad Lana’s getting recognition, I’m very happy for her. People’s opinions can change over the course of a decade and it’s always nice to see people wake up to Lana’s talents more with each album. After every album, I see more people online discover her and fall in love with her art just like us. It’s always so beautiful seeing people appreciate Lana’s music, whether they’ve always loved her or just became a fan yesterday.

[FallingCherry 7,731]

Agree. NFR isn't really an album on which she displayed amazing vocal prowess. So in that regard, the title track does differ from the rest of the album, not saying the vocal delivery was the most amazing thing she's done, but other than that there were not really vocal highlights on the record, maybe the vocal run when she sings "and I'm waaaaasted" in 'The greatest'. But that's about it.

To me, it's much more impressive than LFL, in which she uses a lot her lower register but not much of the rest with the exception of WTWWAW and a few other passages, but it wasn't that emotional, at least to me. In NFR, she goes for superb soulful high notes in the title track, FIILY, DT, Cinnamon Girl, Hope, and she kinda belts in TG. A thing I regret is that she didn't go for more belts. I understand it was a laid back album but that would've been nice. She showed she was able on tour (TLY, PWYC, Cherry sometimes). She doesn't have to belt high, she can stay in her comfort zone, but that would be an improvement. The quality of her voice is so much better now but she takes more risks in live than in studio. Wonder why

[WilshireBoulevard 5,420]

On the top of my head: Born To Die, Cruel World, Honeymoon... but also, Be Above It, Let It Happen, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Reflektor, Do I Wanna Know?, Body Language (Intro), as well as many others. They all say hi.

woke...

 

Imagine still being so bitter about bad reviews from the beginning of the decade that it makes you unable to enjoy any good reviews.... lol

 

I’m glad Lana’s getting recognition, I’m very happy for her. People’s opinions can change over the course of a decade and it’s always nice to see people wake up to Lana’s talents more with each album. After every album, I see more people online discover her and fall in love with her art just like us. It’s always so beautiful seeing people appreciate Lana’s music, whether they’ve always loved her or just became a fan yesterday.

Personally I'm not 'bitter' about the bad reviews. I'm pissed off that critics and publications are trying to make it seem as though they supported her all along when in reality they judged her (with heavy misogynistic under/overtones... seriously, the way she was treated for years could be a whole case study for 15 different strands of misogyny lol), then realised she wasn't going away and decided to try and find the good in it so they wouldn't lose their own reputations after they tried to halt her career in its tracks for years. Ultraviolence wasn't at the beginning of the decade and that's when she got some of her worst articles etc.

[West Coast 45,793]

Imagine acting as if Lana was not at the receiving end of so much negativity, hatred, and was treated unfairly by critics because it was cool for them to do so at the time, but they also perpetuated made up things said about her. All of that tainted their judgement of her music. But now, we have to pretend that critics actually matter because they spent the last four months eating shit up and backtracking from the things that they had written about her for seven years and they are now crowning her as some sort of musical genius over this single album? Sounds a tad dishonest and unfair to Lana to me.

 

Norman Fucking Rockwell! is a good album, but to pretend like Lana has put herself at the forefront of the music industry with it and pushed forward her own boundaries musically and lyrically, because critics now say so is just non-sensical. Pitchfork, of all medium, posting and re-posting their recent articles about Lana, also implying that she ignored critics and somehow powered through and finally released her alleged "best album" is a fucking joke. They have been her biggest and most vicious critics for seven years and now they want us to believe that THEY think Lana has become the best living American singer/songwriter overnight? 

 

You guys chose what you want to believe, you want to ignore years of bullshit and echo critics in that sense, good for you. I personally know better.

[Creyk 11,699]

I think the wailing part in cinnamon girl (the "aah ahh ahh" noises) are the most vocally interesting things she does on the record.

[LanaCharts 1,980]

The way this album will easily outsell Lust For Life and Honeymoon. We LOVE to see it

[movebaby 5,379]

I despise the opening line of NFR, to me it is the most cringe line ever, even worse than any notorious “living like Jim Morrison” line

i’m starting to feel this way too tbh, i actually really liked it and thought it was super impactful at first but it makes me cringe more with each passing day

[Marius 12,802]

The way this album will easily outsell Lust For Life and Honeymoon. We LOVE to see it

Today I saw info that LfL has sold 1.8m worldwide (LesInrocks said that apparently) so NFR needs some more time than I expected.