What Is Lana's Defining Cover?

[Macintosh Manhattan 6,511]

Since AS&C isn't coming anytime soon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about her studio covers and which in your opinion is her defining one so far.

 

It would be also interesting to see what you truly belive makes a great Lana cover and what doesn't. Is it the production? The ability to bring something new to the track? Or is it something else? 

 

 

Blue Velvet

Chelsea Hotel No.2

Doin' Time

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 

Once Upon A Dream

The Other Woman 

Season Of The Witch

Some Things Last A Long Time

Summer Wine

Summertime

You Must Love Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ShadesOfFool 20,112]

Doin Time

[Liz Taylor Blues 18,728]

Somethings last a long time: emotionally raw, one of the best tracks of Lana with a more minimalist production, is clearly a song important to her

[Vanilla Icy 29,598]

the other woman is That Bitch.

[rock candy sweet 1,524]

Once Upon a Dream is a personal favorite, but defining? Doin' Time takes cake.

[Elle 121,070]

Some Things Last a Long Time, hands down. It almost sounds like it’s her song - and with all respect to Daniel, Lana’s version is superior. It’s so raw, so heartbreaking, you can tell it’s coming from the heart - even though she’s singing someone else’s story. Her stripped back, simple covers are the best in my opinion, and Chelsea Hotel No. 2 is another top favourite cover of mine. She’s amazing at twisting covers in the right way to make them her own while also paying proper homage to the original. Her vocals are always so emotive, and with covers such as STLALT & CHN2, you can tell she’s really feeling the song and sharing the same emotions as the original writer x

[Beautiful Loser 48,619]

I didn’t even know “some things last a long time” was a cover. O____o

I really appreciate Lana’s cover of “goodbye kiss” too, the way she sings it... Feels very intimate and... alive? I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just perfection.

[Vanilla Icy 29,598]

HSB deserves but we dont have the studio version.. yet  

[Dark Angel 201,023]

some things last a long time & summer wine

[Veinsineon 76,230]

The Other Woman is the EPITOME of what makes Lana Del Rey a force in the world of music. Entirely unafraid to adopt a role that many may be afraid to identify with, but do. The vocals in this song sounding like it’s playing on an old ass radio/phonograph really establish the aesthetic that Lana is known for. Plus, how many young people nowadays would think to get into Nina Simone? This cover is what truly solidified my love for old jazz. Because it’s endlessly fluid. I can’t gush about this song enough for one post though, so I’m stopping here sorry  but thinking about the fact that people can sit there with a serious face and say they don’t like that song. Like you’re entitled to your opinion but, baby, it’s so wrong. 

[Mer 61,218]

Unreleased, but “Smile”

[necessary sacrifice 8,865]

I feel like her defining cover would be Chelsea Hotel #2 since she’s probably the only person who’s done a good cover of it and she goes back to it often live, so it feels “defining” in that sense.

[rightofjupiter 16,493]

The Other Woman by far, for me. Her voice and delivery are divine– a little rough and moody, full of feeling and melancholy and yearning. And the horns on this song– absolutely god tier, I would die for her to do something in that sonic wheelhouse again!

[Crimson and Clover 22,485]

I agree with CHN2, I’ve always thought Lana has made really similar music to Cohen, I’m also a sucker for folk/singer songwriter and it’s my favorite side of Lana. Honestly love her cover of Roadhouse Blues by the Doors and would love a more polished/studio version of it 

[clementines 9,868]

Blue Velvet EASY

[IanadeIrey 61,916]

I love all her covers tbh! But if I had to pick the most “iconic” one, I’d probably go with Chelsea Hotel #2. She embodies that one so well and you can hear the ache and melancholy in her voice when she sings that one both live and in the studio version.

 

I think she’s pretty discerning of what songs to cover because lyrically they are always in line with her writing style and she truly feels the emotions of the original artist.

 

The Other Woman sums up UV perfectly and her  vocal delivery is not only extremely pleasing to the ear but also does a good job of “word-painting” - it enhances the lyrical content perfectly.

 

Some Things Last a Long Time is also gorgeous and there’s a roughness and innocence to it that some of her other covers don’t have that make it feel super authentic (although Lana is always that!) <3

[Dominikx4 25,399]

The Other Woman imo

[GeminiLanaFan 48,871]

Lyric-wise: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. Her whole career, she’s been just that, misunderstood, by critics and GP very often. 
 

biggest success: Doin Time

 

my personal fave: Blue Velvet. It’s something out of a twisted dream, and it’s still one of my fave MV (even though it was for H&M). 

[rabbit 5,224]

The Other Woman and Chelsea Hotel #2

[Macintosh Manhattan 6,511]

14 minutes ago, recklessdaughter said:

I feel like her defining cover would be Chelsea Hotel #2 since she’s probably the only person who’s done a good cover of it and she goes back to it often live, so it feels “defining” in that sense.

 

This × 100

 

I find myself going back to Chelsea Hotel so many times. She adds so much of her personality, it's breathtaking. Its so raw emotionally, even more so than original and that's partially to her amazing vocals. The production being so bare boned definitely adds to the atmosphere of the cover aswell 

 

I also love OUAD. God she did THAT.