Minor General Questions that Don't Deserve Their Own Thread

[plastiscguy]

I'm currently working on something and I found myself stuck. I don't know where else to ask this, so... what is exactly a "witchy" sound? I know LFL og concept was more dreamy/mysterious, but is there any other example of "witchy" songs?

I really need your help, y'all 

[genghis khan]

8 minutes ago, plastiscguy said:

I'm currently working on something and I found myself stuck. I don't know where else to ask this, so... what is exactly a "witchy" sound? I know LFL of concept was more dreamy/mysterious, but is there any other example of "witchy" songs?

I really need your help, y'all 

 

 

[Dark Angel]

13 minutes ago, plastiscguy said:

I'm currently working on something and I found myself stuck. I don't know where else to ask this, so... what is exactly a "witchy" sound? I know LFL of concept was more dreamy/mysterious, but is there any other example of "witchy" songs?

I really need your help, y'all 

 

"witchy" has basically become a meme at this point on lb, but i'll try to answer this to the best of my ability.

 

it's funny, because now that i think about it, i don't really know what lana songs are truly "witchy". a while back, and i'm talking 2017 / 2018 i would of considered cherry to be "witchy", and now i don't really at all, there's nothing about the song that constitutes it being "witchy". another example could be serene queen since i think the lfl era in general is associated with the "witchy" aesthetics, such as the album trailer, but to me, serene queen is not really "witchy", when i listen to it, i feel like i'm hula hooping with a ring of blue fire in a desert. another track that i feel like is commonly associated with the fabled "witchy" aesthetic is the first lfl demo, but to me, that song is more "spacey" than anything.

 

i feel like perhaps the most "witchy" song in lana's discography is probably "season of the witch". to me, a song that is "witchy" would have some eerie, almost halloween like elements to it, to stretch this even further, the song may not necessarily have a "witchy" sound, but may contain lyricism and imagery that is "witchy", and i think a good example of that could be raise me up, with lyrics such as "it's the voodoo mississippi south, sixty nine million stars, birds are flying out of my mouth, spirits creeping in my yard".

 

i didn't mean to write an entire essay but, hopefully this helps answer your question. 

[genghis khan]

Is there a thread somewhere on here for people who write songs/ poetry/produce music?  

[takeitdoen]

@plastiscguy this is what I wrote when Serene Queen linked and people started using the term ~witchy~ 

 

Quote

I don't really agree this song is witchy, but it sounds like "How Soon Is Now?", and that is the kind of turn-of-the-century sound that lot of people would subconsciously associate with 'witchy'. Also, thematically, multilayered vocal-lines in a sing-song fashion that repeat the same thing over and over make it sound a spell or an incantation. People said similar things about the three timed repetition on 'The Blackest Day'. And then, the final consideration is the 'dark' sound which I guess might be construed as dangerous or mysterious.

 

Again, I don't think it's witchy at all - however, there are factors which contribute to how I can see why some people would say that. A lot of discourse at the time (like Lana 'hexing' Trump, and the camp Sabrina like references in the LFL trailer) really contributed to the idea that the album would be mystical, so I think people are drawing extra inspiration from that. FWIW I don't consider most of Florence's music as witchy either.

 

I think what people attempt to understand as witchy is it's characterised by these terms:

• Lyrics that relate to otherworldly elements (heaven, hell, magic, ritualism), relate to a synergy with nature (mother earth, dusk, twilight, forests, undiscovered terrain) or ritualism (hexes, paganism, magic again, curses, revenge, scored and jilted promises). Also, peculiar delivery, and the combination of strange concepts that make it seem foreign and somehow unrelatable without a deeper knowledge of the content.
• Instrumentation and atmosphere that doesn't sound natural - electronic beats that create a disparate sound, heavily echoed and reverbed vocals, instruments with heavy filters to distort away from the acoustic feel. On the other hand, a deliberate mix of traditional, baroque style instrumentals like flutes, bone chimes and musical saws can also evoke this feeling.
• Minor key - not as bright, dark tonality, occasionally with clashes in notes that make the music more tense or mysterious
   

I actually don't think Lana has many of these songs, the best examples are actually the Lust for Life demos, and Season of the Witch. However I think the peak form of ~witchy~ is the Lust for Life album trailer (which definitely includes all the elements from above) and actually probably the best non-songs being Bare Feet on Linoleum or Land of a 1000 Fires. 

 

Despite what I said above, Florence has some good examples of 'witchy' music on her album Ceremonials - Seven Devils too but the best is Leave My Body, which is complete with a gospel choir, strange vocal processing throughout and leaving the song, themes about leaving the mortal plane. Lana doesn't have anything that would be witchy in comparison. 

 

But like @LemonadeHeavens said, witchy is essentially a meme on Lanaboards. 

[plastiscguy]

2 minutes ago, LemonadeHeavens said:

 

"witchy" has basically become a meme at this point on lb, but i'll try to answer this to the best of my ability.

 

it's funny, because now that i think about it, i don't really know what lana songs are truly "witchy". a while back, and i'm talking 2017 / 2018 i would of considered cherry to be "witchy", and now i don't really at all, there's nothing about the song that constitutes it being "witchy". another example could be serene queen since i think the lfl era in general is associated with the "witchy" aesthetics, such as the album trailer, but to me, serene queen is not really "witchy", when i listen to it, i feel like i'm hula hooping with a ring of blue fire in a desert. another track that i feel like is commonly associated with the fabled "witchy" aesthetic is the first lfl demo, but to me, that song is more "spacey" than anything.

 

i feel like perhaps the most "witchy" song in lana's discography is probably "season of the witch". to me, a song that is "witchy" would have some eerie, almost halloween like elements to it, to stretch this even further, the song may not necessarily have a "witchy" song, but may contain lyricism and imagery that is "witchy", and i think a good example of that could be raise me up, with lyrics such as "it's the voodoo mississippi south, sixty nine million stars, birds are flying out of my mouth, spirits creeping in my yard".

 

i didn't mean to write an entire essay but, hopefully this helps answer your question. 

lmao yes! I'm aware everything is "witchy" to LB  but I was really curious, cause I've never been able to associate a sound to that "witchy" concept. I thought a dark/mysterious vibe would fit, but I think that's more ambiental/cinematic.

Perhaps there's a different way to describe the witchy sounds, depending on the person? For example, Cherry and Serene Queen really give me witchy vibes, cause they're dark songs (sonically) but they also have a sexy vibe, if that makes sense. I suppose I associate witchery with sexyness  so I guess, it's subjective?

 

"Witchy" is in the eye of the beholder indeed  but thank you for your input, it really helped me!  perhaps I should look more into halloween songs as well 

 

[Dark Angel]

1 minute ago, plastiscguy said:

lmao yes! I'm aware everything is "witchy" to LB  but I was really curious, cause I've never been able to associate a sound to that "witchy" concept. I thought a dark/mysterious vibe would fit, but I think that's more ambiental/cinematic.

Perhaps there's a different way to describe the witchy sounds, depending on the person? For example, Cherry and Serene Queen really give me witchy vibes, cause they're dark songs (sonically) but they also have a sexy vibe, if that makes sense. I suppose I associate witchery with sexyness  so I guess, it's subjective?

 

"Witchy" is in the eye of the beholder indeed  but thank you for your input, it really helped me!  perhaps I should look more into halloween songs as well 

 

 

you're welcome! and thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about lana's artistry and how it's perceived by the listener! i would agree that it's definitely subjective, a lot of factors play into how different people perceive, interpret, and enjoy music. i've heard some people describe "maha maha" as witchy, and i can understand why, because of the supernatual, other-worldy imagery, despite being more colorful and upbeat in it's instrumentation. 

[baddisease]

Who currently owns the copyrights for Young Like Me, From the End, and Sirens?

[TRENCH]

what instrumentals do we have for her unreleased songs?

[Violets in Your Eyes]

5 hours ago, TRENCH said:

what instrumentals do we have for her unreleased songs?

Big Bad Wolf (Demo), Cherry Blossom, Children of the Bad Revolution (Extended), Color Blue, Cry Me a River, Hit & Run (V1), Is It Wrong, Playing Dangerous, Us Against the World

[TRENCH]

2 hours ago, donniedelrey said:

Big Bad Wolf (Demo), Cherry Blossom, Children of the Bad Revolution (Extended), Color Blue, Cry Me a River, Hit & Run (V1), Is It Wrong, Playing Dangerous, Us Against the World

thank uuuuuu

[Say Yes to Heaven]

2 hours ago, donniedelrey said:

Big Bad Wolf (Demo), Cherry Blossom, Children of the Bad Revolution (Extended), Color Blue, Cry Me a River, Hit & Run (V1), Is It Wrong, Playing Dangerous, Us Against the World

We also have Heavy Hitter, Dreamgirl, Meet Me in The Pale Moonlight, and Girl That Got Away (stems, but inst can be compiled from them) 

[Violets in Your Eyes]

13 hours ago, Say Yes to Heaven said:

We also have Heavy Hitter, Dreamgirl, Meet Me in The Pale Moonlight, and Girl That Got Away (stems, but inst can be compiled from them) 

Oh I forgot about Dreamgirl and Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight! Do we have the actual instrumental for Heavy Hitter or just the concept beat?

[Dark Angel]

29 minutes ago, donniedelrey said:

Oh I forgot about Dreamgirl and Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight! Do we have the actual instrumental for Heavy Hitter or just the concept beat?

 

as far as i'm aware it's just the concept instrumental. 

[TheCultureIsLit]

Random question, does anyone know how long Lana has had her cats?

[Anthony]

Could anyone tell me the name of the singer who did a duet with Lana in Denver? And, if it's not too much to ask, the name of the song they sang together.

[longtimeman]

15 minutes ago, Anthony said:

Could anyone tell me the name of the singer who did a duet with Lana in Denver? And, if it's not too much to ask, the name of the song they sang together.

Do you mean this song? Australia's own wonderful Julia Jacklin.

 

[Elle]

14 minutes ago, Anthony said:

Could anyone tell me the name of the singer who did a duet with Lana in Denver? And, if it's not too much to ask, the name of the song they sang together.

 

She did two duets in Denver - 'Don't Know How to Keep Loving You' with Julia Jacklin and 'I Will Follow You into the Dark' with Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

Both were absolutely incredible, but the Julia Jacklin duet is definitely a top highlight from all the duets she did for the NFR tour - 

 

[gasstationkween]

Just out of curiosity has lana gotten chin filler

[Anthony]

13 hours ago, longtimeman said:

Do you mean this song? Australia's own wonderful Julia Jacklin.

 

 

13 hours ago, Elle said:

 

She did two duets in Denver - 'Don't Know How to Keep Loving You' with Julia Jacklin and 'I Will Follow You into the Dark' with Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

Both were absolutely incredible, but the Julia Jacklin duet is definitely a top highlight from all the duets she did for the NFR tour - 

 

 

Thank you so much! ?