Lana Del Rey: All 113 Songs Ranked, a Critics List

[salvatore 21,769]

5 hours ago, Elle said:

 

It's also important to keep in mind that Best doesn't always been Favourite. So, you sort of need to look at the list objectively. But pretty much since Hope's release, I've acknowledged that it is technically her best song. That doesn't mean it's necessarily my favourite (it's in my top 20 though) but there's so many elements of the song that really make it a true masterpiece, and nothing less.

• It's her best song lyrically - hands down, no contest.
• Her vocals are incredible. She perfectly executes beautiful high & low notes that display her range. Not many artists can do this in the way she does.
• The melody is just beautiful and simple enough for anyone to digest, yet not too simple that its boring or forgettable. 
• The production complements the song just perfectly. I know the production is a reason why some people don't like the song as it comes off a bit too simple or "boring" for some, but the song speaks such volumes on its own - it could have been an acapella track and been just as powerful. For this track, the production enhances rather than defines the song, and that's a true tell sign of a masterpiece song. A heavier production would have just drowned it and took away from its delicacy and specialness. 
• The song is incredibly emotive. I'm a strong believer that those who don't like hope just haven't been in the situation the song is about. Once you've been in that place - feeling like you've gone crazy and that all hope you had for the world has slipped like sand through your fingers, all the way to the point where you're no longer building a house out of that sand anymore but a house out of rediscovered hope - you understand this song. You become a part of it.

I intend to write like a whole essay-post on why this song is her best one day and post it in the Hope thread or something, but for now, those are my brief thoughts x

 

i absolutely agree ! i wasn't on here during NFR right before release and post-release but HIADT is in my top 2 with venice bitch for songs off the album, i love it dearly and agree it's one of her best songs- but #1 is a hot take position i silently agree with 

 

the greatest wasn't in my top 5 but i can't deny that it's one of the best on the record, for example, and in a definitive best of discog list it's top 15/10 easily

[Psychedelic Pussy 30,108]

Brooklyn Baby at #3? Taste..... 

[Rorman Nockwell 56,708]

I guess it depends what criteria you use to define a great song.

For me, replay value is a factor and Hope has none. That's not to say that I don't appreciate it for other reasons, but in my opinion it isn't her best because I think that a great song is one you want to play again and again. 

I'm one of those bitches who will play one song on repeat for 5 hours straight, though, sooo 

[domandapiano 12,099]

Hope at number one I can certainly get behind. It is a MOMENT. It is a MODERN CLASSIC. i get why some don’t like it, but I think it’s near perfect. 
 

shades of cool in the top 10, also correct. It’s maybe my personal #1. 

[lanaismamom 11,544]

the way i read it LEAKED...

[WaitForLife 5,236]

They must really hate HM. I agree that TLY is the best song on it but only #20?
The way they love NFR! really shows here.

[Charlottexseax 7,943]

7 hours ago, Elle said:

 

It's also important to keep in mind that Best doesn't always been Favourite. So, you sort of need to look at the list objectively. But pretty much since Hope's release, I've acknowledged that it is technically her best song. That doesn't mean it's necessarily my favourite (it's in my top 20 though) but there's so many elements of the song that really make it a true masterpiece, and nothing less.

• It's her best song lyrically - hands down, no contest.
• Her vocals are incredible. She perfectly executes beautiful high & low notes that display her range. Not many artists can do this in the way she does.
• The melody is just beautiful and simple enough for anyone to digest, yet not too simple that its boring or forgettable. 
• The production complements the song just perfectly. I know the production is a reason why some people don't like the song as it comes off a bit too simple or "boring" for some, but the song speaks such volumes on its own - it could have been an acapella track and been just as powerful. For this track, the production enhances rather than defines the song, and that's a true tell sign of a masterpiece song. A heavier production would have just drowned it and took away from its delicacy and specialness. 
• The song is incredibly emotive. I'm a strong believer that those who don't like hope just haven't been in the situation the song is about. Once you've been in that place - feeling like you've gone crazy and that all hope you had for the world has slipped like sand through your fingers, all the way to the point where you're no longer building a house out of that sand anymore but a house out of rediscovered hope - you understand this song. You become a part of it.

I intend to write like a whole essay-post on why this song is her best one day and post it in the Hope thread or something, but for now, those are my brief thoughts x

I think we are giving Hope way too much credit, it totally doesn’t showcase Lana’s full songwriting abilities

 

it’s VERY simple melodically and harmonically (the chorus’s structure is IV - V - vi - IV) and she has shown all throughout her career to have better melodies

 

I do believe Venice Bitch should take the crown for best song 

 

1. Thematically, it encompasses Lana’s core theme of nostalgia, and is somewhat beach-adjacent which has always been part of her imagery (both when she lived in the east coast and in the west cost)

2. Harmonically it’s very interesting in that it’s written in F Lydian which is why it sounds so, at least to me, “nostalgic”, but it also borrows from F major during the chorus (and this switch makes for some unique melodies tbh)

3. Melodically we see at least 3 different main melodies/themes throughout the track and they all get explored, slightly changed and echoed with various instruments (I LOVE the synth at one point), which is what usually happens with symphonies (so like a theme/tune will be repeated with slight changes every time both in instruments and melody/harmony). There’s a incredibly powerful climax that basically fades into her at the end it’s amazingly done.

4. The RANGE it has !!... the electric guitar SOLO?? Layered with her humming ? And the synths going up and down... it’s AMAZING breathtaking every time 

 

now I don’t wanna say hope is bad cause I do believe it has a very beautiful melody, but Venice Bitch at least IMO in all aspects it’s a masterclass in songwriting, storytelling, composing melodies and production. It could be a straight up symphony that you would hear during a classical concert. 

 

And plus it’s so intimately Lana that idk... there’s just something amazing about it I really believe it’s her opus and truly best song (if there even is a “best” song) 

 

plsu can I just say I never realise no once that I’m listening to a 10 minute song when I listen to it cause it just... it’s so good. I lose myself in it. And I think it’s part of its beauty: the dreamy breakdown makes you lose yourself in it and gently wakes you up at the end like a mother waking up her son from a dream. It’s all so beautiful, and calming, and peaceful that it’s somehow cathartic 

[evalionisameme 13,889]

In my feelings should be in last place, that song is awful or beautiful froggy voices. Justice for guns and roses and that cool guitar riff.

[lover 2,207]

1 hour ago, Charlottexseax said:

I think we are giving Hope way too much credit, it totally doesn’t showcase Lana’s full songwriting abilities

 

it’s VERY simple melodically and harmonically (the chorus’s structure is IV - V - vi - IV) and she has shown all throughout her career to have better melodies

 

I do believe Venice Bitch should take the crown for best song 

 

1. Thematically, it encompasses Lana’s core theme of nostalgia, and is somewhat beach-adjacent which has always been part of her imagery (both when she lived in the east coast and in the west cost)

2. Harmonically it’s very interesting in that it’s written in F Lydian which is why it sounds so, at least to me, “nostalgic”, but it also borrows from F major during the chorus (and this switch makes for some unique melodies tbh)

3. Melodically we see at least 3 different main melodies/themes throughout the track and they all get explored, slightly changed and echoed with various instruments (I LOVE the synth at one point), which is what usually happens with symphonies (so like a theme/tune will be repeated with slight changes every time both in instruments and melody/harmony). There’s a incredibly powerful climax that basically fades into her at the end it’s amazingly done.

4. The RANGE it has !!... the electric guitar SOLO?? Layered with her humming ? And the synths going up and down... it’s AMAZING breathtaking every time 

 

now I don’t wanna say hope is bad cause I do believe it has a very beautiful melody, but Venice Bitch at least IMO in all aspects it’s a masterclass in songwriting, storytelling, composing melodies and production. It could be a straight up symphony that you would hear during a classical concert. 

 

And plus it’s so intimately Lana that idk... there’s just something amazing about it I really believe it’s her opus and truly best song (if there even is a “best” song) 

 

plsu can I just say I never realise no once that I’m listening to a 10 minute song when I listen to it cause it just... it’s so good. I lose myself in it. And I think it’s part of its beauty: the dreamy breakdown makes you lose yourself in it and gently wakes you up at the end like a mother waking up her son from a dream. It’s all so beautiful, and calming, and peaceful that it’s somehow cathartic 

 

i got chills reading this because it's the truth 

[evalionisameme 13,889]

Shades of cool deserves first place for its intricate melody, guitar solo and operatic vocals.

It’s also much better lyrically than Venice bitch and has more interesting imagery 

[lili 3,177]

Shades of Cool is 10? Heroin is 56? They should’ve been at the top five. I trust these critics as much as I trust men in trench coats hanging around theme parks.

[lili 3,177]

These lists should be prepared by fans who truly listened to and internalized her music. I can’t stand the idea of someone being introduced to her “best” work through such a list.

[blameitonme 15,673]

florida kilos...sweetie

[evalionisameme 13,889]

I mean it’s all subjective: 

my personal top 5 would be 

1.shades of cool 

2. Love 

3. Freak 

4. Change 

5. Big Bad wolf (orchestral)

my list changes all the time I’m sure many would disagree.

[lili 3,177]

11 minutes ago, evalionisameme said:

I mean it’s all subjective: 

my personal top 5 would be 

1.shades of cool 

2. Love 

3. Freak 

4. Bad disease 

5. Big Bad wolf (orchestral)

my list changes all the time I’m sure many would disagree.

Of course it is all subjective, and many other parameters play into it. For example, I’m a synesthete, so I go for the certain colors I like. But if we had a poll, we could have come up with a more decent list... or not. Maybe you had one, I’m new here. 
 

Anyway here’s my top five:

1. Shades of Cool
2. Cruel World
3. Honeymoon
4. Heroin
5. West Coast

[Future Jazz 9,194]

mine would be

1- born to die

2- gods and monsters

3- west coast

4- california

5- ride

[GeminiLanaFan 49,031]

1 hour ago, evalionisameme said:

Shades of cool deserves first place for its intricate melody, guitar solo and operatic vocals.

It’s also much better lyrically than Venice bitch and has more interesting imagery 

Venice Bitch never was about her lyrics but her musical structure, which is very innovative in her discography. Even though I love Shades of Cool. 

[GeminiLanaFan 49,031]

The top 10 makes a lot of sense: they all are songs that stand out and were critic darlings. Of course, if someone ranks all songs and there cant be ties, it’s going to have some questionable places for some songs. Personally, I love Religion, but if I was to rank all of her discography, it would end up probably around 35-40? I love that White Dress is number 9: it is such a mood and unusually raw.

[Venice 6,933]

4 hours ago, RormanNockwell said:

I guess it depends what criteria you use to define a great song.

For me, replay value is a factor and Hope has none. That's not to say that I don't appreciate it for other reasons, but in my opinion it isn't her best because I think that a great song is one you want to play again and again. 

I'm one of those bitches who will play one song on repeat for 5 hours straight, though, sooo 

Yep. I think sometimes it’s easy for ppl to forget that music is not an objective art. If it were, we would all have appreciation for the exact same songs and genres, whether they were our personal favourites or not. But that’s not the case. The criteria that defines good music is very subjective. Something that sounds beautiful to one may sound horrendous to another. Certain lyrics may be deep and life changing for someone, but be basic to someone else. Lists like these that rank songs in terms of best to worst etc, while very amusing, don’t actually mean anything. 

[evalionisameme 13,889]

17 minutes ago, GeminiLanaFan said:

Venice Bitch never was about her lyrics but her musical structure, which is very innovative in her discography. Even though I love Shades of Cool. 

I just don’t find it that interesting even structure wise , if we’re going to go from a musical structure perspective -toxic trumps lanas entire discography, there’s more to a song for me personally.