Paradise Lost Competition: Challenge #1 - Born To Die 2

[RileyThomas 350]

can't wait

 

Arzi I haven't received an entry from you.

 

Hope you still find it in you to do this, Riley, it's a great idea and I need some restored faith.

 

I will find the strength! Because I love you all dearly, and Lana, despite the wretched rumours :creepy:

[Sitar 22,210]

I will find the strength! Because I love you all dearly, and Lana, despite the wretched rumours :creepy:

 

You're a careless con and you're a crazy liar :love:

[RileyThomas 350]

Contestants, you are live on LanaBoards please do not swear Your time is up. I will post each individuals & group scores plus my feedback now in a bit.

[Sitar 22,210]

 

hew didn't turn it in?

[NEAL 740]

Folks, if you see anything you like in my entry it's me, it's me, it's always me...,

but if you don't, it was my bad body double taking possession of me writing it, ya hear?

 

 

stomach churns in all sorts of maneuvers, I take this a bit too seriously..

 

[Matt 984]

I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on my team to submit an entry.

[RileyThomas 350]

Okay, now time for the judging. Part 1.

 

The Trailer Park Darlings

 

Matttiern:

Album Title: AMERICAN PSYCHO

The idea is a darker dive into the themes brought up in Born to Die, as Lana said herself - the American Dream and American Psycho are now one. Lana’s sugary pop Born to Die set the groundwork for a much darker album, one filled with heavy Lynch influence and the aura of the silent side to 1950s suburbia.

 

American Psycho

The story of a 50s/60s serial killer in the mid-west inspired by Ed Gein meets Gacy antics.

Never Take Candy from a Stranger:

A bizarre Lynchian tale of a missing girl, or more? Lyrically ambiguous enough to suggest that maybe it isn’t even about a missing girl, but the cloud of lies lingering over it that a growing child is accustomed to, and when the clouds disperse they are greeted with the cruel reality of the world - so Candy are the lies, and the Stranger is everyone you know, since everyone’s a stranger until you know everything about them.

Alice:

A third-person tale about the adventures of a heavy drug user during their "highs"

Suburban Motels:

A soft and dark song narrating the beauty of a mid-western town, but in the chorus explains the darker side to it. “Welcome to the town of white suburban motels, where the secrets are dirtier than the people themselves, enjoy your stay, enjoy your stay...”

Lullaby:

A dark song with a Body Electric feel about the a heavy-drinking mother on the verge of suicide, and her daughter witnessing the slow self-destruction.

Golden Affair:

A tale of a duo of bank robbers, across the West. Similar production style to “Off to the Races” and “Kinda Outta Luck” but through a more criminal aspect. Mixing the gritty styles of movies like True Romance, Bonnie & Clyde, Natural Born Killers, and Badlands.

Chevelle SS (1969) :

A first-person story of a couple indulging in heavy heroin and their nights together at the gas stations and beaches alone.

For The Last Time We’ll Pray:

The end of a relationship told through classic-Lana style, using a musical score in the vein of Brian De Palma film composer Pino Donnagio.

 

Firstly I would like to say well done. You have clearly explained the theme of the re-release, and the theme of each track well. Each track suits the album theme as a whole, and the titles are very creative. You can definitely tell that you have gone down the darker route for Lana's major second worldwide release. Could I see Lana actually releasing something like this? Maybe. But, the way you added your own twist to it with the Lynch & Pino Donnagio influences is what puts your stamp on it.

​Unfortunately, there are somethings you missed out. First of all, you didn't tell me what song would be the lead single, and that was asked in the criteria. You also haven't detailed any writers/producers for any of the tracks, or explained what sounds and instruments would have featured on the tracks. However, all in all well done!

Favorite Track: Never Take Candy From A Stranger

 

Score: 7/10.

 

Arzi:

No entry submitted.

 

Score: 0/10.

 

Medo:

No entry submitted.

 

Score: 0/10

 

Overall group score: 7/30.

[NEAL 740]

I got a feeling Hunter's entry gonna slay us all.

/stan-talk

[Sitar 22,210]

Should we wait until everyone's is posted to talk about each others?

 

I got a feeling Hunter's entry gonna slay us all.

/stan-talk

 

Let him actually record them

[RileyThomas 350]

Judging & Scores Part 2.

 

The Ride Or Die Bitches

 

Hey Lucas Hey:

 

Born To Die: The Realisation Edition

Album Overview:

The album is surrounded with questions, many Lana asks herself, many Lana asks of others. This is because the album itself is about realising what you have done in the past and to look at the past truly and deeply you must ask loads of questions. The album in a way acts like a sort of a breather for Lana, by writing songs about her past she has made her future clearer. By bringing up the past and dealing with it, she can now move on.

 

Lead Single:

"Realisation" Lana would choose this as the first single because it sums up the new EP as a whole. It features lyrics that link into every song that's on it. Plus it's absolutely gorgeous as a whole with a stunning chorus.

 

TRACKLISTING:

 

"Remember?" (Produced by Emile Haynie, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A song about a past friend who Lana was obsessed with in a loving way. They had the same taste, the same interests, the same views in life but unfortunately Lana's love for the friend scared him away. He did not love her in the same way and he ran, ran far from her, leaving her alone and empty, longing for their friendship to come back.

 

"The Shame" (Produced by Sacha Skarbek, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A song about being upset and embarrassed about the lengths she took to try to retrieve a past lover back. A very raw, revealing and trueful song, explaining how crazy love can be and what it makes you do.

 

"Unjust" (Produced by Al Shux & Emile Haynie, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A faster pase, violent song about the disgusting ways love can make you feel. The vulnerability it gives you and the excruciating pain it can cause.

 

"Annihilation" (Produced by Chris Braide & Emile Haynie, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A piano only track about the harmful things people do to rid themselves of horrid feelings surrounding love. People go to insane lengths to try and make their-selves forget and be happy. Lana sings about the loss she knows of because of these things.

 

"Can It Be Done?" (Produced by Jeff Bhasker, Written by Lana Del Rey) - The song revolves around the one question "Can love ever be destroyed? Even if you despise the person?"

 

"Royal Prostitutes" (Produced by Emile Haynie, Al Shux, & Hannah Robinson, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A song about how under the influence of alcohol you feel like you control everything around you and how you fully believe you know best when in fact it's the total opposite. The song ends of a troubling note about falling too far under the influence and becoming a slave to those feelings of 'royalty.'

 

"Crushing Dreams, Creating Reality" (Produced by Emile Haynie & Al Shux, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A song about two people arguing, one who wanted to follow their dreams and go off into the world and the other telling them that following their dreams is a waste of time.

 

"Realisation" (Produced by Emile Haynie, Written by Lana Del Rey) - A song where Lana sings about realisation, of all the pains and feelings she went through as a teenager. The feelings of scaring someone off (Track 1) , the feelings of embarrassment and shame of the past (Track 2) , the feelings of pain and vulnerability (Track 3), the feelings of loss (Track 4), the feelings of love being hard to conquer (Track 5), the feelings of thinking your own top of the world when in fact your at your worst (Track 6), the feelings of having your dreams taken and then having reality shoved in your face (Track 7).

 

What can I say? This is simply a great entry. One of the best ones I received. I totally understood the concept of the album. The way it would make Lana feel, the way she felt, and the way she needs to feel are all incorporated into Born To Die: The Realisation Edition. You have included some great tracks on this EP, with creative titles and the inclusion of writers and producers, it's hard to fault.

The thing I would say (negative wise) is that you could have included some sounds into the track descriptions, so that we could get a sense of what the tracks might sound like, but all in all it's good.

Favorite Track: Remember?

 

Score: 8/10

 

 

Mommy's Mercedes:

BORN TO DIE: LIVE TO TRY

It's basically going to be about living for the moment, trying to find love, trying to have as much fun as possible, just trying you know. This album is about all the things that made Lana want to try, want to live, want to go out and be Lana.

1) "8mm Queen" - Song about her hopes and dreams, how she wanted to write film scores and how she wanted her life to be just like the movies, no more problems, just happy ending like in the movies. She don't need no HD, 3D, Blu-Ray, just a 8mm Camera to make all her dreams come true.

2) "Sundress Songstress" - Lana is notorious for her love of sundresses. Here she sings about how she dreams of becoming a sundress songstress, the modern day pin-up girl. She's the whole world's little girl in this sing and we're her baby daddy trying to get in her thong. In this song we see that she is okay with doing anything to be the "Sundress Songstress".

3) "Big Apple Lady" - New York is Lana's home so that's what this song is about. She wanted to live the american dream be the Big Apple Lady. In this song she draws comparisons to her and the Statue of Liberty whom she admired because she was a star in the heart of New York.

4) "5-Finger Discount". An upbeat sort of song about how Lana's Bad Boy got sent away(time after time) because of a "5-Finger Discount" and how no matter how many barriers she put up, he still got a 5-Finger Discount on her heart.

5) "Fast Car, Long Road" Thank You Fast Car, Lana sings in this song as she recounts all the numerous situations Fast Cars have saved her from. Again an upbeat song about how she got to leave and why she never wanted to stay. Fast Cars provided an exit path for her to escape all her problems and let her troubles be drowned out by the purr of an engine.

6) "Strangers In The Night" - Frank Sinatra (Cover)

We all know Lana was a thrill seeker and that she was adventurous and that sometimes meant hunting for strangers in the night. We've seen the negative effect this had on her but what she wants to do by covering this track is to show much she misses it, how much no matter how bad things got, it was still the best time of her life and I think the general tone of the song says that quite well

7) "Leaves of Trash" - We all know that Whitman is one of Lana's biggest influences and his life's work was Leaves of Grass. When Lizzy was living in a trailer park it was all she had, it was her own place that she had earned by herself. In a sense it was her "Leaves Of Grass". This track is about independence and how she'll always have her Trailer Park Leaves of Trash because she earned them, that's why their so dear to her.

8) "Pray My Eyes" - During her darkest hours, rehab, breakups, disappointments Liz always had one place to turn. Religion. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how far she tried to run she couldn't deny this education, this upbringing that is her religion. In this song, she goes through what religion means for her, far beyond the lines of "Jesus is my Bestest Friend". The darkest, slowest song on the Album but also the most meaningful to Lana. She hopes her eyes would have a better world to live in and wouldn't have to witness the wrong deeds and hardship she does

7/8 songs are written by me.

Lead single: 5 Finger Discount

 

 

Another amazing entry! Firstly, I would just like to say how much I love the re-release title & theme. Born To Die: Live To Try is an oxymoron in itself, and seems to me to move on in a different direction that Born To Die was heading, yet it still seems like it fits with everything that is Born To Die. I like how this album is mainly upbeat, which is different to the other entries. I also love how this seems so personal, not only to you, but to Lana too. It doesn't just stick to one theme like Hollywood Glamour or Sex & Drugs, but just tells the story of Lana's ambitions in a state of reality, and no matter who tries to stop her in her path to greatness, she will make it because it's her destiny. For what you lacked in track details (writers & producers, reason for single choice, compositions) you made up for in track themes and description. Reading the tracks ''8mm Queen'' & ''Leaves of Trash'' actually made me teary eyed, because it showcases Lana's determination to succeed no matter what painful experiences she's been through in the past. Well done to you!

Favorite Track: ''8mm Queen''

 

Score: 8/10

 

SitarHero:

Born to Die: The American Dream

Lana Del Rey is pretty consistent in her imagery—old-school glamour, fast cars, extravagant locales, and classic Americana. These all play beautifully into one catch-all phrase that has clearly influenced Lana from the beginning of her career—the American Dream. Even back in 2006, in a charmingly immature guitar track off her mysterious acoustic album called “Westbound”, she was singing about her own manifest destiny. It only escalates from there: Her dreams are bigger than your junkie pride; you know it and she knows it, she’s gonna be a star. Her own dreams work seamlessly into a topic she isn’t exactly new to, the American Dream. We were two kids just trying to get out, living on the dark side of the American Dream, and let’s not forget the track she titled after that motif. So I thought: could this be elevated? Could I take a cliché, stock LDR topic like America and turn it into something more? I think so. I believe this concept, like the original Paradise Edition, could easily tie into Lana’s explanation of the re-release being the period on the statement she was trying to make with Born to Die. It’s the dark side, focusing on gogo dancing and drugs and Bonnie and Clyde and literature—all representing the American Dream in a chilling sort of way.

 

1. “Bombs Bursting” – Not to beat this horse to death, but this is a phrase lifted right from the US national anthem (which Lana has drawn influence from before, for example in both “National Anthem” and “Oh Say Can You See”). But when it’s Lana, is it ever simply a patriotic anthem? Of course not. Here, I’m not shying away from grand production. I’m thinking real strings weaving throughout an offbeat love song, lyrics vague until a chorus about love likes bombs. No vocal acrobatics to be found here—a long intro, prominent instrumentation, and—similar to “Video Games”—ambiguous on the surface about whether the emotions therein are in fact happy or sad.

2. “Neon Noir” – I spend so much time reflecting on Lana’s past and her progression through her various phases of music that it’s kind of exciting imagining her doing the same. Theme-wise, this is perhaps a less triumphant “Radio”, although for the love of God I don’t want her voice to sound as sad as it might. Think “Hollywood’s Dead”—forlorn subject matter, yet her voice is tinged with nostalgia more than sadness. I tried to think of something that persisted for her throughout the years, and I realized—lights. Buzzing motel lights and firework lights and dim strip club lights and even giant spotlights. Give me the bright lights; Partying all night, shining in the light; Like a light I’m luring you; In the light you’re sickeningly beautiful. That’s where the title comes from—using one simple topic as a basis going through the themes of the song.

3. “Midnight Answer” – I know, this is a phrase from “Gogo Dancer”. I, for one, love it when a lyric appears more than once in her songs—it seems significant to me, rather than lazy. I can’t be the only one fascinated with this aspect of her life, displayed in songs like “Gogo Dancer”, as well as “Carmen”, “Daddy Issues”, “Disco”, and “This is What Makes Us Girls”. I imagine a less forward approach than the song from which this phrase originated. As the title shows, this is the more melancholy look at this part of her life. Similar to “Disco”, but sadder and prettier and more focused on a relationship, I think. I’m imagining some, like, Oriental-sounding flutes and a scratchy acapella intro, like it came from a tape deck.

4. “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” – Here’s the needed old-school Hollywood track, some classic Lana lamenting the loss of her man and his moving on without her, the love they once shared, relating it to icons, what have you. Whereas this album isn’t too focused on glamour, this is the track wrought with those references—Chateau Marmont? Diamonds? Melancholy? Too typical! No, here I don’t want a lick of the Born to Die production, which I haven’t exactly rejected so far, despite personal preferences. A minimal piano and percussion track, I think, soulful and jazzy.

5. “Methamphetamine South” – Lana once lived in Alabama, for who knows what reason. Because it’s so secretive, something tells me the circumstances were seedy. Here, I’m killing two birds with one stone—I wanted a track about her time in Alabama and a track about her implied drug addiction, so I combined them. This isn’t about love. It’s about her time, her fears, and if she references a man she was with in that time, her attitude is almost…removed. This is the dark track.

6. “This is Not America” (David Bowie cover) – It’s almost expected of Lana to cover old-school classics—“Big Spender”, “Blue Velvet”, “Happiest Girl in the Whole USA”, Elvis Presley. It’s easy to forget her rock influences, and it caught many off-guard when she covered “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana. This Bowie track would be great for Lana—with her grand production and deep voice, I think she could bring out something new. It’s also very fitting considering the theme: A little piece of you, the little peace in me, will die / For this is not America.

7. “Thieves” – Lana has compared her and her mystery subject matter to Nancy and Sid Vicious, but with the criminal elements she loves to milk, it’s hard to ignore the potential for a Bonnie and Clyde-type track. She certainly wouldn’t be the first, but I think it would be engaging. Listening to certain lines in “Lucky Ones” or “Never Let Me Go”, the idea’s hard to shake. Imagine a grand love song—we’ve been kind of lacking in those here—with some upbeat vocals and lyrical twists and finally some tricks and acrobatics in the singing. But it’s too obvious to call it “Bonnie and Clyde”—thus, “Thieves”, an unexpected and quirky title for the subject matter. I can imagine a really nice chorus for this with that title. I think this would be just grand enough to be her lead single, with the advantage of having a marketable, love-story, upbeat boost on the charts.

8. “The Beautiful and Damned” – The title The Beautiful and Damned originates from a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perhaps the most effective author at displaying the 1900s fixation on the American Dream. To quote Wikipedia for clarity, “The Beautiful and Damned is at once a morality tale, a meditation on love, money and decadence, and a social document.” You could practically replace the title with her name! Of course I imagine it to have a Lana twist, preferably based on her notorious relationship with a criminal a la “Blue Jeans”. Grand statements of love abound. K is beautiful, but he is damned.

 

Well done! I can tell you have put a lot of time and effort and thought into the process of creating this album. First off, I'd like to say that I really like the concept of this. The American Dream is a recurring theme in many of Lana's songs, and you have really brought it to light with this. I think you have showcased songs which, in my opinion, are from times in Lana's life where she was far from The American Dream, but in a state of her own personal paradise, which from an outside perspective, would look far from that. I love the way you deeply described each song in your own way, and even included some sounds and production thoughts in songs like Bombs Bursting. I imagine the sounds of the tracks to be more Lizzy Grant than Lana, but when mixing that with Born To Die, it should create fireworks. Even though you didn't detail the writers & producers, I feel as though I understand the tracks enough to not even bother about that. I love the darkness, the story, and the slight chills of terror that this album brings to the table, well done.

Favorite Track: Methamphetamine South

 

Score: 10/10

 

Overall group score: 26/30.

[HunterAshlyn 686]

I got a feeling Hunter's entry gonna slay us all.

/stan-talk

Should we wait until everyone's is posted to talk about each others?

 

 

 

Let him actually record them

 

You boys are my loves, and you know that. I can't wait for you guys to see- I worked super hard. Can't wait to show you and hear what you guys think! I hope it lives up to your expectations! <3

[RileyThomas 350]

I will do the other half soon guys

[NEAL 740]

Should we wait until everyone's is posted to talk about each others?

 

 

 

Let him actually record them

 

Umm, I think everyone has posted?

Record. Mhm, mhm, dang mhm..

 

And, evilentity gonna be bitchin major if no one have Lana covers Tracy Capman - Fast Cars...

Edited September 21, 2012 by Neal

[Sitar 22,210]

You boys are my loves, and you know that. I can't wait for you guys to see- I worked super hard. Can't wait to show you and hear what you guys think! I hope it lives up to your expectations!

 

You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day

 

Umm, I think everyone has posted?

 

Riley's not done evaluating, though. We haven't even seen yours yet.

 

I will say that "10/10" has me freaking out, thank you, Riley :love:

 

I do want to talk about everyone else's as well, once it's all here.

[NEAL 740]

You boys are my loves, and you know that.

 

You know it and I know it. You gonna be the sta-a-a-r.

 

Everybody knows it, it's a fact..

 

..kiss, kiss

:love:

[NEAL 740]

I worked super hard.

 

These last 6 hours, I'm like:

Feet Brain don't fail me now, take me to that finish 09:00 PM deadline.

[HunterAshlyn 686]

WAIT. Just read SitarHero's.

 

I FUCKING CAN'T. Our ideas are so similar.

 

WE ARE ON THAT FUCKING WAVE LENGTH BABY.

[HunterAshlyn 686]

These last 6 hours, I'm like:

Feet Brain don't fail me now, take me to that finish 09:00 PM deadline.

 

Haha but you pulled it out babe! I can't wait to see! :D

 

And, SitarHero, I LOVED your work. Reminded me so much of something Lana would really do. Especially loved the title "Bombs Bursting" and the David Bowie cover. I FUCKING CANT. WHY ARE ARE YOU SO BRILLIANT?!?

[Sitar 22,210]

WAIT. Just read SitarHero's.

 

I FUCKING CAN'T. Our ideas are so similar.

 

WE ARE ON THAT FUCKING WAVE LENGTH BABY.

And, SitarHero, I LOVED your work. Reminded me so much of something Lana would really do. Especially loved the title "Bombs Bursting" and the David Bowie cover. I FUCKING CANT. WHY ARE ARE YOU SO BRILLIANT?!?

 

Oh no, please don't slay me

 

Thanks, though. I was worried I was relying too much on pretty word pairings, so I'm glad you like that title!

[NEAL 740]

Eep, Sitar's track #4, #7 and #8 got me in whirlwind.. I think you'll soon know why.