SONG OF THE WEEK #3

[COLACNT 5,171]

lel sorry this week is going to be a day shorter (this is what happens when i have responsibilities) but the song is: 

 

 

 

 

LYRICS:

 

 

Maybe we could go to Coney Island

Maybe I could sing the national anthem
Buy a white sweater for the last white day of the summer
Buy my purple wig for my mermaid video
Walk back to where we live in my motel
On Neptune Avenue

You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off

Maybe we could go to Sway Tokyo
Or see Van Halen at the reunion show
Heavy metal hour on T.V.
Diamond Dave and Ray Lee
And you salute me, Miss America
Because I am, I am

You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off

Maybe we could go to Coney Island
Maybe I could sing you to sleep
God bless the universe, god bless the ocean
God bless you and god bless me (x2)

You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off

 

MUSIC VIDEO: 

 

 

Overall rating:

First impression:

Impression now:

iTunes plays:

Songs I play along with it:

What I like about it:

What I dislike about it:

Memories I associate with this song: 

Colors/images that come to mind:

Favorite lyrics:

Interpretation:

This song makes me feel: 

Favorite part of the song: 

[keanefar 1,006]

Overall rating: Hmm, maybe a 9/10

First impression: Literally HATED this at first listen and thought it was the weirdest shit ever. AKA is pretty different to most people at first listen that I've talked to, though.

Impression now: Love it. I can't say it's my favourite off of AKA, in fact, it's one of my least favourites (that's not saying much since AKA is close to perfect), but it's super unique and has something special to it that probably no song will ever be able to replicate.

iTunes plays: Too lazy to open iTunes and check tbh  probably very few in comparison to the rest of AKA. I also have a burned copy of AKA that I listen to much more often as opposed to iTunes.

Songs I play along with it: TBH all the other weird shit like Catch N Release, although I typically only listen to album songs as part of the albums, so.

What I like about it: Tell me that you've ever heard anything like it... Every song on AKA has something unique to it, and that applies to Mermaid Motel more than the majority of the other AKA tracks. It's always nice to see Lana delve into different genres, and she does it perfectly on MM, and just AKA in general.

What I dislike about it: Mmm, like I said initially, it's strange going from Lana's common classical sound to this, but anyway, AKA grew on me so fast there's very little things I dislike about any of the songs. However, again, it's among my least favourite from AKA, but only because I deem the others better. 

Memories I associate with this song: Well, I play music obsessively while playing video games, and it's to the point where I can remember what game I was playing and where I was in that game while a particular song was playing (almost every song I frequently listen to). I remember, I was playing Borderlands and I was at Zombie Island fighting zombies, JFC I don't know how I remember that shit that was like a year ago. And I had a fucked up AKA tracklist and FKP2 and MM were together and my sister was like "WTF are those songs Lana?" and I was like "yeah " because at the time I hated FKP2 and MM, as those two (plus OSCYS) were the last of AKA to grow on me.

Colors/images that come to mind: Definitely something with a "dark mood" kinda, i.e. black or deep purple.

Favorite lyrics: The chorus is too flawless: "You call me lavender, you call me sunshine..." or "God bless you... and God bless me!"

Interpretation: I wish I could understand this song. 

This song makes me feel: I get a sense of like demonic shit when I listen to this lmao, probably 'cause of the imagery of the video...

Favorite part of the song: Isn't it KINDA the same thing as favourite lyrics? Well for me it is, because my answer would have to be the chorus again; just how the mood shifts so drastically.

[silver starlet 1,376]

Overall rating: 4.5/6

First impression: weird?? but i can get into this

Impression now: not my fav but its still so good

iTunes plays: no idea. according to last.fm it has 2 plays but thats not accurate

Songs I play along with it: trash magic, little girls/pmiam, hundred dollar bill

What I like about it: THE CHORUS  AND THE MUSIC VID   

What I dislike about it: I feel like it has a lot of potential if it had better production, but unfortunately it doesnt reach its full potential. which is why i'm hoping she'll do a remastered version

Memories I associate with this song: i remember listening to this song a lot on road trips

Colors/images that come to mind: purple, green, aqua, etc (mermaid colors pretty much), palm trees, retro neon signs, motels, etc

Favorite lyrics: "God bless the universe, god bless the ocean, God bless you and god bless me"

"You call me lavender, you call me sunshine/You say take it off, take it off"

Interpretation: I don't have much of an interpretation for this song tbh. It doesn't make much sense to me. Perhaps she's alluding to her fictional hooker life, esp. when she says "walk back to where we live in my motel" because you know, prostitutes usually do business in motels. But I'm not sure

This song makes me feel: calm? yeah idk

Favorite part of the song: once again, the chorus. also the instrumental is really cool

[lola 6,617]

This really isn't one of my favourite Lana songs but I love the ending when she says "you say take it off, take it off", sounds really shocked and the instrumental stops for a bit. And it's even better in the video. She looks really creepy with those white lashes, I don't know what she was thinking but she looks cute in that nightgown. Even though I don't love it I think it's good it's on the album, it's the most ~surf noir~ of all the songs I think.

[ConeyIslandQueen262 1,067]

Mermaid Motel is weird and brilliant at the same time. The more I listen to it, the more I like it and it also became one of my faves from AKA.

In my opinion the dark, regular sound and her creepy voice are perfect. I like the lyrics and the enitre mermaid theme as well. 

When it comes to the interpretation I'm like 

There are many typical Lana references in the song, e.g. Coney Island, National Anthem, Motel, summer, Miss America,.. so I think it's more a patriotic song than a true love song. It deals with a sexual relationship in some way because it doesn't sound like she is obsessed or absolutely in love with that guy ("you say take it off"). I adore the lines "God bless the universe, god bless the ocean, god bless you and god bless me". So simple but so amazing !

[mermadness 31]

the first time i heard it, i couldn't get past the first verse. once i finally listened to the chorus, i was hooked and could appreciate the contrast with the verses.

 

the music video is one of my favorite homemade ones, for sure! 

 

i love, love, love the way she says, "you salute me, miss america...because i am...i AM!" just. perfection.

[TrailerParkDarling 5,680]

Overall rating: 6/10 

First impression: I thought it sounded like a dark burlesque song, like one where the dancer is distracting you while her friend is taking all your money or maybe where she kills u at the end of the song. Def. the most ~David Lynch~ sounding song of hers imo

Impression now: Def. prefer the live version (I aaaammmmmmmmm!) I really have to be in the mood to listen to this song, have 2 admit I skip it a lot

iTunes plays: N/A

Songs I play along with it: Smarty, Carmen 

What I like about it: The song title, the song itself is v unique.. I have a love/hate relationship w/ the heavy instrumental

What I dislike about it: It's very heavy, gets old easily

Memories I associate with this song: I got pulled ovr once while listening 2 this song. But I didn't get a ticket <and the police saluted me, miss america becos i am>

Colors/images that come to mind: Gold & purple. I think of the mermaid parade that happens in Coney Island, I know Lana's gone before..and Lana's purple wig <wtf is her mermaid video?>

Favorite lyrics: God Bless the universe, God bless the ocean, God Bless U & God Bless me

Interpretation: I think this song (& Smarty) was written about Arthur Lynn, who has listed Diamond Dave & Ray Gillen (as well as Bruce Springsteen, JFK, Elvis, and Britney Spears~ but I digress) as his influences. I guess she lived in a motel for some time, she ref. in other songs. IDK this song is hard 2 interpret and the video doesn't help lol

This song makes me feel: Sleepy? 

Favorite part of the song: The intro is rly gr8 and some of the lyrics. The desperation when she sings "Maybe we can go to..Coney Island..maybe I can sing you to sleep"

[Sitar 22,173]

I wrote about "Mermaid Motel" this last semester in my music class. It's a song that delights me on every listen. Basically a lot of the essay was about brilliance in modern pop music--i.e., artists setting themselves apart by using a lot of the melodic and formulaic rules of pop to their advantage, rather than attempting to rebel. (I wrote this in response to my teacher ranting about how much music sucks today lel.) I also stole some of the technical wording from @@Monicker's fangirling. It's a little weirdly isolated so it's missing some context, but here:

 

 

By nature, the human mind demonstrates a preference to musical resolution, such as similarity between notes and common direction. Craig Wright defines the result of notes following a common direction as the tonic, or the one pitch that every scale is centered around. Within the Western tonal system, a musical phrase nearly always ends on the tonic, to give the brain a sense of resolution and forward movement. Rarely can one turn on the radio to find a sound with dissimilar notes figuratively jumping around the scale or a piece that doesn’t resolve into a tonic. With this prospect in mind, pop musicians become notable when their use of natural tonal expectations are singular and interesting, instead of divergent. Lana Del Rey’s “Mermaid Motel,” a cut from her indie label debut album, is a terrific example of creating a unique sound without straying from these rules. Although the verses are somewhat deadpanned, the chorus offers a lovely and full melody, but in the end, a melody that is only a few simple, small intervals between notes. This demonstrates note similarity, which our brains gravitate to, even in the slight lilt upward between the lines, “You call me lavender, you call me sunshine.” The repeated final line of the chorus brings the melody back downwards, albeit in a very linear fashion: “You say take it off, take it off.” “Mermaid Motel” presents a classic pop chorus, although it differs from the dance-driven fare of radio today, because of the step-by-step melody it is sung in. However, one could argue that it wouldn’t stand out as brilliant among many other similarly formatted choruses. It is actually in Del Rey’s use of tonic within this song that brilliance is exposed. The final chorus of “Mermaid Motel” is a very unique moment in pop music. Rather than bringing the fifth chord to a resolved place of conditioned harmony, it is brought down an interval to a flat note, creating a tritone in the vocals. It is a simple move but stunningly effective, changing the whole atmosphere of the chorus. The tritone transforms the song from sultry to sinister, tonic to dissonant—for reasons like this, the tritone was even banned from the church in the Middle Ages. Within that final chorus, the entire melody appears inside-out and teeters on instability, begging for resolution. Del Rey offers no such thing, ending her delivery with a cheeky gasp before the percussion takes over. This brief defiance towards tonality is in effect a defiance towards human nature, to very mesmerizing effect. Lana dances within the confines of tonality but casually enough toes the line toward high art, assuming the part of an accomplished musician coy enough about her own ability to linger in the realm of pop.

 

[Rafael 3,512]

Overall rating: 8/10

First impression: I wasn't very fond of this song at first, but it has blossomed to its full potential (meaning to the point where I never skip it when listening to AKA.)

Impression now: Really flirty and fun. It's like the perfect stripping song.

iTunes plays: 27

Songs I play along with it: Queen of the Gas Station. I used to always confuse the two of them, but there's this kind of feeling to the both of them that goes so well together in my head. It's like "hae k, meet me at the gas station later on i'll put on a show for you at the motel nearby~." 

What I like about it: Unusual from her 'typical' work. Diverse. Especially at the time she did this. Can you imagine if she performed it live now? 

What I dislike about it: The length of the song is too long? I dunno.

Memories I associate with this song: 'Seductively' dancing to it once when I had to change to pyjamas. 

Colors/images that come to mind: Strip place for sure. I can't take this song too seriously though... At some times because of an old sketch I recall watching when I was a kid. It's about Benny Hill who visits a striptease as a kid and the main act is dancing around with a big balloon to cover up her body. In which Benny decides to use his slingshot to pop it, only to have the actual woman deflate instead. Comedy Gold. I found it here if anyone's interested (skip to ~1.38).

Favorite lyrics: Maybe we could go to Coney Island / Maybe I could sing you to sleep

Interpretation: As mentioned before, it really his this stripper sound to it. I bet this is what ol' men's used to hear all the time back in the day when they visited that place. Maybe that's where she met K? He was a regular at the local strip place in Brooklyn and Lizzy was still torn between motel singer or the silver pole~

This song makes me feel: Sexy.

Favorite part of the song: 

The intro is rly gr8 and some of the lyrics. The desperation when she sings "Maybe we can go to..Coney Island..maybe I can sing you to sleep"

[Arzi 1,979]

That osmosis between the melody and the lyrics gives the song some perfect haunting touch, it became my favorite song next to Brite Lites back in late 2011 and still remains flawless    

[Poison Ivy 1,588]

It's not one of my favorites, but I love it just the same, it's like it tries to put you in a trance. The rhythm is really weird and her voice is so melancholic and kinda flat but in an eerie way. The lyrics are also a bit of a stream of consciousness sort of which Lana doesn't do often, she just kinda goes with the flow of her thought and everything is connected in a vague way if that. As ppl mentioned before I love the 'Maybe we should go to Coney Island...' part, tone and everything. Also 'Neptune *whispers* Avenuee'  ~ it's fun, it's diffferent. The chorus kinda brightens it in a bitter-sweet way. 

[alidusi 70]

Overall rating: 7.5/10 i guess

First impression: didn't like it at all. thought it was really weird

Impression now: i like it much more now but it's still not my one of my favorites and i still think it's weird lol

iTunes plays: i don't use itunes 

Songs I play along with it: i don't know?? maybe smarty

What I like about it: the chorus 

What I dislike about it: i don't really how she like whisper talk sings(??) for so much of it

Memories I associate with this song: none really lol

Colors/images that come to mind: dull purples and blues and greens

Favorite lyrics: hmm i don't maybe you call me lavender you call me sunshine but i'm probably thinking that because i like the way her voice sounds when she sings it more than any other part of the song

Interpretation: i don't have one tbh

This song makes me feel: tired i guess but like in a good way if that makes any sense??

Favorite part of the song: chorus i think

[Jazzmin 297]

In my opinion "Mermaid Motel" is poem of her tribute to the beauty of a erotical act. Not exactly in the sense of pleasure or extasy but rather how poetical it is. She simply shows it in this song. The whole song is very sensual, what is achieved by comparing their meeting in the hotel to nature. And when she sings "You say take it off, take it off", well, maybe they're common words but she sings them in such a special way that they appear to have many meanings. She just makes them meaningful.

 

Btw, I hope someone will continue this great idea and get a next-week song drawn.

[Cleopatra 1,099]

Overall rating: 9/10

First impression: Hot/I'm boggled

Impression now: I still love it. I'll sometimes blast it in the car while driving at night. 

iTunes plays: 10

Songs I play along with it: Put Me In A Movie, Boarding School, Brite Lites, Motel 6, Trash

What I like about it: production and voice. its diff from anything ive heard 

What I dislike about it: the cymbals(?) are so loud. It'll make me jump at times.

Memories I associate with this song: Running my hands through this seashell curtain thing (chandelier?) my sister had in her room. 

Colors/images that come to mind: Black and white. Lana is singing on stage and the audience is sitting down wearing 3d glasses. Ocean. Palm trees. The sun. All kines tropical stuff. I can totally see her sitting outside by the pool with a sun hat tanning/creepin on some man close by. [after writing interp] or lying on her stomach writing in her diary w her legs up and crossed

Favorite lyrics: "And you salute me Miss America because I am, I am."

Interpretation: hmm her daydreaming? idk whatever

This song makes me feel: Energetic/wicked

Favorite part of the song: The way she says "of the summer", when she whispers "avenue", the last chorus

[Rafael 3,512]

what happened to this? 

[ConeyIslandQueen262 1,067]

what happened to this? 

 

I just asked myself the same 

[TakeYouDown2Paradise 70]

Overall rating: 10/10 

First impression: thought it was boring i think??

Impression now: i love it so much! favourite song off of AKA

iTunes plays: 27 (but i got a new computer last month so not very accurate)

Songs I play along with it: Kill Kill

What I like about it: the instrumental

What I dislike about it: the ending

Memories I associate with this song: holiday in europe with friends

Colors/images that come to mind: purple/lana in the music video for it

Favorite lyrics: hmm the way she sings "Heavy metal hour on T.V."

Interpretation:

This song makes me feel: just happy tbh

Favorite part of the song: the intro

[COLACNT 5,171]

what happened to this? 

 

it kinda died by the 3rd week