SINGLE: West Coast

[Leo 463]

Oh this is so promising! I expected and hoped for the unexpected but this exceeded my "unexpectations"

 

Honestly I haven't really gotten into it yet but it's so obvious that this is a real grower. It's original, innovative, ambitious, intriguing... I get the feeling that there's much inspiration and no laziness behind this. She's not playing it safe and it seems like she's developing her sound and her themes while still staying true to her musical roots  

[xonoruk 20]

oh i forgot to mention. that tiny drum intro in the beginning makes me think of the intro for uptown girl by westlife for whatever reason

 

Please unmention this.

[leaked_version 10,499]

Where is the poll?

[#glimmeringdarling 4,629]

GUYS WEST COAST HAS GONE DOWN A LITTLE IN THE ITUNES CHART- http://kworb.net/pop/

We really need to help it get to number 1 in America !! It would be so amazing! And beat that damn 'Happy' shit ..

I know we can do it, we are Team Lana and we can do anything together ! Lana's done so much for us let's try to do the for her!! Maybe we can trend #BuyWestCoastOnItunes or something? I really want it to reach #1 in America ! Thanks !!

[Cinnamon Girl 75]

the strings at 1:04 reminds me of that beatles song, and i love her i think it is called. am i crazy?

[Whoopiedoo 442]

It's her greatest song ever.

[BoomKack 271]

"West Coast to Number 1" still trending yaaaas

[Whoopiedoo 442]

It's so fucking erotic. I can't help but touch myself when I listen to it. Makes me miss my man and him putting his fingers in my mouth. I just want to do naughty things when I listen to it. I Miss my man so fucking much ((

[evilentity 13,343]

eagerly awaiting a solid @@evilentity opinion  

You summoned me?   

 

I wanted hip-hop beats

So are the people who whined about BTD production happy now?

I can't speak for anyone else, but yes, I am. I never cared much for the hip hop beats or overused samples on BTD, and at times even the felt the orchestral arrangements sounded overproduced. I really felt they over-egged the pudding as the Brits would say. Worst of all, I felt like the whole album was confined in a straightjacket, as if there was some BTD filter applied to each song, whether it fit the song or not. But I've often mentioned my affinity for the more jazzy, bluesy, or alterna-rock oriented songs in Lana's oeuvre—"Pin-up Galore", "The Man I Love", "Tired of Singing the Blues", the live rock versions of "Yayo" & "Brite Lites"— so it should surprise absolutely no one that I love this and the direction it augurs for her sound on Ultraviolence. The drums fills, that groovy syncopated guitar riff, those tempo changes—all great stuff.

 

Some more specific thoughts as I listen for the bajillionth time:

 

I love the creakiness/croakiness in her harmony on the first "then you're not playing" and later on the first "your love". As others have noted, it has a lot of resonances with other songs, um, lyrically and sonically. "You've got the music in you" is a lyric from the New Radicals song "You Get What You Give" (which Rick Nowels co-wrote). It also reminds me of the line "we have the music" in "Chelsea Hotel #2". The "don't you" even reminds me a little bit of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". The line "it all could happen" makes me think of the lyric "it's all happening" from "My Best Days". Those high harmonies in the pre-chorus sound a lot like "Burning Desire". Then there's the "And I Love Her" riff, slowing things way the fuck down, with a guitar chord reverberating in the background like something out of the intro to "She's Not Me". The high harmonies during this slow chorus are absolutely gorgeous. "Parliament's on fire": although almost certainly a reference to the cigarette brand, I don't think the double meaning evoking an image of revolution isn't deliberate, especially taken with the line "his hands are up". Taken with "on the balcony" it reminds me of the line from "Butterflies", "We're sippin' cocktails lookin' down upon the riot" (if that is indeed the lyric and not "Rhine"). "Ooh baby, ooh baby" borrows the rhythm and melody of those same words in Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen". The high "Oooo-oooh" after swaying is so haunting. It reminds me of similar harmonies in a couple songs by my other current fave Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, "Young Dumb & Drunk" & "Shadow Boy". "Golden god" is possibly a reference to Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's claim about himself (or the line from "Almost Famous" based on that). I love the whispered "ah, ah, ah, ah" over "ooh baby, ooh baby" the second time through the chorus. And that synth tone that comes in over "move baby, move baby" reminds me of the synth in Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" or some, uh, west coast G-funk era rap.

 

Kill Kill would fit perfectly next to this. Dreams of West Coast fading into a Kill Kill intro with very faint "I'm in love with a dying man"s under wave sounds

I did this exact same thing before I even read this. Great minds.

[FROGGO 2,805]

We seriously need a @@Monicker analysis of the production.

[Constantine 4,074]

omg lana u puta

[evilentity 13,343]

We seriously need a @@Monicker analysis of the production.

 

I'll see what I can do.

[Quiddity 45]

Been a couple of days but haven't had a chance comment until now (alas the song's release coincided with the start of a business trip for me). Initial listen didn't amaze me, but I think its something that I'll enjoy more upon additional listens. Did enjoy it more upon my relisten tonight. Verses are so-so, but I'm really enjoying the choruses.

 

The tough thing with me is that BTD and Paradise were so amazing in my eyes that I wonder if she can keep up the same level of near-perfection. When Ride came out as the first single for Paradise it was instantly one of my favorite LDR songs upon first listen and alas, West Coast was not that for me.

[COLACNT 5,177]

every time i hear the chorus i start rubbing my neck without even realizing lmao 

 

this song is so good that i'm worried everyone already has the lyrics down pat so i won't be able to hear a fucking word out of her mouth at the concert on friday 

[StealingTheMoonlight 278]

Been a couple of days but haven't had a chance comment until now (alas the song's release coincided with the start of a business trip for me). Initial listen didn't amaze me, but I think its something that I'll enjoy more upon additional listens. Did enjoy it more upon my relisten tonight. Verses are so-so, but I'm really enjoying the choruses.

 

The tough thing with me is that BTD and Paradise were so amazing in my eyes that I wonder if she can keep up the same level of near-perfection. When Ride came out as the first single for Paradise it was instantly one of my favorite LDR songs upon first listen and alas, West Coast was not that for me.

I thought the same thing about West Coast not amazing me at first, except for the choruses they BLEW me away when I first heard it halfway asleep at 5:45 in the morning, but West Coast is truly one of those songs that gets better the more you listen to it. I also love the synth in the final chorus; I think it's really cool sounding and just makes me sway. This was the kind of music I picture when I think of "Ultraviolence" and I'm super excited to see what else Lana has in store for us.

[COLACNT 5,177]

lana del rey on the kevin and bean show lmao 

 

 

people will never stop making fun of her no matter what she does

[silver starlet 1,376]

79 pages damn when did that happen lol

 

I love it, it definitely met my expectations. it was different than what i was expecting but just as good. i'm very excited to see the direction in which UV is going. i could say a lot more but most of it has already been said 

 

[Atom Heart 1,929]

West Coast sounds like a compilation of everything she has done and I quite enjoy it.

 

 

And I kind of have the theory that Lana will put West Coast in the middle of the album and fade it into Kill Kill. How amazing will that be?

[tiffanydale 193]

The way she sings the third "your love" is SO her. I love it 

[Wryta Thinkpiece 3,344]

I can't speak for anyone else, but yes, I am. I never cared much for the hip hop beats or overused samples on BTD, and at times even the felt the orchestral arrangements sounded overproduced. I really felt they over-egged the pudding as the Brits would say. Worst of all, I felt like the whole album was confined in a straightjacket, as if there was some BTD filter applied to each song, whether it fit the song or not. But I've often mentioned my affinity for the more jazzy, bluesy, or alterna-rock oriented songs in Lana's oeuvre—"Pin-up Galore", "The Man I Love", "Tired of Singing the Blues", the live rock versions of "Yayo" & "Brite Lites"— so it should surprise absolutely no one that I love this and the direction it augurs for her sound on Ultraviolence. The drums fills, that groovy syncopated guitar riff, those tempo changes—all great stuff.

 

Some more specific thoughts as I listen for the bajillionth time:

 

I love the creakiness/croakiness in her harmony on the first "then you're not playing" and later on the first "your love". As others have noted, it has a lot of resonances with other songs, um, lyrically and sonically. "You've got the music in you" is a lyric from the New Radicals song "You Get What You Give" (which Rick Nowels co-wrote). It also reminds me of the line "we have the music" in "Chelsea Hotel #2". The "don't you" even reminds me a little bit of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". The line "it all could happen" makes me think of the lyric "it's all happening" from "My Best Days". Those high harmonies in the pre-chorus sound a lot like "Burning Desire". Then there's the "And I Love Her" riff, slowing things way the fuck down, with a guitar chord reverberating in the background like something out of the intro to "She's Not Me". The high harmonies during this slow chorus are absolutely gorgeous. "Parliament's on fire": although almost certainly a reference to the cigarette brand, I don't think the double meaning evoking an image of revolution isn't deliberate, especially taken with the line "his hands are up". Taken with "on the balcony" it reminds me of the line from "Butterflies", "We're sippin' cocktails lookin' down upon the riot" (if that is indeed the lyric and not "Rhine"). "Ooh baby, ooh baby" borrows the rhythm and melody of those same words in Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen". The high "Oooo-oooh" after swaying is so haunting. It reminds me of similar harmonies in a couple songs by my other current fave Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, "Young Dumb & Drunk" & "Shadow Boy". "Golden god" is possibly a reference to Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's claim about himself (or the line from "Almost Famous" based on that). I love the whispered "ah, ah, ah, ah" over "ooh baby, ooh baby" the second time through the chorus. And that synth tone that comes in over "move baby, move baby" reminds me of the synth in Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" or some, uh, west coast G-funk era rap.

 

I am joining the happy-party, too. Admittedly, I loved BTD, but with AKALG and all the early demos along with other phenomenal unreleased tracks, I only came back to few favorites from BTD. @@evilentity explained my feelings about the grandeur-style of BTD more articulately than I can.

 

West Coast really made me have a "Born to what?" moment, and that's because I really think Lana's in her element with this style. She's exponentially more comfortable and free, and she feels it, too. And I read somewhere last night that she said the tracks on UV are done in one-take, and I fell in love with the UV-era Lana more. She doesn't have to be plagued by anxieties coming from being pressured into singing with restrictions, she doesn't have to worry about not being able to perfectly emulate every track with consistency, she can experiment live without having her creativity compromised anymore. She is free to sing with artistry, emotion and variance, not with perfection and repetition. Which Lana has always wanted to do all along. She wanted to sing, not recite. The amount of positive reception WC's got from all different areas of the media in the U.S. means that Lana proved a great lesson to the pessimists: first impressions aren't as accurate as they seem.

 

I fucking love West Coast.

 

Bring me UV.