How Do You Relate To Lana ...

[ExoticFlower 890]

The sadness that's always present, while still searching for happiness and peace. Finding the silver lining. I really appreciate the few times when I'm just really content and find meaning with my life, Lana's songs speak to that part in me. I really love the lyrics when she sings about the little things, and how much a small moment in the past can mean so much. "Living in the memories of the best of the past." Yup. 

 

I don't relate to her choice in men, though. I have, hands down, at the age of (almost) 21 never been truly in love. A bit of puppy love, but nothing huge. I never developed that feeling and side of me. I'm very independent and too proud and stubborn to rely on other people too much, especially men... but her craving for being taken care of is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don't want to admit it, but sometimes it would be a bit nice to have someone I can hug and melt into and go all "phlueeaaase, take care of me. Be my man!" and then I'm fuck no, I don't need that   But still, the whole fantasy is nice. I just live through her taste in bad men   This is also why I read these trashy romance novels. I don't have that complicated mess of a man in my life, so I experience it trough other things. But don't worry, one day I'll be unhappily in love, and then I'll listen to Video Games and cry. 

 

And the whole youth thing... Sigh. I feel like I should have been more "live fast, die young". I was too good, and didn't act out before I turned 19. Crying in the bathroom drunk off of cheap vodka was something I should have done at the age of 16, I'm too old for that shit now. And while I'm still young, I feel it slipping away. And that pisses me off. 

[Anthem 1,557]

at the age of (almost) 21

 

I'm too old for that shit now

 

Girl live it up, you are still so young 

 

You'll look back when you are 24 and say "why didn't I do do things when I was 20 - I'm too old now", rinse and repeat with 26, 30, etc.

[ilovetati 15,295]

I was the gay male version of Carmen a few years ago as a teen.

 

I don't drink anymore either, so I relate to a lot of the reoccurring alcohol motifs in her work as well. I think we see the world from very similar perspectives with a strong, perpetual dichotomy of beauty and melancholy. I love the fleeting, haunting moments from life that seem simple in the moment but stand out in retrospect.

[DeadAgainst 1,514]

I guess that being hated by everyone, suffering from intense depression and anxiety due to it, and pushing through that to create something beautiful and maybe finding a vertical escape through spiritual praxis is fairly relatable. Not on a personal level entirely, but there is more pathos there than in, say, Taylor Swift's artistic output.

 

And not the Money, Power, and Glory part

[COLACNT 5,170]

I guess that being hated by everyone, suffering from intense depression and anxiety due to it

 

i feel like this 97.7% of the time but i think its partly cause i'm reclusive and unrelatable to others. i'm starting to realize that maybe hate really is too strong of a word and that others just don't know how to feel 'right' with u. or maybe i'm projecting but whatever the basic feeling is still the same 

 

         

 

^^^ literally that ^^^ 

[MermaidMotelle 278]

Diagnosed with chronic, major depression. Severe. Just the melancholy nature of much of her music is always so familiar. Specifically those tones of longing and reflection. They just strike such a chord with me...

[Lirazel 700]

How are you a Lana fan then? 

It's totally possible... cause I share plenty of other things with Lana. Personality > taste in old men

And I totally like the Jimmy Gnecco/dude from Born to Die video type <3

[TRASHBABY 346]

drink, drugs, dependence on men, rich (dead) daddy, feeling isolated and alone, strong interest in lolita

 

and being TIRED OF FEELING LIKE IM FUCKING CRAZY!!!!!

[Platinum Greenwich 13,572]

I think the appeal in Lana's dichotomy for me lies with the fact that, like... I've said this before, but you see a random chick on YouTube named Lana Del Rey (which is a bombastic pseudonym in and of itself) with a song called Video Games, and you click on it expecting, I don't know, EDM realness.

 

Enter church bells, a blockbuster harp riff and back-of-the-local-establishment ingenue vocals. And the video moved me, too -- I've always felt like Lana and I both have the same sense of aesthetic, only she knows how to convey it and I don't.

It all feels so handpicked. The clips in her videos, the musical motifs. Backyard barbecues and choking on your tears in the presidential suite. It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that, which is what everyone's life is like.

 

Her design has continuity, nevermind that I'd love it anyway. Kind of like watching the last arc of Sailor Moon and seeing nods to past episodes.

 

Lana may well seem nostalgic, but that's because she's singing about K in 2005 and 2014. She loves Lolita and blue flowers and she keeps to that, you know? It's hard to not appreciate, I think.

 

It's not even integrity, it's just a sense of self that I think she might lack (knowledge of how to express) elsewhere in her life, and that's where I connect with her. It's romantic, which is what I think the GP likes, and it's inspirational. It's wish fulfillment for me, and I'm projecting because we just so happen to like the same things. She's as loyal as I am, and I can get to experience her allegiance to her feelings because I know that elsewhere, in my own life. It's more of what I love.

 

People think they like Lana because aw, she's so relatable but still kind of pipe dreamy about it -- but she wouldn't be if she didn't do what she does without conviction. Like we all do. She puts her life into music, which all people can relate to, and then her aesthetic is the make-or-break in the making of a fan, if that makes sense.

 

That was a mouthful, and kind of soppy and messy and I really could write an essay on this shit, I could, but idc.

[AlreadyCoolest 222]

I relate to the sense of melancholy that's laced throughout all of her music, yet also to how she still finds beauty in other people and things/experiences, especially in the concept of freedom and living a life that is truly for the purpose of honoring your inspiration and passions.

[LifeisBeautiful 152]

I forgot to add that I also relate to the juxtaposition of Lana the person vs. Lana the writer.  So much of what she writes is heavy, dark and depressing as hell yet her character in settings with fans is delightfully cheery and friendly.  I think I'm like this too.  It's about having 2 different facets to your personality and needing to express both in different ways.

[vodkatonic 32]

idk it's hard to explain (kind of) for me it's her music as a whole i feel. I'm a straight dude so the lyrics aren't relatable that much, however I'm a musician as well and when i find artists i like i have to connect with their message, their composition of the track, or at least something in the music. with lana's music i feel i understand her artistic approach and i highly respect it. i think her music is honest, it is her vision and only her vision. though i am a huge fan of pop music, you can see she was creatively involved heavily in the music making process, someone didn't package it and make her something she isn't. i love that. but i am also a very big old hollywood fan, so i relate to her styling as well.

 

i hope that made sense, haha

[CarlPFisher 46]

Hey All!

 

So I get asked this question a lot since I am an analytical straight guy in his twenties who for the most part is very much not a metrosexual yet I absolutely adore/obsess/love Lana's music, looks, and personality. For starters, I relate to her music because like her I am very much a romantic and believe that true love is a wonderful end that I have yet to achieve and those issues that arise along the way resonate with me (aside from the fact that the roles are reversed). I also am deeply philosophical/poetic and her music is much deeper than the vast majority of modern musicians would hope to be. Additionally, practically every single song that she sings creates a mindset or recreates a positive or negative memory that helps me reflect on myself. If I become friends with any of you I can elaborate on this stuff but suffice to say her music does something to me that other music does not. I cannot relate to her looks other than she is very attractive but as far as her personality is concerned she seems to have many similarities with me that are too many to mention. When I first heard her sing 'Heart Shaped Box' I kind of fell in love with her as an artist. I hope that was not too much but I thought it reasonably answered the prompt.

[DLT 7,484]

Gosh where to begin here honestly. There are so many things I can relate to when it comes to her music especially. I definitely have my own daddy issues when it comes to men. I always just feel the need to have my love validated through having a person. Like I need a person, I want a person, I have to have a person to feel. Sometimes I find myself being a stonewall. At least that's what people say including my partner. Growing up I learned to not show my emotions and it just kind of stuck with me. So I find myself just feeling disconnected a lot so there is always a certain sense of melancholia that I can feel. In her music I feel this undercurrent of melancholy that connects perfectly with mine. When in the end all I want is to love and be loved.

 

As for her fast living at a young age that is something that I connect with completely. Whenever I was a teenager up until about 9th grade I had everything on track. I was set to graduate a year early and start college but for some reason my sophomore year I went fucking crazy. When I say this I mean life on the edge booze, drugs, partying, young, wild, and free. I had a lot of independence at this age. My parents were never really parents in that aspect so I pretty much did whatever I wanted. I was skipping school getting wasted and high just doing whatever I wanted. Really I had a control problem but also I was trying to escape my feelings and self. Like I said in a previous post I've had my fair share of tribulations and childhood wasn't exempt from that. It got to the point where my family couldn't handle it. They held a makeshift intervention and wanted me to go to rehab. At this point I had countless accidents i.e. running over trash cans, busting my head open, losing my car, driving in ditches. Too much shit to count. I also had a friend od and was involved in another wreck with two friends in which the driver died. So my life was pretty crazy. I went the first time but wasn't ready. I was seventeen at this time. I left the second day. After that a few months passed before I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was then ready! I went back and stayed through the whole program and it really helped and gave me a different outlook on life. I then stayed in a twelve step program for over two years and remained completely sober and clean. So that whole aspect of her music really resonates with me.

 

Now I realize I was just a kid who was young and dumb. I don't do drugs or anything but I do drink on occasion. But the point is that part of my life shaped me into who I am today. I did all my partying in my early years and I feel like she can understand that and I appreciate that. Now I'm just like some old man lol at twenty five. But I'm okay with that because it is how I want to be. Idk there's a lot more to go on. I like her style. I like her niche for the vintage. I like her musical tastes as far as artists she likes and I also just feel like I share her same chill laid back attitude. That may be crazy because I don't know her but that's the feeling I get from her. My aspect on it is that shit happens in life and you just have to roll with it. I think she understands that. Lol honestly this was probably all a total over share but I wanted to focus on some more of the personal relations rather than the superficial ones. I just love her music for so many different reasons. It makes me happy!

[labionda 52]

When she first emerged in the international music scene back in 2011 I didn't pay much attention to her.. In fact I found her boring and her music bizzare....  But in 2013 something was begginning to change that was when Tropico was released . I began to be interested in her and started to listen to her songs and follow her on social media, but still it was nothing intense. but  all that changed in the summer of 2014 , the first song of Lana that got me hooked was Shades Of Cool, and from then it was no looking back. I began to worship her and became let's say....obsessed it's the right word  . And now I'm going to explain why in detail

1 Her voice and her musical style.... It's profoundly original and so different from all the music that's around these days. from the lyrics to the instrumental part, and last but not least her voice.. Mesmerizing, sultry,deep and sensual

2 Her beauty she's so beautiful .. but something that striked me was her eyes. I was flipping the pages of a cosmopolitan magazine and there was this HM ad that she was campainging for. Her eyes were apart from beautiful, profoundly sad and melancholic, like greta garbos. I always liked this kind of tragic beauty. And I wondered what has she been through, and that she must be a strong woman.

3 Her personality. From what she says on interviews , from her music and for her overall demeanor she comes off like a loner, an introvert, a woman that's not scared of what people think of her and doesn't care of what society expects from her ,she lives by her own rules.

So I relate with her deeply because I'm a lot like her. I was always fascinated by the hollywood culture ( particularly from the 40ies to the 60ies), and there was a period in my early teens when I was obsessed with Marylin Monroe. I love Kurt Cobain and all the culture that he created, I listen to a lot of rock music . I relate with her need for strong men that make you feel desired , and I'm not afraid of a little roughness here and there. I'm a very passionate person and by no mean ''light'' , prone to depression and daydreaming, and use recreational drugs from time to time. Also when I listen to her songs I imagine myself in an L.A of the fifties  , where I'm in madly in love with a  violent but handsome police officer, a turbulent relationship where we love each other  but there is some violence involved, pretty much like a James Ellroy novel. I'm all for intense and dark things , at the edge of society approved behaviors.I also like whitman and nabokov...  so in conclusion I relate to her because she reminds me of parts of myself and she has the same values that I have. Her music is dark but seductive and ADDICTIVE, she's a creative genius and she'll be an Icon of the american culture. Oh and I forgot to mention that she can be extremely sexy without baring an in inch of her lovely pale skin,unlike the various Katy perrys, beyoncè,lady gaga or rihannas.And I bet she has an awful relationship with her mom... As I do

[Tommi 813]

Lana has impacted my life massively, in my teenage years I got dependant on drugs and alcohol and this affected everything. I lost good friends after getting in with bad people, didn't apply myself in college, skipped classes to get high, all that bullshit. I got to 20 and realised my life was fucked and for years I tried to claw back my life.

Eventually I met my boyfriend who I've been with now for 8 years, who gave me meaning and showed me back to reality. He's older than me and supported me and cared for me in ways I never knew. I'm still not where I want to be and still turn to drugs when I'm feeling like life is shit but my future looks a lot brighter now thanks to him.

When I discovered Lana and listened to her lyrics I was just blown away by some of the parallels we shared. Nno other artist has ever had this effect on me, I love her.

[kik 1,563]

Lana has impacted my life massively, in my teenage years I got dependant on drugs and alcohol and this affected everything. I lost good friends after getting in with bad people, didn't apply myself in college, skipped classes to get high, all that bullshit. I got to 20 and realised my life was fucked and for years I tried to claw back my life.

Eventually I met my boyfriend who I've been with now for 8 years, who gave me meaning and showed me back to reality. He's older than me and supported me and cared for me in ways I never knew. I'm still not where I want to be and still turn to drugs when I'm feeling like life is shit but my future looks a lot brighter now thanks to him.

When I discovered Lana and listened to her lyrics I was just blown away by some of the parallels we shared. Nno other artist has ever had this effect on me, I love her.

 

[leenb 35]

Well, I actually got really obsessed with lana's music when I fell into heavy depression after a separation from a long-term boyfriend who was much older than me and was all sorts of messed up. I just related alot to the whole loving bad boys and being unapologetic about it. Eh at times, her music felt autobiographical to me. I met my ex when I was 14 and he in his 30s so yeah, I identified with the whole fast living at a young age.

 

And to be honest, after said boyfriend committed suicide, her music helped me a lot through this bad time. I'll forever be grateful for her music cause of that.

 

I always joked with my friends during that time that I've adopted a 'WWLD (what would lana do)'.

 

She's so unapologetic and honest that I really connect with that.

 

 

[Kitten 76]

Really have enjoyed reading all the replies in this thread so far, thus I can't resist making a post of my own. I've related to LDR a ton for a good bit of the time I've been aware of her existence. By "a good bit," I mean it wasn't until I began to truly fawn over her music that it became a huge focal point for me when feeling selfless, deeply in love, confused and hurt, or restless just like my "chameleon soul" self. Good god, don't get me started on the Ride monologue. Lana's music tends to be spot-on with my emotions on living the way I am right now, or the way I have in the past. I guess you could say she has historical value to me. Without her even knowing it, her music has seen me at my worst, made me feel much less alone, and ultimately kept me from going off the deep end.

 

I also connect with some of her darker lyrics pertaining to experiences I haven't had. Perhaps because some other part of me fantasizes about those things? I don't know, maybe there's alternate realities for shit like that. It's certainly interesting to think about, no harm done there. She's explored some questionable themes in her music and has a special talent for taking you there with her. Just one of the many reasons why her work appeals to me so much, because I know pretty much everything she puts out is important to her in some way and it shines through.

 

And yeah, there's pretty much no way I'm not gonna talk about them vocals SO I gotta say, I think her voice has a lot to do with bridging the gap between herself and us, the audience. It's very unique and beautifully angel-esque. It's one thing to be able to belt things out, but quite another to get people to feel with you, as I said in the last paragraph. That's something that comes with a passion for what you do, and when it shines through like that it's hard NOT to pick up what she's putting down- that's whether you have an experience, or damn near nothing in common. Following every little story within her songs really does become personal to a lot of people, like me, regardless.

[Chris Cuomo 3,318]

I've always been painfully shy and socially awkward -it fluctuates often so sometimes I am ridden with social anxiety while on other days I handle it a lot better - and I think people do perceive me as weird because of it or they misunderstand my actions/the way I am as being standoffish, maybe sometimes even rude when that isn't my intention at all. I think Lana falls victim to this as well.

 

The sadness, self reliance, the appreciation for alternative lifestyles, indulging in your dreams and fantasies, self medication with alcohol, self destructiveness, poor relationships and the obsession with true love.