THE *HONEYMOON* ERA

[CrazySister 2,239]

I'm really glad that I became a fan in the Honeymoon era. Even tho the songs didn't get me at first sight, I knew it was a very beautiful album. I didn't hear so much as the rest of her stuff, but Honeymoon was the one I liked to look for it the most: I used to read the lyrics all the time and always admire the whole aesthetic around of it (photoshoot, album trailer, honeymoon account ). Part of this was probably, not just because I loved all of that, but also because this album brought me a little light. You know, I love BTD and UV, their beats and guitars exalted such a fire and rush feeling that it would be impossible to not fall in love with them. But Honeymoon had this peaceful, bright aura towards of it that I was really needing in my life at the time it came out. That's why it will always have a special place in my heart and I will always be thankful for Lana have made this beautiful masterpiece. My favorite song used to be God Knows I Tried, but nowdays I don't really have one (I can't decide anymore! Everything it's so good! Even Art Deco has your own little glow, I admit. ). Oh! I also like to think that it's Lana in her most "Lana Del Rey" persona .

 

Now that it comes LDR5! I'm sure that it will be as amazing as Honeymoon and I'll love it just like the rest of her art!

[floridashore 88]

The era was pretty calm, which made sense bc that's the way the songs are. The album is so beautiful and dreamy as well as feeling really personal and sincere which is what I like most about it! As soon as the song Honeymoon was released I was in love- the strings in it sound so pretty without being overdone. It'll always remind me of the summer it came out which was a really happy time for me!

 

Also haha I was in Portofino around the same time Lana was, right after HBTB was released- I saw candids of her there on tumblr and thought she'd still be there the day I was, so I spent the whole day hoping I'd see her! but I guess I'm just unlucky bc I never did. But yeah when I listen to HBTB i remember that day

 

I'm so excited for LDR5!!! Especially for the music videos bc Lana always comes through on visuals 

[frankie 1,782]

the level of hate for this era... far too much

 

when i first heard about honeymoon (my first knowledge of it was a leaked tracklist on tumblr during like june/july 2015) i was just excited lana was still making music lol. and then when the title song was released (leaked? dont remember if it was released before the album on purpose or if somebody found it) i remember thinking how painstakingly slow it was but it was really beautiful and that made up for it. i love honeymoon as a song but im sooooo thankful the whole album wasnt like that

 

i genuinely cant pick a best song from this album. definitely her best or second best album. ive listened to it in entirety several times and the only songs i didnt really care for were music to watch boys to and swan song

 

honeymoon, terrence loves you, god knows i tried, high by the beach, freak, art deco, religion, salvatore and the blackest day ALL took turns scalping me like every week or so. once i got tired of one track i fell in love with the next, then another one, then another one 

and honestly? id love an album with songs similar to religion. religion was kind of an oddball track on honeymoon like it didnt really fit in much, but i liked it alone

[Bootynugget 2,926]

what era

 

i remember freaking out over hbtb but the rest is a blur

Literally, exactly this. 

 

HBTB was such a weird single because I feel like it had nothing to do with the rest of the album. It's a gr8 song though and probably my most listened to one, alongside Art Deco. I did enjoy the Freak video and the VOGUE TURKEY photoshoot (idk how some of you don't like it). This era was quite uneventful honestly. I hope she doesn't serve me another Honeymoon for the next album I just never listen to it or even remember it happened. 

The worst thing is still that ugly album cover, honeymoon who? I don't know her. Love Lana tho xoxo Queen 

[LAman 3,223]

My favorite parts of this era were listening to the album several times at the beach and in the car at night/in the rain. I also love the feeling I got from this album while watching vintage surf films. So much nostalgia with this album now. I kind of had to rely on myself for the visuals, so I understand why people are upset. If you find the right visuals for yourself, then this album is golden.

ACTUALLY my favorite part from this era was SEEING LANA LIVE AT THE BEACH!!!! Can't believe i didn't write that first.

[riina 1,056]

I loved HBTB music video, it was so different from what we have seen before! She has also served some beautiful looks and the dance girls were cute   All around lovely, mellow era, I'm more than ready for some action now

[triangles19 2,455]

I think it was her most coherent album so far. It's my favorite.
I loved the graphic design ambiance and the videos. My fav song's still Honeymoon and Swan Song.

And I danced on this record more than BTD or UV.
I'm really trustfull for its successor, but I really don't want some overproduced sht like BTD... W&S

[Daisy Hearted 1,722]

To be honest I did like the record for the most part, save for a few songs, but the era itself was not as fun and interesting as the BTD era and UV era

[Sitar 22,213]

God Knows I Tried shoulda been sent to Dan Auerbach and Religion hurts my ears

 

But this album only needed some minor tweaks to be so much better. It reminds me of Paradise in that respect, whereas both BTD and UV were labored over, reproduced, perfected.

[Paris Hilton 9,873]

Honeymoon is a good album. It has something magical in each song has something that makes it aesthetically beautiful. Her vocals are so heavenly.

[sparklrtrailrheaven 9,065]

Am I the only one who didn't mind the cover? It wasn't my favorite, (and I liked the UO vinyl cover more), but I thought it put across the feel of the album well, and was very pretty.  

[SparkleJumpropeNoose 8,750]

honeymoon is my favorite album of hers to be honest. i wish there were more music videos for it though, songs like art deco and swan song could've had some dope videos

[Flowerbomb 65,594]

Quick note: Compared to her previous albums, Honeymoon was quite different. More slower, more elegant, more down to earth and real. I get how some fans don't really like it, and that's cool. But I think it had a real aura of opulence to it.

 

SOUND: Obviously it's slower and less commercial, but I think it was insanely beautiful in many ways. The string arrangements were superb and cinematic and her voice soared like an angel over the muffled 'hip hop' beats. Her voice really reached great lengths, especially in 'Honeymoon' and 'God Knows I Tried'. Although the album isn't my favourite, I can appreciate the work that was put into the whole production process.

 

LYRICS: The album wasn't lyrically as strong her previous albums and I found many words to be too repetitive however there weren't bad lyrics. Just meh. You can't really visualise a story with the lyrics and I think it lacks memorable lines.

 

AESTHETIC/VISUALS: The aesthetic was very clear. It was elegant and bright. Red, blue and white. Very patriotic to me.

When I listen to this album, I picture two lovers travelling across the country, wild in love. However towards the end of the album it feels as if these two lovers are drifting apart and Lana is yet again on her own, yearning a lost love. But it makes it more cinematic, I think.

 

The photography for this album was okay. It wasn't the best. The album cover colours were vibrant however I felt there was too much text and it kinda ruined the picture. I adore the picture of Lana on the back of the album, though. But I think more could have been done to bring the era to life.

 

COMMERICAL SUCCESS: I think overall the album was a let down in regards to promotion but then again, it's not a commercial sounding album so that's kinda expected. It didn't do as well, let's be honest. I think the album suits an acquired taste.

 

I'm sad she didn't do a Honeymoon world tour, I think so many amazing visuals could have been thrown in there. It could have been like a movie, filming all the concerts and release it on DVD or something, idk.

 

FINAL THOUGHT: Although it's not my favourite album and era, I can greatly appreciate the work that has been put into it. It's beautiful, dreamy and romantic. I don't really listen to it that much but it'll always have a special place in my heart.

[National Anthem 9,904]

that double punch of Freak + Art Deco and the flawless transition between made the whole era worth it

 

no but honestly Honeymoon is such a fantastic album

[Starsx 1,849]

I think it was her most coherent album so far. It's my favorite.

I loved the graphic design ambiance and the videos. My fav song's still Honeymoon and Swan Song.

And I danced on this record more than BTD or UV.

I'm really trustfull for its successor, but I really don't want some overproduced sht like BTD... W&S

 

Huh?

[slang 1,532]

i actually quite like the cover. lana even describes the album as surreal, and impersonal. a bit like the poetic acoustic songs she wrote <2011 with little lyrical structure. it's a distance from the very personal BTD and UV, and that's why i feel her smallness in the HM cover makes a lot of sense. 

 

i adore the colors, but something in the lighting feels artificial. i think that's where i dont like it

HM's cover art, as you say, is intended as a (literal) distancing from viewing LDR as a glamor object, while in fact she asserts the opposite from her Starline Tours context (an actual company). It seems intended to jar her fans, imo. So just in terms of doing something it intends (hypothetically speaking), it's very successful, though people may not like it. It will be interesting to see what LDR does next, cover wise. Does she revert to glamor, try something even more abstract than HM, maybe even dwindling to non-existence, or hopefully some whack combination we know she's capable of. But seriously, the cover of HM was pretty good. For comparison purposes, Pure Heroine's cover is the definition of not trying, imo, and at the end of the day isn't a big Adele head just a big Adele head? At least Magritte put that big green apple in a room. Taylor's 1989 cover is an interesting cover for comparison, because it's seeming to do something similar, which is to say Taylor is de-emphasizing her physical self in a rather peculiar, though mundane and familiar way. 

[missdelreyxo 3,786]

the best album sonically lyrically and overall story progression and maturity even who hates on it doesnt understand it haha

[Ultra Violet 18,991]

THANK YOU

We all need to appreciate HM more <3

 

My favourite parts of the era were:

 

• How Lana kept talking about it, giving hints, etc, about the music direction she was heading in, the Honeymoon Hotline, etc.
• How active she was before and during this era
• How lots of other stuff was released around the same time to compliment it (Prisoner, Big Eyes, I Can Fly, Wait For Life)
• Freak and The Blackest Day will never not give me chills
• Her live shows during this era were amazing
• The uniqueness- yes her previous albums are unique but HM managed to make her music style even MORE unique so dont argue with me here.
• The HBTB shoots, and aesthetic
• The insight this album gave us into Lana's personal life and fears, etc. It was less upfront (to some of ur dismay), but for a good reason

 

Some other things I should mention:

• I liked the idea of the photoshoots for Honeymoon, and I totally get the whole 'distant, dreaminess', but I do like to see her face more :')
• The art in the album booklet was kinda like a colourful Ultraviolence. which was cool, but I hope the next can be a bit different. 

[Thunder Revenant 20,950]

I love the live version of HM she did on her little festival tour. A shane there is no high quality video because those squealing fans don't care for music. At this point she could just not perform anything, noone actually listens.

I hope we get something along the lines of this live version for LDR5

[Veinsineon 76,897]

the Cover I would've preferred: