Lust for Life-- Early Themes and Changes Discussion

[Stargirl 13,351]

In Lana's recent interview with Les Inrocks magazine, Lana mentioned that she'd be working on (the song) Lust for Life for a long time and that it had gone through phases even before she added Abel to the track 

 

"Of the blow, I have let myself go a little with the song Lust for Life… I have worked on it on multiple days a week for one and a half year. It has passed every stage, it has started with a futuristic and dark vein like Blade Runner. Also, I have decided to return to a radiant Shangri-La like style… After working for some months, Abel (The Weeknd) joined to add his part. This song became my baby, an unmanageable and maleficent baby which made me crazy. I quickly understood that this album would sound like a trip, a mix."

 

Due to the delay and the constant thematic changes we've seen between the trailer, music videos, album cover, and lyrical style, she has obviously made a lot of changes to the album as a whole. 

 

As far as the previous Blade Runner meaning to Lust for Life, as someone who loves + has studied science fiction, this is my analysis of what it might have resembled before she changed the theme around (although some elements, I suspect, still remain) 

 

From an older post in the iconic pre-release thread:

 

The line "They say only the good die young, that just ain't right" might refer to the fact that replicants had a limited lifespan, of only around four years" from wikipedia: " Late in the film, Dr. Eldon Tyrell states that the lifespan limitation cannot be circumvented, and any attempt to circumvent the limitation kills the replicant during the procedure."

 

But the lyrics defy this in a sense, in that Lana's "Lust for Life" will keep her alive. Although maybe the fact that in the video she kills herself (Abel is there with her) either implies that A. She might as well be happy in death with her beloved, and maybe there's a heaven after all or B. A common science fiction trope, somehow her and Abel were uploaded into some sort of computer simulation to live together forever (anyone seen Black Mirror?) 

 

A video parallel between the movie: it's in the eyes. The Lust for Life video begins with a zoom out from space, into the depths of Lana's eyes (and psyche), and then to her face mid surrealist performance in blue space 

 

 

 

The digital distortion of the video is also reminescent of the cyberpunk dystopian aesthetic not only imagined by authors like Philip K. Dick (who came up with the original story for Blade Runner in his book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" but also authors like William Gibson (Neuromancer) and Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon, which is getting a Netflix series soon)

 

 

quick thought: I always thought this motion looked particularly forced + robotic, but maybe it's not. I discussed this a bit with @roctab in the main thread, how the scifi theme parallels how she, in real life, wants to break away from her "programming" (ie the script that she was told to follow to garner fans and impress the general public) and escape to a place where the "world is hers"

 

Anyway, my conclusion is this

 

 

Robots

 

Other than that, what other inspirations and themes do you think Lana cycled through for this era. I know that The Love Witch HAS to be one of theme, especially with the trailer, but I'm not an expert on the occult so maybe there are better contributions there that are not my own.  

 

[reputation 6,321]

This can literally go in the pre release thread lmao smh

[salvatore 21,769]

i dont have too much to add (anything) but i love how passionate u get with this and how YOU this theory crafting is, like its right up ur alley and 200% your calling 

 

 

also love the sig change <3

[Stargirl 13,351]

i dont have too much to add (anything) but i love how passionate u get with this and how YOU this theory crafting is, like its right up ur alley and 200% your calling 

 

 

also love the sig change <3

Thank you bb <3 Yeah, I'm dual studying Eastern European history with my major but I've thought about instead switching over to Slavic Literature or something and writing a thesis on Soviet scifi, which is probably my favorite. I love overanalyzing things (hence why I'm an analytical science)

[Make me your Dream Life 88,727]

I'll be honest, I never really thought too much of the themes this album cycle, aside from the album trailer we got earlier this year. I was so excited for that kind of theme, but now with the album cover, which I do love, it just doesn't seem as cohesive aesthetically.

Is it old Hollywood glamour? Vintage? Space themed? It just seems jumbled up altogether right now.

Though, I do like how more she's being philosophical with her music, from what we've gotten so far.

Enjoying life, sharing love as a means to go on, and trying to flourish by doing well for yourself. If we count Coachella, she takes more of a global stance, and asks why things have gotten so bad. Everything's been so cherishing, and having it motivate me to do well in life is kinda like an angel's blessing, straight from her heart into our ears.

Even more so than her past work too



 

[Cloudbusting 5,382]

I don't even know if Lana has an specific theme in mind. What I like about all of this is that she's taking more risks, ans now she's not only the sad, glamorous girl we've known since BTD, she now chooses to be a witch, a singer on the moon or even a robot 

[Stargirl 13,351]

I don't even know if Lana has an specific theme in mind. What I like about all of this is that she's taking more risks, ans now she's not only the sad, glamorous girl we've known since BTD, she now chooses to be a witch, a singer on the moon or even a robot 

glamorous witchy robot singing on the moon

[Sitar 22,218]

Due to the delay and the constant thematic changes we've seen between the trailer, music videos, album cover, and lyrical style, she has obviously made a lot of changes to the album as a whole.

 

Y'all we gotta stop this narrative now, there's just nothing to support it. I doubt she's changed much of anything recently. Love, the album trailer, and Lust For Life visuals all touch on a subtle cosmic/sci-fi aesthetic, and the political themes she'd discussed from the beginning look to be very present in the tracklist. Sure there are relationship songs (Cherry, White Mustang), but they're thematically related to Best American Record enough to not be an afterthought. Perhaps a year ago she was putting together an even more sci-fi influenced album but allowed it to naturally progress away from that the more involved she began to feel in the world. But she was never gonna serve a full concept album of WITCH, SPACE, WOKE or anything neat like that. She's always blended her inspirations in a completely inimitable way and I think she's doing the same with Lust For Life by writing/visualizing what interests her and allowing it to authentically represent her instead of chasing a theme. Fact is, in the end the album will come together as a cohesive vision, just like HM did when everyone was confused about High By the Beach. Plus we knew about all the clashing themes and imagery before the delay.

[Stargirl 13,351]

Y'all we gotta stop this narrative now, there's just nothing to support it. I doubt she's changed much of anything recently. Love, the album trailer, and Lust For Life visuals all touch on a subtle cosmic/sci-fi aesthetic, and the political themes she'd discussed from the beginning look to be very present in the tracklist. Sure there are relationship songs (Cherry, White Mustang), but they're thematically related to Best American Record enough to not be an afterthought. Perhaps a year ago she was putting together an even more sci-fi influenced album but allowed it to naturally progress away from that the more involved she began to feel in the world. But she was never gonna serve a full concept album of WITCH, SPACE, WOKE or anything neat like that. She's always blended her inspirations in a completely inimitable way and I think she's doing the same with Lust For Life by writing/visualizing what interests her and allowing it to authentically represent her instead of chasing a theme. Fact is, in the end the album will come together as a cohesive vision, just like HM did when everyone was confused about High By the Beach. Plus we knew about all the clashing themes and imagery before the delay.

I mean, she said so herself in her recent interview that she's made changes. I'm not arguing that that's a bad thing, or that the album should be more cohesive. I just made a playful thread to discuss possible influences for the era before and after those changes were enacted. And there have definitely be changes. People even outside of the fandom have discussed whether or not the Lust for Life video/trailer is related to Peg Entwistle or not. It's fun to speculate. 

 

I think you're interpreting me as being one of the posters who is against her recent collaborations, or romantic themes in her music. I'm definitely not. Cherry + Groupie Love are set to be favorites for me, and there's not a definitive theme that we know of with those. But so what if people want to talk about Groupie Love + Summer Bummer being related to A$AP Rocky as JFK, or White Mustang and Best American Record being tied together. Lana has had many themes this era and they don't have to be cohesive, but as we know from the past with songs like Body Electric, Lolita, and even the title of Ultraviolence, Lana is inspired by pop culture. There's no narrative. I'm just having fun. I'll make a note to not do that next album. 

[Sitar 22,218]

I mean, she said so herself in her recent interview that she's made changes. I'm not arguing that that's a bad thing, or that the album should be more cohesive. I just made a playful thread to discuss possible influences for the era before and after those changes were enacted. And there have definitely be changes. People even outside of the fandom have discussed whether or not the Lust for Life video/trailer is related to Peg Entwistle or not. It's fun to speculate. 

 

I think you're interpreting me as being one of the posters who is against her recent collaborations, or romantic themes in her music. I'm definitely not. Cherry + Groupie Love are set to be favorites for me, and there's not a definitive theme that we know of with those. But so what if people want to talk about Groupie Love + Summer Bummer being related to A$AP Rocky as JFK, or White Mustang and Best American Record being tied together. Lana has had many themes this era and they don't have to be cohesive, but as we know from the past with songs like Body Electric, Lolita, and even the title of Ultraviolence, Lana is inspired by pop culture. There's no narrative. I'm just having fun. I'll make a note to not do that next album. 

 

Sis I don't care about the theories, but the more we perpetuate "Lana delayed the album to make changes," the more of a disservice it does to her actual vision. I'm simply saying that I don't think that happened. It's just a thematically scattered album from the jump.  Quoting you with my thoughts is not a personal attack, I was responding more to that mentality which I've seen a lot throughout the pre-release thread. Good to hear you don't fall into that.