Heroin

[Poor Stacy 11,996]

This one seems to be a hard one to crack. Nice to get a super intriguing, storytelling deep cut from Lana.

[Ultra Violet 18,937]

Shell probably never say what its about but i think it can mean many things for different people. This is why i love it so much.

 

 

"Manson's in the air

And all my friends have come

'Cause they still feel him here"

Probably doesn't need explaining.

 

"Something 'bout this weather made these kids go crazy"

Possible Manson Family reference, weren't the most of his followers quite young?

 

"Oh, writing in blood on my walls and shit"

Definitely a reference to the Cielo Drive/"Tate" murders in 1969, carried out by Manson Family members Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel. Manson had instructed the women to leave a "witchy" sign so Susan Atkins wrote the word "pig" on the front door in Sharon Tate's blood with a towel.

 

i do love this tho

[jvcx 3,644]

Shell probably never say what its about but i think it can mean many things for different people. This is why i love it so much.

 

i do love this tho

Exactly! I got interested in the Manson Family murders again just a while ago and the first time I read the lyrics the possible references got most of my attention, since I'm interested in these kind of home invasion/cult murder cases. Even with the references the lyrics aren't very clear though, so I interpret the story in multiple fictional ways.

a) She's singing about her more or less recent personal loss, possibly an overdose, and as her world is fucked up and dark she dreams of heroin, possibly to escape the reality or even to reunite with whoever she has lost. "Manson's in the air and all my friends have come 'cause they still feel him here" is her being surrounded by people who might relate to Manson's agenda and look up to him in a way, since some people still consider themselves as members of the Family. She could be singing about how uncomfortable she feels around the people she's surrounded by and wants to escape their darkness as well. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of it." Or she could be dropping these references just for the sake of making the story more twisted and interesting.

b) The lyrics take place in an alternative time frame in the late 60's, she's both in mourning and surrounded by people who are identifying themselves as members of the Family. She could be telling her story from within or without the Family, as she recognizes "these kids going crazy" and "writing in blood on my walls and shit" - the lines about dreaming heroin and "lying if I said I wasn't sick of it" could indicate that she's part of the Family, as a majority of them - if not all, I'm not 100% sure on this - used lots of (heavy) drugs. She's a member of the cult/commune, is sick of it and wants to escape the reality, in terms of doing heroin or possibly even an overdose so she'd be done with them for good and reunite with her loved one.

c) Hell, if you let your imagination wander around it could even be reverse Roman Polański/Sharon Tate; she's lost her loved one because of the Manson Family ("writing in blood on my walls and shit") and she's wondering what led these kids into doing something so horrible and possibly some of her friends being part of it. "I put you on an aeroplane destined for a foreign land, I thought that you'd come back again to tell me everything's okay" is about her burying his loved one and dreaming he'd come back, but eventually she realizes he's not and therefore the dreaming of heroin, once again, is her either wanting to escape the reality or committing suicide.

 

The lyrics give a lot of room for one's imagination and point of view so basically there isn't wrong answers. Just because I pay a lot of attention to the Manson references, a majority probably doesn't or at least they don't take it as far as I do. And like I mentioned earlier, she could just be dropping those hints for the sake of making the lyrics more complex and interesting, possibly to draw some attention from those lines that really are personal to her and possibly about her personal experiences. If I remember correctly she said in one of the recent interviews that she doesn't do heroin but then replied "no comment!" when some fan asked her at the Spotify listening party last Thursday. The lyrics could really mean anything. 

[Ultra Violet 18,937]

Exactly! I got interested in the Manson Family murders again just a while ago and the first time I read the lyrics the possible references got most of my attention, since I'm interested in these kind of home invasion/cult murder cases. Even with the references the lyrics aren't very clear though, so I interpret the story in multiple fictional ways.

a) She's singing about her more or less recent personal loss, possibly an overdose, and as her world is fucked up and dark she dreams of heroin, possibly to escape the reality or even to reunite with whoever she has lost. "Manson's in the air and all my friends have come 'cause they still feel him here" is her being surrounded by people who might relate to Manson's agenda and look up to him in a way, since some people still consider themselves as members of the Family. She could be singing about how uncomfortable she feels around the people she's surrounded by and wants to escape their darkness as well. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of it." Or she could be dropping these references just for the sake of making the story more twisted and interesting.

b) The lyrics take place in an alternative time frame in the late 60's, she's both in mourning and surrounded by people who are identifying themselves as members of the Family. She could be telling her story from within or without the Family, as she recognizes "these kids going crazy" and "writing in blood on my walls and shit" - the lines about dreaming heroin and "lying if I said I wasn't sick of it" could indicate that she's part of the Family, as a majority of them - if not all, I'm not 100% sure on this - used lots of (heavy) drugs. She's a member of the cult/commune, is sick of it and wants to escape the reality, in terms of doing heroin or possibly even an overdose so she'd be done with them for good and reunite with her loved one.

c) Hell, if you let your imagination wander around it could even be reverse Roman Polański/Sharon Tate; she's lost her loved one because of the Manson Family ("writing in blood on my walls and shit") and she's wondering what led these kids into doing something so horrible and possibly some of her friends being part of it. "I put you on an aeroplane destined for a foreign land, I thought that you'd come back again to tell me everything's okay" is about her burying his loved one and dreaming he'd come back, but eventually she realizes he's not and therefore the dreaming of heroin, once again, is her either wanting to escape the reality or committing suicide.

 

The lyrics give a lot of room for one's imagination and point of view so basically there isn't wrong answers. Just because I pay a lot of attention to the Manson references, a majority probably doesn't or at least they don't take it as far as I do. And like I mentioned earlier, she could just be dropping those hints for the sake of making the lyrics more complex and interesting, possibly to draw some attention from those lines that really are personal to her and possibly about her personal experiences. If I remember correctly she said in one of the recent interviews that she doesn't do heroin but then replied "no comment!" when some fan asked her at the Spotify listening party last Thursday. The lyrics could really mean anything. 

Yeah she definitely isnt meaning legit heroin in the song. I'd say its just a reference to all drugs- weed and acid probably, which make her feel at bliss and distract her momentarily. 

 

I left out the Manson reference in my LFL analysis cause I thought it would just make it too complex but yeah I'm with your A) scenario. I think Manson could just be the drug reference, and intensity, like how she used Religion as a word to describe her intense love in Honeymoon. Manson in LFL is an intense reference for the situation in Heroin which is so intense its almost like a cult?

[baddisease 17,908]

I feel like if Heroin isn't actually about Heroin, and the references to Manson aren't just straight references, the song would be needlessly edgy.

[evilentity 13,343]

Topanga is hot tonight

I always had a thing for Topanga too.

 

 

 

Flying to the moon again

Calling out @Trash Magic for his faked moon landing conspiracy theorism.

 

Makes me feel like I can change

Oh, oh, oh

All of my evil ways and shit

Thanks for the shoutout, Lana, but as I said in Part 1 of my covers-themed podcast, I'll never change my evil ways.

 

[wraith 7,277]

Isn't she talking about her fans in this song?

[AphroditeBaby 912]

Wow, AMAZING interpretations. This song keeps hitting me, its def. top tier on the album, like top 3 or top 2 with Get Free. Lyrical masterpiece too. I get the sense that this could've been on UV.

I actually think the "ohhhhhhhh"s are perfect how they are and totally make that moment euphoric for me. This bridge + outro are just electric to me... I want her to perform it live and just fucking lose it  

[PrettyBaby 2,219]

I always had a thing for Topanga too.

 

 

 

I thought of her too.

[evilentity 13,343]

I thought of her too.

#oldsters

[Veinsineon 76,650]

the out of tune oooahs fit the theme of being on a rush to me, like she's in her own little world and flowing with it. the song feels like being on heroin

[Beautiful Loser 48,757]

Can someone else hear the white noise right before she starts singing the first line? It's annoying even though it's hardly noticeable.

Makes me think even more that this album was rushed, I mean... why didn't anyone read through the lyrics for Love in the booklet...

 

 

Not that I'm complaining really, I've had the song stuck in my mind all day.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm flying to the moon again...

dreamin' about heroin

probably gave you everythin'

and took your life away.

I put you on an aeroplane

destined for a foreign land.

I hoped that you'd come back

again

and tell me everthing's OK...

[Pluto 1,581]

This song is so dreamy.

[WildMustang 14,759]

What does ":Life rocked me like Mötley" mean?

[Trash Magic 28,355]

I love her infliction on every word of this. Truly transcendental. It legit makes me feel like it's 5am and cold and stormy on the coast every time she chimes in with "Topanga's hot tonight". The atmosphere is crazy. Keiron and Dean did that 

[lernerderrey 2,415]

*bad beginning to my new year* 

[cheaptrailertrashglm 3,524]

Okay Lana's a great writer but she's not THAT deep. Lol.

She writes about cult leaders, nothing new. She's in "the city" NY? Wasn't she in a "cult like" thing in NYC? She could just be referring to that.

She could literally be referring to being on heroin and it taking you "away in an aeorplane" from reality.

She could have known someone who died from an overdose..didn't she work with people trying to get sober as well? Maybe someone she worked with relapsed. Maybe a friend who she got clean with did?

 

With the blood on the walls etc and "tripping" other drugs involved - we know she did other drugs. I don't know if Heroin makes you trip like that but if it does then it still fits. And frankly...she's sick of it.

 

And she gets on an aeorplane to try and get sober again to show that she can really get better and change.

[Just Cherry 3,767]

What does ":Life rocked me like Mötley" mean?

It's a reference to heavy metal band Mötley Crüe

[MoonAgain 872]

the strongest song on the album imo. it sounds straight off ultra

[Beautiful Loser 48,757]

*bad beginning to my new year*

 

I heard "a new beginning to my new year". Interesting!