What Do Each of Lana's Albums Mean to You?

[Make me your Dream Life 88,344]

Title. (So Far)

Record per record, how does each record elicit any feelings from you?

Like for me, more or less,
Born to Die, makes me want to hustle. It's such a chaotic album for me to listen to through and through. I seldom go through the album without feeling a bit anxious (though in a good way) and just simply wanting more from life.

Paradise is well, paradise. It really helps me just detox away my feelings of sadness, doubts and fears. It's like that moment of clarity after having a good genuine sob. I used to listen to it in bed, and fall asleep with it on replay til morning. It's a good way of flushing out a lot of repressed feelings. 

Ultraviolence, I feel has more rage than her other records, and I don't like listening to it through and through, bc it just makes me feel, low. There are so many amazing tracks on it so I listen to it on shuffle most of the time. It's amazing for night drives when I've got so much in my mind. It guides me towards a better place to making peace with problems that come around me. It disturbs me the most as a record, it's a dark place to easily visit, so I usually don't..

Honeymoon makes me feel at peace. I know there are moments in it with subtle friction of lost loves, and attempts of making amends with it, but it just gives me a sense of warmth. Listening to it in downtown really contrasts with it when I listen to it in the suburbs, and I like the duality of what the album brings to it, and I think it's title track, is one of the most eerie and frightening tracks I've ever heard. It really depends on my mental state, but it's just so easy to be sucked into it's soundscape.


I want to know how Lust for Life makes me feel. Right now, the tracks have a somber kind of hope, a sort of awareness, and present-ness with today's day and age. It makes me worry, not because I'm not necessarily used to its sound yet, but just because of the album's apparent integration with our own society even more so than Lana's songs. Maybe because we all have a sense that the world today is more fucked up than it's earlier years. I just hope that Lust for Life brings a solid stream of hope and strength for obstacles that we might all face. 


So, what does each record evoke out from you? 

[Make me your Dream Life 88,344]

I know it's lengthy folks, but feel free to bookmark for future ref if ya wanna 

[white gold 4,242]

each record brings back different memories for me--

 

BTD reminds me of high school and my friends early in college. I remember hearing National Anthem in the back of my best friends car and that song always reminds me of her. This Is What Makes Us Girls reminds me of an awful fight I had with my friends freshman year of college. 

 

Paradise reminds me of this awful twink I knew who would get drunk and be like "lets watch Tropico!!!!!" like all the time. 

 

UV/HM remind me of being hopelessly in love with people who are bad for me. 

 

LFL reminds me of my parents b/c they would think the hippie aesthetic is interesting lol

[Make me your Dream Life 88,344]

each record brings back different memories for me--

 

BTD reminds me of high school and my friends early in college. I remember hearing National Anthem in the back of my best friends car and that song always reminds me of her. This Is What Makes Us Girls reminds me of an awful fight I had with my friends freshman year of college. 

 

Paradise reminds me of this awful twinks I know who would get drunk and be like "lets watch Tropico!!!!!" like all the time. 

 

UV/HM remind me of being hopelessly in love with people who are bad for me. 

 

LFL reminds me of my parents b/c they would think the hippie aesthetic is interesting lol

Nice perspective, it's a nice way of looking bridging everything together 

[Mafiosa 1,090]

love this topic

 

sirens: this album makes me feel like a pure white bird flying through gray haze - frantic, not knowing where to land or where to go. it's a journey down a dirt road in the blue april dawn. it reminds me of rainy days and safe feelings of years past. it gives me eerie vibes, but i love the spookiness and bareness of it. listening is clean, honest. nothing to hide. it can be unforgiving, though, and when i listen i'm often forced to go inward and look at myself. i love listening to sirens on foggy mornings, before the earth has come alive.

 

aka: transports me to my own created home in my heart. where the waves crash blue, the nights fade into black velvet, and the lemonade is sweet under the bright sunshine. aka never fails to make me happy or nostalgic. it's her most "american" work for me and it feels really familiar, like i've heard it before through some cosmic pathway. it reminds me of all things kitsch and brings me immense comfort. i listen to it a lot outside on summer evenings. it's just so carefree, makes me sway contently. i actually get really in touch with my femininity with this album, it's nice.

 

 

born to die: for me, this album represents opulence and absolute glamour. i don't connect it to a particular time in my life, but when i listen to it i can feel the solid gold production in my soul. it's such a loaded album, when i listen i feel like the beats are so heavy hitting and i see such vivid rich imagery, it's like a complete sensory experience. it's the album that can make me feel like a bad bitch gangster queen. although it's definitely a vulnerable album, it makes me feel confident just because of how bold it is. it always makes me excited and puts me in a good, high energy mood.

 

paradise: this album is pristine. it's made of crystal and palm, bathed in the ocean. this one evokes the most connection for me. it reminds of cool fall nights where i would listen to this outside and it would be the happiest part of my days, weeks, months. for some reason, it feels like many many years since i was obsessed paradise. it makes me sad sometimes because i yearn to have those times back. it creates such a lush landscape for me. i was absolutely entranced by the sonic quality of the ep when i first heard it. it's a cinematic lynchian dream that pulls me into another stratosphere where i float on the melodies and strings.

 

uv: wow... this one sparks the most raw emotion for me. brings out something primal almost, my inner wild child. when i listen i experience a slow but sure descent into madness. it reminds me of hot summers, which were confusing but ultimately happy. this album is completely personal to me, i listen and i hear lyrics about me, for me. it's not about relationships, alcohol, etc. it's all me and my anger, grief, anguish, bubbling and spilling over the top in 1 hour 8 minutes. i LOVE listening to uv while swimming, it's so perfect. and i remember listening to it on repeat repeat repeat until all the songs were ingrained in me and spoke something different to me. so yes i love uv for it's unhibitedness and rawness. it's perfect for letting your hair down and getting a bit ugly.

 

hm: honeymoon is sooo dreamy. it makes me super happy because i was on vacation in disney world when it dropped so i had my two favorite things with me: lana and disney . the production has an air-like quality and i find that when i listen i feel like i'm gliding on ice.. it's really nice. hm reminds me of a spring filled with yellow flowers and friendly bees and soft grass. i listen to it while sunbathing a lot! the lyrics on this album are really touching to me & her vocals are stellar. there are so many layers and things to appreciate. this is my go to travel album bc it's easy, beautiful listening. it's an incredible record to lose yourself in. there's no fear or judgment when i listen, just peace and calm.

 

i'll let you know about lfl when she drops

[Make me your Dream Life 88,344]

love this topic

 

sirens: this album makes me feel like a pure white bird flying through gray haze - frantic, not knowing where to land or where to go. it's a journey down a dirt road in the blue april dawn. it reminds me of rainy days and safe feelings of years past. it gives me eerie vibes, but i love the spookiness and bareness of it. listening is clean, honest. nothing to hide. it can be unforgiving, though, and when i listen i'm often forced to go inward and look at myself. i love listening to sirens on foggy mornings, before the earth has come alive.

 

aka: transports me to my own created home in my heart. where the waves crash blue, the nights fade into black velvet, and the lemonade is sweet under the bright sunshine. aka never fails to make me happy or nostalgic. it's her most "american" work for me and it feels really familiar, like i've heard it before through some cosmic pathway. it reminds me of all things kitsch and brings me immense comfort. i listen to it a lot outside on summer evenings. it's just so carefree, makes me sway contently. i actually get really in touch with my femininity with this album, it's nice.

 

 

born to die: for me, this album represents opulence and absolute glamour. i don't connect it to a particular time in my life, but when i listen to it i can feel the solid gold production in my soul. it's such a loaded album, when i listen i feel like the beats are so heavy hitting and i see such vivid rich imagery, it's like a complete sensory experience. it's the album that can make me feel like a bad bitch gangster queen. although it's definitely a vulnerable album, it makes me feel confident just because of how bold it is. it always makes me excited and puts me in a good, high energy mood.

 

paradise: this album is pristine. it's made of crystal and palm, bathed in the ocean. this one evokes the most connection for me. it reminds of cool fall nights where i would listen to this outside and it would be the happiest part of my days, weeks, months. for some reason, it feels like many many years since i was obsessed paradise. it makes me sad sometimes because i yearn to have those times back. it creates such a lush landscape for me. i was absolutely entranced by the sonic quality of the ep when i first heard it. it's a cinematic lynchian dream that pulls me into another stratosphere where i float on the melodies and strings.

 

uv: wow... this one sparks the most raw emotion for me. brings out something primal almost, my inner wild child. when i listen i experience a slow but sure descent into madness. it reminds me of hot summers, which were confusing but ultimately happy. this album is completely personal to me, i listen and i hear lyrics about me, for me. it's not about relationships, alcohol, etc. it's all me and my anger, grief, anguish, bubbling and spilling over the top in 1 hour 8 minutes. i LOVE listening to uv while swimming, it's so perfect. and i remember listening to it on repeat repeat repeat until all the songs were ingrained in me and spoke something different to me. so yes i love uv for it's unhibitedness and rawness. it's perfect for letting your hair down and getting a bit ugly.

 

hm: honeymoon is sooo dreamy. it makes me super happy because i was on vacation in disney world when it dropped so i had my two favorite things with me: lana and disney . the production has an air-like quality and i find that when i listen i feel like i'm gliding on ice.. it's really nice. hm reminds me of a spring filled with yellow flowers and friendly bees and soft grass. i listen to it while sunbathing a lot! the lyrics on this album are really touching to me & her vocals are stellar. there are so many layers and things to appreciate. this is my go to travel album bc it's easy, beautiful listening. it's an incredible record to lose yourself in. there's no fear or judgment when i listen, just peace and calm.

 

i'll let you know about lfl when she drops

This was just beautiful, thanks for sharing   

 

Hey btw, do u know where I can listen to her first two albums? 

[WaitForLife 5,241]

All of her albums are about love for me but every album has different boys and have a different degree of difficulty (from 1 to 10).

UV = 10

HM = 9

BTD = 8

AKA = 8

P = 6

S = 3

[loleetah 4,084]

For me, Born To Die reminds me of my days in mid-high school when it first came out when I listened to it the full way through at least twice a day. I related (and still do) so much to the voice of that album, which seemed to me to be a vulnerable girl wanting desperately for something better than she has which was also who I was at the time. So much of the lyrical content contained things I related to directly- the American dream concept, depression, lost and lingering love, the danger of losing yourself in a world of glamour with a dark underbelly, even just my tendency to wear heart-shaped glasses. I feel like myself when I listen to it. I think for me it will always be the album I run to when I need to feel understood. 

 

As much as I love the other albums, I've yet to form such an emotional connection with them. Lust For Life could change that

[bigspender 8,368]

All of her albums are about love for me but every album has different boys and have a different degree of difficulty (from 1 to 10).

UV = 10

HM = 9

BTD = 8

AKA = 8

P = 6

S = 3

3? 

[expandableclitoris 9,093]

Mean to me like what do i feel or the meaning of the albums? Anyway, this is how i "feel" the albums, how their visuals are constructed in my mind. Resuming, synesthesia.

 

BTD - Autumn. Diet Moutain Dew. Americana.

 

PD - Los Angeles sunset.

 

UV - Winter. Drinking mulled wine. In WC i always have a taste of key lime in my mouth, dont know why. Walking through the city at midnight and buying things at convenience store.

 

HM - Summer. Laying by Malibu beach. In GKIT i feel like i'm watching the shores at night. Also I always have this italian marble pattern around my head

 

LFL - Spring. Folkish, Yosemite park. Camping in the middle of the Canada.

[WaitForLife 5,241]

3? 

It doesn't have that much feeling for me.

[Thunder Revenant 20,961]

Born To Die was the album I became a Lana fan with. I fell in love with Video Games when it hit the radio stations and Born To Die (the track) really got me hyped for this album. I listened the sh*t out of it and I rarely really play it by now. But each song kind of feels like an "old friend" and makes me a bit nostalgic.

 

Paradise has this feeling of both freedom but also fragility for me. I don't listen to it very often, but i really love it when I do - every track evokes so many emotions.
I played that a lot around the time I got my driving licence - I was driving around a lot and I also had a big crush on a straight boy by then. So Paradise kind of was my "soundtrack" by then, as cheesy as it may sound.

 

Ultraviolence is still my favourite Lana album. I was soooo excited during the time it came out, I love the raw, emotional vibe and the more rock-ish, low-fi sound and I love how she really changed up her game for this recoird. It's still among my favourite albums and I love listening to it during summer.

 

Honeymoon feels like the most mature album she has done yet. It's glamorous and I like the "escapism" vibe some of the tracks have, while others feel like a very hot afternoon. It's monotonous when listened to in full, especially the second half, but it's beautiful and every track on it is great. Took me some time to fully appreciate, but by now I love it.

[californianfreak 3,484]

Born To Die was the album I became a Lana fan with. I fell in love with Video Games when it hit the radio stations and Born To Die (the track) really got me hyped for this album. I listened the sh*t out of it and I rarely really play it by now. But each song kind of feels like an "old friend" and makes me a bit nostalgic.

 

Paradise has this feeling of both freedom but also fragility for me. I don't listen to it very often, but i really love it when I do - every track evokes so many emotions.

I played that a lot around the time I got my driving licence - I was driving around a lot and I also had a big crush on a straight boy by then. So Paradise kind of was my "soundtrack" by then, as cheesy as it may sound.

 

Ultraviolence is still my favourite Lana album. I was soooo excited during the time it came out, I love the raw, emotional vibe and the more rock-ish, low-fi sound and I love how she really changed up her game for this recoird. It's still among my favourite albums and I love listening to it during summer.

 

Honeymoon feels like the most mature album she has done yet. It's glamorous and I like the "escapism" vibe some of the tracks have, while others feel like a very hot afternoon. It's monotonous when listened to in full, especially the second half, but it's beautiful and every track on it is great. Took me some time to fully appreciate, but by now I love it.

 

Everything you have just said hits the nail on the head, especially the 'old friend' part - I thought I was a bit odd for thinking that so I am glad other people think it too 

 

---

 

I heard Video Games on the radio at school a few months after Lana's big breakthrough, which converted me from a hater to a fan (I thought she was so depressing and boring and couldn't sing after seeing her The Voice 2012 performance of Blue Jeans - forgive me I was young and incredibly stupid back then, I even mocked a friend for liking her.)

It was the first album I felt an actual connection to, and one that I didn't get bored of so easily. I could always come back to it and I felt a different connection with each song.

 

Paradise converted me from a hardcore fan to a HARDCORE STAN, especially Cola. However, Cola was a bit to slutty for my innocent 14yo ass but those days are far behind me and it is one of my all time favourite songs.

 

UV is like someone who will just listen and always be there if I am feeling down or anxious. There are so many individual tracks on UV which are also special to me for different reasons.

 

HM is a lovely escapist album, one I won't listen to much but if I am wanting to transport myself to a different world then HM is the one I will listen to.

 

LFL has been there for me through a though past year in my life (and Lanaboards). Love especially is such a beautiful song, and is like my Video Games 2.0 - a beautiful song I don't listen to much, but is such a masterpiece which will stand the test of time.

 

(And AKA is also an album I haven't really appreciated until a couple of months ago. I had always loved it but didn't really passionately love it like I love the other albums yet now it is one of my favourite all time albums. I think of it as a younger sister to UV, and is perfect in every way although it would have been more perfect if Smarty/Brite Lites was swapped for Trash Magic ).

[RileyThomas 350]

Each record marks a different stage in my life. This is something that I've only experienced with Lana, and whilst in recent years I haven't been very connected to her music, she's always in my heart and will forever be my favorite artist. 

 

Born To Die; Reminds me of my teenage years, especially with songs like Blue Jeans, TIWMUG, Carmen, SS and National Anthem. It reminds me of the summer and of my freedom before life got serious and it inspired me to be creative through my image and my life in general. Each song was like a movie and it will always hold a special place in my heart for the album that set me off in my own song writing. 

 

Paradise; Such a sexy album! I remember this came out about the same time I lost my virginity and with songs like Cola, Body Electric and Gods & Monsters I can see why. I used to wake up to the artwork every morning as I had a poster of it on my bedroom wall so again it reminds me of being a teenager. It really made me appreciate Lana as a visual artist when Tropico came out and I went to see her live in concert after this album so hearing all the songs live with my Mum holds dear memories for me.

 

Ultraviolence; This represents a really sad time in my life, suffering from depression and anxiety, I cried every time I listened to the song Ultraviolence because the guy I loved didn't know it and we went to the same college and seeing him around killed me "I could've died right there, cause he was right beside me". I also used to listen to it on the extremely long journey to and from work (I used to finish work at midnight and it took a 45 minute bus ride home) again feeling very lonely and isolated from everyone, I only had myself and Ultraviolence as a friend. I still love the album though and I don't resent it despite the hard times.

 

Honeymoon; Talk about life imitating art. When Honeymoon came out I had just moved to University and whilst I was in a better way, I was living life in like a day dream and everything was chaotic, I was chaotic. So listening to songs like 'Salvatore' and 'High By The Beach' I could escape real life and live in the fantasy of Honeymoon and be exported to the stories Lana told, which was easy to do with jazz music. 'The Blackest Day' broke my heart and still continues to do so, I think because again I was lonely, it really felt like "it's not one of those phases I'm going through, or just a song, I'm on my own again, on my own" but Honeymoon is a great album I don't care what anyone says.

 

Lust For Life; So I transferred Universities and moved home to my boyfriend, I got a dog and she's my baby and I take walks every day and life seems so much clearer to me now. Don't get me wrong I get down like everyone, but I'm getting my Lust For Life back and whilst it's a slow process I am working on fulfilling my dreams. I can't wait to carry a new LDR album into my life with me like I have done with every previous one. And like Lana with her features, I might let more people into it.  

[Venice Jesus Whore 4,471]

Born to Die: Summer. Happy days. 4th of July. Fireworks. Youth. Naive. Immaturity. New York. Hollywood Glamour. Nostalgia. Opulence. Home. 

 

Paradise: Winter. Depression. Rough times. Darkness. Loneliness. Lost. Loner. Nomad.

 

Ultraviolence: Summer. Pyschedelia. Dreamy. Florida. Water. Airiness. Black and white. Grey. Darkness. Grittiness. Heaviness. 

 

Honeymoon: Late summer. Autumn. Transition. Night drives. Melancholy. Old cinema. 

[Poor Stacy 12,073]

Born to Die reminds me of being in my last couple years of college & having big dreams for the future. I was yet to fall in love for the first time, so it felt like the beginning of my life, I suppose. I'd recently moved to a big city with no family nearby, & Born To Die felt like a fur-coat-security-blanket. I've always loved the orchestral elements -- the album's always felt very lush, bold, romantic, clean, & driven. There's an energy to this album that takes me back to memories of a new, naive time in my life.

Paradise doesn't leave much of an impact on me anymore. I had just entered my first relationship at the time & was very preoccupied with that. Ride was an important song to me when it was released (& still is, though I don't revisit it as often as I should). Bel Air is the one song I listen to regularly. I swear, sometimes it haunts me. I think of the melody & lyrics all the time. One of my all time favorite Lana songs. This is probably my least favorite Lana release overall, though.

 

Ultraviolence arrived at a time when I was trying to get over my first relationship crumbling. I had graduated college but had to move home because it took me a while to find a job. At the time West Coast was released, I landed a job with a tech company & was sent to California for a month for training. I lived out of a hotel, slowly made a few new friends from my job, & blasted West Coast daily while I drove my rental car on the desert-esque roads. I remember feeling really depressed & isolated at the time, yet faithful that things might just work out. Still, Ultraviolence helped me purge a lot of those dark feelings I was still clinging to. It's not an album I can listen to every day anymore, but it means a lot to me.

Honeymoon is actually a really special album for me. I switched jobs between the release of UV & HM. Before Honeymoon came out, I moved back downtown, in the same city where I'd met my first love. I rented a condo from an older man in a large building. I had a corner unit that was really quiet, overlooking a swimming pool from 7 stories up, with partial views of the city. During that time, I remember feeling really reserved. I was making good money, but I wasn't in the mood to date or talk to many people. I remember sitting on the carpeted floor, looking out the window into the city, just silently listening to Honeymoon. I would go on walks at night or lay out on the building rooftop listening to Honeymoon or having the songs stuck in my head, just living a quiet life -- one that I perhaps was dreaming of during Born To Die, but still feeling very alone, perhaps a little melancholy, but also sort of being content with that.

I listen to Honeymoon regularly still, & it's a mood album for me. Whenever I'm feeling very internal, dreamy, or quiet -- this is always the album I escape to, along with Julia Holter's Have You In My Wilderness.

 

Lust For Life is coming at a strange time in my life. I've become more of a social butterfly -- I have quite a few friends I enjoy, & I'm now familiar with the stability I've built for myself. That said, I can't help but feel a bit dissatisfied. I feel like there's something more out there for me. I'm still single. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want. Like Lana, I can't help but feel a bit mixed up. I'm not exactly sure what Lust For Life means as an album for me yet, either. I just know I love it.

[Doll Harlow 12,367]

Born To Die: It is so infused with Lana's talent for imagery. Her lyrics are so unique to her. This album is a great beginning for Lana Del Rey because it is honest about it's feelings. Even if someone is bad for you, they can still be so intoxicating and add a strange light to your life. Born To Die is Lana showing her soul to the world. This album is satisfying because it affirms that it feels good to take a walk on the wild side, even if it is no good for you.

Paradise: This also really goes into what fascinates Lana. The idea of heaven and the darkness of being human. Good and evil. The concept is an extension of Born To Die and how it romantisizes living dangerously.

Ultraviolence: This album feels like Lana is going through a dark period, which results in raw, almost messy (compared to her previous work) tracks. Instead of repressing this feeling, she pours out her sadness into the lyrics, which get very dark (Ultraviolence) and longing (Old Money). This concept seems to reach a lot of people and gained her many fans.

Honeymoon: This album has a sultry title that is perfect for its content. It ranges from romantic and cinematic to melancholy and trippy. It perfectly captures the essence of being in love and the feelings of betrayal that can result. Many fans dismiss this album, but it really is a gem that gives her discography even more elegance.

Lust For Life: This album is so unique from her other records. It is almost quirky in a way. Taking a different direction was a bold move on Lana's part. It helps deteriorate the myth about Lana Del Rey being shallow and superficial. Lana does not have all the answers about where we are headed, but that is the whole point. This album is a reflection of the times we are in. It is a time of uncertainty. The album is somewhat eclectic, with its variety of sounds and collaboration. This goes along with the theme of the past (Stevie Nicks, Lennon, 60s girl group moments) relating to the present (Weeknd, Rocky, trap beats). Ultimately, this album is about going into the future and having hope that things will be okay. Out of the black and into the blue.

[Icecream Icequeen 4,831]

My straight best friend that I had a crush on introduced me to Lana and Born to Die. So everytime I listen to Video Games it reminds me of him. But overall I was mesmerized by Lana work cause I could relate to the songs, and at that time I was very much connected to This is what makes us girls 

 

UV is the most meaningful for me. Had my first love and boyfriend around that era, and then things didn't work out so UV always brings back tears to me. And I've never fallen for anyone else after that, so I get emotionally crazy at times listening to Cruel World and Pretty when you cry.

 

And now, LFL comes at at time when I'm committed in being sober and truly enjoy life. So BPBP, TNC, Heroin, Change and Get Free get me emotional and strong everytime I listen to it

[PARADIXO 32,976]

I just want to say that Lust for Life is destroying me emotionally.

[ModernBohemian 176]

Paradise - this album reminds of exploring the world for the first time. I remember I was obsessed with the Ride opening monologue and the song. This also coincided with the time I went on my first big trip of my life without my family - to LA (I'm from Sydney). Will never forget driving on Californian highways, all the crazy nights, people I met and heartbreak when I left. 

 

Ultraviolence - reminds me of the time in college where I started to learn to become myself. Looking back, I was still a much lesser and more scared version of myself now, but at that time who I was now - someone more confident, go-getting and free was starting to have it's birth inside of a closetted new adult with no confidence. The album made me feel badass, and also spurred my obsession with New York (Brooklyn Baby / Old Money). Old Money was actually my ex's and I's song, and we flew to New York together with Ultraviolence as the soundtrack of the trip. We broke up there, which in a way of makes Ultraviolence even more beautifully sad when I listen to it. 

 

Honeymoon - I was very lost at this time. I thought I had found myself, but the people I hung around and lack of direction means I felt like I literally floated and I wasted my life for a good year. The album makes me delirious in a good way. 

 

Lust For Life - I finally feel like an adult with well-paying stable job, creative and expansive projects and endeavours. I have lots of friends now and am very confident. I am overly conscious of the world around me - I have a sense of existential hyper-awareness tied with socio-political awareness. I want the world and people around me to thrive, and I want to thrive too, but there end of things is always on my mind.