Which song best represents "Lana Del Rey"

[PrettyLies]

Hey guys, so I've always wondered which song of Lana's represents her best and captures every aspect of her style. Whenever I'm introducing her music to someone else I never really know which song to pick, but I try to go for one that I think best represents what she's all about and I personally always go for Body Electric. I choose this one because...

 

- The lyrics show her appreciation for deep poetry and embodies her whole demeanor

 

- She explores her voice a lot (from low and sultry drags to sharp belts)

- The instrumental is just...

 

Everyone might not agree and there's a little more to my choice but I'm not good with descriptions. I'd like to know which song you guys think best represents Lana as much as possible and why. It doesn't necessarily have to be your favorite song.

[May]

Gods and Monsters tbh..

the lyrics are extremely powerful without being too complicated, for example 'life imitates art' is just 3 words but imo serves as a perfect response to all the backlash she got during the BTD era for her "fakeness"

very short and snappy

also when i think of 'lana del rey' the first song that comes into my head is always gods and monsters which says a lot considering i rarely even listen to it.. idk

[letsescapelizzy]

Hollywood perhaps for me..

 

maybe Radio too..

[Flipflopfan]

Video Games. This song made her a star and it's arguably one of the most relevant songs for the 2010's

 

It's very much the essence of LDR without the annoying bad boy trope

[Thunder Revenant]

Born To Die, Video Games, Old Money or The Blackest Day in my opinion.

[AngelHeadedHipster]

I feel RIDE represents Lana the best . The whole message of the song + the monologue represents her soul, her struggle, her success, her downfall, her will to carry on even in the bleakest of times. It's the song that's closest to me as well because it talks about being at war with yourself and since I'm a Gemini it resonates deeply within me. I feel it's an Anthem for Gemini's all over the world written by the Gemini Goddess herself.

/ / I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy
I'm tired of driving 'til I see stars in my eyes
It's all I've got to keep myself sane baby
so I just Ride I just Ride / /

Ride is about Lana narrating her life story, about her difficulty to connect with people, a struggle to find people who have a similar thought process akin to her. It's about feeling trapped within yourself and the only way to experience a release from the prison that is your "mind" is by expressing your "self" through Art regardless of how it may appear to others.

http://thequietus.com/articles/07106-lana-del-rey-interview

Have you always had a dark side, Lana?

Lana Del Rey: When I was younger I felt lonely... In terms of my thought processes. I had the constant feeling that I thought differently to everyone around me. So, I suppose I felt lonely for a home. I didn't know where I wanted to be, but I knew I wasn't there yet. I think that this loneliness set a dark undertone for things to come.

[hello moto]

scarface 

[graham4anything]

YAYO- pre-LDRey and all the versions...

of the Lana Del Rey songs- in somewhat date order

Video Games

Born to Die-

Ride-as another said above both monologues are Lana

American-everybody wants to go fast but Lana is NOT everyone

Once Upon  a Dream shows in this cover the definitive reading by Lana

Brooklyn Baby- and if you don't get it you can beat it, beat it baby

Salvatore= which shows Lana to be THE Trailblazer that Billboard magazine awarded - And everyone else is way behind her when she cranks her head and glances back

[leenb]

Honestly.... Gods & Monsters, Cola, Ride or Brooklyn Baby. They are so very lana. Or Video Games.

[PinkVelvet]

ride

[TRASHBABY]

ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Macintosh Manhattan]

Probably Video Games. The whole song and video basically epitomizes her whole persona,aesthetics and unique views on life.

 

Ride,Blackest Day,West Coast are other tracks that defiantly represent and define her....  

[Creyk]

She literally said Video Games is her own musical representation

 

If you want to turn them into a stan show them Brooklyn Baby or Old Money though

[GodBlessMe]

Honeymoon, Video Games, Brooklyn Baby or Yayo

[PARADIXO]

[CriesMarmalade]

Live Forever/Golden Grill epitomizes the ultimate Lana to me, although I don't think it represents most of her work thematically or musically (not anymore, at least). This combination of a classic, jazz-infused pop sound with the gangster-themed imagery is just something Lana does so well, and the song really showcases her vocal range too. I feel the same way about The Man I Love.

 

If I had to pick one that really represents her discography it would probably be Body Electric, or Shades of Cool.

[BabyTonight]

Video Games

Gods and Monsters

Ride

Summertime Sadness

Freak

West Coast

Florida Kilos

[Say Yes to Heaven]

Well I usually go for a song that portrays whatever aesthetic she's going for that era. If someone was going to listen to BTD for the first time i'd show them Hollywood or Live or Die, because they both have powerful lyrics and are extremely catchy (so they'll get it stuck in their head and look for it online which would lead them to listen to unreleased and we would gain a fan ) anyways, the song that SCREAMS Lana Del Rey to me is West Coast

[TRENCH]

Born To Die 

Ride

Video Games

very basic but these 3 songs wrap up, overall, her little "universe" well

[LittleFool]

Video Games - Essential nostalgia

Ride - Essential pretentiousness

The Blackest Day - Essential sadness