lana del ray is a perpetual bewilderment of mine. i have come to terms that i may never like her musical style or aesthetic but i was wondering if you would be willing to shed any light on what i perceive to be your fondness of her?
scrambledfishÂ
Okay, Iâm going to preface this by saying I know Lana Del Rey is problematic as fuck (her comments on feminism, shades of cultural appropriation, romanticizing the Lolita trope.) That last one is the main reason I havenât bought any of her albums in their entirety - I canât listen to ten songs of that character, especially when she doesnât add any new dimensions to it.Â
She and Marina Diamandis both ask, âWill you still love me when Iâm no longer young and beautiful?â Marina uses the Bombshell character to reflect on societyâs expectations of women in a tongue-in-cheek way. Lana, on the other hand, is completely ernest. She has submerged her identity in this character - even hoping for tragic results thatâll make it all the more glamorous. Sheâs a consciously, carefully constructed persona. That fakeness is her greatest strength and weakness because, on one hand, she can embody a sound and another world, but on the other⊠how long would you really want to stay in Lanaâs world? Ymmv.Â
As for her music⊠Um, I just really liked Video Games when it first came out? I love the music video. I usually hate when music videos try too hard to be artsy, but jfc. What a brave and effective choice. The way all these discordant elements (images of the 90s and 00s) hold the feeling of the song is beautiful. And thatâs sort of how I interpret all her music.Â
Ultimately, Iâll take a cool, distinct sound over strong vocals because Iâm shallow like that lol.Â
I think why I responded to Video Games in the first place is because the way she describes being in love is how I feel when I really like someone: âIn his favorite sundress/ Watching me get undressedâ, âItâs you, itâs you, itâs all for youâŠâ, âI say, âYou the bestest.â/ Lean in for a big kiss/ Put his favorite perfume onâŠ" Iâll literally watch them play a damn video game lol.
The difference is I donât want (or expect!) to be that enraptured with someone, or in need of their approval, 24/7. But when youâre first with someone thatâs how it feels, and itâs ~NICE. Conversely, she sings about how much it hurts when this ends. There is something so satisfying about hearing emotions that are not âStrong Female Characterâ approved. I just wish Lana expressed a wider gambit of those emotions.Â
The Pitchfork article I posted before by Lindsay Zoladz (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite critics) is really interesting. The focus on Lana starts around the third-to-last pic x .Â
Finally, I hope your apathy hasnât deterred you from checking out Postmodern Jukeboxâs cover of Young and BeautifulÂ
