Lana Del Rey is an iconic American songwriter and artist. She has released 9 studio albums with some radio hits as well as music considered to be in the indie genre. I love Lana’s music for its chill-mellow vibes and production, but I also appreciate her poetic songwriting. She can express in one line what I could write an entire essay on; which is exactly what poetry does for me. She uses her songwriting to tell stories of her relationships, glamorize middle-class American life, and relate to her fans.
I saw one TikTok (and multiple others) about how Lana glamorizes dating “emotionally-unavailable losers” and I had to laugh because this is true. She writes her lyrics in a way where she glamorizes these men who are no good for her. She does this in her song “Video Games” where she talks about this man and only mentions the mundane activities they do. She makes him sound like Prince Charming even though he probably isn’t. In her song, “Off To The Races”, she says “He loves me, with every beat of his cocaine heart”. She also writes, “And I don’t know how you get over, get over someone as dangerous, tainted and flawed as you”. She has the ability to write meaningful and “pretty” lyrics about the crappiest guys. Lana continues to sing about emotionally unavailable guys in her song “Norman f*cking Rockwell” where she writes, “Why wait for the best when I can have you?..Your head in your hands as you color me blue”. Throughout the song, she talks about a man in her life who she knows is hurting her, but she still wants him despite knowing she could do better. Another super relatable lyric comes from her song, “In My Feelings” where she says “Sobbin’ in my cup of coffee, ‘Cause I fell for another loser”. Honestly that one made me laugh when I first heard it, but unfortunately it’s true for a lot of people. Sometimes, just calling the guys you fell for losers makes you feel better about yourself and your dating choices.
Along with her writing on relationships, Lana also glamorizes middle-class American life. I grew up in the South, so I have heard the mantra of “American freedom” and “the American dream” my whole life. However, a lot of the people who typically talk about “the American dream” and “freedom” come at it from a different perspective. We are often told the “The American Dream” consists of making a lot of money and working your way up. However, Lana glamorizes freedom and America in a way that makes you proud to be a middle class American citizen. In her song “American” the singer says, “Be young, be dope, be proud like an American”. She also talks about American culture through her song and music video for “National Anthem”. The singer notes an appreciation for American culture but she also critiques it at the same time for the unequal systems that exist. She recognizes how many systems are in place to help the upper class rather than the middle class.
Other music artists, especially rap artists, usually brag about things that are out of the average American’s reach. These things include expensive cars, mansions, designer brands, premieres, big parties, and extravagant gifts. Instead of these things, Lana talks about tangible things that are in reach of the middle class. A lot of these things include simply driving, having a beer, etc. Although, she doesn’t shy away from mentioning random, unhinged things. She even has an older “indie” song called “Queen of the Gas Station” where she literally writes a lyric about Slurpee machines. She has the innate ability to glamorize anything and everything. So, in a world with basic musicians and who sing about out-of-reach things, be a Lana Del Rey.