My queen. My beloved, Elizabeth Grant (Lana Del Rey), is releasing her ninth studio album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd on March 10, 2023. She released the lead single for this album with the same name on Dec. 7, and as a person with access to her private Instagram account, you can tell I am very excited.
One can assume that being an artist is hard, but being a woman in the industry introduces an entirely different set of issues that are often written about. Simply put, Lana Del Rey’s new single is a song about begging to be remembered. Throughout the song, she continuously asks the listener if they are aware of the “tunnel under Ocean Boulevard,” which is an actual tunnel that is now hidden in California called “Jergins Tunnel.” Built in 1927, the tunnel is no longer used and isn’t functional after all these years. In the chorus, Del Rey wonders when it will be her turn to be forgotten and to fade into obscurity.
While listening to this song for the first time, I couldn’t help but relate it to one of my favorite songs by Taylor Swift featuring Phoebe Bridgers, titled “Nothing New.” The song is also about fading from the public eye and not being as new, shiny, and interesting as you once were to people who used to adore you. While “Nothing New” tends to focus on the industry side of things, Del Rey’s new single, I feel, relates to all aspects of being a woman today. The repetition of “When’s it gonna be my turn,” conveys to the audience that her being forgotten and buried away in people’s memories is inevitable, and she is essentially just waiting for her time to come. That does not stop her from pleading with the listeners to not forget her and to “love [her] until [she] loves [herself].”
I have had this song on repeat since she announced its release, and I can’t wait for all the other heart-wrenching songs she has on this upcoming album. It has allowed me to reflect on the fact that the woman’s experience isn’t a lonely one, and there are women as iconic as the Elizabeth Grant who can have these experiences and translate them into lyrics for everyone to relate to.