Before I get into my ranking of the Lana Del Rey albums, I would like to point out that these are all my own personal opinions and all other personal rankings of Lana’s albums that you may have are just as valid as mine. This list includes all 9 of Lana Del Rey’s studio albums and does not include any other older EPs or albums that Lana has put out under different names or that were taken out of circulation (I’m looking at you Lizzy Grant fans out there).
9. Born to Die: The Paradise Edition
Born to Die: The Paradise Edition, while having some amazing bops like “Ride” and “Body Electric”, can’t compete with the other albums on this list simply because it’s much shorter. With the initial album’s track list being only 8 songs long while most of Lana’s other works average around 14, the album takes a hit in my book for having less content overall and is more reminiscent of an EP than an actual album. There are also a few songs on here that have never really made it into my repeat listening sessions of Lana’s songs like “Yayo” and “Gods and Monsters”. With the hard task of following Lana’s first studio album Born To Die the album just falls short. . . literally.
8. Chemtrails Over The Country Club
There is so much to love about Chemtrails Over The Country Club, but compared to the rest of Lana’s albums, it fades into the background in comparison to some others that are more outstanding as full albums. The title track is magnificent and also brought us one of my favorite Lana Del Rey music videos. I also think the opening song “White Dress” is one of my favorite songs in terms of her impressive vocals and the lyrics that Lana carries out through the rest of the album. This album to me is more of a marker of the transitionary period in the more ballad and lyric-focused sound that Lana Del Rey has developed in recent years and is more of a precursor to greater albums that precede Chemtrails.
7. Honeymoon
Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon is for lack of a better word just so “Lana Del Rey”. The name of the album itself and the title track of “Honeymoon” being the introduction to the entire album sets the mood of a romantic and glamorized depiction of Lana’s life in LA that makes me imagine myself on a hazy, sunny beach, wearing heart-shaped sunglasses while sipping a sickly sweet pink lemonade. In an interview with The Current, Lana states that for Honeymoon “the mood was the narrative” which I think is the perfect description for the album. The romantic production and instrumentals found in the album on tracks like “Salvatore” and “Terrence Loves You” are, to me, unmatched by many other projects that Lana has done. The only thing missing for me on this album is some of Lana’s infamous storytelling and lyrical abilities that I have come to love so dearly.
6. Lust For Life
Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon and Lust For Life were hard for me to decide between as which would take the 7th and 6th spot on this list. They were both released close to each other, and I think they both have similar vibes in their idealistic romance of California and Lana’s experiences in it, but Lust For Life won out for its sharper edge and its diversity in song production that still represents a cohesive album. Her 5th album also boasts an impressive number of features by artists like The Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, A$AP Rocky, and more. I think these features, rather than take away from the classic Lana Del Rey sound, only add to it in new ways that Lana’s audience hadn’t yet experienced in other albums. Her collaboration with A$AP Rocky in the songs “Groupie Love” and “Summer Bummer” floors me with her ability to navigate a trap beat with her melodic lyrics be able to create a space where even her soft and dulcet voice asserts itself in a space where a lesser singer-songwriter may have gotten lost. Even without the help of her companion singers in this album, tracks like “Get Free” and “Love” stand alone as exceptional examples of Lana’s captivating songwriting. Although this album lacks a clear direction or tone like some of her other albums, it still holds a stellar collection of songs.
5. Blue Bannisters
Oh, Blue Bannisters how I love you! If this was a list ranking how emotional each of Lana Del Rey’s albums made me, this one would shoot straight to the top. I almost can’t believe that this is number 5 on my list because the pastoral grandeur conveyed in this album is worthy of more than just the halfway point of an album list. Since this is Lana Del Rey we’re talking about, it’s going to be really hard from here on out. This album is passionate, warm, and nostalgic in nature but downright heartbreaking at times. From the poetic lyricism of “Arcadia” to the heartbreaking cracks of Lana’s voice in “Dealer”, this album has some incredible high points of remembrance. What I love about this album is it doesn’t feel like it was made for anyone other than Lana herself, and the intimate look inside her life and feelings is such a privileging experience that I don’t mind some of the admittedly odd lines like “’Crypto forever’,” screams your stupid boyfriend” or “Grenadine quarantine”.
4. Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Over Ocean Blvd
As Lana Del Rey’s most recent release, I’m willing to accept the possibility that my current love for this Ocean Blvd is slightly affected by its newness; kind of like a new baby at a family gathering that everyone is crooning over. But to me, there’s an undeniable genius to this album both in its lyricism and unique themes. I love the special attention and affection to Lana’s family and friends that appear on this album, like the entire dedication of a song to her producer Jack Antonoff and his new fiance Margret, and the lyric “Will you be there with me, Father, Sister, Brother?” in “Fingertips” being just a few examples. The overarching theme in Ocean Blvd is the idea of the ability to become a better, happier person after being broken down by traumatic and damaging life events as well as becoming more appreciative of the people and environment around you as a result. This motif, despite the variety of tracks present in the album, is touched on in one way or another in the album’s songs from start to finish. There are definitely some eccentricities in this album like some abrupt tonal shifts and an interesting “Judah Smith Interlude” that is just a pastor’s sermon for the entirety of the song, but this just goes to show the extent of Lana Del Rey’s creativity and care that she’s able to express so expertly in this album.
3. Ultraviolence
Ultraviolence is often the album I hear Lana Del Rey getting the most praise for and for good reason. The album name Ultraviolence itself is taken from the physiological horror film and book The Clockwork Orange and it definitely delves into some of the darker sides of Lana’s artistic expression and events in her life. Many of the album’s tracks use electric guitar which is rare in the entirety of Lana’s discography but is just so powerful and it really fits the grittier and almost hypnotic tone of this album. Lana’s beautiful voice croons smoothly in tracks like “The Other Woman” (a cover song most famously sung by Nina Simone) and “Old Money” but also inserts intense moments of strain in her voice like in “Cruel World” that simply leaves me with goosebumps. This album is an outlier to some of her others in terms of its unapologetic edge and sultry darkness and for that, it is definitely deserving of its top 3 spots; the existence of “Brooklyn Baby” on this album alone solidifies its memorability.
2. Born To Die
Now where would we be without this album? When constructing this list I had to really dig deep into myself to make sure I wasn’t placing Born To Die so high on this list for simple nostalgia on my part, but I assure you I’m not! Even though this was the record that shot Lana Del Rey into stardom for which I’m so grateful, it really is an iconic album. This album doesn’t have any songs that are forgetful or fade into the background, because they’re all unique enough to hold their own while still flowing together nicely. The love song “Video Games” will always be one of Lana’s best love songs and I am fully ready to petition “National Anthem” to replace the Star Spangled Banner. This record has always enraptured me with its campy Americana vibe and its romanticized mid-century aesthetic could feel out of touch if Lana Del Rey wasn’t so compelling and convincing with her sound and songwriting. I think Lana has evolved a lot for the better as a singer-songwriter since the release of Born To Die, but I think it’s still one of the greatest triumphs of her career.
1. Norman F***ing Rockwell!
There was never any doubt in my mind that Lana Del Rey’s Norman F***ing Rockwell! was going to be at the top of my list. It may be my favorite album of all time and I find myself rediscovering its majesty every time I listen. There’s a profound deepness to many of the tracks on this album with a refined sense of nostalgia that reflects rather the simplicity of the paintings of the artist in which this album is named, instead of that of previous references to idealized American commercialism that Lana has so often referred to in past works. The songwriting boasted on this album is some of Lana’s best and the bittersweet complexity found in this album is summed up in one of her best lyrics “Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not/ but, at best, I can say I’m not sad”. Tracks like “Mariners Apartment Complex” and “Cinnamon Girl” wow me not with their intensity but with their delicate authenticity while “Venice B*tch” and “Doin’ Time” mesmerize me with their psychedelic and sweet energy. This album marks the starting point of Lana’s and producer, Jack Antonoff’s, collaboration, and their continued work with each other is I think a testament to this album’s success. There’ve been many sunny summer days that I’ve spent with this album as my constant companion and since I can’t seem to get enough of this album I’m sure I’ll spend many more.