Tag Archives: lana del rey

Songs to get you into the Pop Girls

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2024 has been one of the biggest years in music, almost every mainstream artist dropped a new album. With women dominating the awards ceremonies and charts in music, I thought it would be interesting to pick a song from different artists. A song that would help a person get into their music and understand their style.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest pop star in the world right now. With her record-breaking “Era’s Tour” and her 4th album of the year at the Grammy’s, she is at new heights in her career. I am a fan of Taylor’s earlier albums, especially when she was blending genres and making country pop/pop rock songs. “Haunted” from the album Speak Now is a beautiful song and a personal favorite of mine. The instrumentals include violins and rock-style guitars. The lyrics depict a relationship that haunts Taylor in her current life even though that person is long gone.

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo is the next big thing in pop music. Her debut album of eleven tracks released three years ago is the most streamed female album on Spotify. Her thoughtful lyrics and 2000’s themed aesthetic, make her stand apart from other young up-and-coming artists. “making the bed” is a confessional ballad where Olivia discusses the issues she faces in her daily life. However, she admits that all her issues stem from her decisions. The instrumental is very simple but it also allows the message to shine through.

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey, “The Queen of Alternative Pop”, is known for her iconic, unique vocals and 1950s Americana aesthetic. Her lengthy discography made one song difficult to choose. “Mariners Apartment Complex” is a romantic ballad about loving a person even though they have their own deeper issues and wanting to help them. Not only does Lana want to guide her lover through a dark time, but she wants him to do the same. This is not a typical piano ballad, the pleasant guitars coming in at certain parts of the song provide a hopeful tone.

SZA

As an R&B icon, SZA has cemented herself as a distinct vocalist and lyricist. Her switching between genres during different songs on a record allows a person to see how versatile she truly is. “20 Something” has a wonderful, ethereal instrumental like much of her debut album Ctrl. SZA sings about how she hopes her 20s won’t change her for the worse. SZA explains how she wants to keep the rest of her friends, which is a relatable feeling to growing up.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is known for her incredible vocal range sung over trap beats. The song “in my head” from Thank U, Next perfectly sums up her music style. She belts out high notes that blend into the production, with braggadocious lyrics like “Boy, I invented you. Gucci tennis shoes, running from your issues”. Ariana is the typical IT girl and it is reflected on this song.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is clearly the most unique artist from Gen Z. Her soft vocals and creepy production has become a signature. However, I personally find her best songs to have a more classical production. “TV” is a song about being so depressed you do not want to do anything except watch TV. The song has a gentle guitar instrumental, with heartbreaking lyrics like “I’ll stay in the pool and drown so I don’t have to watch you leave”. 

I hope you give these songs a listen and love them as much as I do.

Album Review: Born to Die

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Born to Die by Lana Del Rey was the 5th best selling album of 2012. Released soon after the success of her debut single “Video Games,” Lana’s old Americana aesthetic, emotional vocals, and descriptive songwriting, captured the world’s attention in the album Born to Die. With just 12 songs, she was able to set herself apart from the more positive artists that were trending like Katy Perry, who dominated early 2010’s music. This is most likely why is considered to be indie or alternative despite making pop songs. Here are some of the standout tracks:

Video Games: The song that catapulted Lana del Rey into the mainstream, “Video Games” is a somber pop ballad that describes the archetype of her lover ignoring her to play video games. But instead of leaving him, she decides to keep trying to get his attention. The production is slow and sad, yet hopeful.

Radio: One of Lana’s most commercially successful songs. Lana recalls how after she became famous everyone started praising her, even those who doubted her before. She sings about how her life is “sweet like cinnamon.” This has a typical pop song structure however the production sounds a bit more unique and melancholic.

Dark Paradise: This is another example of Lana’s melancholic style. In “Dark Paradise,” she sings about a lover who passed away. He haunted her dreams and she fears they will not see each other in heaven. She also questions how she is to move on until they see each other again.

Summertime Sadness: This is inspired by Lana’s love for California summers. She sings about enjoying her life and the summer ending is bittersweet because of all the fun times she had. She says “If I go I’ll die happy tonight.” This perfectly describes how the summers satisfied all the experiences she wanted in life.

Lana del Rey is one of the most influential pop artists of all time. Her style has influenced Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Madison Beer, all young up and coming female artists. She is proof doing something different from what is trending will make you timeless. I hope you love this album as much as I did.

Album Review: Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey

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In March of 2023, singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey her ninth studio album, titled Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. This Americana-pop and alternative pop album includes collaborations with artists Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, SYML, and Riopy. Ocean Blvd (short for Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd) has what is perceived to be a more mature, conversational, and raw lyrical style compared to Lana’s previous albums; and in addition to its pop style, includes influences of folk, gospel, and trap.

In Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey’s songs touch on themes including family, grief, loneliness, heartbreak, and growth. Following are a summary of a few tracks on Ocean Blvd:

Track 1: “The Grants” – a tribute to Lana’s family and beloved ones on this song as she recounts her memories with them.

Track 8: “Kintsugi” – a song about Lana’s grief and growth from the death of her family members. She relates this to kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the broken parts with lacquer dusted with gold, silver, or platinum.

Track 13: “Margaret (feat. Bleachers)” – written about Lana’s longtime collaborater Jack Antonoff’s fiancé, Margaret Qualley. On this beautiful love song, Antonoff is featured as part of the band Bleachers.

Track 15: “Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)” – a fun and catchy track sampling Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis’s song “Angelina.”

In conclusion, Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd ended up being one of my favorite albums! It has a very mature sound and a variety of unique sounds on each song. If you enjoy any of Lana Del Rey’s music, I would definitely recommend this album for you!

-Lam T.