The memory of my first time seeing Lana Del Rey comes in crystal clear form. I was lying in bed glued to my phone while MTV was running in the background. By fortuitous coincidence, “Young and Beautiful” came on. Thinking the song was unique in a weird but good way, I looked up from my phone to see who sang it. What I saw was a glorious human being, an angel that I have been infatuated with since: Lana Del Rey (formerly known as Elizabeth Woolridge Grant). I then listened to every one of her songs and found a reason to love each one. Here are a few reasons that explain Lana’s perfection.
1. Her “Ride” video literally gave me chills the first time I watched it. The spoken parts at the beginning and end of the video reveal Lana’s more emotional side, and also invoked an interest in me to learn more about Lana since nobody had ever presented her in this light before. Besides being a skilled musician, Lana is a fantastic writer. Here’s one verse for her intro of “Ride”: “I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet, but upon an unfortunate series of events saw those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky that I wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken.” Ugh, “Ride” gives me a whole lot of feels.
2. The men that play the love interests in her videos aren’t what you’d expect. In her “National Anthem” video, ASAP Rocky played JFK, and it was awesome. Many of the love interests in her other videos are old men with beer bellies and/or icy features. There’s also Shaun Ross, the albino model she had star as her love interest in "Tropico." She doesn’t want you to look at someone because they’re traditionally beautiful. The love interests she has star in her videos are odd looking, but they represent a theme Lana constantly reverts back to in her songs: not all love is ethical, and not all love is traditional. For that reason, I think the people cast in her videos are perfect.
3. "Tropico." I was so excited when I heard Lana was making a compilation of her songs on her “Paradise” album into a short film. The day "Tropico" was released, I sat at my computer transfixed. It was violence, strip clubs, Biblical stories and perverted old men. In other words, it was perfection. Not to mention it featured her own poetry in the transitions from song to song, which is always well-written and carries a great story of its own.
4. She is mysterious and alluring. The profile of Lana Del Rey in Rolling Stone magazine made me love Lana 10 times more than I already did. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It will help you understand Lana and the things she chooses to write about. When asked about her controversial song, “F*cked my Way Up to the Top,” Lana boldly said she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. She makes music for herself, not to please anyone else, and that results in a raw, genuine product.
5. She’s so original. She writes songs about whatever she wants, even though songs like “Ultraviolence” are often received negatively by the public. Yes, the song is about being in an abusive relationship and not wanting to leave (“He hit me and it felt like a kiss”), but if music makes you feel uncomfortable, you know that it’s worth talking about. She has also written songs about being an alcoholic at age 16 and having to be sent away to boarding school as a result (“Carmen,” “This is What Makes Us Girls,” “Get Drunk”). Her style is hard to pull off, but it suits her well.
6. Songs like “Bel Air,” “Is this Happiness,” “Old Money,” and “Yayo” are some of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Her voice is low and sultry, and listening to these songs with my eyes closed makes me feel like I’m in a different world. They’re also some of the best songs to listen to when you’re sad. Lana Del Rey just gets it.
7. Her fans make the best videos for her songs. Check out the “You Can be the Boss” video featuring clips from "American Beauty," "The Crush," "Poison Ivy," "Lolita," and more and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The videos Lana edited herself, such as “Video Games,” are also crazy good in the sense that I have never seen anything else even remotely similar to them. In “Video Games,” it feels like Lana’s filming herself from a front-facing iPhone camera, but it all adds to the naïve, inexperienced feel of the entire song.
8. Everything about the girl is beautiful. She can dress up as Jackie Kennedy like she did in her “National Anthem” video and still be a sex symbol. Her personality, talent and style just add to her overwhelming beauty. The fact that she doesn’t put her public life on display for her fans just makes her that much more mysterious and keeps the attention on what’s important, her music.
When it comes to why I love Lana, I could literally go on all day. She is beautiful, talented, intelligent and bold. She says and does what’s on her mind, and sings about topics that many other artists aren’t brave enough to explore. If you aren’t a fan of her, it’s okay. We can’t all be fabulous. I, however, shall continue bowing down to Lana for as long as my worthy queen is still breathing.
