From the very first promo video for the album to the sprinkle of singles leading up to the release, Lana Del Rey has been toying with fans' hearts. Finally, we have it, and we are impressed. Everything we love about Lana comes through in her music, even more so on this album than ever before. It's my honor to present a dissection of Queen Lana's "Lust for Life."
1. "Love"
The first single off the new album, "Love," is a melodic, fun ballad exploring the carefree nature of a new love. This song is what got us all excited for what was to come, promising a new wave of Lana music that we could play on repeat for weeks on end.
2. "Lust for Life" (feat. The Weeknd)
A long awaited reunion, this single is everything you would expect from a collab between these two melancholic artists. It's sexy, it's dark, and it's fun to listen to. This song is a perfect follow up to "Love" and a great transition to the remainder of the album.
3. "13 Beaches"
"13 Beaches" encompasses all that Lana aims to be. It's cinematic and tragic and highlights her vocals in a perfect way. Lana declares her love for a person in a personal, "get it off my shoulders," type of way and talks herself through the inevitable heartbreak that follows.
4. "Cherry"
This song describes an obsession with someone. Better yet, how a connection can take over every sense when it's good, even when it could be bad for you in the long run. She laces it with exclamations like "f***" and "b****" to emphasize the contrasting nature of the condition. It's dingy but intense and a perfect descriptive song.
5. "White Mustang"
"It's a bummer 'cause I didn't call when I got your number but I liked you a lot" is one of the first lines in this song. Nostalgically navigating through a missed opportunity with someone, this song revisits old feelings and what went wrong.
6. "Summer Bummer" (feat. A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti)
A$AP Rocky is one of the few rappers who could keep up with the likes of Lana Del Rey, carrying his part flawlessly alongside her. Lana describes what feels like a summer fling, begging the man not to be a bummer.
7. "Groupie Love" (feat. A$AP Rocky)
The addressee of this song clearly wants an obsessive partner, someone to worship them at their feet, and Lana is willing to be that for them. It's romantic and impractical but sweet. A$AP Rocky has less of a part in this song than in "Summer Bummer," but adds to it nonetheless.
8. "In My Feelings"
Rumored to be about rapper G-Eazy, Lana complains about wasting her time with another loser. Despite the initial attraction and perhaps even obsession, she comes to her senses and realizes she is "doper" and "freer" than what she's been treated as. Sorry, Gerald.
9. "Coachella - Woodstock In My Mind"
While the title of this song may lead you to believe it'd be about getting into stuff at festivals or something along those lines, it actually has a deeper meaning than that. It talks about the future of the country and our people, and how hope can be more powerful than we may think.
10. "God Bless America - And All The Beautiful Women In It"
This song is empowering and encouraging for women of all ages. Lana sings of togetherness and security within our gender, and at the end, people as a whole. She helps us realize that while there is a lot of bad to look at in the world, there is more good and that's what we should focus on.
11."When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing"
Going along with the revolutionary theme of the album, Lana Del Rey asks "Is it the end of America?" Could be, but we're going to keep dancing with Lana. She then encourages us to hold on to what we believe in until it's better. We'll get through it.
12. "Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (feat. Stevie Nicks)"
A beautiful duet with two extraordinary voices. Stevie and Lana talk about how their problems may be insignificant to whats going on around them. They encourage us to keep going and keep trying.
13. "Tomorrow Never Came (feat. Sean Ono Lennon)"
Lana seems to be channeling a side of herself that we haven't had the privilege of seeing prior to this album. Lana joins with a son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sean Ono Lennon, for a grassy, Beatles-esque song that assures us she will never be done surprising her audience.
14. "Heroin"
This song truly transports you into the escapist part of Lana's mind. "Flying to the moon again, dreaming about heroin," she wishes to go somewhere more whimsical to see her lost love and get away from her nightmarish everyday life.
15. "Change"
This song is relatable to a lot of people in our generation. Lana sings about knowing a change needs to happen, but she doesn't know how to help. There is knowing that you need to care and act, but then realizing that you need to be the one to take the first step.
16. "Get Free"
If it wasn't clear in the title, this song is a liberation. From what? We don't know. For whom? We don't know- but it could be more than one person. It's a great tune and an even better finish to an extraordinary album.
Throughout the album, we have ups and downs and in-betweens. We remember old flames that still burn ever so lightly in our hearts, let out pent-up pettiness towards exes, and get inspired to make a change in our society today. Lana has done it again, to no one's surprise, and we are ever so grateful to be graced with "Lust for Life."