I usually avoid sharing my music preferences because it brings out all the elitist music snobs and their unwelcome feedback:
- You listen to that? If you ever want to hear the good stuff, I’ll let you borrow my Dave Matthews Band CD.
- WE DIDN’T LISTEN TO CRAP IN MY DAY! THERE’S NOTHING BUT GARBAGE ON THE RADIO!
- Drake doesn’t hold a candle to Tupac.
- I only listen to bands no one’s heard of because enjoying any mainstream music would damage the reputation that only I care about.
- I remember when MTV actually played music videos. Merciless agonies! Why must I now use my smartphone or computer to access my sweet, sweet music videos?!
Yet sometimes when I like an artist enough, I want to share it with everyone I know in the hope they’ll come to love that artist as much as I do, or at the very least, find a new channel to check out on Pandora. So today I’m going to gush about Lana Del Rey, because even though I know she’s amazing, she’ll forever be haunted by her performance on Saturday Night Live in 2012, and I want to help everyone move on with their lives.
Her songs are captivating and cinematic, and her voice is like a phone sex operator who you also want to read you a bedtime story: sultry and soothing at the same time. Listening to Lana Del Rey makes you feel like you’re taking a hot bubble bath in a tub deep enough to cover all your body parts while someone reads a Paddington Bear book aloud to you. That may have been too specific, but it’s accurate.
The production value that goes into every track Lana releases is insane. Every song of hers sounds like it could be on a movie soundtrack, which is probably why she was tapped to contribute songs to The Great Gatsby and Maleficent. Her songs reference pop culture, channel 50s and 60s Americana, and evoke nostalgia. When you play one of her CDs, each new track has an incredible way of transporting you to a different scene.
You might start out in the front seat of a red convertible riding along the beach with the smell of sand and saltwater in the air, but you’ll end up the tortured star of a film noir. I may not always relate to her lyrics (or agree with her pronunciation of the word “vitamin” in the song “Blue Jeans”), but her songs take me somewhere, and that’s the kind of profound musical escapism that keeps you sane when you can’t afford a plane ticket.
If you like music that makes you feel like you’re in a movie or an old-timey jazz lounge, I highly recommend you check out any of these 10 songs by Lana Del Rey:
10. “Carmen”
“Darling, darling, doesn’t have a problem lying to herself, ‘cause her liquor’s top shelf.” Need I say more?
9. “Ride”
This one’s ideal for riding around with the windows down.
8. “Summertime Sadness”
You’ve probably the remixed version of this song on the radio (during winter). The original song is a really pretty ballad, not a dance track.
7. “National Anthem”
“Red, white, blue is in the sky, summer’s in the air and baby, heaven’s in your eyes.” This is my official Fourth of July song (and yes, it replaced Katy Perry’s “Firework”).
6. “Bel Air”
The piano in this song is so hauntingly beautiful; I hate using that phrase, but it’s the best way to describe it. “Didn’t anyone tell you, it’s OK to shine?”
5. “Blue Jeans”
“Blue Jeans” will always be one of my favorites, because it was the first song I ever heard by Lana Del Rey. It was used in the background of a Nespresso commercial, and I had to do some investigative Google research to figure out what the song was called and by whom it was sung. The rest is history.
4. “Born to Die”
This title track from her album released in 2012 is outstanding, captivating, everything.
3. “West Coast”
Released in 2014, “West Coast” is from Lana’s upcoming CD Ultraviolence, and it may be one of the sexiest songs I’ve ever heard (and I blushed as I typed that, yes).
2. “Cola”
You wouldn’t typically expect much of a song that opens with, “My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola,” but this track will change your mind. I like to practice my singing at the 1:35 mark.
1. “Video Games”
Even though the music video for this song went viral, it’ll always be one of my favorites.
Are you an LDR fan? Whose music takes you away from reality? You don’t really like Dave Matthews Band, do you?