Many of you have heard the remix of "Summertime Sadness" played daily on the radio, but how many of you really know the singer behind the remix? Lana Del Rey (or Elizabeth Grant) was a hidden gem until recently, when Cedric Gervais created a remix of one of her songs on the Born to Die album. Del Rey has been compared to Marina and the Diamonds, Lady Gaga, Lorde, Florence + The Machine, and many other great artists. Unsurprisingly, Born to Die is one of her most successful albums for her lyric choice, sound, and overall greatness.
Del Rey’s album has a comforting sound that can calm down anybody in distress. One listen to her soothing voice and you’ll be hypnotized by her. No loud and raving dubstep or screaming rock music, just calming melodies playing in the background. Most of the songs on the album are about love or Del Rey’s life, as she revealed in an interview. Although many of her songs revolve around love and finding “Mr.Perfect,” she does not make the idea of it cliché and overused throughout the tracks. You can be instantly entranced by listening to just one song of Del Rey’s.
On the title track, “Born to Die,” Del Rey really gives it all her best. “Feet don’t fail me now, take me to the finish line. All my heart, it breaks every step that I take,” she sings at the beginning, describing how she is heartbroken. As the song proceeds, it goes at a slow tempo until the chorus, after which it returns to an unhurried beat. The sound of Del Rey’s songs are what really stands out to me and what sparked my appreciation for her. The lyrics on the track are one of the most sincere and genuine the album contains. “Born to Die” sends a message about love and being a respectable human being with the incredible and insightful stanzas.
“National Anthem,” “Carmen,” and “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” are the songs about feminism on Born To Die. Each song has a different message about women and how they are represented in this society. For example, “National Anthem” and “Carmen” give off the message about how girls only care about money and looks. “This Is What Makes Us Girls” is about how girls act and sometimes get into the wrong crowd of people. All of the songs contain dramatic melodies to highlight how saddening it is. One of my favorite things about this album is about the hidden messages that each track contains.
¬¬The major love songs that Del Rey includes on the album are “Blue Jeans,” “Video Games” and “Million Dollar Man.” Each of these tracks are about a relationship that has taken a turn for the worst. "It's you, it's you, it's all for you, everything I do,” shows Del Rey’s love and loyalty to her boyfriend. “Blue Jeans” also has the same story line as “Video Games.” “I will love you 'til the end of time, I would wait a million years,” she sings in the chorus. “Promise you'll remember that you're mine, baby can you see through the tears?” These lyrics show how she loves a guy who would never love her back, hence her waiting a million years for him. ¬¬¬“Million Dollar Man” is just like these past 2 songs. She loves someone, but she is always never loved back in the same way. In my opinion, the unique love songs are what really set Born To Die apart from other albums.
Ultimately, Lana Del Rey has proved herself to be a successful artist with a favorable career ahead of her. Having sold more than 5 million copies of Born To Die worldwide and selling more than 117,000 copies on the first day, Del Rey is clearly a promising musician. Del Rey had also won the 2013 Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist. This album made her remarkable skill really stand out. If you’re a major fan of indie, this great album is definitely for you!