I'm spending the day at home with poison ivy. Unfortunately, not the Batman villainess (a personal hero, by the way). No, it's the itchy stuff that drives you up the wall to the point that you kind of wish you could just get some new skin grafted on real quick (as if it even works that way), and do away with that irritated red stuff that has become the bane of your existence. I guess this is what I get for hiking three miles into the woods wearing a pair of shorts. I really didn't think that one through, eh? Anyway, it kind of hurts to even move so I threw myself into a Netflix marathon but got bored of that and thought, "Well, now what?" I don't have any books I'm in the mood to read. Twitter? Message boards? Meh. But like a beautifully tragic knight riding in on a dazzling horse of vintage chiffon, there was Lana Del Rey on my iPod just begging to be played. Huzzah! Seriously, I love this chick so much it's ridiculous. No current singer nails balmy, Gothic ennui quite like she does. I'm always up for some Lana, but on a day like today her music particularly fits my mood. I just wish I could get up and dance to it. (Ouch!)
I fall asleep with an American flag
I wear my diamonds on skid row
I pledge allegiance to my dad
for teaching me everything he knows
I drive fast, radio blares
Have to touch myself to pretend you're there
Your hands are on my hips, your name is on my lips
Over over again, like my only prayer
Red, white, blue's in the sky
Summer's in the air and, baby, heaven's in your eyes
I'm your national anthem
I have a few comments to catch up on and I will very soon. For the moment I'm chilling and listening to some tunes. And yes, Scarah, Catty, Apple, and no less than three different Rochelles are nearby doing a great job helping me heal!
Ouch! Hope you feel better soon, John.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could put some ice on it to ease the pain? Or have a nice bath?
DON'T TOUCH YOUR JUNK !! (at least not after scratching a part of your body with the poison ivy) OUCHH !!
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon and in the meantime, enjoy Lana! (I'm a big fan of her too:))
ReplyDeleteI finally made a Google acount so I can post comments directly on your blog, that's much easier then going back to the thread on MHD every time XD
Thanks for the well wishes, everybody! I'm happy to report I'm feeling much better :D Still a bit itchy and have to be careful not to brush the infected skin against anything (ow!), but I'm up and moving again.
ReplyDelete@ Ricky -- LOL! Great advice! I was very careful not to. Ugh that would just be the absolute worst!
@ Mighoula -- Yay, so glad to see you! Isn't Lana just about the best thing ever? It's funny how her songs are kind of twisted and dark but in interviews she's just about the sweetest girl you'll meet. Lately I've been going through the troves of unreleased demos she has on YouTube. I can't get over how many there are! Have you heard Black Beauty and Hollywood? Highly recommended
Yes, I love me some Lana!
DeleteEver since I got the Paradise edition of Born to Die it's the album I listen to most :D I look forward to her new album I hope it'll be just as good.
Sounds like I should visit Youtube more often, I didn't know these two songs yet. I have heard some that are not on any album yet, but I didn't know there were so many... I hope these unreleased songs will be bundled for an upcoming album sometime!
Omg yes, it's all about the Paradise edition! Born To Die is amazing but the stuff on Paradise (plus Young & Beautiful) is what turned me into a raging fanboy. I have no words for how amazing Cola is. WHY has it not been released as a single?!? And Ride -- that song gives me chills, the way the chorus just soars into that beautiful melody. I love the lyrics too, I can totally relate to them. I don't know if that's bad or good lol. As for the demos on YouTube, I'd say there's at least a hundred, no exaggeration. But I'd definitely start with Black Beauty and Hollywood if I were you and go from there. The styles of all the demos are very eclectic. Hollywood is mellow electro pop, though Black Beauty is more in line with the BTD/Paradise stuff. Another good one is Break My Fall -- it's super poppy and upbeat but the lyrics hint at the darkness we've come to expect from her. It has a sort of 60's surfer rock sound. If you decide to give them a listen let me know what you think. :D None of my friends are Lana fans so I don't really get to discuss her much with anyone.
DeleteI absolutely adore Lana!!! I discovered her about 2 years ago with the video "Kinda Outta Luck", which came out a little before "Video Games".
ReplyDeleteI obtained nearly 60 rare songs by her, and eventually managed to make myself 3 more unofficial albums, while also extending the real ones. Some of those songs are simply amazing: Children Of The Bad Revolution, Boarding School, Damn You, Velvet Crowbar, Big Bad Wolf, Backfire, Prom Song, Live Or Die, Push Me Down and Heavy Hitter, just to name a few.
Woo-hoo! It's Lana fan central up in here! :D I didn't hear about her until Video Games and even then it was a while before I picked up Born To Die, mostly thanks to National Anthem. And then Paradise came and I was officially hooked lol. I love that we have all those demos to tide us over until the next album. I honestly love some of them more than the stuff on the albums. The only downside is that apparently some of the leaks have made her push the next album back. :( Black Beauty was supposedly going to be a centerpiece of the next album (IIRC she said this herself during a recent interview), but since it leaked she's decided not to use it. Damn You, Live or Die and Prom Song are some of my faves too, Tristan. I haven't heard Velvet Crowbar or Backfire yet, off to YouTube I go!
DeleteI hope you like them. They're really amazing and as usual, the lyrics are loaded with subtle metaphores. She's got so many great songs that are not on the albums. If she keeps writing so many songs all the time, her song bank will eventually quickly be as big and varied as the one by Tori Amos.
ReplyDeleteI loved them! It usually takes a few listens of a song before the lyrics sink in for me so I haven't really analyzed them yet. I really like the steel guitar in Backfire. An interesting choice paired with the 808 style beat. Velvet Crowbar has that fuzzy 60's rock sound in parts, and more steel guitar! One of her best vocal performances too, really raw yet rich. I really love her 60's sounding songs. I think that's why I love Summer Wine so much. Have you heard Get Drunk? The lyrics are heartbreaking. I'm really into the spare, acoustic guitar, and how the tempo steadily escalates.
DeleteOh! Nice song. Didn't know that one. This song reminds me of the songs we could hear in the "Kill Bill" films. I think that one was during her "May Jailer" era. Very nice song.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to find downloads for other songs like "Is It Wrong?", "My Best Days", "Back To The Basics", "Break My Fall", "Paradise", "Jealous Girl", "Noir", "Us Against The World", "Hit And Run" and "Dynamite".
I can't wait to see the upcoming "Tropico" project, which will be a short film including "Bel Air", "Gods & Monsters" ( one of my Top 5 Lana songs ever!) and "Body Electric".
And I've heard snippets for some new songs like "Queen Of Disaster" and "True Love On The Side". Can't wait to hear the full versions.
I have to admit I've gone almost fully YouTube when it comes to playing her music. Well, the demos anyway. I bought the albums so they're on my iPod but the demos aren't "Not Available On Mobile" so I just stream them.
DeleteTropico looks so cool. Love the posters, especially the snake one. The behind the scenes shots -- love! Brunette Lana in unzipped denim cutoffs and knee high socks? Count me in! As for the music, I'm mostly looking forward to seeing how they handle Body Electric. I'm also holding out for a Cola single release eventually. Prospects are looking dim though :( It'll be a shame if they don't get the song to "the masses". Everyone I play it for loves it!
I also hope that "Cola" is eventually released with a video too! It's such a great song. And it contains one of the best and fiercest line ever in a song. How many singers have the audacity to come up with lines like "my pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola"?
ReplyDeleteI still remember the uproar on Facebook when that was revealed. My friends and I had a real blast!
Absolutely! Imo "My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola" will go down in history as one of the all-time greatest opening lines to a song ever. It both cracks me up and makes me feel all sexy at the same time. I always sing along to it, even if I don't have the proper equipment in question. ;)And when she goes into that hard-edged vocal for "Come on, come on, come on baby!" while the beat gets harder, I get chills. Brilliant song.
DeleteSorry it took so long to reply :(
ReplyDeleteI was finally able to search Youtube tonight (the sound on my own laptop really sucks so I had to wait until my husband's was available for me to use) and you were indeed not exaggerating! There really are so many unreleased songs, I don't even think I can finish listening to them all in one night! So far, I haven't heard a single one I didn't like, they are all good and great songs! Those titles you recommended were great! I also really love Young and Beautiful wich is also thanks to one of your posts that I found out about it. And Queen of Disaster is defintely an instant favorite too!
I agree about the content on her Paradise disc, it's amazing! Gods and Monsters, Cola, Drive, everything! And don't you just love her Blue Velvet cover? It's so Lana, yet so true to the original. Lana already has this vintage feel to her songs and sound wich is so fitting for Blue Velvet.
I don't think it's a bad thing to relate to some or most of her songs. They have a dark twist, but I think that's true with most things in life. And ultimately, that's exactly what her songs are about. About life, and living the moments that come and go, and when they are gone, to cherish them. Even the bitter ones.
I'm defintely a Lana fan, and I love that you are too. I'm in the same position aswell, most people I know don't particularily like her music. My husband is actually the only other person I know that loves her music. So, if you ever decide to write an article about her for the Sequel I would love it!
No worries, Mighoula! Glad you made it back no matter how long it took. :)
DeleteGlad you liked the songs! I feel Black Beauty and Hollywood are just such potent songs, as good as the stuff on her albums. But like you, I'm not sure there are any of the leaked demos I dislike in the first place. What really impresses me is the breadth of styles in terms of both the music and her vocals -- there's so much variety and she pulls them all off with aplomb. Queen of Disaster is so cool, like doo-wop gone dark. Very cool.
I have to admit I was a little iffy about her cover of Blue Velvet -- it just seemed a bit too on-the-nose for her, considering the era it's from and the Lynch connection. It seemed too obvious a song for her to cover. Actually for a while I was kinda mad that it made it onto the actual album while Burning Desire was relegated to iTunes bonus track status. I made my own Paradise playlist and actually replaced Blue Velvet with Burning Desire and everything. But over time I've seen the err of my ways -- I now love her version of the song. Her voice is basically glorious on it. And if you're into remixes it had a handful of some really good ones!
Your insights into her lyrics and connecting to them are so true. I'd never quite thought about it like that before! Tbh Ride isn't the only song I relate to. Dare I say at a certain time in my life Gods and Monsters could've pretty accurately described me. Hmm... ;)
It's so cool you're husband is into her too. I mean, if you're only gonna have one person you know like her, one would hope it's the person you live with and see every day! I don;t have any plans to do a full Lana post atm, but you know how I am with my blogging habits -- you never know! I'm sure at some point I'll write something more in-depth about her, or maybe do a song analysis like I did of Madonna's "Skin". Now that's an idea...