Lana Del Rey is a beautifully prolific artist. Her first studio album came out in 2012 and has been active ever since. Over the years, Lana Del Rey has accumulated a cult following and plenty of controversies. However, it is no surprise that she creates art for herself and no one else, which is why she has an incredibly united fanbase. She recently released an album titled "Did you know that there is a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd." The album has sixteen tracks and a run time of one hour and seventeen minutes. This release is eclectic and different from any album I have heard. However, it remains captivating, from the exciting song titles to the medley of artists featured. Of course, all music is up for interpretation, so this review will include how I interpreted each track and what they mean to me. 

 

Track One: The Grants

Run Time: 4:55

Commentary: This song has an incredibly lush instrumental scoring. The song is about taking hold of yourself and the beauty of life we see and often take for granted. Lana Del Rey is no stranger to announcing the beauties of life in a seemingly twisted way, and this carries on through this song onto the album. 

Favorite Quote: "I'm gonna take that too with me / It's a beautiful life / Remember that too for me"

Rating: 7/10

 

Track Two: Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Run Time: 4:45

Commentary: This is a stunning title track. This song takes some complex thinking to understand. I find it to be about how fame distorts the image of artists, and even the most well-known artists are forgotten as not many people know the real them, and the "real them" is often lost while they're still alive. This would make sense, considering she references Harry Nillson, John Lennon, and Glenn Frey, all of whom have passed away. 

Favorite Quote: "can't help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul / Handmade beauty, sealed up by two man-made walls"

Rating: 9/10

 

Track Three: Sweet

Run Time: 3:35

Commentary: This song is very "manic pixie dream girl." It  is difficult to describe, as I only interpret it through imagery. I picture it being the final song in a coming-of-age movie. The main protagonist is sitting on the windowsill of her childhood bedroom, watching her love interest drive off to a place where the future is unknown (ex., college, a big city, or a different country). 

Favorite Quote: "What you don't really understand, I've got magic in my hand / Stars in my eyes"

Rating: 5/10

 

Track Four: A&W

Run Time: 7:13

Commentary: This song is fascinating, considering how the genre shifts around two-thirds of the way through the music. The song goes from soft indie to hyperpop. It is about modern society and how she sees the position that she's in with a man. The soft indie represents the self-hatred she feels from the role that she has been placed in, and the evolution to hyperpop shows how her part can be fun but incredibly overwhelming and rattling. This song also shows her desire to be the woman on the back-burner no longer, but she will take what she can get from the man she loves. 

Favorite Quote: "Slips out the back door to talk to me / I'm invisible, look how you hold me / I'm invisible, I'm invisible / I'm a ghost now, look how you hold me now"

Rating: 7/10

 

Track Five: Judah Smith Interlude

Run Time: 4:36

Commentary: I listened to this track for the first time while driving to school, and it was very confusing. This track is a sound recording of one of Judah Smith's sermons, but you can hear Lana Del Rey and her friends laughing and adding commentary over the track. It was a shock to many fans of Lana's as they weren't expecting to hear a preacher on the album, but Lana Del Rey added this interlude for more than just a way to incorporate religion. The whole point is that her art is for herself, not for anyone else. This is interpreted from my favorite quote from the track. 

Favorite Quote: "​​And you're not gonna like this, but I'm gonna tell you the truth / I've discovered my preaching is mostly about me"

Rating: I've chosen not to rate this track as it isn't a song, and it isn't my place to rate a sermon. 

 

Track Six: Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste) 

Run Time: 5:14

Commentary: Despite Lana Del Rey using the term "love," she uses the term "obsessed." This represents the common confusion between love and obsession. This is a very common theme that is relatable among young adults. However, I like how she implies that this isn't a feeling exclusive to young people while still acknowledging it is commonly associated with younger people. This song furthers the idealization of love. 

Favorite Quote: “You've been actin' pretty restless/ Dancin' like the young and reckless / And I'm obsessed with this / Candy necklaces”

Rating: 6/10

 

Track Seven: Jon Batiste Interlude

Run Time: 3:33

Commentary: This interlude is also a bit odd. It has beautiful scoring over what I'm assuming is the background noise of recording "Candy Necklace." If that is the case, then I believe it furthers Lana Del Rey's point that her music is only for her. You can hear laughing in the track, which shows the joy component of creating music and the evolution of writing a song. It's refreshing to hear because much of Del Rey's work is sorrowful. 

Favorite Quote: "Hey, early in the morning, oh / (That's pretty too, how about that?) Early in the morning / Yeah, that's somethin' in there"

Rating: 4/10

 

Track Eight: Kintsugi

Run Time: 6:18

Commentary: This song is about mourning loved ones and piecing yourself together. It's a beautiful rendition of love and loss. This song also connects back to the desire to be truly seen. The whole song uses "kintsugi" as a fascinating metaphor. "Kintsugi" is the process of fixing ceramics using (traditionally) gold polymer to fix a broken dish, making the piece more beautiful than it already was. That's essentially what this song is. Lana Del Rey uses music to piece herself back together after being cracked open. 

Favorite Quote: "Think by the third of March, I was cracked open / Finally the ground was cold, they wouldn't open / Brought by the sunlight of the spirit to pour into rain"

Rating: 10/10

 

Track Nine: Fingertips

Run Time: 5:48

Commentary: This song is about Del Rey facing her mortality through the people in her life. It's utterly heartbreaking to listen to how she recounts the people who have meant so much to her and unfortunately passed on. Many fans' hearts broke as they listened to the recounted memories of her loved ones. 

Favorite Quote: "Sunbather, moon chaser, queen of empathy / I give myself two seconds to breathe / And go back to being a serene queen / I just needed two seconds to be me"

Rating: 8/10

 

Track Ten: Paris, Texas (feat. SYML)

Run Time: 3:26

Commentary: This song is about knowing what suits you and when to step away. Different places will serve you how they can and need to, but you won't always need what is offered, and that is okay. 

Favorite Quote: "When everyones' star's bright / Brighter than you are / It's time to go / And you're the only one left / Dancing while they're on the floor / Time to go"

Rating: 7/10

 

Track Eleven: Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)

Run Time: 4:00

Commentary: This song is another connection beyond the veil. Unfortunately, Lana Del Rey's grandfather and father passed away, and she's connecting to them through this song. She pleads for signs that her loved ones are still there. She also seems well-intentioned, even though many don't think so. This point furthers the idea of her music being for herself but still having the longing to be desired and believed. 

Favorite Quote: "But I have good intentions if even I'm one of the last ones / If you don't believe me, my poetry and my melodies / Feel it in your bones"

Rating: 8/10

 

Track Twelve: Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)

Run Time: 4:38

Commentary: This is a mutual love song. Both Lana Del Rey and the person she is singing about are writing a love song in music. It's a beautiful song about mutual love and enjoying the company of someone you hold very close to your heart. It's a mutual pining while being self-destructing. She is looking for someone to hold her head above the water.

Favorite Quote: "Put the Beatles on, light the candles, go back to bed / 'Cause I want, I want, I want, I want you / I need to, need to, need to need you / Put the TV on and the flowers in a vase, lie your head"

Rating: 6/10

 

Track Thirteen: Margaret (feat. Bleachers)

Run Time: 5:39

Commentary: This song is about finding a person whose soul shines the brightest. "Margaret" is someone Del Rey wants to hold on to. She can no longer imagine a life without this person. There's also a common theme of knowing who that person is but not necessarily knowing how you feel about them. The repetition of "when you know, you know" used in the song demonstrates the love and yearning for this person that waltzed into her life.

Favorite Quote: "The soul that you bring to the table / One that makes me sing / In a minor key / Diamond on your ring"

Rating: 8/10

 

Track Fourteen: Fishtail

Run Time: 4:02

Commentary: This song is incredible. The auditory editing creates a distinct tone for the music produced. The song is sad about the one Lana loves leaving and wanting her to be sadder than she was, but her not giving the person the satisfaction of her sorrow.

Favorite Quote: "Lately I've been thinkin' about how things used to be / Swingin' in a nightgown underneath the old oak tree / Almost Victorian with you, you can talk to me / But lately, I can't see"

Rating: 10/10

 

Track Fifteen: Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)

Run Time: 4:08

Commentary: This is an exciting tone shift in the album. There's a bit of hyperpop/rap from the featured artist. It's a fun song. However, it is about the codependency between Lana and her boyfriend. 

 

Rating: 4/10

 

Track Sixteen: Taco Truck x VB

Run Time: 5:53

Commentary: This song continues the album's theme of love and dependency. The music is appealing, and the lyrics are weird, but it's still a fun song to listen to. I find this song to be very "Lana Del Rey," the song is a bit confusing but enjoyable. Many of the lyrics seem to be surface-level, but listening while reading the lyrics brings an introspective view to the song. This song is difficult to describe as there could be many interpretations, but the central motif is dependency. 

Favorite Quote: "Caribbean blue in sweater weather / I'm fallin' into you / Although it seems I've gotten better / I can be violent too"

Rating: 7/10 

 

I had a wonderful time listening to this album and coming up with my own interpretations of the music created by Lana Del Rey. I recommend you listen to the album if you found this review intriguing. Although, I would like to preface that there are some sensitive topics in this album and all of her other albums. Happy Listening!

 

Album Rating: 7.1/10