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cherry-interlude · 3 years

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Lana Del Rey Unreleased Ranking (5)

This is a re-ranking of Lana's unreleased songs, after making a first a few years ago. This is all my opinion, which I don't mind anyone disagreeing with but don't come for me for it - honestly, I like every song, despite any criticism, and this ranking is very vague. It's based on objective and subjective opinion.

This is the fifth of five posts, with my favourites.

Wild One

Lana is nostalgic without the sadness, remembering how she’d shake it for Mike but is embracing her freedom. She lets country influence seep through her voice and her uncomplicated instrumentals – it would be an unsurprising addition to Chemtrails

True Love On The Side

Though simple in structure and lyrics, it’s more Lana’s grittier rock sound and her incredible vocals that make this one of my favourite unreleased tracks. Lana lets herself go and goes full pop rock chick for this track, whilst keeping in with her ‘other woman’ trope that makes the song still familiar despite its departure from her usual music.

Driving In Cars With Boys

Dripping in nostalgia, Driving In Cars With Boys makes you yearn for the kind of 1950s/1960s era Lana often laments over. Lana is a bad girl just having fun, doing what she pleases and giving in to her vices, and it’s this kind of song that is relatable in its escapism and desire to just do what you please. There are two versions, one with a more monotone chorus that matches the rest of the verses and another where Lana sings in a higher register, letting her cheerful, breezy love for driving with the boys shine through in her vocals.

Angels Forever Forever Angels

Perfect for Paradise, Angels Forever Forever Angels has that slow, rhythmic summer drive feel, a relaxed version of Ride which also has associations with the bikers that feature in both the music video for Ride and the lyrics to this unreleased song. It’s dreamy but grounded by Lana’s patriotic love for the grungier side of Americana.

Hollywood

It has a breathy chorus you could sing to, the feeling of a summer evening and blue skies. The ever building and dropping beat that keeps the song ticking as restlessly as Lana’s hopes and dreams gets me feeling pumped as much as her emphasised, dragged out “Hollywood” in the chorus makes me soothed. Lana is wishing for fame and fortune but it has the feel of an eighties American teen movie, iconic and deserving of a cult following.

Yes To Heaven

Hazy like a daydream, Yes To Heaven is made of sunlight and soft grass, closer to nature than the spotlights of Lana’s often alcohol-soaked, money drenched stages. Lana’s voice is tentative until it shimmers in the chorus, and though it was made for Ultraviolence, it wouldn’t be out of place on the shining beacon of hope that is Lana’s positive turn, Lust For Life.

Life Is Beautiful

This gorgeous song was intended for Age of Adaline’s trailer, and it’s been years of waiting for the full song to be released. Now we have it, it’s certainly worth the wait. Dreamy and soft, this track is a timeless classic that could underwhelm from it’s gentle feel but works perfectly well as a pure little love song.

On Our Way

Stripped back and with a country twang, Lana doesn’t add fuss and frills to this song, instead just crooning precisely how she feels in the kind of song that keeps you daydreaming for hours. Not even the smattering of her favourite imagery (Chevrolets and K-Mart lip gloss) overshadows the love that’s at the forefront of this track.

Never Let Me Go

Like On Our Way, Never Let Me Go has the country twang and stripped back feel that makes this a more subdued song, her lyrics shining even more. Lana’s additional strings layer this song well and her comparisons to the dangerous couple that is Sid and Nancy gives this track an edge, keeping it from being too frothy.

French Restaurant

A piano ballad, Lana strips back the hurt of Without You and dual dedication of Video Games to sing about how fame matters so little to her while she’s torn between two men. Her voice is beautiful and it does well to be so minimal in its production, her emotion driving the song clearly enough. Especially pretty are the backing vocals of the choruses, echoes of her thoughts that hammer home her broken feelings.

Trash Magic

Lana’s delicate and soft vocals help tie into the Lolita-esque character Lana often plays in her music. It has a similar feel to 1949, dripping with her delicious imagery, and wouldn’t be out of place on AKA Lizzy Grant. Lana is the fragile ‘daddy’s girl’ again in this song, and the sharp yet soothing music in the background sets the tone for a quiet trailer park night.

Us Against The World

Though fairly chilled out, Lana still hooks listeners with her characterisation of waitress by day/stripper by night, a dangerous girl tempting an equally dangerous guy. Lana drips sexiness in this song and though it’s not as exciting as some of her other unreleased pop hits, it is perfect for the Del Rey character.

Your Girl

Much like Caught You Boy, Lana is desperate for a man she can’t have but is instead a complete wreck. Lana just repeats over and over how she wishes she was this man’s girl, practically pleading after describing how she needs to be led off the stage from falling apart. Yet it’s still sultry, still passionate, and is topped off by her honey-like vocal demonstration in the bridge and the chorus.

Roses

Lana is the other woman with a twist – instead of moping about her man (Other Woman, Sad Girl) she is taking action. Fighting against him, not letting him go without making some noise and getting rid of his girlfriend, Lana storms into the song with a vengeful wrath and calls him out for his poor attempts at apologies. When this song first came out, I adored it, since it was the exact kind of strong-girl track I wanted from her with a great hook and all the right Lana-isms. Now, I still get that thrill listening to this song and its kick-ass fuck-you to the man she loves.

Playing Dangerous

The churning drums, the spoken verses and the coy vocals set this song apart from her others. It falls shorter during the choruses, the verses being the best parts of the track, but the way Lana interacts with the listener ultimately and is a more direct character of ‘innocent’ seductress who might actually be downright bad (arson is hinted).

Serene Queen

Lana is unbothered and unruffled, as collected as she is in Put Your Lips Together but this time with a definite Ultraviolence/Honeymoon feel. Lana is unshaken by the blazing guns, instead completely calm with her dangerous lover, questioning why he even has a problem in the first place. As it picks up in the chorus, almost smirking, it becomes one of her finer unreleased songs yet.

Ave Maria

This is just an instrumental but there’s something so beautifully haunting about it. It wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood movie, with shades of the Lolita soundtrack instantly coming to mind when it first starts. It even works well without singing, and I hope we get a full version soon.

Puppy Love

From the perspective of a Marilyn Monroe figure, Lana plays the teenage girl wishing for a traditional romance with her lover. It’s ever-so-adorable, harking back to the sweeter parts of the fifties, but there’s a sense of sadness throughout it. Under the surface of the puppy love is the reality that the references to Monroe do not forget her sadness, loneliness and ultimately her overdose. The tone shifts to such an unhappiness in the bridge, directly calling back to Monroe’s phone call shortly before she overdosed, twisting the song to something more melancholic.

Cherry Blossom

The lullaby that grew into the marvellous, completed Cherry Blossom is a lovely tribute to someone small and beloved. Though Lana doesn’t have children yet, the care in her voice and each of her heart-warming compliments and promises is still thoroughly enjoyable – and comforting.

Colour Blue

In a song that reminds me of the love/hate relationship of Norman Fucking Rockwell, Lana takes her time to question why she loves the men that she does and, ultimately, grow from it, beginning to want something different. It’s raw and personal, with a gushing chorus that is complimented fully by the guitar. This song is blue all over, from Lana's opening harmonisation to her abrupt, unhappy ending.

Paradise

This song is, of course, pure paradise. A summery beat, a flippant Lana simply enjoying her lover no matter how long she’ll have him for and her coos of “sick!” and “that’s dope!” make this into a tasty distraction fit for the sunny months. Her casualness in this track is fresh as well as the dance-happy music that she doesn’t often create in her albums.

Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight

Lana is the waitress with a crush in this bop of a track, trying to convince a guy to get with her instead of that “bitch”. Convincing she is, as she uses all of her charm, wit and insistence that there’s no promises behind her intentions to have a good time with him. It’s just a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of her music, not too heavy and perfectly polished. It’s self-assured as much as it is breezy, and calm as it is it’s still a riot to listen to.

Caught You Boy

A dream-esque confession of desire, obsession and pure, crazy love, Lana isn’t outright insane in this track (Kinda Outta Luck, Jealous Girl, Serial Killer) but she hints towards being slightly too attached to her beau and describing herself as an army of one. The song is sweet and flowery but there’s a sadness and danger to it that keeps it from being too sugary.

Fine China

Some of Lana’s best lyrics are in Fine China as she sings of her fractured relationship, unhappy wedding and many beautiful yet easily broken things. It’s a slow, unfussy ballad but her strong voice and stunning lyrics make it so much more than a throwaway unreleased song.

Thunder

What feels like a coming-of-age slow dance song but is ultimately a choir-backed break-up track. Lana’s lyrics are clever and her voice is the perfect complement to The Last Shadow Puppets, this combined work a sure hit that deserves some kind of release and recognition. Lana is frustrated but tender as she leads the song with plenty of presence.

Prom Song Gone Wrong

The fifties feel, the teenage romance, the warm and gorgeous vocals that switch from dreamily longing to a cheeky talk-rap suggest this is a song tied tightly to Puppy Love, except with a more hopeful feel to it. Lana is ready to leave and she wants her lover to come with her, and even if it’s a youthful mistake there’s no mistaking that the love she – and her man – feels is real. It’s a pretty dedication to the kind of head-spinning romance of younger years, though it has an edge to it. Lana’s choruses are desperate, her pleading genuine and the strange way the music builds and collapses right at the end give the illusion all isn’t the sunshine and rainbows Lana sings of – and hopes for.

#lana del rey #lana del rey songs #lana del rey unreleased #cherry-interlude

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cherry-interlude · 6 years

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Ultraviolence Album Review

The album review I did for Ultraviolence on my Wordpress

Unlike Lana Del Rey’s albums before, Born To Die and the Paradise EP, both of which consist of polished pop with a darker baroque and hip-hop edge, Ultraviolence strips back to the basics of music, using gritty instrumentals and a ‘live’ feel to the songs throughout it. Where Born To Die was maudlin with a touch of Lana’s self-proclaimed ‘gangsta Nancy Sinatra’ flair, Ultraviolence is a melancholic dream where even her brighter songs evade the typical pop quality and veer into something much darker yet more touching.

The album kicks off with the rollercoaster of a song Cruel World, a dizzying track that shifts with her mood from the calm verses to the raging choruses, all deftly timed with a thumping rhythm that paces the six minute or so track perfectly. Lana’s strong suit in Cruel World – and Ultraviolence itself – is the very real emotion she pushes into each song, particularly the opening track. Ranging from softly spoken despair to the taunting, babyish ‘Lolita’ style of vocals to barely controlled anger, Lana nails each of the emotions beautifully, conveying a woman who, as she puts it herself, is “fucking crazy”. The rich guitars add that kick of Americana, much like Ride from the Paradise EP but grimier. It’s a heavy slammer of a track but the perfect opening to her finest album, demonstrating the emotive vocals and heartfelt music to come.

Lana seems to be all about character throughout the album as she shifts from a woman gone “crazy” to beaten down jazz singer, held under the spell of her “cult leader” named ‘Jim’. Naturally, the song has had some controversy, accused of glamorising domestic abuse due to the loving nature of the song aimed towards a man who “hurt [her]”, yet I personally don’t believe that to be her intention – instead she is drawing on her own experiences with an ‘underground cult’. When it comes to the song, her vocals are admirable, as she once again manages to put her feelings into her voice and convey them perfectly to the listener, this time with the clever use of her distant and miserable vocals, the tearful pre-choruses and the slightly off-balanced way she sings of his “ultraviolence” throughout the chorus. It’s a difficult song to listen to, knowing the meanings behind what she says, but her pretty lines of “he used to call me DN, that stood for deadly nightshade” and “crying tears of gold like lemonade” show Lana’s prowess for imagery rather than blatancy. All of this, played under the steady beat of the drums which echo Cruel World and the shaking violins, create a touching song of terrible dedication, though the topic itself is a little too much for easy-listening.

Lana takes a slightly more experimental wander with Shades of Cool, opening the track with tentative guitars and her delicate voice, a musical interpretation of the way she tiptoes around her “baby”- a difficult man with an “unbreakable” heart. The carefulness of the song soon shifts to a wailing chorus of anguish and free-roaming vocals; it comes across as more of a demonstration of Lana’s vocal range yet it works. The highlight of the song is the bridge, a free-for-all for the guitars that drench her singing and completely shatter the gentleness of the beginning – a shift from the overly produced Born To Die and allowing the pure music to take a stand. Shades of Cool is an excellent showcase of Lana’s passion for the music.

Following Shades of Cool is the tribute to Lana’s place of birth, Brooklyn Baby, a satirical look at the Brooklyn scene. Where the first three songs are ice-cold tales of woe, Brooklyn Baby serves as a warmer track, the upbeat guitar and Lana’s cheerful lines of how she “can play almost anything” from her rare jazz collection shifting from dark to light. The lyrics may be narcissistic – and comically so – but they are charming in their own right, bringing the pop flair from Born To Die and even Aka Lizzy Grant but with pleasant guitars and a swaying beat perfect for the girl who “get[s] down to beat poetry”. Lana once again uses this song to showcase her unbeatable, soaring vocals – particularly in her pre-chourses with her lines of “I’m free” – expressing more than just a simple brag about how her boyfriend isn’t as cool as her. Still, the song works in it’s own self-absorbed way, and is undeniably one of her most breezy songs yet.

Lana brings us straight back to the kicking drums and gloomy guitars with West Coast, her restricted, too-cool vocals returning from their warm place in this steely track. Of course the best part of this song, as I seem to be fond of with all of her songs, are the music shifts, Lana’s verses going from quick-paced, breathless gasps of the West Coast to the dreamy choruses that will have you swaying in time as she sings, the clever transition using The Beatles’ And I Love Her sample, a small dedication to a great band Lana surely admires. It’s a brilliant song to feel lost in, particularly with the live feel of her lo-fi vocals and her “mic check one two” before the second verse, showing it’s not just a song but instead pure music.

Lana ramps up the heat with Sad Girl, seductive tale of the “mistress on the side” who has much admiration for the man who “walks with fame”, yet she still feels she is a “sad girl” ultimately for not having him as her own. It shows perfectly the glamorised image of the ‘other woman’ and how they are the “money on the side”, yet Lana cracks the “bad girl” image just slightly with the wretched tone that comes and goes throughout the song, though it’s difficult to feel pity for the woman she portrays. Whether based on real experiences or just a fun song, Lana’s controlled, lush vocals are brilliant and she knows precisely how to turn up the sex appeal within a mostly gloomy album.

One of the most emotionally driven songs on Ultraviolence is Pretty When You Cry, a completely lo-fi, one take song that keeps all of the imperfections to Lana’s singing – and uses them to bring on the heartbreak in her listeners. Lana’s shaky, unstable praises for “[her] love” clearly exhibit a distraught woman who, much like in Ultraviolence, is admired when she’s hurting. Pretty When You Cry is definitely powerful, with the fragile verses and powerful bridge that melts into a howling lament of how her tears make her beautiful, the guitars once again expressing her emotion much like in Shades of Cool. This track is a tearjerker but one of Lana’s best displays of emotion yet.

Money Power Glory shifts the tone of sadness to her more base desires – greed. The slow pace and chilled out vibe demonstrates perfectly what’s on her mind, which happens to be mere materialistic things, with perilous choruses that slips into threatening. It shows a more powerful Lana rather than a weeping mess from the song before, once again adding another character to the collection of personas throughout Ultraviolence. Personally, it’s not her strongest on the album, definitely the filler song I prefer to skip with her simplistic lyrics of “I want money, power and glory” and “dope and diamonds” that repeats throughout the bridge, but it’s far from her worst effort, instead bringing back the watered down “bad bitch” we have seen several times throughout her music in style.

Lana continues the idea of becoming powerful with one of her most sexually charged songs Fucked My Way Up To The Top, a homage to the idea that she slept with men in the industry to become successful – but also a dig at another singer. Lana’s sugary sweet mocking tied in with sneering remarks such as “I’m a dragon, you’re a whore, don’t even know what you’re good for” show a bitchy side I must admit is a light relief from the ‘sad girl’ she has so often sung as. The boredom in her tone is amusing in the verses, and once again she ramps it up with her raunchy choruses, striking out both verbally and musically at those who hate on her for her sexuality.

Ultraviolence tones it down towards the end of the album, the gentle piano ballad Old Money, which sounds much like the love song from the original Romeo and Juliet -thus capturing the old era she loves with a beloved classic – calming down to a more simple song of looking back on the past and hoping to be called for once more, whilst using her famed . It’s a thought provoking song that is admittedly quite slow and really you have to be in the mood for it, yet the way her vocals grow in strength and emotion are unmissable once you start listening.

Lana closes the album with a cover of Nina Simone’s The Other Woman, echoing the “mistress” character from Sad Girl in a truly heartbreaking rendition of a song that surely inspired her own music.Though some have felt Lana didn’t do the original song justice, I personally feel Lana put her own emotion and glamour into it so it was made her own, the vintage sound harking back to the mid-twentieth century flawlessly. My only criticism really is that it’s such a sad song I can barely listen to it without feeling blue myself, though that aside it’s a strong track that could be mistaken for one of Lana’s.

Though I tried to be as objective as possible, I have little criticism of this album. It definitely has to be one of her best yet, more grounded than Born To Die or the cinematic Honeymoon with the unflinching emotion and stunning vocals, and what many fans surely would consider Lana at her best.

I like requests

#lana del rey #lana del rey songs #ultraviolence #cruel world #shades of cool #brooklyn baby #west coast #sad girl #pretty when you cry #money power glory #fucked my way up to the top #old money #the other woman #nina simone #album review #song review #review #writing #my opinion

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