In 2012, I had just obtained one of the first versions of the iPhone and was eager to explore everything I could now do that I couldn’t do on a flip phone. As a girl in middle school beginning to fill with teenage angst, the first obvious place I turned to was music. I downloaded one of the only streaming options at the time, Pandora Radio and began trying out different playlists. If you’ve only ever experienced Spotify or Apple Music, Pandora was pretty unique. You’d pick an artist, song, or genre and it would play unlimited hours of songs and artists it would hope you would like. And most of the time, it was spot on. Pandora really nailed it when a woman I didn’t know would change my life and the way I listen to music came on, Born to Die by Lana Del Rey played through the tiny iPhone 4 speakers and my heart exploded.
I listened to that song for what I can only assume was 12 consecutive hours and have loved every piece of music she has created since. This kind of relationship with an artist is rare for me because as I age, and I am sure many others find, our tastes change and we tend to like different things, move onto more contemporary trends and outlets. But my interest in her never wavered. While she has changed styles a little throughout the years, the core of her talent remains, a once in a lifetime voice with deeply felt lyrics from her life and from a perspective many do not see the world in.
She’s come out with a multitude of albums and throughout them I always find lyrics from some of the songs stick out to me and stay in my head. Below are some of my favorites.
“I see you for who you really are.” – The Next Best American Record
“I waited for you in the spot you said to wait, in the city on the park bench, in the middle of the pouring rain.” – Tomorrow Never Came
“Pretty baby, tattoos. Don’t know what they mean, they’re special just to you.” – Florida Kilos
“I never really noticed that I had to decide, to play someone’s game, or live my own life.” – Get Free
“Slipping on my dress in soft filters, everybody says you’re a killer.” – White Mustang
“Those summer nights seem long ago.” – Old Money
“You took my sadness out of context at the Mariner’s Apartment Complex.” – Mariners Apartment Complex.
“Lightning and Thunder. The kind of girl who’s gonna make you wonder, who you are and where you’ve been.” – Mariner’s Apartment Complex
“It hurts to love you, but I still love you. It’s just the way I feel.” – 13 Beaches
“Life is beautiful, but you don’t have a clue.” – Black Beauty
“Sunset small town, I’m out of time.” – Old money
“Lost but now I am found.” – Born to Die
If you are already a Lana Del Rey fanatic, I hope that this resonated with you. If you aren’t, I hope that this piqued enough interest for you to want to go give her a listen. Her music is not for everyone, but for the people who enjoy it, it is something really special.