Send "Lana Del Rey" Ringtones to your Cell
Lana Del Rey, who has been accused of being a sham act after changing her name from Lizzy Grant and polishing her looks, has a new album online ready to make us swirl with its voluptuous and bittersweet sound. Though it hasn’t been officially released on the market, Born To Die is the album of the moment. It was supposed to see the daylight at the end of the moment but due to an unknown reason, it leaked on January 24. Lana was so upset that her illness got worse and she had to cancel one of her live performances in London as the opening act for The Maccabees.
However, her debut album proves to all her critics that she didn’t deserve all those ugly and furious insults she had received. Now, the Botoxed, spoiled, super-rich dream girl who, in may 2010 posted a self-directed video on YouTube of a simple song called “Video Games”, in which she sang in a low voice about a remembered moment of idyllic love and which, by the end of the year had been viewed 20 million times, earning her a big deal with Universal Music and placing her on the covers of magazines is on the verge of becoming more famous than she is. If last year she was the most talked about new star, this year her Born To Die would be the most talked about new album.
Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die - The Album Of The Moment
The album echoes the sweeping vibe of “Born To Die,” which is the title track of the album. The 25-year-old indie star sings as if she truly thinks we all are born to die: “There is a sense of loss underpinning things. I used to wonder if it was God’s plan that I should be alone for so much of my life. But I found peace. I found happiness within people and the world. So there is a sad tone, but also real joy. It seemed like a mix of two beautiful worlds coming together.” It’s sad and this makes us wonder if the whole album is fused with this dreadful feeling of unhappiness and inner darkness. But the album continues with “Blue Jeans” and “Video Games” changing a bit the tone while the back half of the record (”Carmen,” “Radio,” “Million Dollar Man,” “This Is What Makes Us Girls”) drags aside from all the gloominess of the beginning. It’s quite a change of turn, but Lana prepped us in due time for her ability to shift moods thanks to her doubleness and sense of duality.
The Lake Placid, N.Y.-based singer said about her own album that she thinks “it’s beautiful. I think it’s gorgeous. This album is my self in song form. So if they sort of sound like everything fits perfectly together, it’s because it does. There is nothing altered, nothing compromised, they are perfectly me. For better or worse, it’s like a person in song and video form.” And she is so close to perfection that critics vilify her again. For instance, some are accusing her of lack of authenticity saying that the album is nothing more than a cover for her shortcomings as a singer. Nevertheless, Lana’s album stands as the assertion of her talent. As the British Telegraph wrote, “it’s a literate, emotional collection of beautifully crafted, pithily memorable songs about good times and bad love, teenage drinking, existential angst, memory, loss and revenge. It has sinuous, clever lyrics set to dreamy soundscapes, lush melodies and trip hop beats.” What more can you ask from a newcomer that still has much more to prove?
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die Album Cover
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die Album Track Listing
1. “Born to Die” - 4:45
2. “Off to the Races” - 5:00
3. “Blue Jeans” - 3:30
4. “Video Games” - 4:42
5. “Diet Mountain Dew” - 3:43
6. “National Anthem” - 3:51
7. “Dark Paradise” - 4:03
8. “Radio” - 3:35
9. “Carmen” - 4:09
10. “Million Dollar Man” - 3:50
11. “Summertime Sadness” - 4:25
12. “This Is What Makes Us Girls” - 3:58
Special edition additional tracks
13. “Without You” - 3:49
14. “Lolita” - 3:39
15. “Lucky Ones” - 3:47
US iTunes Store bonus material
16. “Video Games” (Joy Orbison Remix) - 5:00
“Video Games” was released as Del Rey’s debut single on October 10, 2011 The accompanying music video was directed and edited by Del Rey, assembled from video clips of skateboarders, cartoons, shots from old movies, and paparazzi footage of Paz de la Huerta falling down while intoxicated. The music video was considered as the one that propelled the singer’s online popularity.
The second single and title track, “Born to Die“, was released as a digital download on December 30, 2011. The music video for it leaked on December 14, 2011, and was based on a concept created by the singer, while being directed by Yoann Lemoine.
Album Information
Released January 27, 2012
Length 49:26
Label Interscope, Stranger
Producer Emile, Justin Parker, Robopop, Braide
