“Don’t forget me /
When’s it gonna be my turn?/
Open me up, tell me you like me /
… love me until I love myself.”
The lyrics from the title track of Lana Del Rey’s new album “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” set the album’s tone. Accompanied by simple piano chords, Del Rey sings slow and low, reflecting on death and love in a calm tone.
Courtesy of Polydor Records
The album took nine months to make, and Del Rey admitted in a Jan. 13 interview with Billie Eilish that she postponed releasing it, fearing the public’s misconception of her music. Such worries stemmed from criticism ranging from claims of abuse glorification to cultural misappropriation in her lyrics. Del Rey kept the album in stock for an entire year before finally releasing it on March 24 after a number of songs were leaked online.
In the album, Del Rey talks unreservedly about her own perception of death and life. Nine years since she first spoke publicly about struggles with anxiety and depression, Del Rey has gradually found a new balance and the bravery to embrace her fragility. In her 2021 album “Blue Banisters,” Del Rey reflects on her attitude toward life in “Text Book,” singing, “I didn’t even like myself, or love the life I had.” The same year, she sang in another album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club:” “There’s nothing wrong contemplating God.” More personal and reflective lyrics like these have been sprouting in her musical journey. This year, Del Rey seems to have finally found her “tunnel under Ocean Boulevard” to navigate through loneliness and sadness. This is definitely one of her most personal albums, with intimate lyrics and new, bold song arrangements.
The album features frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff in production, who also helped produce Del Rey’s “Norman F****** Rockwell!” (2019) and worked with pop music divas Taylor Swift, Lorde and Troye Sivan. Indie folk rock singer Father John Misty and jazz composer Jon Batiste are also heavily involved in the process. Many of the album’s songs are less catchy than mainstream pop music because there are less salient, repetitive patterns as Del Rey relishes her freedom to bridge starkly unrelated music styles together, refusing to be categorized into a single genre. The overall music flows like a stream of consciousness, immersing the audience in the music waves of Del Rey’s creation.
The opening song, “The Grants,” starts with an a cappella from vocalists Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard and Shikena Jones. Then, Del Rey’s voice enters, singing, “My pastor told me when you leave, all you take / Oh-oh, is your memory / And I’m gonna take mine of you with me.” The combination of choir music and, Del Rey’s usual slow ballads, accompanied by unhurried 4/4 beat piano chords, adds a holy layer to the music, resembling Black gospel music. It is inferred that Del Rey attributes the song to the support she finds in her family, as “Grant” is her family name.
In “A&W,” the first single from the album, released on Feb. 14, the vocals lay on top of each other as the song progresses. Toward the end of the seven-minute song, the music suddenly changes into a mixture of electronically synthesized heavy beats that resembles the sound of a beating heart, with Del Rey speaking, “But I don’t care, baby, I already lost my mind.” The significant length of the song and the sudden change of the beat together protest the traditional perception of pop music, which is often short for commercial advertising purposes — three to four minutes long with repetitive patterns. Just as she sings “This is the experience of bein’ an American whore,” Del Rey speaks out against traditional expectations of women being pure and submissive.
Continuing the unconventional theme in “A&W,” “Judah Smith Interlude” follows up with rising piano scales accompanying dialogues questioning love and religious spirit, revealing the inherent restrictions and narcissism in religious dogmas.
Similarly, the pure piano scales in “Jon Batiste Interlude” accompany dialogues recorded with an old-fashioned microphone style. Repeating “I’m feelin’ somethin’ right now … I feel it early, I feel it,” Del Rey seems to be describing the opening up of her heart despite life’s miseries.
The fusion of different music styles in her songs adds to the theme of escaping from a cruel reality and discovering new wonders in life. In the song “Paris, Texas,” featuring alternative pop songwriter SYML, Del Rey’s lyrics explicitly refer the movie “Paris, Texas”’s theme of running away from societal expectations and reconnecting with one’s inner self. Del Rey sings, “I took a trip to Spain / Just a notebook in my hand / Then I went to see some friends of mine / Down in Florence, Alabama / When you know, you know … It’s time, it’s time to go.” The 6/8 beat piano sounds different from Del Rey’s usual long and sorrowful ballads, creating a lighter mood. The low, jazzy beat in the finale, “Taco Truck x VB,” is mixed with digital guitar chords. At the end of the song, Del Rey weaves in some parts of her 2019 song “Venice B****.” The surprising collage is both an illustration of her dream-like tendencies and a contrast with her past, more pop-style music.
However, some of the tracks in the new album retain the more-repetitive pop elements that have been constant throughout Del Rey’s nine albums. These patterns make the album a combination of exploration of music styles and a continuation of her landmark style.
Del Rey’s new album may be one of her most personal artworks yet. She fearlessly talks about breaking conventions and also reveals darker emotions — a contrast to the positive and confident music that dominates American culture. By collaborating with artists from different fields, Del Rey infuses a new soul into her music. Her songs become flexible with new elements, taking her audience on a journey of unexpected surprises. Del Rey openly shares her experiences reconciling with negative emotions, discovering hidden “tunnels” in life.
Amiee Zhao is from Shanghai, China. At the Wheel, she is Emory Life editor and a writer for multiple sections. Outside of the Wheel, she enjoys traveling and reading non-fiction. She is also involved in OxBroadway and Autism Advocacy Organization.
