Charlie Puth aptly stated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – “Anything in this world can be made into music. Like, everything has tonality to it.” But today is not the day we talk about him, but rather about showbiz’s alt-pop princess Lana Del Rey. Lana Del Rey has indeed served us numerous moments. The 38-year-old singer-songwriter although technically a millennial has stormed the hearts of Gen-Z, who resonate with her music at a much deeper level. But Lana isn’t simply ‘doin’ time’ to appease the digital natives as her songwriting artistry coupled with a sultry voice unearths the legacy of buried artists of the yesteryears.
Why does Lana Del Rey’s Music Pass Gen-Z Vibe Check?
The Internet officially commenced in 1983, when millennials were born. However, the concept of ‘global villages’ and ‘digital communities’ only came into existence with the birth of social media in 1997. As the Internet became wider and the technologies became advanced, AI artistry came into being. But why is it that out of these generations, Lana’s music hits Gen Z the hardest? Gen Z is alternatively called digital natives as they are the first generation to grow up with the Internet. In these past decades, social media has evolved immensely. Social media has had a journey, starting with MySpace & Orkut to TikTok and Instagram. With the proliferation of social media Gen Z was the first to form a unanimous identity as a digital global citizen. But it came with its own set of issues. While they became more entrepreneurial, flexible, and authentic, nothing could have prepared them for the social anxiety. This is where Lana Del Rey comes in. Lana Del Rey’s music is characterized by the themes of yearning, melancholia, and being American. Whether it is yearning for youth (Young and Beautiful) or love (Norman F**king Rockwell lyrics), Del Rey focuses on the darker side of fame and fortune.
Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant took on the stage persona of ‘Lizzy Grant’ before settling on her current pseudonym. This social anxiety translates well in Lana Del Rey’s songs who narrates the cataclysmic side of the coin. Despite the many advantages Gen Z is imbibed with, they are the generation most prone to anxiety. The reason? economic uncertainty; the overuse of social media; global politics; and humanitarian issues; the list is non-exhaustive. In such a climate, Lana Del Rey has them in a chokehold. But why does she exert this power over them? This is because she is authentically herself. Gen Z’s loyalty is a currency which can only be spent towards unabashed depictions of emotions and aesthetics. Lana is perhaps one of the few artists whose image has not deterred a bit. Since 2010, she has been relentlessly singing about her depression, substance abuse, desire to be loved, and to be intimate; all the concepts which Gen Z is obsessed with. Del Rey denotes the perfect amalgamation of the past and present as she takes on Gen Z’s collective identity while name-dropping influential figures of the past (musicians, poets, and artists alike).
Norman Rockwell Lana Del Rey
‘Norman F**king Rockwell’ is Lana’s sixth studio album. The album is an epitome of soft rock music over piano-based and psych ballads. It was hailed by critics as one of the best albums of 2019 and furthermore the decade. Even the Academy acknowledged the talents of the musician as she garnered two Grammy nominations. With a cumulative length of 67 minutes and 43 seconds, there exist 14 ?? Lana Del Rey Norman Rockwell songs. While there are numerous songs which point to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Joni Mitchell, amongst more, we will talk about four of our favorites.
The album’s name borrows from the painter Norman Rockwell, who is often credited with painting the American dream. He conjured up the image of a perfect, happy, and peaceful life, where every individual has liberty. This idealistic society is governed by family values and led by men. Norman Rockwell artwork juxtaposes the ideal man with the erstwhile virtues of primal masculinity, ego, and jingoism. Lana in a similar fashion seems to be hell-bent on breaking down these concepts. Even though Lana might be appreciative of Normal Rockwell’s talents and projections, Lana Del Rey Norman Rockwell songs undoubtedly are at an impasse with his ideas.
Norman F**king Rockwell
The title track, which gained a nomination for the ‘Song of the Year’ category at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, is perhaps the most enchanting out of all. The title refers to Norman Rockwell, the famous American painter and illustrator. While the song itself doesn’t necessarily allude to the painter, Lana has really embraced the essence of the artist as well his use of the colour blue as she sings one of the Norman F**king Rockwell lyrics – “your head in your hands as you colour me blue, blue, blue.” According to Stephanie Plunkett, the deputy director, and chief curator at the Norman Rockwell Museum, blue is the colour which Rockwell often employed in his neutral-coloured composition to draw the audiences to the vital part of the painting.
Venice B*tch
In another one of Lana Del Rey Norman Rockwell songs, ‘Venice B*tch’, she sings to a string of past lovers – “Paint me happy in blue, Norman Rockwell.” Norman Rockwell paintings were 1950s ‘American Dream’ incarnations, connoting a sense of nostalgia, which inspired Lana to curate her vision of the American Dream. Lana’s nostalgic dream takes the shape of an ideal happy life that she shares with her lover. The self-proclaimed ‘Venice B*tch’, dreams in ‘jeans and leathers’. It is inarguable that cowboy hats, zipper jeans, and a leather motorcycle jacket form the emblematic trifecta of the American lifestyle. She describes their perfect life together “You write, I tour, we make it work”, before subtly inserting the fact that “You’re beautiful and I’m insane, we are American made.” She even name-drops Hallmark, one of the most popular American greeting card companies who have since ventured into television.
The greatest
The greatest is one of our personal favourite Norman Rockwell Lana Del Rey songs. It is perhaps the song which slaps the best. Lana stands for the Gen Z urge to save and captivate. She sings about ‘The Beach Boys’, Ye’s controversial career, the 2018 Hawaii false missile alert, and the dramatic climate change in LA. She effortlessly references ‘Life on Mars’- a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. She speaks – (“Life on Mars” ain’t just a song). If you are acquainted with this particular Bowie song, the lyrics paint a picture of a young girl bewitched by Hollywood, escaping her dire reality. Once again, through the juxtaposition of the American media-centric song, “Life on Mars”, Rey has brought Norman Rockwell into the fold yet again.
hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it
Call us Wendy Williams, because this is one of the Lana Del Rey Norman Rockwell songs which is; in her infamous words; “an icon”, “a legend”, and “THE moment.” In this song, Lana is “24/7 Sylvia Plath.” Sylvia Plath was an American poet and novelist, who is perhaps best remembered for ‘Daddy’, ‘Lady Lazarus’, and ‘The Bell Jar.’ The world knows of Lana’s struggle with addiction and dependency, which fits the personality showcased by Plath. Plath’s character often takes from her life and in a strange twist of turns tends to alienate and self-destruct. She is “writing in blood on the walls”, a clear indication of her deteriorating mental health. It even feels like a tribute to the famed Norman Rockwell artwork – ‘The Problem We All Live With’, where a young Ruby Bridges is escorted to school. Behind her is a defaced wall reading out racial slurs; a testament to the then-supremacy of the KKK. Even though Plath; and we serve an official trigger warning now; committed suicide, we are happy that Del Rey found hope, even if it is a dangerous thing for a woman like her to have.
Like all Lana stans, we are QUIVERING. In what is perhaps one of the best albums of all time, Lana has proven yet again the power sadness and ennui carry. Norman Rockwell is forever etched into history for his depictions of everyday middle-class white Americans with perfect lives and perfect families. Norman Rockwell paintings connoted the patriotic aspirations, dreams, and desires of an average American and his family. To him, America was the land of opportunities. Lana’s album calls out the artist questioning the painter’s vision. Perhaps that is the reason why she added the word ‘F**king’ in the middle of his name. We have all followed Lana’s musical journey. In so many ways she carries a semblance of Rockwell in a search for true patriotism — Rockwell’s lies in America, while Lana’s lies in her beloved; values — Rockwell’s lies in the tradition (and frequent gender roles), whilst Lana’s lies in her coping mechanism; and ideas — Rockwell’s lies in togetherness, peace, & bounty, which oddly enough is what Lana craves as well.
Image Courtesy – Vogue
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I love writing about pop culture and all things queer.
Sub Editor at Abir Pothi
