"Yosemite" by Lana Del Rey, Saturday, April 3, 2021

Early last year, Taylor Swift released a documentary titled Miss Americana which talked about her music up to the release of 2019's Lover. While Swift's country music past and her latest ventures with Folklore and Evermore certainly can touch on Americana, if you placed Taylor Swift's CD leaflets on a table next to Lana Del Rey's and asked anyone on the street to which lyricist better embodied the dictionary.com definition of "things associated with the culture and history of America," Lana Del Rey would probably be crowned the real "Miss Americana." But being the real, unrecognized "Miss Americana" can be just as problematic as the tainted past of the great country. Lana Del Rey is no stranger to controversy or acclaim. She is a polarizing star on the pop charts (when she chooses to release a hit) and pop culture. Sometimes called regressive to feminism, Lana Del Rey has been cancelled more times than most celebrities. Yet there is something about her words that many cling to satirically. 

THE ONLY THING WE'LL TURN IS THE PAGES OF ALL OF THE POEMS WE BURNED. My first encounter with Lana Del Rey was the 2013 The Great Gatsby soundtrack with her song "Young and Beautiful." The anachronistic soundtrack added modern interpretations to the 1925 novel that I would have never made from my several readings of the book, and "Young and Beautiful" deepened Daisy's seemingly shallow character to me. After hearing "Young and Beautiful," I delved into Born to Die and discovered a dusty old closet, filled with elegant gowns, talk of old films and books, tales of yesteryear, hiphop beats and sixties style vocals. It was like meeting your grandmother as a teenager. I couldn't get into her follow up Ultraviolence, although many fans consider it her best album. By her third record, Honeymoon, Del Rey settled into a not-so-Top-40 style of '60s dream pop, losing the hip-hop catchiness, but keeping up with the lyrical intensity. LP number 6, Chemtrails Over the Country Club sees the singer become a California folk singer and adding higher registers to her normally alto voice.

TELEVISION STATIC WAS QUITE OVERWHELMING. Bruce Springsteen has called Del Rey one of the best songwriters today. However, as a listener she is not always accessible. Just like you need to sit down to watch a movie, you need time to listen to a Lana Del Rey album. And 2021 is not a year with long flights or car rides. Furthermore, what's the pay off? One listen may not do it, particularly with the experimental direction the singer takes. And with all that time sitting and listening to these lyrics that could be satire or serious, glorifying the old-timey pop culture built on racism and misogyny that is best left in the past. Having not gone too deep on Chemtrails "Yosemite" is a pretty good song, featuring some interesting drumming, a folk guitar, interesting production, and a stunning music video. If you do spend some time with this album, I would like to know--genius or pretentious? 

Read “Yosemite” by Lana Del Rey on Genius