August 30th marks the day Lana Del Rey released her sixth studio album, Norman F*****g Rockwell. The album follows her previous release of Lust for Life, a rather optimistic album compared to her older works, such as Ultraviolence and Born to Die.
The Album has so far had 5 music videos, and she plans to make a video for each song. The videos were Directed by Rich Lee and Del Rey’s sister, Chuck Grant and are all filmed with a vintage aesthetic. However, each video echoes a different era. This complements the diversity that’s seen throughout her music, shown in the production, lyrics, and vocals.
The album was produced by Jack Antonoff who is credited for other hit albums, such as one of my favorites, Lorde’s Melodrama. In this album, I believe Antonoff highlighted Lana Del Rey’s raw emotion and level of intensity and added touches of orchestral strings, electric guitar, piano, and other instruments to build the foundation for the album. Antonoff also plays many of the featured instruments. He brought together what I believe showcases all stages of Del Rey’s career.
The album kicks off with the title track, “Norman F*****g Rockwell.” The song takes a rather pessimistic approach to love and seems to relate more to her older works. The other songs on the album relate to the title track, but have their own unique characteristics. Overall, the album is a roller coaster of love songs. However, in the songs “The Greatest” and “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have- but I have it,” she sings of personal identity issues.
Del Rey’s music always consists of many references, and she did not hold back with this album. The album itself is named after the iconic American painter Norman Rockwell, who painted American life in the 1900’s.
In the title track, she never explicitly sings the name Norman Rockwell. However, she sings about her saddened lover who paints the world the way he sees it. Much like Rockwell, who painted America through his own perspectives and what applied to him or the people around him. The album is littered with meticulous references of past American icons and numerous references to her past work. This leaves more to unwrap after each listen.
If you are looking for a pessimistic take on love or just an album to listen to while debating your break up with John or Sussy, there is no doubt that this is the album for you. Give it a try, I am sure you will love it. Some of my favorites off of the album are “Bartender,” “The Greatest,” “California,” and “Cinnamon Girl” just to name a few. She also put a cover of “Doin’ Time” on the album for you Sublime fans. This is an album you cannot miss. So go on, hit play.