Lana Del Ray: Ranked
By: Collin Hunnicutt
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer and songwriter. Widely known as the “Queen of Alternative,” she has inspired artists such as Billie Eilish. Lana Del Rey will be releasing her 8th studio album, Blue Banisters, on October 22. In appreciation of her work, I have composed a ranking and reviews of Lana Del Rey’s current seven albums.
7. Honeymoon
Honeymoon is Lana Del Rey’s third studio album. It is her most artistic work, but it goes in a direction that doesn’t seem to fit Lana Del Rey. This album is much darker than anything else she’s released. The songs are all melancholy and move so slow; the album doesn’t seem like it will end. It is rock bottom for Lana Del Rey’s work.
6. Lana Del Rey
The debut album for Lana Del Rey sounds much different to much of her more recent work. The entire album is much “bouncier,” but at the same time, still has the sad underlying or sometimes obvious messages. Although the album is one of the poorer works from Lana Del Rey, it paved the way for her future career.
5. Lust for Life
This album is one of the best albums if you want to listen to something that sounds good, but it is the hardest album to interpret a meaning from. Lana Del Rey layers symbolism and it makes it confusing to try to find any true meaning in the album without getting lost in a black hole. The best songs on the album are the much simpler ones like “Summer Bummer.” They do not have any deep, hidden meanings that are too hard to find. The complexity of this album makes it difficult to rank any higher.
4. Ultraviolence
This is Lana Del Rey’s darkest album. It is entirely about sadness and loneliness. While the first half of the album is outstanding, it begins to be repetitive and tiring. The album becomes boring to listen to and the repetitiveness kills the integrity of the album.
3. Chemtrails Over the Country Club
The same reasons that make Norman F****** Rockwell so good are brought back in this album. Lana Del Rey is able to find herself again in this album; she doesn’t only find herself; she seems to have found her full belief in God. This album falls to three though, because of a lack of its own uniqueness. The album has little to distinguish itself from some of her other music.
2. Born to Die
In this album, a different message is portrayed. A message of the detachment from our desires and the “American Dream” is portrayed. The entire album comes across as out of touch with the world and our emotions. That is what makes the album so intriguing, you are left thinking about what you’ve listened to and find yourself listening to it again.
1. Norman F****** Rockwell
Lana’s fifth studio album, and it is undisputedly her best work. It is complex, yet elegant. The album mixes her usual style of music with an almost folk feel. She sings of the realities of the “American Dream” and the challenges and disasters of just being alive. The album has the listener hooked on messages she wants to portray and the perfect tones and melodies she uses to do so.
Fans are very excited about Blue Banisters and what it entails. Will it be the iconic Lana Del Rey style or will she give us something we’ve never heard before?
