Song of the Day 1/30: Lana Del Rey, “Fuck It I Love You”

Guest post by Nathan Arizona

I believe there are some hipsters out there who still haven’t gotten on the Lana Del Rey bandwagon. Sure, the wagon leads to some darkish film-noir kind of places, but that’s a good reason to hop on.

The reluctant might still be thinking about her disastrous debut on “Saturday Night Live” a decade ago, even though she almost immediately redeemed herself with the albums that followed.
They might dismiss her as one of those vacuous young “pop-tarts” just because she’s pretty, sings pop music and is young. Well, not so young. She’s 35 but she does look younger.

Admittedly, she’s not to everyone’s taste. But one of her biggest fans is David Lynch, than whom there are few more hip. Her sound is reminiscent of the haunting music he has used for “Twin Peaks” and other projects. He surely appreciates her smoky style and its echoes of classic Hollywood with both its femme fatales and women of the love-lorn and put-upon variety. Think of another Lana, Turner. Yes, she can sound masochistic, and some find her vulnerability anti-feminist. But it’s not like she steps right out of a 1940s movie where she gets slapped around by Robert Mitchum. She has more fun than that and she’s no stranger to irony.

Del Rey has recorded recorded title song of Lynch’s movie “Blue Velvet” (OK, it was for a clothing chain ad.) It was sung by Roy Orbison in the film. She and Roy have a similar kind of moodiness. Del Rey says she’d like to work with Lynch. Sounds like Lynch would be receptive.

“She’s got a fantastic charisma,” Lynch has said, “and this is a very interesting thing. It’s like she’s born out of another time.”

Del Rey says — not quite believably— that what we see is not a persona. She was born, though, as Elizabeth Grant in New York City to parents in the advertising business. But art is partly about creating a persona, and she has created a perfect one, right down to the name she made up.

In 2019, Ms., um, Del Rey released her sixth album and her best, “Norman Fucking Rockwell.” It made a lot of Top 10 lists compiled by critics who have learned to appreciate her over the years. Her languid, sometimes even deadpan singing style is reflected in the work of many female artists who would seem to have little in common with her.

Here is “Fuck It I Love You” from that album. As a bonus, it’s followed on the same video by “The Greatest.” There’s a surprising electric guitar solo starting about 6:11.

Del Rey will release her next album of orchestral pop, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” next month. Here’s the title track from that one. Gets a little weird towards the end.