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Lana Del Rey · S2 E3
Born to Die
The album drops, sells 3.4 million copies, and critics can't decide if it's brilliant or terrible
January 27, 2012. Born to Die hits record stores in the UK, and within 24 hours, it's clear that the critics and the public are living in two completely different realities.
"High by the Beach" (Lana Del Rey, 2015). Lana pulls out a rifle and shoots down a paparazzi helicopter. After the critical pile-on that greeted Born to Die, this video feels like a delayed response to everyone who doubted her: leave me alone, I'm doing fine.
The Album
Born to Die is produced by Emile Haynie, Robopop, Jeff Bhasker, and Rick Nowels, a team that builds a sound nobody can categorize. It's cinematic pop layered with hip-hop beats, orchestral strings, and Lana's low vocal floating over everything like smoke. The album sounds like a Quentin Tarantino film set in 1960s Malibu.
Sources
Pitchfork
NME
Rolling Stone
“It went to number one in eleven countries. That's my review.”
— Lana Del Rey, on Born to Die's critical reception
TAP TO REVEAL: What score did Pitchfork give Born to Die?
High by the Beach, Lana Del Rey (2015)
The production swaps Born to Die's orchestral sweep for something more electronic, with a pulsing synth line and a beat that sounds like waves hitting a wall. Lana's vocal is pushed forward in the mix, more confident and direct than anything on the debut. Listen for the way the chorus opens up into something almost anthemic before the verses pull it back to a whisper. The whole song feels like someone who's been through the worst of it and decided she doesn't care anymore.
Sources
Pitchfork
The Guardian
Born to Die: The Facts
Dark Paradise, Lana Del Rey
From Born to Die (2012). The deep cut that hardcore fans consider one of the album's best tracks, and that critics mostly ignored. "Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise." While the press debated whether Lana was real, songs like this one proved the songwriting was.
Dark Paradise, Lana Del Rey (2012)
"There's no remedy for memory, your face is like a melody, it won't leave my head." The kind of lyric that sounds simple until it's stuck in your head for a week. This is the Born to Die the critics missed.
How many tracks are on the standard edition of Born to Die?
Born to Die is selling millions, the haters are loud, and Lana doesn't care about either. Next: Elvis, a swimming pool, and how Lana Del Rey turned every music video into a short film that mattered more than the reviews.
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