Defending Blue Banisters (Lana's Misunderstood Record) 

Blue Banisters hive, we rise!

Blue Banisters was THE album, everything about it screamed Lana del Rey in the best way possible. Critics only recognize artistry when its mainstream and caters towards an easy listen.

I think this album is geared towards her more mature fans. Im in my 30's and i love this album. Its complex, a bit messy, and raw.

I wouldn't say this is a heartbreak album. It's more of a healing album. Most of the songs in Blue Banisters are about healing, moving on from toxic situations and finding the strength within yourself to live your life the way you want. I think people who say this album lacks cohesion aren't paying enough attention.

blue banisters became one of my favourite albums of all time the title track is so heartbreaking wildflower wildfire is my favourite off the record ❤❤

The way nobody could ever make me hate any Lana Del Rey Album, that is Mother forever pls

Blue Banisters is easily both one of her most healing and simultaneously depressing albums. its so incredible

Lana is an artist, and exhibits that relevancy exists beyond the “hits”

I adore Blue Banisters. The song "Blue Banisters" is one of her best written songs.

I have absolutely NO idea why people HATE this album. It has ZERO skips & the best interlude ever.

Blue banisters is her best album in my opinion. So serene and heartfelt

I am not sure how this album can be hated … I turned 25 right before the album came out, and honestly… it hit the spot. Trying to understand the issues with family that were coming back from my childhood, healing from a toxic codependent relationship, self-reflecting about self worth, trying to loose “quarantine fifteen” I gained while on lockdown, thinking if I ever want to have a family of my own… A huge mess of thoughts and emotions… Blue Banisters was EXACTLY what I needed at that time to navigate them all and feel them all. Cry the tears that needed to be cried, say the words that needed to be said, and accept the truths that should’ve been accepted a long time ago.

I think Blue Banisters and Ocean Blvd are both albums that invite conversations about much more mature topics than what we've seen Lana do in the past. I think a lot of Lana fans are kind of 'stuck' in the Born To Die era because it's where we really saw the Lana Del Rey *persona*. Now that she's inviting a bit more of herself, Lizzy Grant, into her discography people aren't willing to let go and embrace the new, more vulnerable music. As much as I LOVE the BTD era I think we should be more open to accepting the fact that Lana is growing up and her music is maturing with her.

This album deserves respect for Dealer ALONE! (as well as all the others, they're all amazing 👏🏻 🤗)

My favourite album, she's just so open about her life and I feel like BB is a safe haven for any listeners, sort of creating a small community.

I skipped out on BB for the longest time because Chemtrails and I don’t get along very well 😅. When I finally did listen to BB, I was so distraught and upset with myself for missing out on it for so long. BB is definitely one my favourites from her.

blue banisters is my favorite album no joke. it's pure poetry and it's just so beautiful

I have always viewed Blue Banisters as almost an autobiography of her life. I think including the demos and unreleased tracks tied it back to her past, which thus links to the album being biographical. It also feels like a test for what she could (and did) explore in Ocean Blvd, with her most recent music feeling more personal than ever.

Of the two records she released that year, "Blue Bannisters" was far and away my favorite of the two. Even while I like "Chemtrails," I can't help but find it slight by the end, as if there's something missing. With "Blue Bannisters," I think it was the prelude to what made "Ocean Blvd." a great record (I know it's only been a few months, but it might be my favorite now). As you mention, she's turning more personal and the introspection allows for some interesting decisions. I love the daunting nature where melodies seem to shake-up between verses and choruses or how confidently she sings over them. Even if viewed as a test run for her next record, it's a fascinating look into her as an artist and one that finds her creatively maturing into something greater than mere pop star. She keeps challenging herself and I love that about her. I understand criticism that this is a messy and divisive record and sometimes I wonder if I only love it because of how long I've been a fan. Even while I consider it one of her absolute bests, I think it's a bit too sprawling and challenging that I don't think I've appreciated all of its tricks just yet. Still, how could you not enjoy her sticking trap beats over a random Ennio Morricone song to signify an act break? She does so many fun things here that I am thankful she hasn't lost her personality even as she's grown more serious. This is maybe my fourth favorite behind "Ocean Blvd.," "NFR," and "Honeymoon" and one that has benefited from years of revisiting. It'll probably take many more before I fully love it, but it still hits all of the notes for what I love about her recent era. She feels freer since "NFR" and it's only allowed her to make some of her best music... so far.

Blue Banisters is def my 2nd fav Lana album, BB deserved better

She's a true icon, considering she debuted at the age of 26 she truly acheived so much, this album has my second favorite song by lana which is wildflower wildfire, and the first one is Terrence loves you, the lyric "here's the deal, my father never stepped in when his wife would rage at me, so I ended up awkward but sweet" cuts deep, for me it's the opposite "my mother never stepped in when her husband would rage at me so I ended up awkward but sweet" sorry for the very long comment, and thank you for the very well researched and constructed videos you do, you have become one of my favorite youtubers

I think BB is hands down one of her best albums❤️ There is a depth and rawness to it that I didn't see in her past work. To me it feels more her and personally revealing. She's no longer the sad girl chasing her pill popping "daddy". She's a woman exploring all the why's behind who she used to be.

My favorite Lana album EVER! So raw, so real and so deep ugh I love it. Wildflower Wildfire is my fav from this record

I'm a 14 year old who is now in love with lana. My point is that this album made me fall in love with her. When blue banisters came out, I started to explore my music taste and thought lana del rey sounded cool and her top hits had cool names to them so I was like why not. I listened to bb the same week it released and I was immediately captivated by Arcadia, violets for roses, thunder, etc. I saw the cd in target and I bought it. As time went on I would listen to bb all the time and started to listen to her other albums aswell. I alr knew nfr and cotcc before I heard BB but I still didn't understand her music once I started listening to her more. I was coming from music that was very main streamed and popular so lana was definitely different from what I listened to. My favorite album of hers became ultraviolence until recently I started to notice thay BB is js very easy to listen to. It's so comforting and I can easily listen it all in one sitting, I know most of the lyrics to every song and I feel that BB doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I would gaslight myself that ultraviolence was better but it js wasnt. I now have ultraviolence and nfr as cds and i know every lyric to both albums. While other albums of hers I don't listen to as much, I still listen to some songs in them. BB is js an amazing album will forever be a special album to me even if it's not as popular as others. BB was my blue print as a lana stan. My top three albums are BB, UV, and NFR/Ocean blvd.

You seem to listen to, see and talk about music the same way that I used to. Unfortunately, I lost all my music, both literally and figuratively. It was due to and the cause of a lot of personal trauma for me. But watching your videos makes me pray that much harder that I'll get it all back. 💙 Thank you.

no, i love this album! i started listening to lana in summer 2022 n i went in order of albums n got to bb in nov/dec and at first listen it didn’t hit me then i listened again n i fell in love. it’s hard to replay for me bc it really puts me in a somber mood as i relate to it so much but it’s defo a personal fav of mine 💕. i feel like it was a warm-up for what to expect with ocean blvd.

i love blue banisters with my whole heart its so amazing

I’ve been with Lana since late 2011, I graduated in 2014 with ultraviolence. I fell off the next couple albums, personal mess and early 20s. I went through a health setback, brain injury in 2020 and I was still crumbling in 2021. Blue Banisters just broke my heart and healed it and gave me the solace and freedom to express myself again. Arcadia just is the most unreal song. We are the lucky ones indeed. ❤ I’ve dealt with plenty in my 28 years but it’s Lana’s music that’s been a constant since I was 15. Thank you Lana, and thank you all for recognizing and respecting her. ❤

I love this album it’s in my top 2 with ultraviolence I don’t know why people hate it a lot of the songs made me cry because of the lyrics and etc

Blue Banisters was there for me in a very hard time of my life and though I'll never stop thinking about that point in my life, it's such a whimsical and intimate album that I just can't help but listen to the music with nothing but fresh, new emotions that are conquered by mostly awe. On a side note, I'd love for you to review Gracie Abrams' Good RIddance, her debut album. It's one of the best debut albums of all time to me, along with Sour and Life Support. She sings about the mistakes she has made in past relationships and as a growing person, something you don't encounter often in art. I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the brutally honest album that is Good Riddance. Keep up the amazing work!

absolutely adore how much depth and thought you put into your reviews and videos! so much info and yet so entertaining and concise. xoxo

Your explanations are so relaxing

I have to say that this video was super nice to watch, your really put in the work and though to it and made me appreciate this album even more.

Wow what a great analysis! 👏👏👏 my favorite Lana album is finally getting some recognition!!

Very interesting vid & a seriously underrated LP that's I've been spinning repeatedly since its release. Lots of great songs but Black Bathing Suit probably my favourite. Cheers pal 💅

I love that the album had so many of my favorite unreleased songs

Blue Banisters is my second favorite Lana record after Ocean Blvd. I love it so much, thank you for the video.

What a beautifully realized video! Thank you!

This is such a good video!!! loved everything about it.

I was starting to listening to her music when this album dropped. I had nothing to say but it was BEAUTIFUL, and I'm so happy this was the first full listen album that I did.

Tbh Blue Banisters is one of, if not my favourite Lana album. I don’t understand why people can dislike it…

I love it!!! it just took me a couple listens but I'm obsessed

thank u so much foe this video, u did it really good

So here for this Blue Banisters is my favorite album and it is 100% the most hated among the stans

Thank you for the thorough explanation! It gave a lot of insights. I think your comment at 0:39 spots right onto why I'm here in the first place...like, I know that this album is still very Lana, but as a fan, I lean more towards your description as one of those "audience of (an established) pop star". Therefore, the production of the songs in the album can't merge rightaway into my imagery of the Lana catalogue. At first when she released the album, I was wondering how could she manage to release 2 albums in a year, and honestly think both albums feels rushed at production...in such case that the bit of being musically dull outweighted the beauty of her songwriting. As I searched about some tracks of this album that I appreciate more, I was surprised to know that they were all outtakes from her previous work. That explains a lot like why she managed to do 2 in a year, and that also gives a special place for this album. I thought she was doing it for her fans, only from your video that I get to know she did it for defense and speaking for herself. That's so Lana lol Was also happy to find out that the production was already having notable improvements comparing to those demos. To be honest, base on the uniqueness of this album I know that I shouldn't disregard it, and your video did convince me to rate it better, but I'm still on a long way getting used to the "not as glamourous and complex" production of these 2 2021 albums😓

YES IM SO HAPPY UR COVERING THIS!!! BLUE BANISTERS IS SO SPECIAL

The twilight scenes you put on here makes me giggle

Blue Banisters is my favorite album of hers it’s the most perfect album I never understood the hate it got

love. love this album, so much. thank you for sharing your views on that!!

Thank you for making this video! I honestly didn’t know how overlooked/misunderstood Blue Banisters was. I think along with Ocean Blvd, this is Lana at her most personal and raw. Thunder was the track that touched me immediately when I heard it and the whole album is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what she does next!🤍

As a woman going through divorce at 30, Lana has been the soundtrack to my life lately 😭 my friends are sick of it but every album brings its own feel and catharsis. BB quickly making its way to the top for me

BB is one of my personal faves. Aging with Lana means for me that I generally prefer her later albums (from NFR on)

Blue banisters is what got me back into listening to Lana forever one of my favorite albums from her

YES THANK YOU 💜💜 I was waiting for ages for someone to correctly critique this record 😭

I’m obsessed with this album and Thunder! This song is amazingly beautiful.

It’s my favourite album. It’s so honest, complex and it’s sooo hauntingly beautiful in every sense. Lyrically and vocally. So I can’t say anything but that most of the people are just to focused on how viral it is and not on the good music (Lana’s viral music is amazing as all the music she has)

Amazing album. Took a while for me to truly appreciate this. Wildfire is my second fave after heroin. This album flows so wonderfully.

That album always gives me the concept of going back to your hometown and deciding to heal and express thoughts on friends, family, amd current issues that are on one's mind.

Blue Banisters is my comfort album and has helped me through months of panic attacks. I find it to be very relaxing and beautiful; some songs even made me instantly happy when I heard them: Violets for Roses, Thunder, Text Book, Arcadia, Black Bathing, and Nectar of the Gods. I remember whenever I had bad anxiety about school I would just play these songs. Also the Trio Interlude introduced me to the movie The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly + Morricone’s compositions in general, both of which are brilliant. Fine China should have totally made the album!

The loveliest time is coming!!! Please made a video about it

ngl my most listened album by her right now, i love her ballads. I didn't liked it at first listen but all songs grew on me. Ballads mixed with rawness and organized chaos. Uv and bb are my comfort albums

Ngl I had a feeling this would be one of your favorites and that you would (rightfully) praise it. Someone told me that since I loved Folklore and Evermore so much for the more complex writing and style that I would adore this one as well, and I did! You said it perfectly, it really does showcase her craft and her love for poetry. I saw another video on here that said Honeymoon was her most underrated album and then I saw that they didn’t really care much for BB… I understand that this album is not for the easy listener, it’s not mainstream but to rank it lower than Honeymoon? Illegal. 😫

First of all, thank you for this Eljohn. I have to admit that I've always been a Chemtrails stan and thought that Blue Banisters was a teeny tiny bit unnecessary. I was in love with it when it came out, but the fascination had passed really quickly, quicker than with other albums. I didn't like the messiness of it (it's basically a selection of outtakes with some new songs), and Arcadia being the only "proper" single. However, after listening to it "properly" again one hot Spring afternoon, I fell asleep listening to it in my room in the middle of the day, and I discovered that there is a certain "lightness" to it. It's not very heavy. I can't imagine relaxing enough to half-nap to Body Electric, Cruel World or Lust for Life. References to Zoom, masks, Covid, places opening after a period of lockdown, as well as a general simplicity of the instrumentals and mixes (maybe except for the brass section in If You Lie Down With Me) make it so different to the majority of her work. I get the same vibes from this record that I get from Sportcruiser (Violet). Just everyday life stuff, no Elvis, God, Heaven, Marilyn Monroe and glamour. I definitely appreciate it more now but Chemtrails will always be that slightly better 2021 record for me.

rly enjoyed your review =) BB is one of my faves, if not the one haha

Excellent video. Please make more videos about Lana Del Rey music and stories. Please 🙏

i'm a fan of 10 years and her artistry just amazes me every single time. talk about creating such a diverse discography... i'm not necessarily a "dig into the lyrics" type of person so it makes my experience so layered in time. i remember listening to honeymoon every single day after being sent abroad away from my family for months; it gave me solace as i grew appreciation for every detail. her music manages to speak to me even when i don't relate to the themes she brings up -- now that's power. blue banisters has that power too. i still wouldn't place it in my top 3 ldr records, but i can't deny it was a start of this great new era for her that is ocean blvd.

my second favorite lana album!! it helped me so much when i left my abuser! its so comforting and healing

my favorite album of hers and the perfect companion to did you know there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard

When I saw the title of this video I thought, "who needs to defend Blue Bannisters? It's such a good album" but then I remembered i didn't really like this album on first listen but over time it has become one of my favourites by Lana. It strikes me as a fall album, signifying change or maybe it's just because I listened to it almost every day on my commute last fall/winter. The album is so beautiful and I love it so much. I think my favourite songs are "if you lie down with me", " wildflower wildfire" , "Arcadia", "dealer" and "black bathing suit".

I'm a great great great lover of Lana's work and a huge fan of yours!! This video made me happy for what I do and what each artist aim to: being open to the un-know for everything, for anyone, forever! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I'm waiting for your future to be your day's best!! Peace - El Even 💐💌

i absolutely never even thought of blue bannisters and ocean blvd as sisters until right now lmaoooo they both made each other so much better

I respect the time and work you put in this video. But besides dealer and thunder, this is something I just couldn’t get into at all .. great video tho 🙏🏼

this is my favorite lana album; its simple beautiful, from start to end. thunder, black bathing suit and nectar of the gods are my fav off the record :)

It's amazing! So much better than Chemtrails

I’ve been a lana fan since like 2020, and when Blue Banisters came out I hadn’t really listened to it. I listened maybe to Violets For Roses, Dealer and Arcadia. I wasn’t hating on it at all and never thought it was bad I just liked other albums better. I just recently listened to it fully and I love it. It’s still not my favourite but it definitely opened my eyes and I get why it’s stans defend it so much. It’s a beautiful album, it has many different songs - it reminds me of Born To Die in a way, both albums are versatile and beautiful. I really don’t know why this album didn’t get as much recognition.

Wildflower Wildfire is definitely one of her best

The title track is one of my favourites. It’s so good.

God i love this album so so much, even tho it is a bit incohesive considering the fact that it is a bunch of old songs put together, the theme and aesthetic that this album portrays is absolutely beautiful. Second fav album after UV. In an odd way, i feel like this is a continuation of UV, but a decade later.

The intermission is an absolute bop of a beat 🎶

I was in love wirh this album , i used to wander in park with yellow leafs and was my habit to listen to whole project. But slowly i get over it but recently i am gagin start realizing i adore this album my favorites are Black bathing suit , If you lie down with me Thunder Dealer Cherry blossom

the title track has always stood out as one of her best, it's so gorgeous, will have to listen to the whole thing again

Blue Banisters is one of my favourite Lana albums, and albums in general. It was actually an album of hers I grew to love immediately as I first heard it, and it's actually helped me calm down from my anxiety when I listen to it. Some of her best lyrics and songwriting comes from this album, and it feels like listening to beautiful poetry. I feel like Lana shows a lot of vulnerability in this album, such as feelings of lost, pain, heartbreak, love and hope. As well as the instrumentals, it's just gorgeous. There's not a single song on this album I dislike or don't love. This album just felt like Lana, she was being real and she looks back to her past and towards her future. It makes me sad to see people call this album "bad" without giving this album a shot. I truely just adore Blue Banisters and every song holds a very special place in my heart! (Sorry I kind of struggle to put my thoughts on Blue Banisters into words so I hope this makes sense!)

I didn't even know it was misunderstood. My favourite album is Ultraviolence and Blue Banisters second 😅. Just getting caught up in the Lana lore now, until now I was just listening to her music and that's it, it's good music whether you have context or not 🖤

This album is absolutely beautiful, and very emotional, I wasn't ready for the emotions.

First listened to it during a depressing cold winter and it was great for that lol

I love BB because it takes me back to the feelings that I had towards a friend, in which I later told him that I liked him through a FaceTime… too bad I fucked things up afterwards.

Blue Banister is fantastic from track 1 to the last. Unlike Chemtrails that left me wanting for more. if You Lie Down With Me, Black Bathing Suit and Violet & Roses are absolute jems I listen to almost daily. It felt not fully cohesive due to the inclusion of some “older” songs but I took that as a gift to the die-hard fans like me who had desired some of her unreleased tracks to be included in a studio album, so I’m happy for how things turned out. Thanks Lana 💜🌈🙏🏻

i just wanna shout I LOVE YOU BLUE BANISTERS…really helped me get through A LOT

So here's why Blue Banisters is a special album for me. I've followed Lana's career since late 2011 and I fell in love with how BTD sounded. For a long time I was looking for that particular sound and I was very happy when Lust for Life brought it back, at least partially. Then I realized that NFR was again very different and then COTCC made me realize that okay, that sound is probably never gonna come back, which made me feel kind of sad and disappointed. When Blue Banisters was released, I decided to listen to it with an open mind, letting go of all expectations. It worked: either that or the collection of songs on this album, or both, but I felt that I got a peak into Lana's life, which made me start to see her in a different way. I revisited NFR and COTCC afterwards and I started to have a new appreciation for them and I also started to get why NFR is regarded as her magnum opus. (To be honest, back then I thought NFR was a bunch of boring songs.) So Blue Banisters made me Lana fan -- again, for which I'm really thankful.

no wayyy that was my fav Lana album out of all

My favorite Lana album, and might be my all time favorite album period. If You Lie Down With Me is my favorite

Blue banisters is one of my favorites! Violet for roses is just beautiful!

There's something about Wildflower Wildfire and Blue Banisters... the composition is so personal yet the delivery is so relatable. The only thing about this album that I don't really love is the lack of cohesiveness in the mixing and mastering processes. Some songs even sound unfinished and not in a good way. Other than that, the title track and WW (and also Text Book) are three of her strongest songs.

My favorite Lana album just behind Ultraviolence and slightly above of NFR!

I used to ignore it but listened several times properly and Cherry blossom is my favourite song of that album now ❤

YES YES YES AMENNNNN, im obsessed with this album and it makes me so angry how underrated it is.

Me blasting Interlude in my car with the windows down driving away feeling bad ass

Massive Lams fan and this is one of my faves! Just w oh oh she would of kept some parts of the demo’s production of them.

it’s my fav lana album it’s from the soul, it’s only for her and her soul and it’s raw and touching, real & beautiful

after NFR my favorite compendium of hers with songs such as Sweet Carolina and Nectar of the Gods ringing me in instantly this album is for her more complex supporters