How Lana Del Rey's Born to Die Changed Pop Forever 

I remember how much of a shock it was for me when she changed her look and sound for Ultraviolence, the black hair, B&W visuals, eyeliner, and more rock sound will forever be iconic. Can’t wait for more Lana videos!

@@Ulises92 Ultraviolence was THE era to live in. Like it was so ahead of its time in 2014. The whole album is probably my most played Lana album of all time even more than NFR and BTD 🥰🖤

@@EljohnMacaranas omg is there gonna be one on honeymoon?

@@sparrow_posts_stuff Yes! Each album is getting one!

@@EljohnMacaranas yess im so excited for them!! keep up the good work :))))

Like she truly persisted and survived while so many people spent so much time overhauling their gimmicks 😭

Fr! She was so ahead of her time

She’s basically touched nearly every corner of pop in some aspect, whether it’s visuals or theme or marketing. It’s kinda wild that she’s gonna be a point of reference for future artists akin to other greats.

At least Paradise was Grammy nominated but agreed! I'd have love it to be extended but I think Lana was already brainstorming about UV around the time she was finishing up Paradise.

When you effortlessly change sounds every record never quite coming back you become an inimitable legend. Like Lana’s truly scores ahead of most of her contemporaries

Her unreleased collection and Charli XCX’s are amongst the greatest treasure boxes of songs ever 😭

Yessss! It’s all like a soundtrack to a movie and each album feels like a wholly different film 🥰

I feel like 'Lana Del Rey' is Lizzie Grant's art project that became sentient. Thank God.

You can really see Interscope/Polydor really reaching to sell her like a typical pop star early on, then sorta give up altogether when they realized she'd be a critical cult pop darling. It's an odd journey.

What other good classic Hollywood music are there?

That’s so cool he gave you a copy of it! Also, I do agree that Lana’s music is somewhat darkly humorous. There was always a wink about the way she steeped it in melodrama. Critics go “oh wow” about the lilac iPhone 11 line when she’s been doing that forever…

@@EljohnMacaranas yes I always felt her mixture of Americana of golden age Hollywood’s references were a dark meta humor perspective of the then current climate of pop culture and society

Blue jeans is one of her best !!

lolita and ride are also really good!

She was a cultural reset, I genuinely can’t imagine what pop would sound like today without her

Your welcome, bestie 🥰

Oh for sure, it’s a classic! Camila agrees!

Born to Die was introduced to me by a friend on a roadtrip to the other side of the state. From the opening moment, I knew it was gonna change the way I write and dread and it did. I felt every word you wrote 😭

@@EljohnMacaranas EXACTLY, 100%

I like to think it’s because of the pressure to innovate and differentiate. American male pop tends to box their acts in very few acceptable/marketable boxes: dude with guitar, usu former boy band member trying to emulate Freddie Mercury/the other greats, or rap/rnb crossover act and they just coast off that. We have the exception every now and then like The Weeknd being a big one, but even then when you really think about it, they put in a fractional amount of effort women in the field do because they can get away with it. Tell me what Shawn Mendes or JB is doing that’s truly never been done before or is a direct reinvention of what we once knew or did. The clear answer to solving the issue is elevating queer male acts, Lil Nas X love or hate him sorta raised the bar again and challenged the status quo. But then again, I’m not the general public and will never be. Also agreed, Born to Die aged magnificently.

Nicki 😭 literally the pinkprint for modern rapping inspiring beyond gender divides ❤️

My two favorite artists, both writers first! Love our taste 🤗❤️

Thank you! I’m super excited about Ultraviolence, I feel like that was an era everyone sorta got on the same page about what her intentions were. Honeymoon and LFL will also be cool to touch on!

Paradise is everything 😭

Really well-said!

well said

Honestly, I think you got into Lana around the best time, kinda avoiding a lot of her detractors at their peak worst and around the time people started to realize who she is. I'm currently writing the Ultraviolence video and it's kind of a trip looking back.

WAIT, SPILL!

@@EljohnMacaranas RIGHT

that’s honestly a really good point like every album builds on itself and prior work in a way its uniquely her but radically different from era to era, BTD being her worst (by default) is how artists should be… you DO want your first to be your worst! god she’s excellence

What do you mean?? BTD was arguably her best work of art, at least orchestically. In terms of lyrics, I think Ultraviolence, NFR, Honeymoon are her best. But it is def hard to say which album is her worst/best

I appreciate that! 😭🥰

I was feeling really nostalgic about this era and well “better times” (not really when you realize how vicious ppl were to the artists you loved: the treatment my trifecta of Lana, Taylor, and Ke$ha face(d)… it was not good but the music was transcendent.)

@@EljohnMacaranas I was nowhere to be found during this era. I am in love with the pop girlies that time (Gaga, Katy, Kesha). Last year I became curious with Lana. Heard Norman Fucking Rockwell (album) first, I fell in love with it. I ran through her discography, Born to Die era is iconic. The sound was soothing, different & the vocals, omg. These two albums were my most played last year & I am very excited for her new album.

WE STAN A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Love that for you!

Can u pls share some poets recommendations?

Can you list everything you read?

Very few people get to witness an era as magical as BTD as it happens! It was a different time!

Don't you think she is a gifted melodist, really gifted?

Thank you so much! Dark Paradise suffers from its track placement I think. Like when I listen out of order it hits different!

Thank u ❤️

Thank you for subscribing! And agreed, I think a lot of what she accomplished was through prevailing and staying true to her vision and self. She knew what she was doing the whole time. She even fought to keep her masters very early on in her career.

It's kinda crazy how she really wins over fans through the years. She really ushered in another way to measure success beyond charting which she did quite a bit early on! Many artists admit they would not be who they are today without her work and those that don't clearly still admire her.

Thank you for watching, making a series about Lana was one of the highlights of my year! ❤️ Also awwww! Wishing you and your cats (esp Lana) a happy holiday season!

She’s one of the most enigmatic artists of the recent years!

It’s such a classic!

It’s amazing finding a lifelong artist like one who constantly drops new music for new chapters of your life!

It aged so well!

Blue Neighbourhood in my honest opinion is one of the best albums to pay homage to BTD

Genuinely some of the demos on BTD are too good, same for L4L!

Thank u! I’m recording Ultraviolence this week!

She is ART

Oh I love ur ranking!

Radio was such a perfect intro song to Lana, my friend's first song from Lana was Without You when I had to prove to her Taylor didn't do it first.

@@EljohnMacaranas I'm just getting into her music and the first song I heard was Radio😭

She made herself an event, she became akin to alt pop’s worst kept secret, the conversation about the persona and the art itself was insane

Yesssss ❤️

“Vintage” Lana knew how to write a hit, the kiddos missed out 😭

It’s timeless!

I feel like Ultraviolence was the lock in moment for early fans, like I love seeing ppl discover or reuncover what it was 😭

@@EljohnMacaranas definitely! Like once that album came out it was like this isn't just a one time pop bop

I feel like Lana's music particularly BTD and Paradise while thematically crazy are perfect coming of age records.

Literally can’t believe that was a decade and some change ago! What a time to be alive it was!

@@EljohnMacaranas another reminder we're getting old 😬

Like spill!

I feel like it’s one of the last giant eras of releasing music throughout a year!

Literally truth 😭

Never underestimate the power of a great album cover like so many artists nowadays fail to get that like Lana is usually always on point with cover art!

I might not make it on time for Ocean Blvd but I might do a quick one on those two as a joint video after NFR, I kind of have different views on those albums now that nearly 2 years have passed! Thanks for watching!

@@EljohnMacaranas I think you should do whole videos like these. Put them out after Over Blvd, who cares- it will keep growing your views- especially after Ocean Blvd comes out, people will wanna watch more, or complete your series. Just some friendly advice from one Lana Whore to the next 😘

Literally the Recording Academy has yet to give Diana Ross a single award beyond a lifetime achievement “sorry queen” award

I def will sooner than later. I read that interview years ago and still think it’s insane he was right all this time.

Legit so many twinks around the world found God after her

Oh you definitely have to give NFR and Ultraviolence a listen at least! NFR was essentially the first Folklore (Swifties will fight me on that) and Ultraviolence I have a video coming tomorrow on!

Fair

I revisited it and wonder if it’ll have a tiktok moment like Radio is having right now.

One of the most impactful records of all time 😭

@@EljohnMacaranas definitely. I was 18 when I've heard the album. It has given me so much lust for life, confidence and direction in life, I don't know if anybody can relate...

She’s truly a pioneer!

It’s a very solid song but just not it for me, probably bc I listen in sequential order all the time

I think it’s honestly well constructed pop, but the placement on the tracklisting kinda hurts! Love to see it used in edits for characters and ships! An iconic song for that purpose as well!

I think the measure of an artist's growth is the distance from their first record they've taken and if they've retained an audience. By far, Lana's amongst one of the most grown artists of her time. BTD still has a chokehold on the GP with tiktoks of songs and demos still going viral but her most recent works are levels beyond. I imagine we'll see songs from her middle and later career trend too.

Mother Lana truly is a revolutionary 😍

Noticed lmao

She won them over but it never mattered, mother of the modern alt girl 🫡

Lanita 😭🥰

They probably just don’t realize how Lana made investing in this sort of sound profitable. I think when some try to discredit Lana for not inventing anything, they miss the point she helped labels realize it made sense to invest.

I def recorded this while hungry!

Like literally that album was formative for my 15-16 year old self, sans me getting so much flack for joking I wanted to date old rich men.

@EljohnMacaranas i am in this exact era rn of just feeling like i have more power than i do and trying to force myself to like older men

They are great songs! I just never bonded with them the way I did with the other tracks!

I believe this for like a whole generation tbh

Every album is such a different vibe, I can’t really say she’s ever chosen the safe route to success and for that I will always love her!

Thank u, queen deserves it!

she's such a legend!

I’m writing it as we speak but will probably drop a quick review of Caroline Polachek’s new record first!

She was truly ahead of her time (her and Electra Heart Marina)

You spilled, there’s gonna be more girls and gays who take notes in the future!

No one “made” anyone if you had studied music you would know that each of these artists has different influences and not just Lana or whoever on the contrary, Lana is a small part of the whole package.. music is evolution and each artist leaves a part of herself to the new generations it’s a normal thing .. so MJ was "created" by James Brown, Fred Astaire, Bill Bailey Etc.. ? No. Mj created himself and his music/choreography ofc also based on his musical influences which allowed him to push his limits. Was Lana created by her other influences? no. Everyone every female artist creates herself, and creates her own sound (not everyone can do this but Bille definitely did that, Taylor changes sides based on the music market required by the consumer but even Taylor in pop was and is herself in her music) with ofc elements that come from different influences and artists! Anyone who says “one artist made another” doesn't quite understand what music was and is. A true artist like Taylor or Billie or Adele or Lorde Etc who does music alone with only 1 person with them in the music is the package of so many influences they had, not only one. To say that one person created another is wrong and limited. Everyone was created by everyone even today's Lana music is influenced by the music she hears today .. music is evolution and a set of influences from everywhere .. and the rarity is knowing how to put together and overcome one's limits by creating your own unique sound .. this is the beauty of art. Lana wasn't the first, so many alt pop artists existed before Lana that they "created" her .. like Taylor, Billie, Lorde before them with many other artists who influenced them. They are on the same level. Madonna created specific production in the 70/80 based on the music of those years that came from other artists, not from the past but from her years. Elvis didn't create rock n roll but he was influenced by those who already did that in black culture in his years at that time Etc bc music is evolution. It’s a normal, natural musical process. ♾️ there is not limit in music.

Lana didn't "make" Taylor 💀 they're literally on a completely different field in the industry wtf

Oh Ultraviolence is one of those records that sneak up on you for a relisten!

yes !!! its like a forbidden sleeping pill its my fav album also big on lost for life @@EljohnMacaranas

YESSSS LUST FOR LIFE needs more love

Force of nature 💅

No but like it altered my brain chemistry forever 😭

A legend

Oh Ultraviolence for sure… NFR and BB both come close but Ultraviolence was the moment people “got” her.

Tumblr in 2012 is something the baby zoomers wish they lived through 😭

HISTORICAL ❤️