Billboard Music Award winner and alternative singer Lana Del Rey released her newest album, “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,”on March 23, 2023. Although it has been about eight months since its release, Del Rey has recently been nominated for six Grammys. I started listening to Lana Del Rey’s music roughly three years ago when I was about 14. Since then, she has become one of my favorite artists.
My favorite attribute of Del Rey’s music is the variety of styles that she pulls off. Some of her music is slow and melancholy, but she has other upbeat, ‘pop’-y songs. Her voice is beautiful, and she really knows how to compose. Her songs accentuate her abilities. Honestly, I had high expectations for this album, but at first, I was unsure that they would be met.
She released the lead single a few months before the full album’s release. The song, also titled “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” was everyone’s first impression of the album to come. I, personally, did not like it at first. It felt too slow and a little underwhelming. I just hoped the album had a little more variety, because it felt a little too similar to songs from her last album, “Blue Banisters.”
After the release of the full album, however, my expectations were exceeded. She has backup vocals in some of her songs — “Candy Necklaces (feat. Jon Batiste),” “A&W,” “The Grants,” “Let the Light In (feat. Father John Misty)” and “Margaret (feat. Bleachers)” — that add so much depth. Some songs had natural instrumentals, and other songs had electronically produced beats. The way that her producer layers her voice in this album surpasses her previous work. Overall, the new leaps that she takes and the diversity in this album are large factors as to why it has risen up in my rankings.
Track number one: “The Grants”
Track number one on this album is titled, “The Grants.” I chose to highlight this song because, although it was not individually nominated for a grammy, it is one of my favorites. It begins with the chorus of the song for 50 seconds, sung by a group of women. The women behind this are Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard and Shikena Jones. No other song by Del Rey has started with a choir, and so this was an interesting and intriguing song to me.
After the first 50 seconds, Del Rey enters and sings to this beautiful melody, with backup vocals by the three women that began the song. This song captures the meaning behind memories, and that “when you leave, all you take is your memory.” She ends the song with personal and heartfelt references, like taking memories of her “sister’s first-born child” and her “grandmother’s last smile” with her. Overall, this song is well crafted — both lyrically and artistically — and it is definitely a stand out on the album.
Track number four: “A&W”
This song is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for the 2024 Grammys. It starts out slow, and the lyrics express that she is feeling defeated and withdrawn. She discusses a deep topic: “If I told you that I was raped do you really think that anybody would think I didn’t ask for it?” As the song progresses, her lyrics and her tone and lyrics switch from being defeated to retaliating against her hardships.
All of the sudden, at around four minutes into the song, the beat starts to switch. It becomes faster, and drums and electronic sounding noises are incorporated. After about a minute and a half of this build up, the beat drops and it feels as though a new song has begun. She yells/sings: “Your mom called I told her you’re f******* up big time.” You can hear her built up resistance and anger be released in the ending of the song. Ultimately, this song is deserving of the Grammy.
Track number six: “Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste)”
This song is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the 2024 Grammys. It has a really catchy chorus — something about the way that she aligns her syllables with the beats is very appealing. The most interesting and unique part of the song is the vocals at the end of the song. “Candy necklaces” is repeated 16 times in a row by Del Rey and Jon Batiste. Her voice is layered with Batiste’s, and the contrast between her high and angelic voice and his deep voice is really amazing.
This album is definitely one of Del Rey’s best works, and she definitely deserves all her nominations. I’m very excited to see how the Grammys play out. This album is worth listening to, and I 100% recommend it.
