With her debut album, Born To Die, Lana Del Rey became the woman of a thousand think pieces. Her apparent love for sex, booze and drugs offended critics across the spectrum. She garnered hate from people who didn't think her overt display of these themes had a place in mainstream pop, as well as those who didn't think she was pushing them far enough, they lamented that there was no real meaning or deeper challenge to them. So commentators set out to decide who Lana Del Rey really is: A bimbo? An over-sexualized record label toy? A secretly powerful feminist icon? According to Del Rey herself, none of the above.
In a 2013 interview, Del Rey told Electronic Beats that her music wasn't a commentary on the female's role in society. Rather, the album was about experience, specifically her experience. Del Rey was a self-described "crazy" addict in her teens. Sex, drugs and booze was her life, and though she's been sober for years now, those experiences will always be a part of her. Kendrick Lamar once noted that he had to make Good Kid, MAAD City (his debut album about growing up in Compton) before he could make anything else. The album was the story of his life thus far, and it had to be told before he could evolve as an artist. Born To Die serves the same purpose for Del Rey.
Our song this week is "Diet Mountain Dew" from Del Rey's debut effort. Aptly named, the song has a light, summery feel to it. There's something effortless in her melodies, they sweep you along lazily, drawing parallels to the carefree lifestyle Del Rey was infatuated with. She may be born to die one day, but she's going to enjoy every minute she's alive. But there's a dichotomy with any diet soda: Its contents are never as beautiful as the packaging, and Del Rey experiences this throughout the song. As she's asking her object of affection (whether it's a person, a drug, or something else) if they'll be in love forever, she's simultaneously singing to herself in the background, "You're no good for me". But she wants it. And she'll have it for now. And then she'll move on.
You can learn more about Lana Del Rey here:
About the curator - Cormac McGee
Cormac McGee is a DJ, artist manager and concert promoter based in Toronto, Canada. He’s played in front of crowds from 10 – 1,000 people and has run concerts with some of today’s top hip hop artists, including Drake, Future, Mac Miller, 6lack, Ab-Soul and more. He also runs the Music Den at Ryerson University, a business incubator for entrepreneurs in the music industry.
Latest Posts
Grey Luh – Berhana
19 February 2019
While he was in college in New York, Amain Berhane split his time between three things: class, work and music. Rarely did the three intersect. In the daylight Berhane would go to class and work one of his many part time jobs. At night, he would transform into Berhana (a slight spelling alteration of his last name to make it read how it actually sounded), writing sultry R&B…
Chances – Kaytranada ft Shay Lia
6 February 2019
This week we’re celebrating the fact that we’ve left January in the rearview mirror with the groovy, summer-roller disco jam “Chances”, and hoping it will inspire mother nature to bring the heat back to Canada…
Can’t Believe The Way We Flow – James Blake
22 January 2019
I’ve wanted to fit James Blake into this playlist for a while now. But when I thought about how people might be listening to this playlist (in the car, at work, chilling at home, etc), much of Blake’s catalogue didn’t seem appropriate. It’s not that his subject matter or style didn’t fit the playlist (his obsession with heartbreak actually made him perfect for it), but it’s how he composes his tracks…
