By Katie Gray
Lana Del Rey is an amazing singer, songwriter and poet. She is known internationally and is continuously becoming more successful each year. Her popular song Young & Beautiful was featured in the film The Great Gatsby, she sang Once Upon A Dream for the trailer of Angelina Jolie’s film Maleficent, and she performed during the celebrity wedding festivities of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, as they are admirers of hers. Del Rey is talked about a lot for her distinctive and unique vocal sounds, bold lyrics, music style, and her beautiful appearance. Her genres are alternative, jazz, rock, pop, trip-hop, indie-pop and dream-pop. Her shows always sell out fast and she has garnered millions of fans. Del Rey’s new single “Love” is taking the world by storm, and she is set to release a new album this year. All of her songs are inspired by her life and, more specifically, love. Recently she did an interlude with The Weekend, in the song “Stargirl.” She has had celebrity relationships with rocker Barrie James O’Neill and fashion photographer and filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini. In addition; James Franco, Courtney Love, The Weekend, ASAP Rocky, Marina and the Diamonds, among many others, are all fans of the starlet. Her musical inspiration stems from her own life experiences and relationships.
Here are 10 of the best Lana Del Rey songs and lyrics about love inspired by her celebrity relationships:
1. Video Games:
Lana Del Rey’s breakthrough song was “Video Games.” It went viral on YouTube when she posted it in 2011 and that was viewed by millions people, which led to her getting a record deal with Interscope records. Del Rey had made the music video herself. It features different shots of her singing, with images of the New York City skyline and the Hollywood horizon spliced throughout. The time in Lana’s life that she felt the happiest, with the person she loved more than anything, is the tone of the music video and the song. Images in the video feature footage of the Chateau Marmont in LA, guys skateboarding, a flower blooming, paparazzi, birds flying, the American flag and other images that represent the USA. Although she never discloses the name of her boyfriend that most of her songs about, she has said of this relationship, “I’ll love him forever.” Also she has disclosed, that she’s always singing about the same person and that her songs are all about the same man. The main chorus lyrics are, “It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you. Everything I do. I tell you all the time, Heaven is a place on earth with you. Tell me all the things you want to do. I heard that you like the bad girls, honey is that true? It’s better than I ever even knew, they say that the world was built for two. Only worth living if somebody is loving you. And baby now you do.” The song was a commercial success, peaking at number one in Germany, reaching the top ten position in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and peaked at 91 on US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified gold. The song won the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Best Contemporary Song’ in 2012 and was nominated for many other awards after its release.
2. Blue Jeans:
When Lana Del Rey is in a celebrity relationship, she is ride or die. In her hit song “Blue Jeans,” she wrote and sang, “‘Cause I’m a ride or die, whether you fail or fly, well at least you tried.” This is a ballad that has hip hop influences. The official music video stars Bradley Soileau, which many speculate she was in a celebrity relationship with. It was filmed all in black and white and has a romantic noir vibe. The two are filmed in a swimming pool. Lana Del Rey has made it known she loves Elvis and James Dean, and they serve as her inspirations. In “Blue Jeans” she sings, “Blue jeans, white shirt. Walked into the room, you know you made my eyes burn, it was like James Dean for sure.” Many speculate this was about an earlier celebrity relationship, with the man she was very much in love with. Part of the lyrics are, “You were sorta punk rock, I grew up on hip hop. But you fit me better than my favorite sweater.” Whoever Lana Del Rey is a celebrity couple with, she loves them with her all. She makes it clear in Blue Jeans, “I will love you till the end of time.”
Related Link: What’s Your Favorite Love Song?
3. Shades of Cool:
Many people knew Lana Del Rey was in an official celebrity relationship with Barrie James O’Neill. He’s a member of the band Kassidy. He was in her duet video of “Summer Wine” which is a cover of the Nancy Sinatra original. (Lana has said that she thinks of herself as a “ganster Nancy Sinatra.”) It is said that “Shades of Cool” was written by her about him and their relationship. She sings, “My baby lives in shades of blue. Blue eyes, and jazz, and attitude. He lives in California, too. He drives a Chevy Malibu. And when he calls, he calls for me and not for you.” She had ended the relationship, and there were rumors that the pair were engaged. Her lyrics state: “But I can’t fix him, can’t make him better and I can’t do nothing about his strange weather.” “Shades of Cool” was released in 2014 and is off of her Ultraviolence album and it had a good reception in America but even more so overseas. In Europe the song reached number 3 in Greece, number 37 in France, 19 in Hungary, 40 in Belgium, in Sweden it peaked 43, in Italy 35 and in Spain 31.
4. National Anthem:
Red, white, blue’s in the sky. Summer’s in the air and baby heaven is in your eyes. Lana Del Rey is reminiscent of La Americana in the 50’s and 60’s. She has stated in the past that one of the boyfriends she had was very patriotic. Many of her songs talk about America, and feature the American flag. There is a lot of symbolism to ‘The American Dream.’ Her song titled “National Anthem” in particular embodies this. The music video stars rapper ASAP Rocky. The two are friends, but some people have speculated they were once a celebrity couple. In her original demo for the song, in the video she made, it features Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla, as well as President JFK. Lyrics in this song are catchy, upbeat and trip hop. She sings, “I’m your National Anthem, God you’re so handsome. Take me to the Hamptons, Bugatti Veyron. He loves to romance ‘em, reckless abandon, holding me for ransom upper echelon.”
Related Link: 5 Most Romantic Celebrity Couples
5. Born to Die:
Come take a walk on the wild side! The first major studio album by Lana Del Rey was titled “Born To Die.” The first song on the track, which was a single as well, is titled the same. “Walking through the city streets, is it by mistake or design? I feel so alone on the Friday nights, can you make it feel like home if I tell you you’re mine?” This music video also stars Bradley Soileau, whom she has been linked to as a celebrity couple – although they never confirmed. The song goes, “Don’t make me sad, don’t make me cry. Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough, I don’t know why. Choose your last words, this is the last time. ‘Cause you and I, we were born to die.” She’s known for being very private about her life and described herself as an introvert. She went into the music business because she felt it was difficult to make friends in high school and college, and she wanted to be part of a music community like it was in the sixties. She wanted to make her life into a work of art – and she did.
6. The Blackest Day:
After her split from rocker Barrie James O’Neill, her albums Ultraviolence and Honeymoon released. It is said her songs, ‘Black Beauty’ and ‘The Blackest Day’ are about her celebrity relationship with him. It goes in “The Blackest Day,” “Ever since my baby went away, it’s been the blackest day. All I hear is Billie Holiday, it’s all that I play. Because I’m going deeper and deeper, harder and harder, getting darker and darker, looking for love.” In the bonus track, “Black Beauty,” she swoons, “Sun and ocean blue, their magnificence, it don’t make sense to you – black beauty.”
7. Brooklyn Baby:
I think I’m too cool to know ya, you say I’m like the ice I freeze. I’m churning out novels like beat poetry on amphetamines. It’s well known that Lana Del Rey lived in Brooklyn while she was an up and coming singer-songwriter. Her hit song Brooklyn Baby flows together with lyrics, “Well my boyfriend’s in the band, he plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed. I’ve got feathers in my hair, I get down to poetry. And my jazz collection is rare, I can play most anything – I’m a Brooklyn Baby.” She used to play at a lot of small venues scattered around Williamsburg, Brooklyn and in the East Village in Manhattan. She advanced far in the Williamsburg Live Songwriting Contest that used to be held, with her original song “Pawn Shop Blues.” She sings of her boyfriend during this time, “They say I’m too young to love you. I don’t know what I need. They think I don’t understand the freedom land of the seventies.”
8. Salvatore:
Catch me if you can, working on my tan, Salvatore. Dying by the hand, of a foreign man, happily. Calling out my name in the summer rain, ciao amore. Salvatore can wait, now it’s time to eat soft ice cream. This track off of the Honeymoon album, is reported to be about her last celebrity relationship with Francesco Carrozzini – the Italian fashion photographer and filmmaker. They made a beautiful pair, but recently it has been reported they are splitting. He actually filmed her music video “Ultraviolence” (the title track of her third major studio album) for her. How sweet to have your boyfriend film you for your own music?! He’s the son of Italian Vogue’s legendary editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani who sadly recently passed away. Her upcoming album this year, should feature songs about the recent relationship and what she is going through now.
Related Link: World’s 8 Wealthiest Celebrity Couples
9. Cola:
Lana Del Rey makes it known what she likes! Her second studio album titled “Paradise” features a popular song titled, “Cola.” In it she states flat out, “I got a taste for men who are older, it’s always been so it’s no surprise.” This is about her celebrity relationship with Barrie James O’Neill. Del Rey explained, “My boyfriend is Scottish, he deems American girls very exotic. He deems us all very exotic.” This was in response to how the song made a splash with some sexy and explicit lyrics. With lyrics like, ‘Come on baby lets ride, we can escape to the great sunshine. I know your wife and she wouldn’t mind. We made it out to the other side.’ Nobody is certain for sure who the track is about, but it’s someone who meant a great deal to her. The song also mentions things Lana loves: Pepsi-Cola, cherry pie, diamonds, vanilla and sunshine.
10. Mermaid Motel:
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine. One place in the world that Lana Del Rey has always loved is Coney Island. Her song Mermaid Motel, she released back when she went by her original name Lizzy Grant, revolves all around Coney Island and mermaids. There are also references about themes she likes: Brooklyn, Miss America, the National Anthem, roller coasters and summertime. The song was featured on her first album that was titled “Lana Del Rey a.k.a. Lizzy Grant” before they took it down. Her first extended play (EP) was titled “Kill Kill” and the song of the same title also features Coney Island, sand and summertime vibes. These songs were all about her relationship during her early times in her career. Lana Del Rey has stated in the past she had an on-off relationship with someone high up in the music business, but that never got her a record deal, but she respected him very much. In Mermaid Motel she talks about living on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island. She sings, “God bless you and God bless me.” But really; God bless Lana Del Rey for bringing all of this amazing music into the world!
What is your favorite Lana Del Rey song? Share in the comments below!
