How Lana Del Rey Reinvented The Vintage Aesthetic

[@Sagethis]

What do you like the most about Lana’s aesthetic?

[@eudaldvidalcodony7089]

Exactly what you said in the video: the clash of ultra-femenine with metal and hip hop references, morbid themes like death or serial killers and lots and lots of heavy drugs. Also the glamouritzation of the mundane.

[@kristiyanpavlov1525]

everything.

[@noellomax801]

The music production and vocals

[@skye_belle888]

Literally everything you said in this video

[@Romanaitor3]

Everything thing

[@Iamsamchampagne]

Honestly, for me it’s her sensuality, that old Hollywood Marylin Monroe sexiness while still being classy and timeless. Something of that has been lost today.

[@DucMeLana]

basically, Lana music is a paradox, a beautiful paradox... its like its not supposed to be here, but its here either way

[@countnu4166]

Everybody that insists on calling Lana and her aesthetic “coquette” needs to watch this video. As a long time fan I love how you touched on every space she occupies within her musical universe. She’s always changed things about Americana in her own way. Her music while appearing to be “vintage” has elements of so many different genres that it honestly diversifies your palate as a fan. Like it’s insane to think of the difference in genres in her music.

[@vintagedoll12]

Vintage Americana is actually the "original coquette",and lana has a lot of vintage americana in her music videos

[@countnu4166]

@@vintagedoll12 sure that’s a very valid argument but what I’m trying to say is Lana has a lot of other imagery and visual tones to her music and isn’t simply tied to coquette alone. Like to me the music isn’t simply just a collection of pretty imagery.

[@dollz4ever]

That is why I like Lana's music, she uses a classic framework of the Americana style while also incorporating elements of both Rock and Rap. Two genres that make up American culture. It's classic, authentic, and cinematic.

[@Sagethis]

Yess exactly 💯

[@motherlee20]

prom song (gone wrong) stans rise

[@siddharthnaagar7028]

The thing about lana del rey; she is the most influential musician of the last 20 years

[@tesselate8nowait262]

More classic beauty mixed with scientific thinking: mention of telomeres in Fingertips. Also, Lana learning to pilot in her poetry book. I think Lana sees spirituality in everything. God and science don’t need to be separated. Great video once again♥️

[@heidiooohs]

Her metaphysics in her poetry is *chefs kiss*

[@oneking2461]

Your lana series is amazing. My fav past time

[@Sagethis]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed!

[@shell_bee]

Great video--you do a good job of explaining why Lana really enchants so many of us! By the way--"Life on Mars ain't just a song" is actually referencing a Bowie song! The song is about a girl who is fed up with life, and realizes that everything that's happening is just the same old story being told over and over again. She wonders "is there life on Mars?", potentially suggesting that she wants to go to Mars where maybe things will be different. Personally, I think Lana's reference to this song is about feeling like this girl--fed up with life, watching the same old stories on repeat without anyone else taking notice of these patterns. "Life on Mars ain't just a song" is her saying "it's not just a song to me--it's really how life is". She makes many mentions of Bowie throughout her music; most notably in "Terrance Loves You". Terrance was the name of Bowie's half brother, and she sings "ground control to major tom", which is a reference to Bowies 1968 "Space Oddity".

[@ihatemickiegee]

i think this creator knew that it is a bowie song but was just describing what lana _meant_ when she mentioned it, in relation to the science topic. i think they figured that the viewers of this video would already know “Life on Mars”! but realistically i know unfortunately that there must be a few listeners of her who don’t know bowie songs :( which is why i’m still glad you mentioned it, for people who read comments who maybe didn’t know. i know lana does have a tendency towards extraterrestrial life but i do agree wholeheartedly with you that she was _actually_ mentioning the song for the sake of saying “what is our world coming to?” because she literally begins that outro “LAs in flames it’s getting hot / kanye west is blonde and gone / life on mars ain’t just a song” .. which to me sounds like she’s comparing earth to mars in an alien-like way in itself. i.e…. _earth is a water planet but it’s on fire, an iconic rap artist who paved ways for people is now a different person wholly unfamiliar to the man we grew up knowing (whose wedding lana performed at even !); thus this world is not the planet we thought we grew up on either…then again we were warned of this (global warming) and have seen plenty bad of the world already (so like Life on Mars, a girl seeing the same things cycling over and over and she watches as people are stuck falling for it anyway), so therefore: is there Life elsewhere… on Mars maybe? where we could escape this redundant tale of villainry and heed the warnings once and for all?_ point being, i agree it actually had nothing to do with space itself but the way earth is no more familiar to us now than a place like mars is, so i appreciate your comment and hope more people read it. other than that i do agree with the points of his video also! i love how big a fan of bowie lana is too, and idk if youve ever seen american horror story, but they acknowledge this in a sense. in season 4, called Freak Show, the host of the said “freak show” every night of their show (played by JESSICA LANGE!) does a solo performance of Life on Mars. then one week she gets dressed up and sings lana del rey’s Gods and Monsters haha. years before lana sang the lyric we both commented about!!! jessica lange singing gods and monsters, man. iconic

[@youknowitshecate]

when you mention her ability to combine elements that usually dont go well together, i cant help but think about the norman fkn rockwell music video (which also features bartender and happiness is a butterfly), in which lana and her friends are seen doing mundane activities, laughing, chasing butterflies - but in the background you can see rockets constantly flying and exploding into the ground

[@rosary6521]

Lana also sings about neurons and telomeres in ocean blvd

[@Iamsamchampagne]

Love that you mentioned Ethel Cain

[@Sagethis]

Honestly the parallels to Lana are def there. I personally haven’t been able to get into Ethel’s music but I am fascinated by her as an artist & what she represents form a theoretical pov. (Creating a conceptual character that is not just for artistic expression (like Lana for example) but also has a clear personal message & narrative about southern culture, abuse, and religion. Very meta & interesting

[@skye_belle888]

I loved everything about this video as a huge Lana fan. I'm not American so it's always interesting to learn about all the cultures there. I love how she mixes hip hop with retro sounds. She's definitely one of a kind, timeless and seems to be from another era. This video was 100% on point!

[@JihoKang-og3bu]

Lana’s music probably change the music industry, cause by the time she debuted as LANA DEL REY, the 2010’s music is full of pops, happy song like if you imagine it, it’s colorful, but Lana really says “NO” cause she debuted her videogame in 2011 she makes it sounds depressed and emotional yet inlove, indie, then she later released her first album the BORN TO DIE/ PARADISE, which create a deep impact and has been the one of the pop’s most influential album in the past decades as she talks about her life specially in L.A where she said it is the Land of Gods and Monster, her love for the old guys, her falling inlove with the gangsters, her love for the hollywood, her love for drugs and liquors, the 19s, race, and how she still looks for love, and the sadness, which we all know nobody makes songs like how she do her songs, yes there’s Melanie, there’s Suki, Mitski, and many other singer that wrote sad song, but Lana is different specially how she wrote her song. I hope people appriciate Lana more, not just using her music for ig stories, tiktok, just to attract or lure someone and just for the clout, I hope people dive deeper into her discography, on her poetry, the meaning of her songs, not that you’ll play the summertime sadness post it online and people will start to admire you for playing Lana del rey.

[@zontzooit2415]

I’m pretty sure the “life on mars ain’t just a song” is a refrences to Elon and nasa trying to make it a thing for humans to go and live on mars in the 2020s

[@Sagethis]

Could also be! I just know she’s very interested in “philosophical/ existential” concepts and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was about either or. This album was a commentary on modern issues and in 2017 & 2019 the US Military released classified UFO videos which was the first time the GOV officially admitted to UFOs existing.

[@itsandrocyber]

Lana’s the music industry from this generation !

[@ChanRawrer]

She invented the Vintage of 21st century

[@serenequeen333]

Ahh, I love this video!! The Lana Del Davinci part is awesome, that's one of my favorite things about Lana. Some more examples of this would be the Norman Fucking Rockwell music video, where there's space ships flying around and explosions in the background, the Lust for Life trailer (science symbol in the "Coming Soon" font), the whole turning into wolves thing and the tornado imagery in the Chemtrails music video, during her 2016 festival tour she played "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis before Honeymoon, and the lyrics "I sing the Body Electric", it is more metaphysical than scientific but I think it still kind of goes with that vibe

[@jalarconcedeno]

YOUR commentary and approach is so intelectual and compelling was not expecting it for someone your age. great job.

[@edgard.9640]

Everything people are saying in the comments is exactly right in describing Lana. It's like there are different personalities from various dimensions that have collided here in present time. Her classic sound infused with hip hop and other genres. That's an example. Her album title: Chemtrails over The Country Club. One is a conspiracy theory and the other is where the rich hang out at. And what you mention about spirituality. Many people believe that there are aliens but in a spiritual form and not necessarily as an actual body. I quickly gravitated towards her music. She is unique and that's always a great thing.

[@mabelfancymarie5418]

I think that the life on *Mars line* in the greatest is obviously a David Bowie reference, but also a reference to the state of the world and how billionaires want to terraform Mars instead of helping the people here who needed and working on making our planet better. In the song, she says the culture is lit, and if this is it, I’ve had a ball referencing in times and the chaotic state of the world that we live in.

[@Sagethis]

Definitely an interesting take, but im more inclined to assume it’s about UFOs/ space travel, especially bc she’s had other strange ufo references in the past. Also in 2017/19 official US Navy UFO videos leaked & marked a turning point with official UFO proof. The Bowie lyric is specifically about ET life & I think it’s more likely she was making a statement on the possibility of ET life, rather than billionaires. But honestly if that’s what she intended that’s pretty cool too!

[@Carroty_Peg]

I wondered if Life On Mars was a dual reference to Bowie and Elon talking colonising Mars around that time (2018-ish).

[@Pocketlucky]

Lana del rey is magic

[@candle5676]

You're views on art are always so nonobvious and intersting, I could listen to u for hours

[@CeasarSalazar-k2g]

I never noticed California in flames in the NFR cover omg omg

[@Sagethis]

Ever since I noticed, I appreciated NFR even more. It’s interesting to create a record that’s so retro but also modern

[@indie-lyriclyric8114]

Creo que el ejemplo más claro de ese cruce entre lo moderno y lo vintage, se encuentra en la canción "videogames" el hecho de tocar un tema tan contemporaneo y relacionado a la época moderna como los videojuegos y mezclarlo con un sonido retro y melancólico es un claro ejemplo de su genialidad como compositora y artista visual, ya que tanto en la cancion como video clip se ve un universo tan único, mágico creado por ella misma dónde solamente ella habita. Es una genia. Ame tu vídeo ❤

[@robjaimes8830]

When I see early 60’s versions of Ann-Margret, Pamela Tiffin and Jane Fonda on television, I immediately think of Lana. She could literally play Ann-Margret in a biopic.

[@Blisteryn]

Great video, as always.

[@VIPEFFECT]

Great video dude!

[@Sagethis]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@mrnugget2741]

I love how she does what SHE wants to do and not what everyone else wants. I also like how she's not always woke and ultra-liberal... music like that is great and super feminist stuff is great but it's refreshing hearing a different viewpoint on certain subjects.

[@izziaismailsalleh]

i love your video essay, well said about why I love this girl so much ❤ and oh your intelligence is so attractive with your word usage.

[@kristiyanpavlov1525]

Great video! I’m not sure about the alien part in „the greatest” from NFR tho. Lana has always referenced artists from the past and I think that this line is a pretty direct reference to „Life on Mars” by David Bowie.

[@annaperonn]

She did metaphysics In her college degree! So a lot of the science inspos are very true to her soul!!

[@Saigonglamour]

This is such an interesting and intriguing video, you bring up several points that have never even crossed my mind before, also as a European your views on Lana incorporating POC in a vintage Americana setting are interesting to hear about. Def not something I would’ve thought about myself, I’ve really enjoyed ur videos on Lana

[@deadlynightshade4108]

All of the new pop gurlies today are influenced by Lana

[@valentinagrisorio93]

Greatest video I' ver ever seen about Lana's music.

[@jaydensuperhero]

glamorous and gansta !!

[@Carroty_Peg]

I would love to know how much Lana's ability to create music videos contributed to her success when Video Games took off. I don't see many people mention her talent for visuals as much as her music.

[@mikawaii_og]

I am a fairly new fan of Lana, and I remember her BTD MV playing on MTV back in my teen years, even back then she stuck out as someone who didn't follow the trendier "pop girlies" at the time.

[@UltimateGenosyko]

Great channel

[@ttumblrboii]

something you forgot to mention was Lust for life and how rich it is with its hisorical references and overall the quintessential retro lana sound. Lust for life references Peg Entwistle and her tragic end. or how she romanticized Woodstock and tried to remedy that with Coachella. or how she paralleled the political climate of the late 60s and the draft with 2016 and the trump v Hillary era. and how she gathered artist like stevie nick and the son of john Lennon to help paint this americana esque landscape but also have Playboi Carti, The Weekend and A$ap Rocky be her Sonny to her Cher. Also La to the moon tour and her album trailer also shows how much of a nerd she is for space and astrology. And in the white mustang mv she has this sort of fallout inspired world that is very futuristic but still trapped in the 60s. i just love Lust for Life and i need like a proper deep dive on her arguably most misunderstood album

[@droops6729]

her released music is watered down entertainment for the mainstream. she really is different from others. one of a kind.

[@User-winter999]

her modern references are less high key than lana's... but i think weyes blood is also a really good example of mixing vintage and post-modernism while having a space and spiritual aesthetic

[@Sagethis]

Such a good point, I def agree 💫

[@abdouglamour8027]

Love yo bro❤❤❤❤

[@charmedprince]

The thing with being a true Renaissant auteur is that you are a Lana del Rey in a room full of capitalist A&R Reps

[@fernandobatresarias]

Lana truly has a huge impact on styles aesthetics and music, like the whole bow trend started off because of her and well her team has seen the benefit of her being considered coquette because they’ve been putting her with bows and she has stated that she invented bows, but also she brought back the old retro style from the 60s and 70s and also history because I didnt know about Woodstock or Marylin singing for jfk like truly in 2011 the old aesthetic wasn’t there it was funky fun like Nicki or Katy or Gaga but Lana brought this old aesthetic that a lot people liked because she did it good , and also her impact is huge because her name can remind people of things like when I see A&W the drink I think of Lana or certain things or objects like bows, blue jeans or clothes that fit her albums like with lust for life when I see 70s clothes or daisys I think of her even aesthetics remind people of Lana or people are like “ oh that’s so Lana coded” like that’s her impact . Like she truly is the music industry her impact is obvious even the way that she dresses I’ve seen many celebrities wear clothes so similar to her tour outfits like ehat Ariana wore to the Apple podcast I immediately thought of Lana like I said “ oh she found the tunnel” like her impact is here and she knows what’s gonna be huge next that’s why she decided to make a country album 4 years ago and she decided to release it when she knew country was gonna pop off and it is popping off Beyoncé has made post Malone like she knows before it happens.

[@anirakkitten5332]

I’m curious to know your thoughts on the band Twin Temple who also have a vintage tone to them while being extremely their own style.

[@taliacastelli6151]

PASS ME MY VAPE

[@paulo-jw9cd]

Life on mars ain’t just a song. Is a reference to climate change and how if we keep polluting our planet we might have to live there.

[@yeahimagnethlover4201]

the ronettes reinvented vintage first

[@katebretusch3752]

Is she a genius!

[@kinglui89]

But you gonna ignore Amy ? Stop it

[@Sagethis]

Amy was definitely a force & I admire her a lot! She definitely contributed a lot to the culture as well

[@QueenOFtheBUTTERFLIES]

a true artist doesn't support genocide and write a letter I lost all respect fro her as an artist and her music I admire how you see things but I just had to say the truth

[@charmedprince]

🥴🙄🥴🙄🥴🙄🥴🙄

[@QueenOFtheBUTTERFLIES]

@@charmedprince if you have a problem with what I said then your complicate in genocide to

[@aaron8-8-8]

Growing up the only celeb that I actually was a true fan of was Britney. I was obsessed. But Lana is now my big time fave. She's a fucking genius, love this bitch