Paradise - Lana Del Rey (The Record Review)

[@venus4100]

You have gained a fan. Thank you for truly getting Lana. So many critics just blow her off.

[@kyunglee3598]

Ride is also from a personal experience. After Lana left her school (she got sent to a private for alcohol abuse) she went to live on a trailer park. She stated that is was there she fell in love with the open road and how free she felt. She found happiness in other people because she couldn't bare he own pain.

[@JM-ft8lw]

Carin Monier I mean the private school and trailer park parts are true

[@JM-ft8lw]

Carin Monier but I didn’t say that that part happened

[@ciscomaldonado9574]

Paradise was such a beautiful album that told a story each time a new song came it was like turning to a new chapter that gets darker but grows into such a mesmerizing story

[@Gregnolaa]

Omg, by the love of God. I love your reviews! You made me look at this record with completely different eyes! It makes me love Lana even more. Lol

[@B_rye8]

paradise is just absolutely mesmerizing. thank you so much for seeing lana in the light of describing her as powerful and how her album has a story and continuous cycle instead of how every other review has described her with having a "breathy voice similar to 'this artist' or 'that genre'" she's a beautiful woman with a beautiful tale. blessed to see this review, thank you once again. you did it right

[@mind14]

BEST LDR REVIEWER ON KZbin

[@morgantaylorVI]

I really love your review and your interpretations of the lyrics and themes. Your point about Her references to Jim Morrison not only being about self destruction but about how as a woman you kind of have to relate to male icons because woman aren't "allowed" to self destruct in the same ways makes a lot of sense. For years I listened to almost all male musicians because that was what was getting attention and accessible and while I could connect to their art and lyrics in the past few years I've started listening to more women and realized that was a perspective I was really missing in my life. Keep up the great reviews. They're very insightful and interesting to watch.

[@catiewahwah]

***** Thanks

[@CatCrawfordMarketing]

I wish I could listen to music as intensely as you seem to! I love watching your reviews, they inspires me to go back and listen to music in a completely new way!

[@catiewahwah]

+Cat Crawford Thanks :D sometimes I fall a little too far down the rabbit hole but it's so fun to really analyse what artists spend months/years creating - I have more reviews coming soon :D

[@UltraViolet666]

What you said about Bel Air - Ride being like a cycle, I think that's kind of like how Honeymoon is the beginning and end of that album. She does everything with intention. it's so fascinating. totally agree that Paradise is the best complete album of hers, with regards to story, symbolism and intention

[@vatsalamolly]

Im so happy I found you!

[@urosdjorovic]

I'm sorry you left out Burning Desire, I think that song supports your theory. After this dream-like state of Bel Air, she kind of starts falling in love, and feeling the fire of just love and the rush of someone new. That kind of wakes her up, and gets her on the journey of love again. I wish there was another ending, instead of Body Electric and the B-Side, that was happy. But what if Lana or this character she's writing about is hooked on emotional joy and pain, and falls in love with bad boys, knowing that someday he will break her heart because she maybe cant commit for too long, or maybe she just knows that she is kind of too much of a dark soul for anyone to handle?

[@catiewahwah]

Uros Uki Burning Desire wasn't on the tracklisting for the EP I was reviewing from, but that's really interesting that it follows on from that same narrative! And I think that that cycle of addiction to emotion is a really awesome point - definitely something she also explores in Ultraviolence!

[@Crazy1Blake]

So analytical and well spoken. I love hearing your views. It's amazing to look at this music in a new way and some of the thoughts you have about this music I shared and makes me feel less weird for thinking these same things.

[@catiewahwah]

Blake Hansen Thank you :) And that's really cool!! There are so many layers to music, especially Lana's, and it's so satisfying to unpick it all. I used to think that it was a bit weird that I wanted to analyse stuff so much too, but now I think it's actually kind of awesome :D

[@AlexGreif]

wow, great catch about the back of the album! gave me chills, you speak so well i love it

[@TheeOneWhoTalks]

Watching you delve into different albums and pick them apart is such a joy. I love Paradise, and would consider it my favorite album of Lana's. Ultraviolence was also so so good and I loved it, but Paradise has a specific edge and endlessly listen-able quality that gives it the upper hand for me. It's refreshing to see someone articulate what it is that makes her music so satisfying. I used to consider her a guilty pleasure, but those feelings are long gone.

[@andresvelasquez6341]

oml MIND BLOWN thank you for giving me a new perspective on Lana's music now when i hear her songs i think differently

[@RyanStorey1231]

This was a great analysis, and your perspective on Lana Del Rey has given me a new angle and lens to view her music through. I do like Lana Del Rey. I like her sultry voice, her artistic videos, and I love the fact that she's bringing this elegant and classic aura into pop music. Her songs are beautifully orchestrated and composed. I could listen to the instrumental of "National Anthem" alone for countless times. Many people hate her voice, but I like how dreary, bleak, and airy yet raspy it is. It's just the lyrics to her songs that I have somewhat of a contention with. The ideas behind the lyrics are one thing, but I kind of question if they are even good lyrics, anyway. I dunno. I have always found it troubling how she always paints herself as the submissive woman in most of her music. I do get what she's going for and in a sense it does sort of subvert feminist expectations of what a "strong woman" is. But it's deeply alarming to see that in all of her videos, she presents herself as a hopeless romantic yearning for the acceptance and love of men. I feel like it could send a harmful message to young girls who may listen to her music. Because I have noticed that a lot of her fan base tends to be young teenage girls, who may still be struggling with their own identities and may not have the reading comprehension to see that the character that Lana portrays in her songs should not be emulated. So, while in a sense I agree with you that Lana Del Rey is presenting an alternate feminist lifestyle by taking value in being submissive, romantic, and feminine, I don't think that being submissive is something that should be romanticized. Being submissive leads women to abusive relationships, which are relationships that women feel that they are not strong enough to escape from because of how accustomed they are to being submissive. That is why that I don't really see Lana Del Rey as a positive feminist role model. That being said, I do like her music and I mean this with all due respect. I can see how women can relate to "Ride"- hell, as a male, I can kind of relate to it. I'm not in any way suggesting that Lana Del Rey censor her work in order to appease a specific audience who may not like what she presents, but I merely thought that this would make for a good discussion. So, as you can see, I'm ambivalent on this matter.

[@catiewahwah]

***** I know what you mean - there's a difficult line to tread for female artists (and other historically underrepresented groups) between truthful representations and providing positive role models in a vacuum - I think this happens for a lot of hip hop artists in particular. Hopefully as more people are able to tell their own stories and perspectives we won't be so dependent on any one figure setting a good example. I also think that part of Lana Del Rey's appeal is that she admits to having made mistakes and enjoying playing stereotypically feminine roles - rather than making young women and men feel guilty or self-critical she provides a cathartic emotional mirror. But yeah, it's a difficult one :)

[@RyanStorey1231]

catiewahwah That's definitely true. That's why I have this ambivalence towards the persona. I just hope that young girls are perceptive enough to recognize that the melancholic nature of her songs are good enough an indicator that this is not a lifestyle they should emulate. You're right about how if we still didn't have these issues with female representation in society, we wouldn't have to worry about this type of thing sending the wrong message. I think it's interesting (I've seen your "Is Lana Del Rey a Feminist?" video) that Lana Del Rey doesn't want to be associated with the label of a feminist. She even says that due to the content of her music and how she portrays herself, she doesn't consider herself a relevant person to bring into the conversation. She obviously recognizes that some of her tropes can be interpreted as "anti-feminist", so it's probably best if she stay out of it altogether. She also has this tendency, as you've pointed out, to portray herself as the woman in scenarios where you wouldn't ordinarily hear or see the woman's perspective, which is intriguing. I think that was the point of the "National Anthem" video, seeing as she's supposedly portraying Jackie Kennedy. I'm still confused as to why President Kennedy was portrayed as black; I'm sure that it was a commentary meant to juxtapose the idea of a famous president and a first lady having an interracial relationship in a conservative era in which that was still frowned upon... but that's a different discussion. Anyway, Lana Del Rey is at least not intentionally trying nor succeeding in setting gender roles and feminism back fifty decades like Meghan Trainor is. Seriously, "Dear Future Husband" may be the most insulting song I have ever heard. But that's another rant; I'm getting tangential again. I do that. :D

[@blacckkRain]

I think in a way, sometimes, she actually finds some kind of power in submitting. I see this in "Off to the Races". When you bond yourself to someone so tightly and entirely it becomes two-sided, so now he's partially hooked on her too and it's a thrill for her. In a way maybe she's sort of controlling him and dominating in another way than what we know as domination. Also, she seems like an intense person who just wants to feel through other people and experience what they feel, and that's part of the reason she comes off as dependent and clingy. Another good theory is that she just has daddy issues, lol. And finally, I don't think she's the worst role model for young girls, but probably not the best. Personally I've only ever connected with her music and felt relief and not like I was being influenced (but that's just me). I think the sure way to be independent comes from how you are raised by your parents or caregivers. Back in the day people were less tolerant of "different" and doing things your own way and kids were sort of seen and not heard. Parents were more controlling and rigid. As a result kids learned to be dependent; do whatever I tell you to do to get my love, no other way. From that a lot of us learn to conform, and seek out ways later in life to conform and get acceptance from others and not be an individual. One scary thing is that we are taught to romanticize that kind of harsh love from harsh parents, like hitting out of love for the child. Some people may learn to associate that physical behavior with intense/ in-your-face love. "He hits me because he loves me!" Not everybody will feel that way, but some. I'm not attacking parents, just saying that our childhood environment is our comfort zone and what we sometimes go back to even if it isn't the healthiest. I think our relationship with our caregivers and allowance to be independent as children and feel loved for it is the most important way for us to feel more secure in being ourselves and less likely to be influenced later in life and conform for acceptance. On the other side of it, the more aggressive and domineering our first/primary role models are (whoever is around you the most when you're very young), the more aggressive, violent, and dominant we learn to become because kids learn best through example and mimic their parents' behavior; and it's hard to rewire yourself later in life. I wish more people would see that they can do so much to protect their kids and raise them to be independent by thinking more about how we directly affect their habits and mindsets. Everyone has different parenting styles though. To each their own I guess. Sorry for the run-on sentences :D Those are just my thoughts.

[@RyanStorey1231]

blacckkRain I really enjoyed reading this. I can't explain it right now, but it was really thought-provoking. I've felt that way about certain songs, too. Feeling relief instead of influence. I can see how Lana's music can serve as a form of catharsis for what you're feeling. That's how I feel about Sia. One of my favorite songs right now is her song "Cheap Thrills", which on the surface sounds like a cheap party song, but something about it makes it feel more depressing and childish. I hate party songs, but I'm fond of the party songs that have a darker, more depressing undertone- like, they're partying to suppress and numb their inner turmoil.

[@blacckkRain]

I love Sia :)

[@HyuugaHinatachan1221]

I don't know if anyone pointed this out, and I think it'd add onto the review BUT... The final song, Bel-Air, is about Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose. I had heard the song title was chosen because Rose drives a Bel-Air (not sure what make). Also the first line of the chorus is "Roses, Bel-air, take me there." Roses being a reference to his name. There's also a line which is 'sweet child of mine, you're divine" which is a reference to Sweet Child O' Mine. And then finally she has a line in there that is "you've got a flare for the violentest kind of love anywhere out there." And I bring this up because it seems like it fits right into the narrative you've set up. Axl Rose was known for rather dysfunctional relationships, having been raised as horribly as he was. His two notable ex-girlfriends, Erin Everly (whom Sweet Child O' Mine was written about) and Stephanie Seymour claimed Axl had been physically abusive towards them (and Stephanie admits to abusing him as well). Gina Silier, another girl he had been with prior to coming to Hollywood also said some things that would suggest he had been at least a little violent with her. Other girlfriends like Jennifer Driver said differently however...but I digress about that. Lana knows Axl. In fact, she was invited as a special VIP guest to Guns N' Roses most recent tour. And I think the narrative that you've set up that suggests this mad love descending into madness is a cycle comes out in the fact that she's singing adoringly about a troubled musician. It shows that she is going back into a cycle. It also suggests Lana might look for dysfunction in her relationships (IE. violent love) in her relationships. Whether the rumors of Axl are true or not, she makes it a point to bring them up in a way that seems definite about their truth if that makes sense. I'm a huge Axl Rose fan (hence my picture lol) so I have done a lot of research on him as a person, so I tend to believe he isn't AS horrible as some may say. BUT that is the side of him that it seems like Lana wants to be true. She also has a demo called Axl Rose Husband that kind of suggests this as well. Bel-Air is essentially a better version of Axl Rose Husband, but it has the same general themes of wanting a violent love.

[@HyuugaHinatachan1221]

Oh I also wanted to bring up also; this review was SO solid. The perspective you gave on this album was so good and it actually made me like her even more as an artist.

[@catiewahwah]

That's so interesting! Thank you for sharing - it adds a whole extra layer, I love how learning about an artist's influences can help understand the art itself, so fascinating! :)

[@HyuugaHinatachan1221]

catiewahwah You're welcome! :D Hehe. And I agree. Plus I always found her fascination with not only old Hollywood, but glam Hollywood really interesting. Once again great video! I've been watching more from your channel and I love it!

[@catiewahwah]

That's so interesting, that it's the glam, and even the concept of glamour in general that she's interested in! And thank you :D

[@mustafakuloglu771]

You are the best review i found out on youtube.I love your work and would love to see you cover more records.Cheers.

[@catiewahwah]

+Mustafa Kuloğlu Thanks :)

[@tinamvin5359]

This was the best review of any album I've ever heard.

[@Sandrino]

I'm very much looking forward to a review for LP1 & Trouble In Paradise. :))

[@garykuhlmann8149]

I feel so fortunate to have found your reviews. They are insightful and intelligent. Almost as important, I agree with them. ;) Thank you. I love Lana's stuff, and your reviews have helped me appreciate her albums even more.

[@mind14]

Hey! This suddenly popped up in recommendations after 6 years. I still remember you from that long ago! Would you consider making reviews of Lana's newer albums?

[@AliJardz]

Interesting stuff. Also I pro kitten.

[@betweenmarideshelves3850]

Can u do a review on the 1975 vinyl?

[@soaribb32]

I'm glad you did a top 10 best 2016 albums but I'd love to see you review more albums on the channel this year.

[@saravieramora6060]

Omg, someone that understands me! Love your Lana del Rey reviews, I think the same way😁 (sorry for my english)

[@catiewahwah]

Natalie G. Yay - thanks :D - And your English seems pretty good to me! :)

[@SashaVibez]

Thank you! I enjoy your perspectives, it's amazing how you can delve into a whole universe it seems with her art.

[@drpitbulldre]

Excellent review. I completely agree with everything you say!

[@seanlevey2165]

I love your reviews! Keep on going

[@yasserabood1687]

Still waiting for that ULTRAVIOLENCE review...

[@cshipster11]

Same here. Haha

[@catiewahwah]

Yasser Abood Uploading that next :)

[@yasserabood1687]

Finally :D :D

[@JuanGonzalez-zr4xs]

I really appreciate your analysis and your explications! It's very enlightening. And I LOVE Lana Del Rey so much I'm glad you do to!

[@michael_xcx]

I watched your Lana Del Rey album reviews and the Gwen Stefani live reaction video and they're amazing! Also, I would love to hear a review of Electra Heart by Marina And The Diamonds, maybe you could do that in the future. :)

[@tangerine4665]

Really, really liked your review. Finally someone who, not only gets it, but can put it in words so nicely!

[@broadhurst5000]

By far my favourite album of hers, I think it's super underrated.

[@spacepope87]

Some of the weaker songs on "Born To Die" should have been replaced with the Ines found in "Paradise". It would have made it a superior album. I understand why it was done this way. More money and after all, music is how she makes her living.

[@mileycyrus1009]

What about burning desire!

[@pinkblooded_x]

Ultraviolence review?

[@oferosherovitz7710]

Great! Awesome! Beautiful!!!! Wonderful review

[@epistollaire]

I love the way your dissect her music! Please do one for Norman Fucking Rockwell, I would love to hear your thoughts on her latest album :)

[@jactober]

This is amazing so glad i found this channel!

[@lytheprettygirl]

Intro song?

[@catiewahwah]

+Lyla Faith it's a song called Hot Heat by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena (in the KZbin audio library)

[@MarkyGB1]

what do you use to edit your videos? i have Final Cut Pro X and when i try to put gifs they just appear as stills and in your video they seem to be working just fine. Also love your videos just subscribed, you deserve more that 1K subscribers.

[@catiewahwah]

+Marky Campos Thank you :) I used FCP 7 to edit this video, but now I use Premiere Pro and I've used FCPX too - gifs are always a bit difficult but I imported them as normal for this one.

[@Gh0sT_PATRIOT11]

It was scary I was listening to Bel Air during the intro... you are absolutely stunning!

[@claragirl2326]

Do you dye your hair or it is natural?

[@justinanthony903]

Paradise is f$cking amazing!!

[@kiko6217]

Great review. Cant wait 4 ultraviolence

[@rashidatb9198]

Such an intelligent review.

[@averyhce]

You are so amazing and beautiful, I could listen to your music talk all day.

[@rama_parwata]

nice crosley :^)

[@catiewahwah]

Rama Parwata Thanks :)

[@furiouslysad5807]

So intelligent, best review.

[@TheLolkid777]

I think l listened to a lot of Lana on shuffle so I never got this experience

[@saramarvulli6917]

Did Frida Kahlo have this much trouble painting herself in pain for love?

[@RileyEloriaga]

When Yayo means cocaine.. shit

[@gorgeouskiah1543]

Born to die and Paradise are basically the same albums.

[@quinpollock2578]

Get rid of the crosley!!!

[@coffeyeoin5]

You're clearly a fan-girl so your review is going to be bias and therefore meaningless. Also you review the sleeve as if it's relevant and own a Crosby.

[@catiewahwah]

jeb tweebance *Crosley.

[@coffeyeoin5]

catiewahwah You're the one that owns one CAN'T GET ME!

[@SuperYouthtube]

Jeb she has cultural intellect and understanding of art that u clearly lack...this review doesn't just talk abt the Beats and music but shows her research into the history and influence of each track... Catie isn't fan-girling, she is reading art!!

[@coffeyeoin5]

SuperYouthtube Give me a break.

[@sangeeta]

It is relevant. Lana is an artist who really emphasizes the overall experience surrounding the music rather than just releasing some tracks. The art she's chosen for her album sleeve has meaning. Lana constantly references other art and it really enriches the listening experience if you understand what she's referencing.