The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

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The “Honeymoon” is Over

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Lana Del Rey’s album “Honeymoon,” released Sept. 18, 2015, took me back to her debut in 2011 with the hit song “Video Games” and her resulting first album “Born to Die.” Although the album is reminiscent of her previous works and still speaks to Del Rey’s anti-feminist view, it has a gloomier tone that weaves its way throughout the soundtrack.

“Honeymoon” sets the tone for the rest of the album with its soporific melody and Del Rey’s desire to get back with an abusive boyfriend. Unfortunately, Del Rey seems to disregard feminism as the album goes on.

Like in her previous albums, Del Rey continues to chase love even when it causes her pain. Referencing her first album, Del Rey mentions a “Mr. Born to Lose” in her title track and continues to sing about her dependence on men in tracks like “Terrence Loves You,” “Salvatore” and “Music To Watch Boys To,” in which she sings “I like you a lot, so I do what you want.”

Aside from a few lyrics that stood out to me, I was unimpressed by the lack of variety and meaning on this album. In addition to being musically similar, almost all of Del Rey’s songs are centered on her submissive nature when it comes to men. Although she has publicly said that she does not want to be a role model when it comes to love, I was hoping that an artist like Del Rey, who has a strong female following, would add some female empowerment to her songs.

Straying from her repetitive themes, she ventures out of her comfort zone and incorporates T.S. Eliot’s work in the song “Burnt Norton (Interlude).” She sings the poem, which touches on topics like time, the universe and the future, over electronic music which was a refreshing thematic change in the soundtrack.

Like in her previous album “Ultraviolence,” Del Rey chose to cover another Nina Simone song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” for the closing track. Del Rey redeemed herself with this track; she took strong lyrics with powerful vocals and made them equally moving with her softer sound. Unfortunately, this amazing track was not enough to overcome the 60-plus minutes of anti-feminism.

This album is perfect for Del Rey’s hardcore fans and for newbies who want to start listening to her music because it is the definition of the Lana Del Rey sound. The album is available for $12.99 on iTunes – buy at risk of taking a long nap.

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