Lana Del Americana

Like An American

Lana Del Rey is known for music that covers a broad range of themes including love, tragedy and very often, American culture.  Her melancholic narratives touch on aspects of American identity, geography, beauty and disillusionment.  As such, her music is the perfect soundtrack for a July 4^th celebration, suitable for any mood in which you might find yourself.  Here are 7 kickass LDR songs that include Americana references or motifs.

National Anthem

A great choice for an Independence Day playlist and one that includes one of my favourite LDR lyrics of all time: “Red, white, blue is in the sky / Summer’s in the air / and baby heaven’s in your eyes”.  It also points to the corruption of the American dream in which “money is the anthem of success” and appearance is everything.

American

The song mentions two symbols of Americana, namely Elvis and Bruce Springsteen, who each defined a generation through their music. The lyrics suggest that Americans strive to be “young”, “dope” and “proud” while simultaneously projecting a sense of freedom associated with summer through its references to driving fast through the city and golden brown skin.

Cola

With its the notorious opening lines that include two famous American products (“My p*ssy tastes like Pepsi Cola / My eyes are wide like cherry pies”), the song explores female sexuality before touching on poverty within the US: “I fall asleep in an American flag / I wear my diamonds on Skid Row” (the latter being a depressed area inhabited by a large homeless population in downtown Los Angeles).

God Bless America – And All The Beautiful Women In It

This is one of my favourite songs from the Lust for Life album in which she takes a familiar (cliched?) expression denoting American patriotism and adds a much-needed feminist flavour to it; a call to all American women to “Stand proud and strong / Like Lady Liberty shining all night long”.

Queen Of The Gas Station

This track is from her debut album, Lana Del Ray (yes, spelled with an ‘a’) which is not well known beyond LDR fans.  It centres around an iconic American image, that of the gas station, but also mentions casinos, Indian reservations and king-sized cups of coffee, all of which are cross-referenced in other songs of hers.

Brooklyn Baby

I love the references to life as a Brooklyn hipster, the feathers in the hair, rare jazz collections and “getting down to beat poetry”.  I can almost picture the bearded boyfriend who’s in a band, wearing his leather sandals and flowing vintage blouse (image my own and not derived from the lyrics).

Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind

A song from Lust for Life that references two all-American music festivals, the historic Woodstock and its associate hippie subculture and the contemporary Coachella held in California annually.  I also enjoy the airy Stairway to Heaven refrain in the chorus.