Given that Lana Del Rey’s first album was removed from circulation after only a couple of months, her 2012 sophomore release Born to Die is widely considered her debut. It’s certainly the album that put her on the map.
Released in January of 2012, Born to Die was boosted by the unexpected success of lead single ‘Video Games.’ That song, a dreamy ballad featuring Del Rey’s mournful vocals over a bed of piano and strings, sounded like something from a bygone era.
The rest of Born to Die combines that retro romanticism with modern trip-hop beats, and the results are electrifying. The album felt like a brand-new direction for pop music, and you can hear its stamp on music released over the next decade by artists such as Lorde, Billie Eilish, and even Taylor Swift.
Born to Die was also a commercial hit, going triple platinum in the U.S. and topping the charts in a half-dozen countries. It ended up as the fifth best-selling album of 2012 and has performed steadily since then, becoming the second album by a woman to spend more than 400 weeks on the Billboard 200 (the first was Adele’s 21).
For some fans, this album is peak Lana Del Rey. I understand that opinion given its ground-breaking nature and the brazenness of such a musical statement coming on a debut release. I love Born to Die, but I love where she headed next even more.
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That, baby, you the best
[Verse 1]
I got my red dress on tonight
Dancin’ in the dark in the pale moonlight
Done my hair up real big, beauty queen style
High heels off, I’m feelin’ alive
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air
Telephone wires above are sizzlin’ like a snare
Honey, I’m on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin’ scares me anymore
(One, two, three, four)
[Chorus]
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That, baby, you the best
[Post-Chorus]
I got that summertime, summertime sadness
Su-su-summertime, summertime sadness
Got that summertime, summertime sadness
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
[Verse 2]
I’m feelin’ electric tonight
Cruisin’ down the coast goin’ ’bout 99
Got my bad baby by my heavenly side
I know if I go, I’ll die happy tonight
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air
Telephone wires above are sizzlin’ like a snare
Honey, I’m on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin’ scares me anymore
(One, two, three, four)
[Chorus]
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That baby, you the best
[Post-Chorus]
I got that summertime, summertime sadness
Su-su-summertime, summertime sadness
Got that summertime, summertime sadness
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
[Bridge]
Think I’ll miss you forever
Like the stars miss the sun in the mornin’ sky
Later’s better than never
Even if you’re gone, I’m gonna drive (drive), drive
[Post-Bridge]
I got that summertime, summertime sadness
Su-su-summertime, summertime sadness
Got that summertime, summertime sadness
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
[Chorus]
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That, baby, you the best
[Post-Chorus]
I got that summertime, summertime sadness
Su-su-summertime, summertime sadness
Got that summertime, summertime sadness
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Meet Me In Montauk 
This song definitely has a hook, even more so than “Video Games.” I’m not sure I ever played the rest of this album, but I owe it a full listen.
What’s with the morbid outlook? “In love with a dying man” she sang at 23 in yesterday’s post, and then her sanctioned debut is titled “Born to Die” – sheesh, lighten up!
While I’ve only casually listened to Del Rey through the years, I can certainly hear the sound that influenced artists with which I’m much more familiar.