Just a year after the release of Ultraviolence, Lana Del Rey was back with her fourth album, Honeymoon. The record split the difference, musically, between Born to Die and Ultraviolence, blending the trip-hop elements of the former with the moody balladry of the latter.
It was her most fully realized work yet, and the one that turned me from a casual listener into a superfan.
Right out of the gate, the nearly six-minute title track had me in its grip. As somberly elegiac as it is sonically expansive, the song is a masterclass in composition and performance. It’s so good I even remember where I was when I first heard it — a Costco parking lot, of all places.
The rest of Honeymoon stays at that high level, with dreamy pop bangers segueing into hymnal ballads. The production, by Del Rey with Rick Nowels and Kieron Menzies, is pristine. One track, ’24,’ is the best James Bond theme that never made it onscreen, and the whole album has a grand cinematic vibe.
While Honeymoon isn’t my top-ranked Del Rey album, it might be the one I’d recommend to somebody new to her music. It’s the perfect alchemy of the many different things she does so well.
Flames so hot that they turn blue
Palms reflecting in your eyes like an endless summer
That’s the way I feel for you
If time stood still, I’d take this moment, make it last forever
[Pre-Chorus]
Your halo’s full of fire
I’m rising up, rising up
My hot love’s full of fire
Love’s full of fire
La, ah
[Chorus]
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
Screw your anonymity, loving me is all you need
To feel like I do
We could slow dance to rock music, kiss while we do it
Talk ’til we both turn blue
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
[Verse 2]
Leather black and eyes of blue (blue, blue, blue)
Sun reflecting in your eyes like an easy rider
Life makes sense when I’m with you
Looking back, my past
It all seems stranger than a stranger
[Pre-Chorus]
So let’s dance in slow motion
Tear it up, tear it up
And let’s dance by the ocean
Ah, ah
[Chorus]
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
Screw your anonymity, loving me is all you need
To feel like I do
We could slow dance to rock music, kiss while we do it
Talk ’til we both turn blue
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
[Bridge]
Ooh-ooh
You’re cold as ice, baby
But when you’re nice, baby
You’re so amazing in every way
Ooh-ooh
You’re cold as ice, baby
I don’t wanna fight, baby
It’s like I told you
If you stay, I’ll stay (yeah)
[Chorus]
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
(Take it to the back if you really wanna talk)
Screw your anonymity, loving me is all you need
To feel like I do
(Take it to the back if you really wanna talk)
We could slow dance to rock music, kiss while we do it
Talk ’til we both turn blue
Baby, if you wanna leave, come to California
Be a freak like me, too
[Outro]
Hmmm-hmmm-mmmm
Hmmm-hmmm-mmmm
Meet Me In Montauk 
Does Del Ray tour? Have you ever seen her in concert?
She doesn’t tour often, but the girls and I did see her live for the album after this one. Great show, marred by the fact that I was seated next to a drunk woman who screamed along with every lyric. I seriously considered murdering her.
Sold. This is the one I’ll start with.