Lana Del Rey got it right by returning to her roots in the critically acclaimed Norman F------ Rockwell, two years after the release of Lust for Life in 2017.
The New York native, who found commercial success with hits such as “Summertime Sadness” and “Video Games,” has paved the way for mainstream alternative music since the release of her first album, Born to Die; however, when looking at her career, it’s hard to see her growth as an artist.
That is until she released NFR.
The album transitions her from a singer/songwriter with primarily pop-driven music to a more mature, respected artist. Del Rey turns to more acoustic-centric sounds that stand out from her other albums. It’s hard to imagine Del Rey’s songs as autumnal, but her new sound makes for a great transition into colder weather.
Here are the best fall tracks from Norman F------ Rockwell.
“Norman F------ Rockwell”
As the album’s title track, it opens the album to a string symphony and sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The song details a man who wasn’t good enough for Del Rey and, in turn, dragged her down. Her annoyance with this man is clear in lines like, *“You act like a kid even though you stand six-foot-two / Self-loathing poet, resident Laurel Canyon type, you know it all.” It’s a subtle roast, but Del Rey executes it with class and delicacy. It’s one of the softest songs on the album.
While Del Rey is no stranger to utilizing strings, the song completely lacks any synths or even guitar. These elements provide ample and calming reflection time as the midterms approach and the semester wraps up.
“Mariners Apartment Complex”
When this song was released in the fall of 2018, it became a seasonal staple for many Del Rey listeners. It discusses mixed up feelings with lines like, “You took my sadness out of context” and “They mistook my kindness for weakness,” but Del Rey also realizes the mistakes she’s made. Nobody is perfect, and she sings to this notion in Mariner’s Apartment Complex.
The song carries a slow, dreamy quality that takes the listener into her head and evokes a lot of emotions. Not only did this song debut in the fall, but its mix of piano and guitar assume seasonal attributes that resonate the season’s beginning. Del Rey is no stranger to slow, almost dirge-like songs, and this is no different.
“The Greatest”
On the tail end of NFR is a twangy song that features a mix of strings and piano that disputes Del Rey’s yearning for a past time -- a time when things were “normal.”
This song is different from many of Del Rey’s others -- it sounds unique, and she opens herself up and talks about some of the things she longs the most. For so long, her life has been an elaborate, romantic dream. But in this song she’s asking herself, has the dream come to an end?
It’s apparent in this song that Del Rey misses her past life and feels as if she is “burned out after all.” For students heading into the end of a virtual fall semester, burnout is an all too familiar feeling. This song, along with the whole album, is a calm reset to lie down and listen to on a cold, autumn morning.
As one of Del Rey’s best-reviewed albums to date, she takes pride in making her world a fantasy. For students in a virtual reality, Norman F------ Rockwell offers a trip to her romanticized world, while sporting autumnal themes that make this album a fall hit.
Rating: 5/5
