(Image via pitchfork.com)
Staff Writer: Sakara De Gil-Balija
Email: sdegilbalija@umassd.edu
On March 24th, 2023, “Video Games” singer Lana Del Ray released her ninth major studio album, titled “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.”
The album is around seventy-seven minutes in length, featuring 16 new songs.
The album has been highly anticipated since the release of her last album, “Blue Banisters,” back in 2021.
Here, we will rank each of the songs!
#16: Judah Smith Interlude
Coming in at number sixteen is “Judah Smith Interlude,” a four-and-a-half-minute interlude featuring a pastor’s sermon.
This feature wouldn’t be at sixteen if it were a little shorter, but it is essentially a break from the songs for a sermon.
#15: John Batiste Interlude
At number fifteen, we have “John Batiste Interlude.” I am not a fan of interludes, and this one is no exception. It is about a minute shorter than the previous “Judah Smith Interlude,” but its audio makes it hard to hear what is being said over the piano background.
#14: Fingertips
At number fourteen, we have “Fingertips.” The song sounds a bit jumbled and less put together than some of her other songs on this album. However, it does have a raw and almost unfinished sound to it, which is an interesting and creative spin.
#13: Candy Necklace
“Candy Necklace” comes in at number thirteen. It’s a nice song, but not exactly one I would put much higher than thirteen. It doesn’t compare to the others on the album but is a song definitely worth listening to.
It also seems to be one of the songs that will get a music video!
#12: Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing
“Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing” is the twelfth song on this list. The focus of this album seems to be centered around family. This is shown through her song “The Grants,” as well as other songs mentioning family on this album.
This song is another piano-filled melody with deep and meaningful lyrics, but it wasn’t one of my favorites off of this album.
#11: Let The Light In
In eleventh place, just before the top ten, is “Let The Light In.” It is one of the collaborations on this album, featuring Father John Misty. However, it’s more of a duet than a feature, and because of this, it leaves Lana fans wanting more.
#10: Paris, Texas
At the tenth spot on this list is “Paris, Texas.” Lana Del Rey often uses big city names in her songs but uses the American town version of them instead of the more popular version. For example, “Paris, Texas,” versus Paris, France.
The song is beautiful and features a piano accompaniment, clocking in at around three and a half minutes long.
#9: Taco Truck X VB
In ninth place is “Taco Truck X VB,” a remastering of one of her older songs, “Venice Bitch.” This song is a mix of the two. The song is filled with guitars and has an older Lana vibe!
#8: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
“Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” stands at eighth place. It is the title track of the album and is just under five minutes in length. It’s a pretty song with vulgar lyrics and an amazing set of backing vocals.
In my opinion, this song definitely had to be in the top ten.
#7: The Grants
“The Grants” takes seventh place. There is an error at the beginning in which one of the background singers seems to mess up, which makes this song seem very authentic. It’s a soft melody that focuses on her family and what it means to be human.
#6: Fishtail
“Fishtail” is in sixth place. It’s a somewhat upbeat song about a lover being inconsistent with their efforts and feelings of love towards the singer.
It’s an emotional piece but so good!
#5: Margaret
At number five, we have “Margaret,” a five-and-a-half-minute song about her friend Jack Antoff and his wife, Margaret. The song opens with the line, “this is a simple song, gonna write it for my friend.”
How adorable! The love song features the band Bleachers, and their voices together make a truly incredible song.
#4: A&W
Coming in at four is “A&W,” the most played song on the album with over forty-two million streams on Spotify. This seven-minute-long song touches on her past and present as an artist. A few lines are dedicated to her future as a singer.
It’s a somewhat vulgar song, but it is sung breathtakingly.
#3: Peppers
“Peppers” is the number three song on this list. It features a sample from a Tommy Genesis song, and the pre-chorus sounds heavenly.
#2: Kintsugi
Number two is “Kintsugi.” The slow, ballad-like song has deep, meaningful lyrics that resemble some of Lana Del Rey’s earlier songs.
It’s named after the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, a way of repairing broken objects with gold filling, which accentuates the cracks instead of hiding them. It’s written almost like a train of thought and sung very beautifully.
#1: Sweet
Finally, at number one is “Sweet.” It’s a tear-jerking song that comes in at about three and a half minutes.
It focuses on both her higher and lower register, which is classic Lana! Lyrics like “do you want children? Do you want to marry me? Do you wanna run marathons in Long Beach by the sea?” make it a beautiful and elegant piece, a perfect song for first place on this album!
The album is beautiful and satisfied Lana Del Rey fans who have been waiting for her next album!