“Be like snow, cold but beautiful” Lana Del Rey

In this addition of ‘The Top 10’, we’ll be looking at the work of sultry songstress, Lana Del Rey. With the singer having recently released her latest album, Ultraviolence, it seems only fitting that we look back at the Top 10 songs of her career to date (in our opinion, so no need to get out the pitchforks!). Fancy seeing if your favourite Lana song made the list? Then look below!

9: West Coast 

Swaying in at number 9 is the effortlessly atmospheric ‘West Coast’, taken from Del Rey’s Ultraviolence album. The track is suitably unique with varying shifts in tempo, and it is this variant from Lana’s usual tracks that make ‘West Coast’ such a delight to hear. Of course, Lana’s voice is suitably hypnotic on the track, and it has that calming but intriguing sound to it, which make it stand out. ‘West Coast’ deserves its place as number 9, and it’ll definitely grow on you if you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing it before.

In the land of Gods and Monsters, Lana Del Rey reigns supreme. Yes, it’s ‘Gods and Monsters’, also taken from the Paradise Edition of Born To Die, in at number 8. A lesser known Del Rey track, but one with quite a lot of meaning and some pretty memorable lyrics. The song is sung in Lana’s usual drawl, with elongated words delivered in particularly decadent fashion, but ‘Gods and Monsters’ also possesses a rather mesmerizing quality to it, which we find fascinating. If you haven’t heard the song before, you can listen below:

Taking a different tone, and changing things up a bit, is the effortlessly cool ‘Brooklyn Baby’, taken from Lana’s Ultraviolence album. The track is different in that its remarkably self-assured, but still possessing that whimsical air to it, with angelic resonating vocals from Del Rey that elevate the song to new heights; ‘I’m free‘. We’re also pretty big suckers for the whole ‘Yeah my boyfriend’s pretty cool/ but he’s not as cool as me‘ line. The whole vibe references several clichés about Hipster culture and the guitar beats (you can thank Dan Auerbach for that one) in the song are particularly on point.

Oh yes, we went there. Taken from the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby, Lana Del Rey’s ‘Young and Beautiful’ has to be one of the most apt songs for the novel-turned-film adaptation. We have to say, this one is particularly haunting, and it has that whole grand aura and sense of gravitas that you don’t get with most songs. It’s true it has that cinematic sound to it, with the music video reflecting the Art Deco era; ‘Young and Beautiful’ sounds like a classic and rightfully so. The lyrics particularly resonate for a society obsessed with the young and the beautiful, and then age old question of ‘Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?‘ will no doubt be relatable to most people.

Released approximately 2 years ago, and perhaps one of the only songs with an equally good remix (by Cedric Gervais), which also became a sleeper hit for the singer, is the ridiculously catchy ‘Summertime Sadness’. As we venture into summertime once more, it seems only appropriate to reminisce about this idyllic track, which combines the bitter-sweet with the disturbing in equal measures. The way in which she delivers each verse is notable, with the lazy drawl being one of the most notable features of the track, paving the way for the trip hop and pop beat. If you’re looking for that extra dance effect, check out the Cedric Gervais remix on YouTube.

3: National Anthem

As we sprint into the final stretch, it becomes increasingly more difficult to limit down the number of tracks. However, just nabbing the number three spot is the iconic ‘National Anthem’, which has plenty of critical social commentary to boot, not to mention a fantastic addictive chorus which mirrors the whole song; ‘Money is the anthem of success‘. Fuelled full of sarcasm and with Lana’s undeniable charm echoing throughout the song, ‘National Anthem’ is, rather ironically, its own anthem for the monetary classes. With a chorus that is borderline euphoric, and a sweet sadness that lurks just beneath the glitter and glamour in the lyrics, ‘National Anthem’ is one of those stand-out songs that you don’t ever quite forget.

Of course, when compiling a list of the top tracks, that have to be limited to ten, it is with great sorrow that we have to ‘miss out’ a few, so here is our list of ‘Honourable Mentions’ that couldn’t make it onto the official list – but still check them out! Our 5 Honourable Mentions include:
5. Black Beauty (check this out if you are into gloom and doom)
4. Born To Die (for obvious reasons, but unfortunately it didn’t make a big enough impression to feature on our list – though we’re sure some will disagree!)
3. Money, Power, Glory (we actually really like this one from Lana’s most recent album, and its probably one of our favourites, but we just couldn’t make room for it on our list amongst some truly great Lana tracks.)
2. Backfire (this one probably most people won’t know, but it has an incredible hook and you should definitely check it out!)
1. Ultraviolence (we love the controversial nature of the song and the different meanings you can garner from it, but unfortunately we couldn’t find place for it on our list, but obviously, still give it a listen).