Apple Music Rank: 79
Album: Norman Fucking Rockwell
Artist: Lana Del Rey
Year: 2019
Genre: Alternative
Was I familiar with Lana Del Rey? Familiar to the extent that I know a young woman named Lana Del Rey exists and she makes records that routinely finish in Pitchfork’s Best Album of the Year lists. If I ever heard any of her music before now I was unaware.
Had I heard Norman Fucking Rockwell? Never
Thoughts on Norman Fucking Rockwell: I must be missing something here. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. I feel like I’m usually missing something. I listened to this album and it’s fine to me. LDR…can I call her LDR? For the sake of saving keystrokes I’m calling her LDR. Her voice isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s warm and pleasant. The album has a consistently mellow vibe. Like a 21st century Suzanne Vega. I’m good with all of that. I’m just not sure what makes this the 79th greatest album of all-time. Based on this album alone, I’m not sure what’s so special about this music that LDR is consistently finishing at or near the top of the aforementioned Pitchfork end-of-year lists, either.
It’s probably not LDR’s fault that I’m not in love with this record. Her reputation preceded her. She gets a lot of respect among people whose opinions about music I respect. She’s been nominated for a pile of Grammys – 11 to be exact, but hasn’t won. Billie Eilish frequently mentions LDR as one of her influences. I knew all of this before I ever heard a note of her music. I went in with lofty expectations, especially because of the Billie Eilish love. I dig the hell out of Billie’s music, so if Billie says she’s an influence, by some kind of musical transitive property, I should dig the hell out of LDR’s music too, right? I found myself mostly underwhelmed. I didn’t dislike it. It was just…fine. If I hadn’t heard all the hype and my expectation were lower before listening to the album I might feel differently.
One nitpick, and this is aimed at a lot more than just Lana Del Rey. I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but here goes: I’m not sure why singers feel the need to add the word fuck to songs and album titles. Are you going for edgy? Trying to send a message to the world that you’re not the girl in the Norman Fucking Rockwell art? If that’s the case, I’m not sure it’s doing the job you think it is…at least not for me, anyway. Isn’t every pop star dropping F bombs on their albums now? For the record, I’m not offended by your cursing. I love swearing. I’ve worked for most of the last 30 years at a construction company. I’ve heard guys use the word fuck as every part of speech in the same sentence. I’ve listened to hip hop for even longer. Fuck is such an easy word to rhyme and can be used so many ways. It fits better in hip hop. I’m accustomed to music laced with fucks. Say fuck all day for all I care. In the context of this album it comes off as lazy to me. When you say “I fucking love you” once it adds emphasis and desperation. When I hear it repeatedly I start to question your songwriting. I get it. Every time I write one of these posts I fall back on the same adjectives and I need to dust off the thesaurus to avoid repetition. In the case of Lana Del Rey I’m going to – maybe unfairly – assume it’s the pretty girl with the guitar adding some edge to her repertoire. It’s not necessary. Do better.
I know I should stop getting hung up on labels, but I’m also struggling to get past this album being classified as “Alternative”. Alternative to what, exactly? At this point I think alternative is a blanket label anything that doesn’t sound like traditional rock, pop, or hip hop. Maybe it always has been. To me, alternative implies something different, new, and even risky. There’s nothing alternative about this album to me. It’s safe, lo-fi pop music.
I’ve spent the last three paragraphs mostly shitting on this record. I didn’t dislike it, but I don’t feel the need to explore Lana Del Rey’s catalog any further. When I’m finally done with this analysis of Apple’s 100 Best Albums I’m guessing I’ll have Norman Fucking Rockwell ranked 50th. Not bad, but it did not meet my expectations.
Favorite track: Nothing stood out to me, but I’ll say “Doin’ Time” mostly because it sounds like hip hop on Xanax.
Will I listen to Norman Fucking Rockwell again? Nah. I’m good.
Would I buy it on vinyl? Nope
To access more expert analysis of the Apple 100 Best Albums list click here.
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