Lana Del Rey

[mobias]

She reminds me of Paloma Faith, who had some genuinely good songs I think, great remixes out there too, but not as good. Isn't the story of Lana Del Rey just a lot utterly fabricated and contrived marketing nonsense? Ok, its clear Lana Del Rey isn't her real name but its just such an utterly unoriginal and completely obviously sounding stage name, it just screams the fact that its the concoction of a marketing man. And then there's her apparent back story that she's a good ol white trailer trash girl made good when in fact she's the highly privileged daughter of a multimillionaire businessman. It just all seems like its trying too hard. Its not really above the level of X factor I don't think.   

[alan nagsworth]

I do.

So do I LOL that'sthejoke

Regardless of the lady herself, Video Games already sounds like a standard.  People will still be covering it 10 years hence.

It'll be covered by a male artist 'ironically' like Winehouse and the Zutons and people will forget Lana did it to begin with. I can't wait.

[CaledonianGonzo]

It'll be covered by a male artist 'ironically' like Winehouse and the Zutons and people will forget Lana did it to begin with. I can't wait.

That's happened already.  But the original artists of many 'standards' are forgotten - it's the song that endures.

[alan nagsworth]

[Don, Aman]

Born to die.

[Johnny Textface]

Born to die.

Is the title of her forthcoming album which I'm quite looking forward to hearing.

What of it?

[Don, Aman]

Makes you think, dunnit?

[Dead kate moss]

I quite like the song as it sounds a bit like it would be in a David Lynch movie.

[I accept the terms of the]

Does her music release some sort of gas that makes rational people blind to its insipid by-the-numbers should-be-accompanying-a-dippy-girl-on-advert shitness?

[Dead kate moss]

Yes.

(On relisten it's not amazing or owt. Just quite nice)

[I accept the terms of the]

I tried really hard to keep quiet, but then somebody described it as a standard.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I tried really hard to keep quiet, but then somebody described it as a standard.

I certainly did - though if you feel that tracks like, say, We'll Meet Again or As Time Goes By wouldn't work accompanying dippy adverts, then that's your cultural blindspot.

Anyway, it's nice to see pop music be so divisive.  It's rare for a song to come along that people actually have an opinion on.

[I accept the terms of the]

As Time Goes By wouldn't be on that sort of advert. As Time Goes By covered on a ukulele acccompanied somebody singing out of time on purpose  to make it sound soulful would.

Also, you would reasonably expect somebody to object if lots of people were crowded around a dog turd and calling it amazing art. That doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything special about the turd.

There's obviously something about Video Games that appeals to people. I think that it has hit a statistical sweet spot, appealing to a lot of demographics at once. I still find it very average and dull. I just think that it manages to "catch" more people than other songs of what many people would consider the same quality (obviously quality is subjective and you can only put it in subjective terms).

[CaledonianGonzo]

I just think that it manages to "catch" more people than other songs of what many people would consider the same quality

Isn't that 'catching' quality part of what pop music is all about?  If a song doesn't 'catch' you, can it be said to be of the same quality?

[I accept the terms of the]

No, I'm not suggesting that it has a particularly quality that is "catchy" (again, subjective, but that is not something I would say about the song). I mean that it increases its "I love this" hit rate by being acceptable to so many types of people. A song that targets a more specific group that would normally be ignored by others wouldn't be as popular, even if most people would like it as much.

[Don, Aman]

I certainly did - though if you feel that tracks like, say, We'll Meet Again or As Time Goes By wouldn't work accompanying dippy adverts, then that's your cultural blindspot.

Anyway, it's nice to see pop music be so divisive.  It's rare for a song to come along that people actually have an opinion on.

It's fucking boring.

[CaledonianGonzo]

No, I'm not suggesting that it has a particularly quality that is "catchy" (again, subjective, but that is not something I would say about the song). I mean that it increases its "I love this" hit rate by being acceptable to so many types of people. A song that targets a more specific group that would normally be ignored by others wouldn't be as popular, even if most people would like it as much.

Well, I guess in a roundabout you're calling it 'lowest common denominator', which is maybe also applicable to a lot of songs that are considered 'standards'.  It's certainly not a wayward, difficult, obtuse or awkward bit of music, so in that respect, yes, people will listen to it in greater numbers than they would if it was intentionally intricate or demanding.  Some people would take that as a criticism, but the corollary of its accessibility is that it's not an elitist single.  It's popular/pop music.

Though not that popular - it only went to, what, number 10?

[I accept the terms of the]

I don't think it's lowest common denominator. I'd reserve that for something appealed to people on a base level. I just think this is something closer to inoffensive. It also hooks into a lot of things shared by a lot of people. It's statistically appealing, either by design or by fortune.

I don't think of it like regular pop music because I don't see what the hook is. There's nothing that stands out to me, it's just bland (to me - and in a way that makes me think that it would need to have a statistical advantage to catch so many fans).

[CaledonianGonzo]

OK - fair enough.  I'd guess by accident, though, because I don't think anyone really has a failproof formula for creating something that crosses over in the way you're discussing.  It's just happenstance, in the same manner as something like Can't Get You Out Of My Head or Nothing Compares 2 U were suddenly everywhere.  As to liking it or not or finding it catchy, that's the already touched-on subjectivity .

[Nobody Soup]

i think calling stuff bland is just a bit easy sometimes, i think it's really nice melody, well arranged (the little harps bits work well), good production and good vocal performance. no, that's not always all you should look for in good song and it isn't ground breaking stuff, but the stuff I mentioned is certainly a factor in a lot of music I like. I actually disagree it's not catchy, if that's up for debate, the melody of the verse in particular has a pretty insant appeal.

[Don, Aman]

[Johnny Textface]

I'm fucking boring.

fixed innit.

[phantom_power]

No, I'm not suggesting that it has a particularly quality that is "catchy" (again, subjective, but that is not something I would say about the song). I mean that it increases its "I love this" hit rate by being acceptable to so many types of people. A song that targets a more specific group that would normally be ignored by others wouldn't be as popular, even if most people would like it as much.

I think you are trying to over think the fact that different people have different tastes. I don't think it is a particularly appealing song (in a commercial sense). It is a frosty and solemn song and I was surprised when it broke as big as it did.

[The Boston Crab]

I really feel the heart-broken and hard-nosed ambivalence that the song communicates. It has a sweeping, laconic melody which could certainly sound trite or bland if it didn't have a direct emotional impact.

[Famous Mortimer]

Popped up on "Saturday Night Live" last night, the episode hosted by Daniel Radcliffe.

[Subtle Mocking]

And it was a terrible performance.

[phantom_power]

Yeah. I like her songs and even I would say that was a disaster.

[lazyhour]

Better than the Jonathan Ross performance, though.

[mobias]

She's pretty far from being a confident performer and she doesn't come across much of a confident singer either. I'm pretty cynical of her because it does strike me that the yanks have wheeled her out to do battle with Adele. She'll be here today and gone tomorrow like so many of them.

[phantom_power]

These terrible performances make me less cynical actually. If they were going to fabricate a pop star, why would they pick one with so little stage presence or confidence?