“Dance Till we Die” is a love letter to folk singers of the past, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett. In “Yosemite” Del Rey speaks of not changing and feeling “invincible.” “Yosemite,” according to an Apple Music interview, was originally meant to appear on the artist’s 2017 album “Lust for Life” but was “too happy,” according to Del Rey. In “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” Del Rey’s folksy voice floats and the repetition of the title’s phrase mirrors hymns. Most revealing on the album, or rather the song with the clearest message, is “Dark But Just a Game.” Del Rey fights to remain true to herself despite her stardom when she sings, “Don’t even want what’s mine/Much less the fame” and just wanting to do what she loves, singing. Del Rey speaks of still being “wild at heart” despite fame (“the cameras have flashes”) and its entrapment. “Wild at Heart” contains her typical themes: cigarettes, Sunset Boulevard, alcohol and talk of going insane. This song is kind of happy and talks about being in love which is shocking, considering the artist and her usual sorrow.
In “Let Me Love You Like a Woman,” Del Rey urges her lover to love her “like a woman,” possibly meaning to love her genuinely and forever. Del Rey states in the song that working as a waitress made her “feel like a god.” This is an interesting quip that she makes, given that one would think fame would make someone feel more godlike rather than working an ordinary job.
The nostalgia that Del Rey feels is almost tangible to listeners throughout the album, but in this song especially. Opening the album is “White Dress,” Del Rey wishes to go back to a “simpler time” when she was a waitress before she was famous. Instead of taking us to Brooklyn or California like in previous albums, listeners are brought right in the middle of the Midwest, telling us about her life as a waitress before fame, the good old days and fame and its pitfalls. Lana Del Rey’s sixth album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” released on March 19 and is the perfect album to accompany you while sipping your pinot grigio on a Saturday night in your quarantine purchased loungewear (not speaking from experience at all).