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MUS-101
Final Paper
An Analysis of Lana Del Rey’s “West Coast”
Lana Del Rey is arguably one of the 21st century's most influential and beloved artists.
She is known for her melancholic ballads, in which she sings about various dark and complex
topics, such as unhealthy relationship dynamics with older men, her past alcoholism, drug use,
her love for vintage Americana, and much more. Lana and her music are romanticized for their
glamorous sadness, femininity, and atmospheric and immersive lyrics and production. Within an
extramusical aspect, Lana is very well known for having a huge part in the revival and
re-popularization of “Vintage Americana”, “Sad Girl”, and “Lolita” aesthetics within her music
and online. Lana Del Rey rose to online fame in early 2010 via Tumblr when she went viral for
her song, “Video Games”.
Her three most popular and influential albums are Born to Die (2012), Norman F’ing
Rockwell (2019), and Ultraviolence (2014). The song I have chosen is “West Coast” from her
second studio album Ultraviolence, which is one of the most popular songs on the album.
Thematically, the entire Ultraviolence album as Apple Music perfectly describes is of “emotional
anguish”. I think those words perfectly encapsulate Lana’s entire discography in a nutshell.
However, emotional anguish probably isn’t the best term for those who have never heard Lana’s
music; but do not let preconceived notions put you off kilter. Lana Del Rey’s music is rich in
dark, playful sensuality and provides cathartic experiences to many including myself.
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The lyrics of “West Coast” were co-written by Lana and Rick Nowels. The lyrics of the
song are about the narrator's struggle between “love and ambition” as described by Wikipedia, as
well as a love letter to the state of California. As with every piece of art, it can be interpreted and
convey various messages to people. To me, this song is more so about Lana’s struggle between
being passionately in love with someone and, battling this internal conflict within herself of
repressing those emotions due to still wanting freedom. However, her feelings are so intense that
she can’t help but be consumed by love; whether it be from her lover, the west coast, or both. My
favorite lyrics within the song is the pre-chorus which goes, “You’re falling hard, I push away,
I’m feeling hot to the touch. You say you miss me and I wanna say “I miss you so much” but
something keeps me really quiet. I’m alive, I’m a lush – your love, your love, my love.” To me,
this confirms an intense, push-and-pull relationship, and the narrator is suppressing her emotions
and restraining herself despite the deep passion she feels – she is having emotional anguish
within the confinement of their love but does not know how to express herself.
From personal and online observations, “West Coast” is commonly regarded by listeners
as a quintessential Lana track. It meshes the genres/sub-genres of psychedelic rock and a soft
rock ballad, to create something sensually mesmerizing and decadent. The song follows a
relatively traditional form, but what truly makes it stand out (especially rhythmically) is the
drastic change of a slower tempo within the chorus which keeps it engaging to the listener. The
production of the song feels very dreamy and sort of trippy via the dense textures of instruments
such as guitars, drums, bass, and vocal effects on Lana’s voice which when all layered together
sound very hypnotic. The song’s texture is very homophonic in the sense of the various
harmonies when her voice is layered with the accompaniment of the instruments, making
everything sound richer and fuller.
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The song contains two interpolations from The Beatles. The first is the guitar lick from
the song's opening, which comes from “And I Love Her” and the slow-tempo changing chorus of
“West Coast” also interpolates it. “West Coast” also interpolates a shifting tempo transition
downward of 60 beats per minute, which is taken from “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles.
Besides The Beatles, Lana’s inspirations within her music have also been Nina Simone, Billie
Holiday, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Sinatra, Mazzy Star, Jeff Buckley, and many more.
Some artists she has openly inspired are Billie Eilish, Lorde, Halsey, Sky Ferreira, Lil Peep,
Taylor Swift, and more.
I think Lana Del Rey’s intention when making “West Coast” was to pay homage by
setting a gritty, hedonistic, and infamous superficial atmosphere and “culture” that California can
have. The song feels full of tension which only builds until it’s released within the trance-like
chorus. She wants us to feel the push and pull of wanting something so badly, but refusing it.
You’re supposed to feel torn like the narrator between wanting to leave someone or someplace
but being too infatuated to pull away and falling back in again fully.
