Norman Fucking Rockwell!

I'm a big fan of Lana Del Rey's, as evidenced here and here, but I hadn't gotten around to listening to here latest album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! until I read that Pitchfork had declared it the best album of the year. I took three listens, and, as with most of her work, it seduces you.

The first time through I stopped near the end (it's a long record) as the songs tend to sound the same, but after a few more listens I can agree to its greatness.

What makes her so good is that she couples an ethereal voice with a songwriting style that defies description. Her songs (she writes all of them here, mostly collaborating with Jack Antonoff) are the kind you might hear late at night in a piano bar, torch songs that strip emotion down to the bone, and stay with you long after they're over.

As with her other work, she's also bawdy. The very first lines of the record are: "God damn, man-child/You fucked me so good that I almost said, "I love you." Del Rey has never been been reticent about singing about her sexuality, and, as evidenced by the title, dropping f-bombs. Another song, which she sings very sweetly, is called "Fuck It I Love You."

I think the highlight of the album is "Doin' Time," which contains a bit of Gershwin's "Summertime," but then evolves into a bit of a rap:

"Summertime, and the livin's easy
Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
All the people in the dance will agree
That we're well-qualified to represent the L.B.C.
Me, me and Louie, we gon' run to the party
And dance to the rhythm, it gets harder"

I'm not sure what that all means, but I was humming it all day.

I think my favorite song is "Bartender":

"All the ladies of the canyon
Wearing black to their house parties
Crosby, Stills and Nash is playing
Wine is flowing with Bacardi
But sometimes girls just want to have fun
The poetry inside of me is warm like a gun"

Norman Fucking Rockwell! is nominated for a few Grammys. I wonder how they will say the title on network television. I hope she wins, though.