F**CK IT, I LOVE YOU
Consider your attention grabbed.
Are you fed up with the same monotone days and nights? Sick of unreciprocated love? Tried of life? Want to feel inspired to do some dramatic winged eyeliner and throw on a silver chocker? Need something to blast as you speed down Ogden at 10:58 trying to make an 11:00 o’clock curfew?
I have a song and, quite frankly, a movement for you. LANA DEL REY, Queen of Alternative Ballads and haunting vocals has done it again with her newest album Norman F**king Rockwell. The album features her take on the new Hollywood, fame, and what it means to be happy. However, that idea is not what you would expect. Lana does not dream of a white picket fence kind-of existence. She wants (to be frank) sex, money, and freedom. And a lot of it.
Why should we care?
She embodies a new generation of girls who are not afraid to be unconventional or say want they want and when they want it. With lyrics like “California dreamin’, I got money on my mind.” Lana shows that she does not need to fit the norms or expectations society may hold.
Even better than that, she’s not alone. 2019 has given us women from across genres who embody the idea of taking what you want and NEVER shrinking. Lizzo, Megan the Stallion, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Ellish, Ava Max, and more. They are changing what we hear on the airwaves. As a result, they are changing what is ‘okay’ for a girl to do.
I did not realize the shift until recently, I was blasting Cardi B’s Money after a tough day trying to get some energy before I arrived home and was confronted by two 7-year-olds dead set on showing me their new dance show, a 13 month Cavapoo ready to play, a mother with a list of chores, and 5 hours of homework give or take. My passenger, a 17-year-old male was NOT amused.
“I hate her music, she’s so loud and annoying, like why does she have to talk about guys like that” He whined
“Why does Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Drake, literally everyone have to talk about girls like that” I responded.
“It’s just different”
I wondered what was so different about it. Nothing really. The difference is that women still are not supposed to want or (GOD FORBID) be bold about wanting casual flings, money, and general ownership of their lives.
That is why Lana is important. To show girls that there is more that one way to exist. Society’s perception of you does not need to be a just a tom-boy or a girly girl. You can be absolutely anything you want to be (super cringe, I KNOW) and you can have whatever you have the courage to strive for.
And for the boys being forced to comment on this post, the same applies. Don’t shrink yourself. Do something outside of your comfort zone. Reach for your goals with two hands and never apologize for it.
Here’s a soundtrack for you to listen to as to take over the world. Some old, some new, some fast, some slow. Your welcome.
F*ck it, I love you – Lana Del Rey
Hot Girl Summer – Megan Thee Stallion
I’m Every Woman- Chaka Khan
Good as Hell – Lizzo
Bury a Friend – Billie Eilish
Diva – Beyoncé
Truth Hurts – Lizzo
National Anthem- Lana Del Rey
You Don’t Own Me – Dusty Springfield
Pissed- Saweetie
Don’t Call Me Angel- Arianna Grande, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey
Body Talks – The Struts
Dancing Queen- ABBA
Stronger – Kelly Clarkson
Sweet But Pyscho- Ava Max
No Scrubs – TLC
Successful- Arianna Grande
Before He Cheats- Carrie Underwood
Survivor – Destiny’s Child
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
BBHMM – Rihanna
When I Grow Up – The Pussycat Dolls
Fergalicious – Fergie
Woman – Kesha
God is a woman – Arianna Grande
Love it! Personally, I’ve think you’re spot on about your musings on “Travis Scott, Chris Brown, and Drake,” et. al. For a long time, at least some part of pop and a large part of hip-hop has been dominated by a loud and proud crowd of men who largely relegated women to semi-autonomous roles, as supporting characters within their glistening lifestyles. Lyrics aren’t the only culprit; one only has to watch the music video for DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” to experience the stereotype in full.
As a result, I have to agree with you about the importance of a new era of female singer: we may still pine for the halcyon days of country-singer Taylor Swift or Disney-channel Ariana Grande, but they’ve evolved. The old Taylor and Ariana are gone now, replaced more-than-adequately by confident, inspiring performers who rightfully strut when they take the stage. And the void they’ve left behind? The up-and-coming female artists of the past few months and years have all had a smooth, self-assured style about them, whether their songs resemble haunting arias or boom through the speakers at nightclubs and parties. Billie Eilish was even younger than Swift and Grande when she burst onto A-tier celeb status, but she’s never had that innocent country-girl or restrained Disney-channel contract-holder vibe: she’s been her own person the whole way through.
You can probably tell by now, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the way pop is going. We’ve still got our Ed Sheerans and Lukas Grahams putting out wholesome songs from a male perspective (Lil Nas X has also been an eye-catching revelation). For the women out there? Times are a changing, and it’s absolutely glorious.
I love how you include your playlist! I’m not a huge pop fan but I will definitely give these a listen.
Oh my gosh, I absolutely love Lana Del Rey. Her songs are a go to for when I’m feeling down, rebellious, or scandalous. Lana has songs for almost every single mood that I go through. She has this certain type of voice that draws you in magnetically. It’s a style that you might not fall in love with initially, but when you take her lyrics to the heart, you begin to feel the emotions she is conveying. As a result, you begin to fall in love with her. As much as I love “Norman F*cking Rockwell,” I have to say that my favorite album of her is “Born to Die.” In the album, there is this one particular song, “National Anthem.” This song is about a woman who is with this wealthy man. She desires this man’s money, while he desires her physically. Their life is nothing short of scandalous- it’s full of drugs, alcohol and consumerism. It’s basically a story about a woman’s loss of innocence.
I adore National Anthem but my favorite song from Born to Die is tied between Video Games and This Is What Makes Us Girls. I love how she blends coming of age narrative with a nostalgic undertone showing the thrill and growing pains of adolescence.
I completely agree!! Women are thought to just take what comes to them, but they shouldn’t have to live like that. They should be proud to be independent and take control of their lives. It shouldn’t be different for men and women, women shouldn’t be judged more for being blunt about what they want while men are celebrated for saying their desires out loud. Women shouldn’t feel ashamed for wanting whatever they do. I absolutely love Lana Del Ray. Ever since Summertime Sadness came out I’ve been sold on her music. Lizzo as well really is my go-to whenever I need some hyping up while driving. I always end up screaming the words to Truth Hurts as loud as I can every single time it comes on the radio or my phone without fail. A really great playlist at the end as well, I’ll definitely be listening through those songs. Also I love the attention-getter it really worked 🙂
I like how you not only grab the readers’ attention but you know who they are. You talk directly to your peers through what most of us can relate to. Referencing Ogen gives this a personal touch that proves you know what you’re talking about because it feels like you’ve been there before too. You also don’t just bring up music but you show the value in it, you use the platform you have created to show stereotypes and finding ways to take them down. This balance between a fun easy language to a serious and important topic helps break down such a large issue. I love how you make a playlist at the end as well, it ties together the whole thing as well as leaving your reader with a message.