I live in Las Vegas now, but Lana Del Rey songs make me miss living in California sometimes.
I was born and raised in Cali, and I left for Vegas to start my life over after a breakup right before COVID hit.
I chose Vegas since it’s far more affordable, with fun things to do 24/7. Las Vegas is a city that sparkles with its own sense of magic. I generally have zero complaints about Las Vegas; it’s my favorite city in the world.
However, the facts remain the same about music from Lana. She romanticizes California in a way that sometimes faintly makes me miss living there.
California is a dream. The perfect weather almost every single day, direct access to the ocean with beaches like Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica, and beyond, the magical essence of old Hollywood glamour, the music scene…
The diversity with such a melting pot population, California’s liberal leaning politics that allow minority groups to feel safer, landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Getty, and Yosemite…
Theme parks like Knott’s, Universal, and Disneyland. Cali is home to the first-ever In-N-Out Burger, the first-ever McDonald’s, the first-ever California Pizza Kitchen, and so much more.
It’s home to Stanford, USC, UCLA, Berkeley, and other prestigious schools. It’s home to some of the most upscale cities in the world like Bel Air, Arcadia, and Marina Del Rey.
There’s just so much to love and respect about California. I personally love Las Vegas MORE, so I won’t be moving back, but lyrics from Lana certainly make me daydream occasionally about what it would feel like if I ever did move back.
These are some songs from Lana that romanticize the beauty of California and make me sometimes actually miss living there.
“Freak”
“Freak” by Lana Del Rey truly romanticizes California. It’s my second favorite Lana song of all time, only second in line to “Get Free.” I posted an entire video on my YouTube breaking down “Freak” by Lana, explaining why this song goes deeper than just the description of a hot and heavy hookup session. Feel free to check that out if you’re interested. I see the depths of “Freak” and the way it goes beyond any surface-level belief that the song is just about having sex. Because yes, the song describes her passionate desire to be ravaged in the bedroom or on the beachside with her lover, but if that’s all you take away from the song, you’re missing the point, and you’re definitely missing out. Lana sings, “Baby if you wanna leave / Come to California, be a freak like me, too / Screw your anonymity / Loving me is all you need to feel / Like I do.” This part stands out to me because Lana is inviting her lover to join her in California, making him understand how much better his life will be if he pulls the trigger and actually joins her to enjoy a completely different way of life.
Lana sings, “We could slow dance to rock music / Kiss while we do it / Talk till we both turn blue / Baby, if you wanna leave / Come to California, be a freak like me, too.” This song offers another layer of romance that doesn’t inherently just revolve around having sex. When two people are slow dancing and talking until they both turn blue, it means they’re sharing intimacy that goes beyond having sex. Talking till you both turn blue is symbolic of sharing the deepest conversations with your chosen partner until you’re out of breath. Continually opening up to each other, sharing your thoughts, and expressing your desires to each other forever until the moment you die. It’s extremely romantic at its core, if you ask me. It adds to the romantic nature of California as the perfect setting where two people can experience a passionate love affair together.
“Radio”
“Radio” by Lana Del Rey romanticizes California in the prettiest way. This is my sixth all-time favorite song from her. She sings about the beauty of Los Angeles, California, as it relates to dreams that have materialized and come true in her world. The song is triumphant and empowering, with Lana singing about the way she’s finally experiencing happiness, love, and success after years of struggle and hardship. California is the backdrop of her first breath of air in love and success after years of drowning. She sings, “No one even knows how hard life was / I don’t even think about it now because / I finally found you / Now my life is sweet like cinnamon / Like a fucking dream I’m living in…” Later she sings, “No one even knows what life was like / Now I’m in LA, and it’s paradise / I finally found you / Oh, sing it to me…” She compares LA to paradise. She says LA is sweet as cinnamon. She says living in LA is like a fucking dream she’s living in. It’s where she went to pursue her dreams, and her dreams came true.
“Lust for Life”
“Lust for Life” by Lana Del Rey is an obvious nod to her undeniable love, respect, and admiration for California. Specifically Hollywood. The song is sexy as she sings about taking off all your clothes over and over, but there’s more to it when it comes to the love she has for Hollywood. The song starts with Lana singing, “Climb up the H of the Hollywood sign, yeah / In these stolen moments / The world is mine / There’s nobody here, just us together / Keepin’ me hot like July forever…” The symbolism of climbing the Hollywood sign showcases a sense of freedom and adventure, like she’s on top of the world when she’s on top of that sign. She says the world is mine, shining a light on how fulfilled, accomplished, and elated she feels in her place in Hollywood. She sings, “Cause we’re the masters of our own fate / We’re the captains of our own souls / There’s no way for us to come away / Cause boy we’re gold, boy we’re gold…” The song romanticizes Hollywood, California, as a place where you can take the reins in your life to become the master of your fate and the captain of your soul as you pursue your greatest dreams.
“West Coast”
“West Coast” by Lana Del Rey romanticizes California with the dreamy sound of the chorus and the obvious beach aesthetics in California where she filmed the music video. This song had me in a chokehold during my college days while I was enrolled at California State University Northridge. I had a greater appreciation for my school while listening to this song. At the time, I couldn’t even fathom the idea of ever living anywhere else. I thought, I live in the destination where so many other people dream of reaching at some point. I’m already here. I live in the destination that inspired such a beautiful song like “West Coast” by Lana Del Rey; why would I ever leave this place? Lana sings, “Down on the West Coast, they got their icons / Their silver starlets, their Queens of Saigons / And you’ve got the music, you’ve got the music in you / Don’t you?” She continues, “Down on the West Coast, they love their movies / Their golden gods and / Rock ‘n’ roll groupies / And you’ve got the music, you’ve got the music in you / Don’t you?” She’s referencing Hollywood icons, queen-like celebrities, movie premieres, golden gods, also known as rock stars, the groupies of those rock stars, and the entire music scene in all of its glory… She sings, “Move baby, move baby, I’m in love,” which can be taken as Lana telling her lover to move to California to be with her because she’s in love, or Lana telling her lover to move to the music with her because he’s already there, by her side in California.
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