Song of the Week: Lana Del Rey's Video Games

I’m not sure there are many reasons to like Lana Del Rey (nee Elizabeth Grant). A boarding school brat out of NY and CT, she is the daughter of internet domain name investor (profession?) Rob Grant. Her stage name was chosen by her management team after a failed record under “Lizzie Grant.” But...this song is awesome, and thus it is the song of the week. Do yourself a favor and listen to it without the video (which is supremely distracting).



"Video Games" is a terrifyingly accurate assessment of modern domestic life for the suburban set. Del Rey explained this in an interview, stating the song was about:

A boy. I think we came together because we were both outsiders. It was perfect. But I think with that contentment also comes sadness. There was something heavenly about that life – we'd go to work and he'd play his video games - but also it was maybe too regular. At the time I was becoming disillusioned with being a singer and was very happy to settle with a boyfriend who I loved, but in the end we both lost sight of our dreams. Maybe there's something not-so-special about domestic life.

Is Lana Del Rey the one ring that rules them all, uniting indie and pop? A quick listen to the rest of her music says the likely answer is no, but this song has the potential to do something else that is rare. "Video Games" is a strange choice for a single, if only because of the emotional tenor it chooses. Much like many songs by the National, the pop elements are there in the song, but it's probably something that you're more likely to want to listen to alone than with friends. Thus, "Video Games" is a track that you're likely to hear both on top 40 radio and on your too-cool roommate's headphones as he/she works on their master's thesis. That's almost as big of an accomplishment as this song is itself.

The Best Thing I Heard this Week-Chris Bathgate

I am a sucker (or perhaps an enthusiast) for great first tracks. As I say this, it seems so overly obvious that it shouldn’t be stated--rather, who isn’t enthralled by a great first track?** Well, years ago, the answer was probably no one. Now, however, I don’t think the answer is quite as obvious. Seemingly, more of the public listens to one or two tracks from an album that they like, and either dismisses the rest of the record or never bothers to hear it in the first place. This is by now not a new phenomenon, but one that has been going on for more than ten years I would imagine. Which is a long-winded way of saying that having a great first track only matters to people who listen to whole albums, and not the track that randomly gets posted on their Facebook wall or that they hear on the radio. I am one of those people, Chris Bathgate’s Salt Year is one of those albums, and the first track, “Eliza (Hue)” is one of those great openers that only comes around every so often.