From the true meaning of freedom to processing pain: The 10 best Lana Del Rey quotes
When Lana Del Rey released ‘Video Games’ in 2011, she instantly captivated people with her melancholic yet romantic vocal performance, singing over a lush orchestral backing that was unlike anything else in the charts. After sharing her album Born to Die a few months later, the singer quickly became one of music’s most talked-about artists, and she’s reigned supreme ever since.
In just over a decade, the singer has released seven more studio albums, a handful of EPs, singles and a poetry book, which is also available as a spoken word record. Put simply, she’s delivered many iconic lyrics and lines of poetry that have taken the form of Instagram captions, tattoos and daily mantras for countless LDR fans across the globe.
The singer has previously discussed her preference for writing music rather than performing, and it seems like she feels most at home when she’s left alone with a pen. Her book, Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass, demonstrates her natural propensity for transforming her musings on life and love into effortless poetry.
Thus, we have collected ten of Del Rey’s best quotes, ranging from wise words of wisdom she’s shared in interviews to her most poignant song lyrics and lines of poetry.
The 10 best Lana Del Rey quotes:
10. “You should never come between a woman and her dream” – ‘Afraid’
We’re taking a dive into Del Rey’s unreleased discography with these lyrics from ‘Afraid’. Recorded in 2010, the song sees Del Rey make the difficult decision to leave her lover because of his lack of support for her dreams and ambitions. Del Rey reminds us that we should never lose sight of what we really want in life, not for any man.
9. “But I lost myself when I lost you/ But I still got jazz when I’ve got those blues” – ‘Terrence Loves You’
Honeymoon might be Del Rey’s most underrated album, with songs like ‘Terrence Loves You’ communicating the singer’s raw lyrical talent especially well. The end of a relationship can be absolutely earth-shattering, but at least Del Rey has music to get herself through, which she reminds us of through a clever bit of wordplay.
8. “I never meant to be bad or unwell/ I was just living on the edge/ Right between Heaven and Hell” – ‘Living Legend’
Taken from Del Rey’s eighth album, Blue Banisters, ‘Living Legend’ is one of her most emotionally poignant tracks, complete with a powerful vocal solo that emulates the sound of a guitar riff. These lyrics are a beautifully poetic way of reflecting on past struggles, with the first line even possessing a childlike sense of apology.
7. “But if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did” – ‘Cinnamon Girl’
It can be easy to get used to being treated badly when it happens so often. On ‘Cinnamon Girl’ from Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Del Rey acknowledges a past marred by abuse and complicated love, and this line is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Many listeners will be able to relate to this line – whether it’s taken more metaphorically or literally.
6. “Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?” – ‘Young and Beautiful’
We all know this iconic line from Del Rey’s song ‘Young and Beautiful’, recorded for The Great Gatsby soundtrack, but it’s one of the singer’s most simple yet potent lyrics. She addresses the tyrannical beauty standards that plague women as they get older, with Del Rey wondering if her lover will still be with her when she no longer adheres to the stereotypical expectations of womanhood and feminine ideals.
5. “Find someone who has the life that you want and figure how they got it. Read books. Pick your role models wisely. Find out what they did and do it.”
In an early interview with MySpace, Del Rey gives us some crucial life advice, urging us to expand our worldview through literature to discover other people’s perspectives. We must learn how other people became successful if we want to follow in their footsteps, but we must be smart with who we choose to model our lives upon.
4. “Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness.”
This classic Del Rey quote has been floating around the internet for years. The singer has always been obsessed with the meaning of freedom, and here, she defines it pretty well. It is one thing to be free, but to be happy means actually enjoying the things that make you free. You may only truly be satisfied with life when you’ve found the ability to do what it is you truly desire, and that thing brings pure contentment.
3. “After you left and burnt the house down, you tried to convince me that it was I who was holding the matches” – ‘My Bedroom is a Sacred Place Now – There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed’
These heartbreaking lines from Del Rey’s poem ‘‘My Bedroom is a Sacred Place Now – There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed’ encapsulate the feeling of being in a toxic relationship perfectly. Sometimes, certain people cannot admit their faults, no matter what you do. The imagery here is beautifully tragic, and you can really hear the sadness in Del Rey’s voice in the recorded version of the poem.
2. “The whys in this lifetime I’ve found are inconsequential compared to the magic of the nowness – the solution to most questions, there are no reasons” – ‘Never to Heaven’
Del Rey’s poetry book Violet Bend Backwards Over the Grass features many beautiful lines, but the poem ‘Never to Heaven’ is easily one of her finest pieces of writing. The singer offers us an important token of wisdom here about appreciating the present moment and moving forward rather than dwelling on explanations for what has already happened.
1. “It takes getting everything you ever wanted and then losing it, to know what true freedom is” – ‘Ride’ monologue
The music video for Del Rey’s gorgeous 2012 track ‘Ride’ features a lengthy monologue about the singer’s quest for freedom, set to images of American desert roads, bikers and motels. Here, Del Rey muses on the true meaning of being free, which often involves sacrifice and hardship. Del Rey has been through a lot to get to where she is, and ‘Ride’ is Del Rey’s reminder that we should always strive to achieve our dreams, no matter how hard it might seem.