I’m lucky to have read a lot of books. I did a degree where you have to do a lot of reading whether you like it or not. Before that, I did a lot of reading on my own. This included a substantial amount of philosophy, fiction, and poetry. I actually believe Lana del Rey has a rare talent that most people don’t recognize–she’s less of a singer and more of a poet.

Before I go any further, I should mention I’ve become a massive fan in the last year. This is admittedly because Lana produces some absolute tunes. Every song is a simple chord progression, often seemingly lifted from somewhere else, paired with Lana’s hauntingly smooth vocals. The repetitive simplicity of her musical scores has produced much criticism and even a few lawsuits.

What people don’t realize is Lana isn’t a musician. Not really, anyway. She’s more of a writer/poet who happens to be blessed with an incredible voice. The musical composition has never really been the point. You can find this out from her Wikipedia page: There has been disappointingly little analysis done online of her lyrical genius despite the legions of Lana fans (one friend points out that this may be because the legions are mainly manned by 12 to 15 year old girls).

I don’t have time to do a full review of all Lana’s poetry, although in the future I’ll do full posts on individual songs. But, like all good poets, she manages to express complex feelings and thoughts through simple lyrics. Lana songs center around a few themes–money, attractiveness, substance abuse, men and relationships, America, success. Her lyrics on each embody real, relatable emotion. Consider her thoughts on money, in “National Anthem”:

“He says to be cool but / I don’t know how yet” (upon meeting her billionaire boyfriend) vs “He said to be cool but / I’m already coolest / I said to get real, don’t you know who you’re dealing with?”

The slide from how Lana views money–as a vehicle for fun vs something to obsess over (“can we party” vs “will you buy me lots of diamonds”)–resonates. I’ve never been rich, but I’ve seen a lot of people who are. The ones consumed by money are miserable. Those who view it as a means of fun and freedom, but removed from what’s really important, are more likely to find happiness. At the stage where you’re enchanted by what material wealth brings, is when you can have fun with it (when you don’t know how to be cool). But when you’re already coolest, numb to the impact of money after spending so long immersed in it, trouble starts.

Lana’s music is filled with gems like this, if you look for them. Apparently she’s written a book of poetry recently, which I’m excited to read. But even today, she ought to be respected as a writer, perhaps even more than as a musician.

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought, and that thought has found words.” -Robert Frost