he/him
Blimey for all my bitching about Lana that was one track off the album I was not ready to see go at this stage.
COMPLETE - The Indie/Alt Pop/Not-quite-'Mainstream'-but-still-accessible Girls 2017 Rate!!1
- Thread starter constantino
- Start date
Yas fight!
I thought this was the one song all the Lana haters liked??
F
Former member 21294
Is it though when they lowered the quality so much in every aspect coming after Days Are Gone? Especially in a competition against the others whose work all have an identity and interesting takes on the genre.
I still didn't give them a zero or one but everything on it is just so beige.
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Funny that you should say that...
Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?
Is it the end of an era?
Is it the end of America?
49. When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing
Average: 7.58
High: 10 x 6 (@happiestgirl @enjoy @Sprockrooster @Kuhleezi @Oleander @Fantasy)
Low: 3.5 x 1 (@mokitsu)
My score: 9
10 voters in: 32
20 voters in: 43
30 voters in: 36
40 voters in: 44
50 voters in: 41
60 voters in: 46
Bad day for Lana, huh? She loses her second consecutive song just as we hit the top 50, and *spoiler alert* it won’t be the first cut of hers we’ll see before the top 40. This wasn’t always the case; this song sat comfortably within the top 40 on two separate occasions, which is more than could be said for poor Heroin. In fact, as much as I like this, I was thrown upon seeing how well it had been performing, only for it to end up in its lowest position ever in the rate.
Firstly, I adore how authentically 1960s this feels - Rick Nowels and Dean Reid absolutely nailed the production here. The harmonisation of Lana’s vocals on the pre-chorus gives it that extra 60s girl group appeal, with the prominence of the layered acoustic guitar giving it a psychedelic vibe. The general ~earthiness~ of this track makes it feel quite unique on the album, which is an important element for a track on an album with 15 other songs. Even though the chorus is slightly underwhelming after the pre-chorus, it’s the lyrics that really take centre stage. There’s so much poetiticsm to Lana asking ‘is it the end of an era’ after building an excessive catalogue almost-exclusively based on Golden Age Americana references.
During an interview featured in Flaunt magazine that was released back in May, Lana stated that the song had political themes, similarly to "God Bless America - and All the Beautiful Women in It". However, she feared that it would not be well received by the public and was unsure whether to include it or not:
"Well, I have a song that’s quite aware about the collective worry, about whether this is the end of an era. It’s called "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing." But I actually went back and forth about keeping it on the record, because I didn’t want it there if it would make people feel worse instead of better. It’s not apathetic. The tone of the production is very dark, and doesn’t lead to a fucking happy feeling. And the question it poses: Is this the end of America, of an era? Are we running out of time with this person at the helm of a ship? Will it crash? In my mind, the lyrics were a reminder not to shut down or shut off, or just don’t talk about things. It was more like stay vigilant and keep dancing. Stay awake."
When The World Was at War We Kept Dancing when the tracklist was released on July 12th:
Speaking of, mokitsu (3.5) sounds real pressed: ‘What is it with Lana and choruses?? They've been consistently bad. The lyrics are too try hard as well.’ Okay but Video Games and Ride have some of the best choruses in the last 10 years of recorded sound.
Bleedingheart80 (6) keeps up the back-handed complements: This is just okay. Good background music.
Trouble in Paradise...fails to explain why he only gave it a 6...When I’m listening, this song is a pleasant atmospheric track with more complex lyrics than the production lets on. After I listen, I can’t seem to get it out of my head.
Cassava (7) claims Lana is giving Miss ASMRTheChew a run for ha money: This is one of those Lana moments I felt like was atmospheric instead of ASMR.
CorgiCorgiCorgi (8) has a question: 'What’s with these Fall Out Boy-ass long song titles?' I don’t know her...
Bangers&Bops (8) gives us commentary that’s more cinematic than the majority of Born To DIe - talent! Another anthem for the young, Lana Del Rey contemplates the end of America as she surveys the damage, and encourages everyone suffering to keep on dancing. She maintains, in the most political of reality checks, the message of hope that bolsters the entire record: “It’s only the beginning / if we hold on to hope / We’ll have a happy ending.”
ufint (9) complements Lana on her growth, and he’s so proud to see it: Her voice really soars on that chorus, it’s amazing how far she has come.
Michael17 (9) picks an...interesting choice of Lust For Life track to call out: Great. The beat is a nice mix of psychedelia and trap. The long title irks me for some reason, though. I wish the album was more this style and less “13 Beaches” (I know I’m the minority here). Well...at least you know.
Kuhleezi (10) clearly holds this to a very high standard: This song alone would be enough to prove what an absolute force of nature Lana is as a songstress. I low key agree, actually.
kalonite (10) highlights some #relatable lyricism from Lana: “Boys, don’t make too much noise and don’t try to be funny – other people may not understand” #2017.
Happiestgirl (10) has a request: Is this the end of an era? Is this the end of America? Serve me some political despair queen. I wish she would perform this live. Well I hear there’s now a gap in her live set so maybe this could fill it?
With no actual 11-givers, we’ll close with sfmartin (10), who was the closest thing: Such a perfect song and one of my favourites on the album, her airy falsetto in the (third) chorus is heavenly and effortlessly relaxing when contemplating the surrounding chaos. It alarms me to think that she doesn’t much care for the song because it is beautiful. I also love the final 'when the world was at war before...' sung in a lower pitch, it’s a nice touch and sounds almost like she's trying to hypnotise the listener. Another 11 contender. To soften the blow, at least his 11 is still very much in the running.
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He/Him
F
Former member 21294
Hey y'all, I'm back! I can't wait to catch up on this rate.
Oh.....
Well this was fun but I think it's time I go back on hiatus. Bye everyone!
Wait....I have a rate I need to finish. I guess I'm here to stay cause the show must go on.
When The World Lost Taste We Kept Dancing.
58. Charli XCX - Drugs (featuring Abra)
57. Zola Jesus - Remains
56. MUNA - Promise
55. Lana Del Rey - In My Feelings
54. Charli XCX - Emotional
50. Lana Del Rey - Heroin
49. When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing
Oh.....
Well this was fun but I think it's time I go back on hiatus. Bye everyone!
Wait....I have a rate I need to finish. I guess I'm here to stay cause the show must go on.
When The World Lost Taste We Kept Dancing.
It's the worst album here.
You can’t come for Something To Tell You sounding alike when Lust For Life is vulnerable of the same critique. I’m more than happy for Lana to have honed her sound but over 16 tracks it’s a bloody slog to get through.
Lust for Life and Something to Tell You definitely don't share that shortcoming though. I know that "lol every Lana song sounds the same" is like the running joke of her entire career, but Lust For Life has infinitely more variety than Haim's reheated leftovers from 2013.