Born to Die

Whether it's her soft deliverence of heart-tugging lyrics, or the darkness that shrouds her romantic words, Lana Del Rey has sky-rocketed alongside her second album, Born to Die. The album is a cross between deep-rooted pain and undying love. Songs like "Blue Jeans" reference to this love, how it is restricting and incapable of being let go. The album was released in January of 2012 and has since become quite popular, with allusions to her songs in recent music (#Selfie: "Why does the DJ keep on playing Summertime Sadness?"). Born to Die topped the charts in eleven countries, and was announced third best album of the year in 2012.

1. "Born to Die" (10/10)

The opening track, and also the name of the album, "Born to Die" essentially sets the tone for the album as well as pulls the listener in and prepares them for a tender journey through heartache and love. Lana Del Rey sings most of the song in a low, almost masculine, voice, adding to the dreamy haze the song has.

2. "Off to the Races" (10/10)

The second track picks the pace up, and is one of the more unique songs on the album. The lyrics are tasteful in its description of codependency. The hints of crud language hardly even sound crud in Lana Del Rey's distinctively harmonic voice. It is rap-like at times, but the gentle delivery of each line resonates with the listener on a deeper, less superficial, note.

3. "Blue Jeans" (10/10)

"Blue Jeans" is the third track on Lana Del Rey's album and a delight to listen to. It's lyrics are relatable even though the general gist of her song may not be. She sings with her heart; her high and low intonations add to the meledrama of the song. This song in particular has a strong contrast between her particularly high and astoundingly low voice.

4. "Video Games" (10/10)

The whimsical background music sets the tone of this song, and the slowness adds to that effect. This song is a sharp turn from the others on her album, very sweet and reminscent. Each line is filled with emotion - deep longing and sadness. This song is actually the video that went viral before the album dropped and started the frenzy of fans Lana Del Rey has accumulated.

5. "Diet Mountain Dew" (8.5/10)

Not a particular favorite of mine, "Diet Mountain Dew" is one of her few songs that is more fast-paced and high-pitched. The song follows the theme of love for this album, and has this unqiue combination of scratchy, pitchiness and soft deepness that works well together and brings a fresh of breath air to music. Lana Del Rey proves here in thsi song that it is not always necessary to sound perfectly auto-tuned.

7. "Dark Paradise" (10/10)

The seventh song of this album brings back the listener back to idea of this undying love, this yearning for someone that can't be satiated. The song is slow, but there's a beat to it that makes it catchy still. Aside from the background music, the lyrics are very strong and passion-filled. If you can respect the honesty that comes with loving and be loved, you'll enjoy the song just because it is the true thoughts from someone who has loved very deeply.

8. "Radio" (9.5/10)

This is the one song on the album that appears not to be about love, and rather about fame. Stiil, the soft beats follow thematically with the rest of the songs on the album. Lana Del Rey's wispy voice makes the listening of this song quite enjoyable.

9. "Carmen" (8.5/10)

"Carmen" is song holds a very strong meaning, telling the story of a young girl with a substance abuse problem. Lana Del Rey has a way with her lyrics that paint the picture of this young girl's story; her words are richly suggestive without giving away everything. It is a somber, soft song that strikes against the rest of the tracks on this album.

10. "Million Dollar Man" (8/10)

Lana Del Rey reverts back to a love affair gone wrong in this song, droning about the how she'd follow her love as far "down, down, down." This song doesn't just depict her lover as being this spectacular being but also as "screwed up." It is easily relatable for anyone that has had the wrong man, but loved him anyway.

11. "Summertime Sadness" (10/10)

"Summertime Sadness" has easily become the most popular song on this album. It has been remixed countless times, and referenced everywhere in pop culture. It is the perfect mix of pop and indie. The lyrics are strong, yet dainty in their delivery. Lana's sadcore tone gives the pop music depth. Charting across Europe, the single reached the top ten in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

12. "This Is What Makes Us Girls" (8/10)

Lana Del Rey turns back to upbeat sounds as she describes what "makes us girls." The song is twisted in its lyrics, mistakeningly making you think that it's cliches about girls, but in reality, the song is much deeper describing the "rambunctious, Lolita-esque teenhood interrupted" (TheAtlantic, Spencer Kornhaber).

For a second album, it is quite the winner with most of the songs being more likely to love than hate. It appears that with Lana Del Reys soft deepness, and softer highness, anything she sings is going to give off this whimsiness that is refreshing against mainstream music. The critic Ellen Willis once wrote of Bette Midler: "Blatant artifice can, in the right circumstances, be poignantly honest, and she expresses the tension between image and inner self that all of us-- but especially women-- experience." Lana Del Rey tells stories through her songs that are understandable, relatable, and hit hard with anyone that has loved and lost.