Till last minute I was confused about what song choose for the record club, i was stuck between a Bollywood song and this one, but ended up deciding on this one. This is a song that takes me down memory lane, I remember i first heard this song in 201, during the summertime and instantly fell in love with it. My sisters and I would listen to this song on repeat for days! This was the first song that i have heard of Lana Del Rey, and then started listening to other songs too. When I heard this song in the Great Gatsby, it gave me another reason to love it even more, because I really admired that movie, and it perfectly sits with the 1900s setting as well.
One reason I love this song is because it gives an old era vibe, and i’ve always admired the songs of that era so this was something different. It was a present singer, making songs that made it seem like they were from the 60s or 70s. This song is so melismatic and airy, the way she sings it really sets the mood of summer, or like she’s flying or on the clouds.Her voice is so smooth throughout the entire song. The way the instruments are being played in the back also gives off an airy structure. I love how when she sings the part, “O Lord when i get to heaven….”, that’s probably my most favorite part of the song, the whole song sort of rise, the melody becomes louder. And then calms down at the part, “All that grace, all that body, all that face makes me wanna party….”. Then she rises up again and has a change of tone when she sings the last verse, implicating that the song has ended.
Airy: Lighthearted, graceful
Melismatic: Melismatic’ indicates one end of a spectrum; the other is ‘syllabic’, or one note to each syllable.
Smooth: without breaks between notes; smooth and connected
Melody: A melody, also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity.
Verse: In the countable sense, a verse is formally a single metrical line in a poetic composition.
First, I love this song and the way you addressed it in your post was well thought out. I like how the song has a very mellow vibe but the instruments and the loudness of them make me want to move my head while listening. This song and Lana Del Rey herself give me Billie Eilish feels because I think they have similar music style.
The song Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish is what I think of when I listened to Young and Beautiful. Both these artists sing with a passion in their voice and their vocals are incredible. All I know is that if there two artist made a song together It would be insanely good. Ocean Eyes to me is very humble and warm kind of song, when I say this I mean the song is meant to be sad but the melody and instruments make up for the sadness the song is suppose to give off just like Lana Del Rey does. Listen to the beat in the first verse of the song when it sounds like a drum which gives off an upbeat feel to the song. The chorus of the song I feel is when the beat changes, they had more drums to it not just a single beat its multiple beats after the beginning of the song. Just like when Young and Beautiful the beat it starts with the piano then has the song continues other instruments start to add in or more of the piano is being played but it picks up pace.
If all of you have a chance to listen to Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish, let me know if you think this artists sound almost identical in style and vocals. I think they really do and I love it to be honest because these artist are remarkable singers and songwriters. I feel when an artist can turn a sadder song into a way for the fans to still like nod their head while listening shows what they can do with their talent.
Vocabulary:
Beat: The pace and the background of the song
Vocals: The artist voice when they sing
Verse: each part of the song the changes with the beat and lyrics
Chorus: The part of the song that plays over and over
Melody: The repetition of “ocean eyes”
Lana Del Rey has a very distinct sound and seemed to spearhead this new age-y sound called “dream pop”. Lorde is an artist that comes to mind when I think of dream pop but a lesser known artist is King Princess. Her vocals have similar qualities to Lana Del Rey like airy, light, and smooth. Her song 1950 is a beautiful ballad with a narrative that I felt was somewhat similar to Young and Beautiful. The bridge in 1950 says “I hope that you’re happy with me in your life,” in a similar manner that Lana Del Rey asks “will you still love me” in Young and Beautiful. Like Muniba mentioned in her analysis, this song has an older era vibe. It’s softness, simple instrumentation, and layered vocals reminded me of The Temptations.
Airy: Spacious. Open. Instruments sound like they are surrounded by a large reflective space full of air.
Ballad: A simple song of natural construction, usually in the narrative.
Bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition.
Dream pop: Subgenre of alternative rock. Characterized for its breathy vocals, use of guitar effects, dense productions, and preoccupation with sonic texture and atmosphere as much as melody.
Layering: Recording or playing a musical part with several similar sound patches playing simultaneously.
New Age: a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism.
Smooth: Easy on the ears, not harsh.