Blue Banisters Review

EDINBURG, Texas- On Oct. 22, Lana del Rey released her album “Blue Bannisters.” It is the artist’s seventh major-label studio album that delivers a poetic look into what it means to truly move on. 

Here are my top 5 favorite songs from the album: 

1. “Beautiful”- is a lyrical depiction of what it means to lose the love that you once had. All relationships at some point are seen as beautiful and abundant, but when you lose that spark or fall out of love, those moments can be seen as dark and bleak. In this song, Lana talks about turning those dark feelings into something beautiful. “What if someone had asked Picasso not to be sad,” is a lyric heavily repeated throughout the song. Why? Because it has meaning. If Picasso never felt pain or sadness, he could have never created artwork so meaningful and beautiful. 

2. “Dealer”- besides this song trending on social media platforms like TikTok, it is one of my favorites from the album. “Dealer” takes listeners through all the emotions: sadness, rage and acceptance. The song goes from Del Rey sharply screaming “I don’t want to live,” to eventually returning to a soft melody that I feel symbolizes her accepting that her love will never return. The song talks about Del Rey giving all her time and energy into someone and, despite her efforts, is left going through the stages of mourning all alone. If you are fresh out of a breakup and looking for a song to scream to, this is definitely the one. 

3. “Violets for Roses”- This song talks about losing yourself in a relationship. Del Rey talks about how she traded her love for violets and settled for roses in her past relationships. What does this mean? She gave up the things she loved and started to settle for the things she hated.  She lost herself. When she and her lover finally break up, she goes back to doing the things she loves, like “running with the girls in summer dresses.” This song is great to listen to, especially if you are finding yourself again. 

4. “Arcadia”- is about finding true love and the feeling of home. Del Rey is comparing the parts of her body to the city of Los Angeles and how this one place can represent so much of who she is today. This song is so calming and beautiful and also very well written.

5. “Text Book”- talks about the different emotions someone goes through in relationships and how we long for a protecting and loving partner. Del Rey highlights this by comparing her lover to her father and how she longed for that everlasting relationship. She feels jealousy and hurt, and longs for a place or someone to call home. Maybe if she had loved herself then like how she does now, the hurt could have been manageable. However, she knows that those relationships helped mold Del Rey into the person she is today. 

Lana Del Rey’s album “Blue Bannisters” is something that can be interpreted differently for everyone, but that is what makes it so beautiful. Her songs can make you feel enlightened or highlight your heartbreak, it all depends on the listener’s emotions. Singling out five songs is so tough to do, especially when the album is so diverse and different. “Blue Bannisters” is definitely worth a listen.