Lana Del Rey, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd | Album Review 💿

Lana Del Rey showcases incredibly artistry and authenticity on her excellent ninth album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.

Fifteen minutes of fame.  That’s the situation for many entertainers, particularly musicians.  It seems, you are only hot for a season.  What is admirable about 🏆 Grammy-nominated alternative pop singer/songwriter  🎙️ Lana Del Rey is the fact that she’s carved out a career that has well exceeded those fifteen minutes.  Her 2023 LP, 💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd marks her ninth! Furthermore, it arrives more than a decade into her major label recording career. Making Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd even better is the fact that it marks one of her strongest projects to date. Miscues are hard to come by on Ocean Blvd, speaking to Del Rey’s evolving artistry.

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“The Grants”

Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd begins with 🤩 🎵 “The Grants”, which, interestingly, commences with a mistake 🤯. The intro features soulful vocals by gospel vocalists 🎙️ Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard, and Shikena Jones, who, while learning the chorus commit an artistic error Lana Del Rey loved and informed the co-producer to include it at the top of the song.  After the intro, there is a change of pace with more structure, prior to the one-minute mark. Here, Del Rey takes over, sounding true to self. Melodically, “The Grants” is utterly stupendous. The arrangement and production are gorgeous (Del Rey, 🎛️ Drew Erikson, Zach Dawes, and Mike Hermosa), including a blend of piano, acoustic guitar, and strings.  As the record progresses, it expands in scope with a more dynamic instrumental, and of course those soulful, gospel-infused choral backing vocals 🤩. Beyond elite vocals and production, the songwriting is elite too! The lyrics are not complicated but poignant and marvelously penned.  The pre-chorus stands out, as Del Rey sings, “Do you think about heaven? / Oh-oh, do you think about me? / My pastor told me when you leave, all you take / Oh-oh, is your memory.” Some key takeaways regard legacy and memory, particularly related to the Grant family (“My sister’s first-born child / I’m gonna take that too with me / My grandmother’s last smile”). All told, 🎵 “The Grants” is an epic start to Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – one of her best songs.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: March 2023

Question: “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?” If not, Lana Del Rey fills us in. 🤩 🎵 “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” served as the lead single from the LP. From the onset, this piano ballad feels like the quintessential Lana song, which is a total pro. Del Rey sings gorgeously – her tone is haunting and one-of-a-kind.  Lyrically, it is incredibly poetic, characteristic of the singer/songwriter’s catalog. Del Rey penned this record alongside 🎼 ✍ Mike Hermosa (they also produce alongside Erickson, Dawes, and 🎛️ Jack Antonoff). She sings about “Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the wall” in the first verse, mentions “a girl that sings ‘Hotel California’” in the second, not to mention the city, Camarillo.  In the third, she references the 🎙 Harry Nilsson classic, 🎵 “Don’t Forget Me”, which is also sampled. Besides Nilsson, John Lennon is referenced. As intriguing as the verses are, the chorus is the main attraction, intact with an f-bomb: “When’s it gonna be my turn? / Don’t forget me / When’s it gonna be my turn? / Open me up, tell me you like it / Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself / There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard.” All told, Lana sounds marvelous on this ballad, showcasing her distinct and expressive set of pipes.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: December 2022
• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)
• 15 Fantastic Songs Where You Just KNOW (2023) 

“Sweet”

🎵 “Sweet” marks one of many radiant, sweet moments from Ocean Blvd.  Lana Del Rey appears to get personal, nostalgic, and reflective.  There are no shortage of memorable lyrical moments and references on this piano ballad.  Del Rey mentions hiking in Cali, her Midwest experiences, and pondering marriage and children.  The crème del crème, of course: “I’m a different kind of woman / If you want some basic bitch, go to the Beverly Center and find her.” Word!

Follow-up 🤩 🎵 “A&W” is a far less predictable, more expansive single from Lana Del Rey. She penned and produced “A&W” alongside 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Jack Antonoff. This epic, seven-minute-plus record is divided in two distinct parts.  Part I finds Lana being true to self. Even so, there is plenty to unpack, which is part of the genius. She is reflective, reminiscent, and brutally honest.  She recalls innocence in the first line: “I haven’t done a cartwheel since I was nine.” However, the sugar honey iced tea doesn’t take long to get real, as she depicts being an American Whore, as the abbreviated title suggests.  There are plenty of epic lyrics from Part I including the transparent “It’s not about havin’ someone to love me anymore / This is the experience of bein’ an American whore,” and the ultra-memorable, “Did you know a singer can still be / Looking like a sidepiece at thirty-three?”  On Part II, she moves beyond alternative singer/songwriter pop to more of a trip-hop, minimalist sound.  This is where she showcases more innovative spirit, all the while flipping 🎵 “Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop” to “Jimmy Jimmy cocoa puff.” In the process, the high is real. Just when you think Lana has become totally predictable, she totally surprises on the more experimental 🎵 “A&W”.  

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: February 2023

One of the more eyebrow raising moments from the LP is 🎵 “Judah Smith Interlude”.  Del Rey has a select few spoken word moments, but the majority of the interlude is a sermon performed by the polarizing pastor himself.  Notably, on 🎵 “The Grants”,  Del Rey asserts, “My pastor told me / When you leave, all you take / Oh-oh, is your memories.” Clearly, there is a spiritual connection for Del Rey – that seems to be the big purpose for this lengthy interlude.  That said, it’s not surprising Judah Smith’s inclusion drew criticism.

“Candy Necklace” 

From a controversial pastor, we move on to the 🎙 Jon Batiste portion of Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.  He first appears on 🤩 🎵 “Candy Necklace”, a record with plenty to unpack.  Throughout this five-minute-plus number, Del Rey tells us about the ups and downs of a relationship.  There are plenty of thrills (“Rockafella, my umbrella / God, I love you, baby”), but also there’s danger and toxicity.  The second verse speaks to a troubling degree of unhealthiness: “Sittin’ on the sofa, feeling super suicidal / Hate to say the word, but, baby, hand on the Bible, I do / Feel like it’s you the one who’s bringin’ me down.” Batiste accompanies Del Rey on the piano, delivering a lovely piano solo before singing the titular line repeatedly.  This unhurried, piano ballad plays to Del Rey’s strengths, and successfully uses an unlikely collaborator in Batiste. Of course, Jon continues to unleash his musical brilliance on the scintillating 🎵 “Jon Batiste Interlude.” The best way to describe the interlude is that it’s some kind of trip!

“That’s how the light gets in,” Lana Del Rey sings in the chorus of 🤩 🎵 “Kintsugi”, the eighth track from the LP.  Once more, the accompaniment is stripped – piano, acoustic guitar, drums – supporting Del Rey’s expressive instrument.  Even so, the subdued backdrop is sufficient, particularly given the fact “Kintsugi” is caught up in escaping grief and repairing brokenness, much like kintsugi itself.  Lengthy at north of six minutes, it is another worthwhile moment finding the singer/songwriter being incredibly authentic and showing vulnerability. 🤩 🎵 “Fingertips” is slightly shorter than “Kintsugi,” but still approaches six minutes in duration. The duration, however, is once more worth the listening experience – including soaring strings and organ! “When I look back, tracing fingertips over plastic bags,” she sings in the first verse, adding, “Thinking, ‘I wish I could extrapolate some small intention / Or maybe just get your attention for a minute or two.” Hence, how the songwriting goes, with no shortage of poetic lyrics, and once more, reference to her family, The Grants.  “Charlie, stop smoking / Caroline, will you be with me?” she sings in the third verse, getting even more personal, “Will the baby be alright? / Will I have one of mine? / Can I handle it even if I do?” It is a wordy musical selection, but, all told, introspective Lana Del Rey is Lana Del Rey at her best.

“Paris, Texas” 

“When you know, you know / It’s time, it’s time to go.” So true, Lana, so true! Following two extended length gems in 🎵 “Kintsugi” and 🎵 “Fingertips”, 🎵 “Paris, Texas” opts for less than three-and-a-half minutes of song. There is no drop off in quality, PERIOD. Featuring 🎙 SYML (Brian Fennell), “Paris, Texas” feels lighter and benefits from more rhythm, carried by piano.  Metrically, “Paris, Texas” is set in triple meter or, perhaps, compound duple, depending how you hear it.  The shift is welcome contrast, one on the subtler side that is not a stark departure but continues to make Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd engaging.  🎵 “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing” maintains the sheer excellence of Ocean Blvd.  It features French pianist 🎙 RIOPY, sampling his 2019 song, 🎵 “Flo”. RIOPY successfully fuels Del Rey’s fire, further accentuated by the production genius of Jack Antonoff.  Antonoff performs most of the instruments, with 🎙 Evan Smith adding saxophone to this awe-inspiring moment.  As for Lana, she continues to ‘do her thing,’ impressing with her haunting instrument and colorful lyrics.  “Cause I’m good in spirit, warm-bodied / A fallible deity wrapped up in white,” she sings in the bridge, adding, “I’m folk, I’m jazz, I’m blue, I’m green / Regrettably, also a white woman / But I have good intentions even if I’m one of the last ones.” Well, alright, then!

When Lana Del Rey and 🎙 Father John Misty get together, the musical chemistry is EVERYTHING.  That is the case, once again, on 🤩 🎵 “Let The Light In”, a song where having a degree of chemistry is a vital aspect of the song. “Let The Light In” hearkens back to an earlier Ocean Blvd gem, 🎵 “Kintsugi”, when her and FJM sing, “Ooh, let the light in.” The chorus in particular is one of the best of the LP. “Let The Light In” has a degree of intimacy, both from a love and sexual standpoint.  The way that Del Rey seems to weave all aspects of the relationship in is impressive. 🎵 “Margaret” follows featuring 🎙 Bleachers – yeah, basically Jack Antonoff! Naturally, the song is about Margaret Qualley, who happens to be the fiancé of Antonoff (“This is a simple song, gonna write it for a friend /… He met Margaret on a rooftop, she was wearin’ white”).  Notably, in the chorus, a line from 🎵 “Paris, Texas” reappears: “When you know, you know.”  Antonoff explores this notion in the second verse when he asserts, “If you’re askin’ yourself, ‘How do you know?’ / Then that’s your answer, the answer is ‘No.’” He has a point.  Not only is “Margaret” a stunning declaration of love, but it’s also another winner from Lana!

“Fishtail”

Ocean Blvd enters homestretch following “Margaret” (a hard act to follow, mind you). 🎵 “Fishtail” is intriguing, with a hazy sensibility and sound.  In the context of this album, “Fishtail” doesn’t feel  the same as the majority of the album, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The same can be said of 🤩 🎵 “Peppers” featuring 🎙 Tommy Genesis. “Peppers,” however is so playful and infectious, you simply can’t deny its glory.  At this point, it feels like Del Rey is having fun, and that’s good to hear, honestly. The chorus is EVERYTHING: “Hands on your knees, I’m Angelina Jolie / Let me put my hands on your knees, you can braid my hair / Do a fat crisscross in the back somewhere.”

“Oh, that’s why they call me Lanita / When I get down, I’m Bonita / Don’t come find me in Reseda / I’ll go crazy.” Well now! Concluding the lengthy album is a two-part song, 🎵 “Taco Truck x VB”. Part I, “Taco Truck “ is new with its Lanita, Bonita, and, of course, Reseda. However, Part II, VB is familiar lyrically, as in 🎵 “Venice Bitch” familiar. Maybe this is more of a bonus cut, but hey, it’s all good – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd has long proved itself before a rawer version of “Venice Bitch” arrives.

Final Thoughts 💭

Lana Del Rey has more than proven herself over the course of her career.  She continues to evolve as an artist, something that is loud and clear on 💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.  Another pro is her openness and the level of authenticity she exhibits throughout album number nine.  While the production is often more subdued or stripped, it feels right given the theme of songs as well as the overall effect Lana is going for. Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd = one of the best Lana Del Rey albums to date!

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🤩 Gems 💎: “The Grants,” “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” “A&W,” “Candy Necklace,” “Kintsugi,” “Fingertips,” “Let The Light In,” “Peppers”

🎙 Lana Del Rey • 💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 3.24.23

[📷: Interscope]