3 Poems to Read Alongside Lana Del Rey's 'Norman fucking Rockwell!'
By Stephanie Valente
It's no secret that Lana Del Rey is the queen of dreams. From velvety syrupy tones to moody incantations, Del Rey's songs go on character journeys on love, experience, and longing in a cinematic sphere.
Del Rey's latest album, Norman fucking Rockwell! is a spell in itself. It's a homage and a discovery all at once. The sixth studio album goes deep and cuts deep. It's the singer's newest effort that exposes the transformative and transgressive power of cutthroat experience and urgency, all set to the landscape of America, particularly California. This isn't just a pastoral nod, no, instead, it's sublime and oceanic. Norman fucking Rockell! is spilling secrets, if you dig.
That being said, there has long been a poetic quality to Del Rey's songs. Lyrics split into metaphors, character-driven songs, shades of glamour, grit, dirt, pain, and beauty. We paired three poems to read alongside the songs to keep the pastoral transformation kicking. Check it out below:
Ruth Madievsky – You Look Up Pictures of Icelandic Ponies
Stephanie Valente lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works as an editor. One day, she would like to be a silent film star. She is the author of Hotel Ghost (Bottlecap Press, 2015) and Waiting for the End of the World (Bottlecap Press, 2017). Her work has appeared in dotdotdash, Nano Fiction, LIES/ISLE, and Uphook Press. She can be found at her website.
