Young and Beautiful – Lana Del Rey

So continuing with my Gatsby binge, the track Young and Beautiful is a very close second place in my mind, but from what I remember, this was probably the most recognizable and most frequently played song throughout the movie (thankfully music like this doesn’t ever get old).

Over the last few days I have literally been rotating out this track along with A Little Party Killed Nobody and it seems to working pretty well… it is quite the seamless transition from over the top excitement to a mild feeling of depression and back again.

Overall this track is simply a joy to listen to while at the same time being eerily haunting. Lana’s voice is amazing and when coupled with the orchestra in the background, I immediately have this feeling of calmness that takes over every time I listen. The best way that I can describe this track is like sipping on a well aged glass of scotch (my apologies for those of you who do not have an appreciation for fine whisky, but you’ll get the idea). Once the track starts playing, the smoothness of the vocal and depth of the orchestra immediately puts me at ease and as the song progresses, this overwhelming sense of warmth just seems to relax the tension away (minus the fact that the girl is constantly questioning if the guy will lover her when she’s old, but alas, just details).

This reaction actually works quite well when I’m in the confines of my cubicle and is probably the closest I’ll get to the feeling of drinking at work.

Also, the lyrics and tone of the track are rather interesting. Even though this girl has found an amazing person who is willing to stand by her and knows that he will still lover her when she is old, there is the cloud of doubt that seems to continually hang over her head. This constant fear of being replace gives the song a somber, melancholy feel to it. Now I could read into this further, however, after many years of trying to figure out women, I have long since given up such fruitless endeavors (and instead I have turned my attention to a blog which I doubt anyone will ever read… #winning), but at the least it is food for thought.

Enjoy! (… and again, go watch the movie).