To Love by Doing Nothing: A Review on Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass by Lana Del Rey
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is a unique audio experience, a fusion of poetry and music, created and narrated by the renowned American singer-songwriter, Lana Del Rey. Best known for her dreamy and melancholic music, Del Rey ventures into a new artistic realm with this spoken-word collection, accompanied by the hauntingly beautiful instrumentals of Jack Antonoff. In this essay, we will delve into Lana Del Rey's role as a spoken-word performer, analyzing her voice, her choice of words, and her intended audience by examining three distinct poems: "LA Who am I to Love You?" "My Bedroom is a Sacred Place Now," and "Salamander."
First and foremost, Lana Del Rey possesses a captivating and soothing voice that suits the role of a spoken-word performer impeccably. The whole production has a sense of laziness in Del Rey’s voice, which reminds listeners of waking from a nap on a sunny summer afternoon, under the shed, with no rain but clouds in the sky. The ambient sounds of rain, city life, nature, the sky, aircraft, and highways further immerse the audience into the vivid imagery conveyed through Del Rey's words as listeners are invited to be in the sense without throughout performance. Her husky voice with the effortless style performance exudes an unrushed and melancholic quality, evoking a sense of reclining on warm grasslands, which is profoundly relaxing for the audience. Del Rey's low-key tone and slow peace reading is renowned for its raw emotion, authenticity, and a touch of vintage charm. Consequently, the words Del Rey wrote, when paired with her voice, becomes deeply introspective and contemplative. She explores themes of nostalgia, love, and the relentless passage of time. By smooth deliveries and her performance relaxed whisper-ish on the phone style reading, her tone soft and with no force, her poetry beckons listeners to immerse themselves in her thoughts and emotions. Like listening to a friend on the phone, Del Rey creates a safe space for her listeners to be heard and to be comforted.
In the opening poetry, “LA Who am I to Love You?” a love letter to LA, to express her loneliness, “I” is portrayed as an adoptee, begging in a pitiful tone for returning affection. She writes, “LA! I’m pathetic/but so are you/can I come home now? /Daughter to no one/table for one/…I never had a mother/ will you let me make the sun my own now…/I am lonely LA/ can I come home now? /…/so just love me by doing nothing.” Despite being a performance, her voice carries a palpable undercurrent of anxiety and tension by stressing the vowel in “home,” “lonely,” “now,” and “own,” where she also reading in a higher but tight pitch, to produce the stress of the words and tones, all together sounds like crying in a washroom alone and speaking to oneself that many people can relate to.
Furthermore, Lana Del Rey is a fabulous storyteller. In her work, “My Bedroom is a Sacred Place Now,” she paints this lucid character who holds strong self-awareness to write a letter to an ex-friend or lover, “when I wrote you my last letter/…you told me that I didn’t know who I was, but I do…”. Del Rey also builds up this space for her story to grow organically, “my bedroom is a sacred palace now that there are children at the end of my bed/telling my stories about the friends that they pretend to hate…” She also has no shame but uses many directed emotional words, like “Salamander,” where she drops some lines of someone who is longing for love and understanding to the utmost degree, “I love you/but you don’t understand me/you see I’m a real poet/my life is my poetry/my lovemaking is my legacy…” Where “love,” “hate,” “real,” instead of evoking strong emotions, her delivery deeply moves and allows the audience to appreciate the rich tapestry of sensations she generously shares. Some listeners approach this audiobook with the sincere intent of unraveling the enigma of Lana Del Rey. However, they may overlook that writing is a form of creation wherein writers’ fashion fictional characters. Consequently, Del Rey's poems resonate with layered and profound emotions, all conveyed through her signature sultry and ethereal voice. Even though the poems frequently touch on themes of isolation, there remains a profound sense of empathy within her words, listeners who can relate to her experiences feel heard and seen.
Beyond her fan base, Lana Del Rey's audiobook welcomes a diverse audience. While devoted fans relish the chance to experience her artistry in this new form, the universal themes of her poetry, such as isolation, ensure that a broader audience can find solace and connection in her words. Del Rey's lyrical and introspective storytelling speaks to the core of human emotions, making her audiobook a relatable and resonant experience.
In conclusion, "Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass" represents a compelling exploration of Lana Del Rey's talent as a spoken-word performer and storyteller. Her unique voice, coupled with evocative words and universal themes, creates an immersive experience that transcends her music career. Del Rey invites listeners to embark on a journey of introspection, empathy, and connection, making this audiobook a treasure for both her fans and a wider audience alike.
all copyright reserve ©Cordelia Shan
