Doing a little research on Lana Del Rey (admittedly, I’d never heard of her until her SNL appearance), it’s become 100 percent evident that she’s a complete creation by her record label.
That said, I like her album. It’s not gonna make my “Best Of The Year” list or probably even be in my CD rotation in two months, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it in this moment. I guess I like it in the same way I liked the Gaga album with “Poker Face” on it and the last Katy Perry album neither of which can I remember the album titles without the aid of Google. But hey, it’s pop music and pop music has, since the dawn of radio, been a disposable art form.
But back to Del Rey.
Knowing that she’s a complete fabrication, is it okay to like her CD? Knowing that everything about her was designed and engineered to appeal to us, is it still okay to enjoy the CD on a sonic basis?
Really. I am asking you.
It brings the whole McDonald’s Chicken McNugget versus McRib debate to mind for me.
I know the McNugget is a piece of food engineered in a lab to appeal to my primitive tastebuds-to-brain highway. Despite knowing this, I’ll eat them from time to time and I’ll admit it — they’re fucking delicious. The McRib on the other hand — same scenario but I’ll go hungry before I’d eat a McRib. What’s the difference? I can’t say for sure. Perhaps it’s the vulgarity of the fake rib bones in the McRib that turn me off. The arrogance to not only feed us this patty meat conglomerate, but to then stamp a fucking bone into it and call it ‘rib.’ Point is, in the end, neither is that different and yet, I’ll accept one while getting queasy at the other.
These are the things I contemplate over my morning coffee.
Autopsy IV
Part time blogger. Full time hater.
Sigh…I am so old. I saw the ‘Del Rey’ part of the title and assumed Del had a new release.
personally, I enjoy a little manufactured pop every once in a while. my tastes generally steer towards something heartfelt that I can relate to. but there are just times when you feel like crap and you don’t want to think or use your brain at all… and those are perfect times for a little manufactured pick me up.
Wallowing in the negative isn’t getting anyone any where so why not let your brain shut off and go with the motions. Nothing wrong with it in my opinion.
BTW: Anyone wanna give me some props for my mad Microsoft Paint graphic skills the produced that image?
that McRib photo is horrifying
I really enjoy a well crafted pop song but it just feels wrong when the entire “artist” and persona are completely crafted by an outside group. In this case she comes from family money and used that to hire a bunch of people to make something out of her. I could ignore that if the songs were better but these just feel manufactured and that kills it.
but, isn’t by it’s very nature pop music a “gimmie the sausage and don’t tell me how it’s made” industry?
True but for me when it’s done right I don’t feel tricked. Those Katy Perry songs are fun well crafted pop songs that don’t make me feel like someone is trying to trick me into liking it.
Even though they are.
And that’s why it’s done right
Not dire that it’ll help the argument but I know Mr Snodgrass has on occasion booked legs of tours around the towns that had mcrib available.
You just have to look at as kinda Conceptual Art. It’s not really music, just a ‘statement’. For pete’s sake, don’t take it serious.