Week 2 - National Anthem, Lana Del Rey music video review

When Lana Del Rey first came onto the music scene earlier this year with Born To Die, it was clear she was something special. Originating from the indie music scene, and now somewhat of an alternative pop phenomenon, she has had a year any superstar would be envious of. Her latest single, National Anthem was released recently. And like always, she has not failed to impress. The music video is something of an artistic movement.

Opening with Lana herself morphed into Marilyn Monroe, she recreates the infamous moment when Marilyn sang Happy Birthday to the President of the United States. What follows, for over seven and a half minutes is a recreation of the Kennedy sixties. We see Lana, as Jacqueline Kennedy reproduce the iconic famous home videos of JFK and his wife. As well as these tragically beautiful moments, we see a number of soft, glamorous edits in which we instantly feel in the depth of America’s golden years. The demographic audience is hard to determine, but I believe the teenager desperately wanting to escape today’s generic sounds of Rihanna and Katy Perry would feel perfectly at home. The song was released under Interscope Records; Anthony Mandler directed this video, who has also ironically directed videos for the likes of Cheryl Cole and Nicki Minaj.

The meaning behind this video is significantly deep. Its main symbolisms being The United States of America. The song itself features lyrics such as, “red, white blues in the skies”, and “take me to the Hamptons”. The video almost pays homage to the Kennedy family; Lana wears pastel preppy outfits as the figure of JFK plays lovingly with his children. The rapper, A$AP Rocky is the person Lana chose to play the President. What makes this video so enticing is that we see the couple of Jackie & John being in this video, interracial. JFK being portrayed as black pays significant meaning to the time of John’s time in government. He worked longingly in attempt to fight inequality, and also introduced the Civil Rights Bill. It makes the viewer think just how much America has evolved in less than sixty years, with Barack Obama now the President. The video ends with the assassination of JFK. Done in a way in which the viewer seems nothing graphic or gruesome, yet we still feel the impact of what this event represents.

My personal feelings to this video were nothing but positive. Perhaps slightly biased as being a fan of the artist herself, I found this video undeniably iconic and meaningful. I’ve always found the 50/60s in America amazing, and this linked with the song itself made the video one my favourites. Lana Del Rey somehow manages to represent the glamour and poise of the 60s, as well as the realness and grim reality of today’s music and fashion industry. The reviews for this video were positive, MTV itself calling it ‘controversial yet extraordinary’.

The video is also open to negative interpretation. Many people might not grasp Lana’s vision or art, and find the video as distasteful and ill-mannered. When subjects such as death and politics are involved, there is bound to be some backlash.

To conclude, I believe this video is amazing. Though just a music video, its real meaning is so much deeper. Featuring themes of the JFK love-triangle and the racism of America, Lana has beautifully and extraordinarily put her own spin on things. I cannot wait to see what she plans for the future, and with reports claiming she plans to delve into the film industry, I think we’re in for something special…