Making Life into a Work of Art: Lana Del Rey's Ride Monologue

["Ride" by Lana Del Rey]

Lana Del Rey is known for her glamorized Americana themes of her music, often touching on topics like the intersection between violence and romance, nostalgia, beauty, youth, and classic Hollywood or movie star culture. Her songs are more than just music; they vividly create stories and her 10-minute long "Ride" is a perfect example of this, opening with a cinematic narrative reflecting many of Agustín Fuentes' themes in his book A Creative Spark. Her journey through the monologue highlights how she started as being someone who "belonged to no one / Who belonged to everyone / Who had nothing / Who wanted everything" - essentially, a nomadic person with no sense of direction or belonging. 

The following video shots are layered with a vintage-style filter, the cuts being slightly choppy, the colors muted, and grainy sections of the screen. Her music video creates a nostalgic feel, the colors most featured being red, white, and blue and images of an "old" America such as gas stations, motels, and motorcycles creating the setting. She wanders across towns and cities, never having a sense of belonging until she meets a group of men that she joins in search of meaning as she experiences life without any true grounding, existing without conforming to the societal strains of permanence.

The monologue transitions into the opening of her song "Ride," and following the conclusion of the song is more narrative. She writes:

["We had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing we desired anymore / Except to make our lives into a work of art"] Her sense of community is fulfilled as she experiences life with the bikers that she joins, despite spending much of her life independently wandering from place to place. As she writes that her goal in life - the only thing that would give meaning to it and the only thing that she desired - was to "make our lives into a work of art," she reveals the beauty in creating not a physical product of art that can be displayed and admired by others but rather a beautiful life. She fulfills this by "find[ing] my people," thus connecting with others is what allows life to truly be rewarding and a work of art. Similarly, Fuentes emphasizes how creativity is a social blend of all that came before us. Lana's storytelling in "Ride" narrates how she (or the representation of herself) experienced much of life in solitude or even attachment to others with no more than a fleeting existence. However, each person she encounters leaves an effect on her life, compelling her to stay in a place or leave it, to seek out new people or remain with the same ones; everyone that a person comes into contact with in their life will inevitably alter them as a person or their life in some way. Lana illustrates this perfectly as she creates a wanderlust image of a young girl with no sense of direction, allowing her to step into the fluidity of morals and choices in order to develop herself. Fuentes' assertion that creativity is a sum of human ancestors up and through even monkeys, which he heavily delved into in Chapter 1, is Lana's creation of a meaningful life of art through her connections with others. 

Fuentes writes that it is our unique ability as humans - a creative species - to "move back and forth between the realms of 'what is' and 'what could be.'" In her music, Lana consistently steps into narratives that allow her to express the blend of old glamorized culture and reintroduce it to the modern world of pop. Her album covers are works reflecting art deco style and vintage frames that lots of music today doesn't encompass, bringing a retro feel back into the modern genre of music. Additionally, her ability to create such compelling stories in her songs allows the audience to experience a feeling of living another life that is not one's own while feeling the powerful emotions embedded into the lyrics and notes.