10 Reasons Why Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence Is Already The Album of the Year
On June 13th, Lana Del Rey released her third studio album, titled Ultraviolence. The controversial singer captured the US number one slot for the first time in the record’s opening week, despite not performing on American TV in over two years and only conducting a handful of print interviews.
We may only be nine months into 2014, but with her third official release, Lana Del Rey has already crafted the album of the year. Of course, music is incredibly subjective, and Del Rey has divided the public more than almost any other artist in the past decade, so we figured you may need some convincing.
Read on to discover 10 reasons why Del Rey has dethroned all other performers this year with the release of Ultraviolence, the strongest work of her career so far.
10) Ultraviolence Preempts The Critics
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Del Rey has faced more than her fair share of criticism since she first appeared on the scene back in late 2011. Despite her initial success with Video Games, critics were keen to shoot her down, declaring that Del Rey’s public persona was false and that her music contained no real depth.
On Ultraviolence, Del Rey deliberately makes fun of herself, overtly satirizing comments fired her way in an attempt to bait the critics who denounced her earlier music. On the single Brooklyn Baby, Del Rey pokes fun at hipsters, describing a character who defines herself in terms of how cool she is, wearing feathers in her hair and discussing beat poetry. The shallow picture she portrays here is one that critics have often used to describe Del Rey herself in the past and those who take the lyrics at face value may continue thinking this way of her in the foreseeable future.
In response to gossip, Del Rey penned another track on the album called I ****ed My Way To The Top, which declares that power must be obtained for women through their sexuality. The explicit title is a prime example of how Del Rey actively seeks to provoke her critics, luring them into falling for her bait. In a recent interview, Del Rey freely admits that she has slept with a number of industry guys in the past, but ultimately, none of them helped her to become the success that she is today.
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7) Ultraviolence Explores Feminism In A Unique Way
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Del Rey infamously declared feminism was “not an interesting concept” in an interview just prior to the album’s release, but the singer certainly makes an effort to explore the idea on numerous songs throughout Ultraviolence.
The song ****ed My Way To The Top toys with the concept of using your sexuality to attain your goals, something many feminists may balk at, but depending on your perspective, some may argue that this is in fact empowering for women. Money Power Glory further celebrates dominance over the opposite sex, telling the story of a femme fatale who is out to squeeze everything she can from the men of this world. The words “You should run, boy, run,” reveal Del Rey at her most menacing as she sings with a venomous rage that strikes fear into the hearts of the men she would destroy.
Lyrically, the most divisive song on the album is the title track Ultraviolence, which depicts a woman caught in the passion of a physically abusive relationship. The title of The Crystals song, He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss), from 1962, becomes a disturbing refrain in the chorus, as Del Rey sings about sirens that could signify either a deadly emergency or the allure of sexual attraction. The way in which Del Rey intertwines sex and violence on the track may be unsettling for some listeners, but the passive aggression you can hear in the verses suggests a degree of irony which critics should consider before attacking the controversial singer.
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Read the rest here. (i don't want to get infringement points) 
) give it its deserved honor .
