A newfound attention has come over our beloved city of Arcadia due to the renowned singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. On Sept. 8, Del Rey dropped a new song titled “Arcadia”. This song is said to be a teaser to her newly anticipated album, Blue Banisters, which has fans all over the world excited for this release. 

This song, compared to her other discography, focuses more on the creative, raw side of Del Rey’s personality. Spiraling off styles from her older albums, “Arcadia” includes less controlled vocals and, to fans, feels more honest. The style seems closer to what she would rather do than what is acceptable by the standards of new music critics. Lana Del Rey makes it apparent her new identity of the simplistic side of her and the uncut version, and fans are gravitating to this new style of directing and filming, due to their feelings of being closer to the artist. In the second verse, she purposely sings off pitch in order to express a type of vulnerability to symbolize once again the raw aspect of her music. The sudden change in her style of music, makes fans hope for her new album Blue Banisters to also be uncut, and non professionally directed for this new drop. 

To add onto the simplicity and sincerity, the music video was filmed by Del Rey herself. Piling the excitement, fans who reside in Arcadia were beyond shocked when the video showed clips of known sites in Arcadia. AHS junior Nathan Liu describes his feelings.

“Lana depicts Arcadia as a place where you can be crazy, but free,” he said. 

Being a cultural reset, this new artistic vision will pave pathways for so many other artists to also get uncut and raw with their music, making their listeners feel more connected to the music. Not only is Arcadia featured in the lyrics, but Sierra Madre and San Gabriel are mentioned as well. 

“The way Lana Del Rey shows our town, she puts it in a symbolic way where most Arcadians don’t see it,” said AHS junior Mellanie Grbavac.

While some have criticized this song as tacky, we still are able to get the ultimate message behind the song, the idea of being free and discovering yourself in a place of simplicity. Upon close analysis, through her choppy tone and high vocals, along with her lyrics, she’s escaping the strictly set standards that are put on mainstream musical artists for music artists like her and is envisioning a release of unrealistic and exhausting standards put on celebrities. In describing her body as if it were Los Angeles and comparing her lover to a “Range Rover ” or “Toyota,” she reduces her partner’s passion to a mere object to understand her soul and body. She is still discovering herself, and in this sense she discovered Arcadia, being a part of Los Angeles which explains her depiction of roads and trails.

Lana Del Rey’s new release of “Arcadia” not only has Arcadians excited, but also all of her fans to see what her style of music will evolve to in the future. As time goes by, fans hope to see this type of vulnerability throughout all her music, giving us a closer idea as to what she is really like. As you pass by the Hilton hotel, just remember that Lana Del Rey once stayed there.

Photo courtesy of Justin Higuchi