Born to Die and Back to Black

Featuring lyrics about love, sex, and drugs, Lana Del Rey made a breakthrough in the
music industry with her second studio album Born to Die. With this album she became known
for creating songs about romantic tragedies that had a unique cinematic quality. Del Rey has
stated that she is heavily inspired by musician Amy Winehouse, who is famous for creating
songs with similar themes in a blues and jazz format. Winehouse also gained international
success for her second studio album, Back to Black. For this essay, our focus will be dissecting
the seventh track off Born to Die, “Dark Paradise” and comparing it to Winehouse’s “Tears Dry
on Their Own” and “Love is a Losing Game” from Back to Black. Both artists capture the raw
feelings of heartbreak but use very different elements in their songwriting, delivery, and
production. Despite the difference in how they relay their feelings of depression each song leaves
the listener feeling a cathartic satisfaction.

In Dark Paradise you hear two different vocal presentations. Del Rey gets very fast in
some parts of her delivery and slow in some parts of her delivery. When looking at what is said
during these two times it can mean a lot. When her vocal delivery is fast, we look at the lyrics
and it says, “Your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine, but I wish I was
dead.” She is very confrontational with the thought of death. Also almost has an idea of
glorification of death and it is the only way to get back to her lover. When her vocal delivery is
slow, she says “No one compares to you, I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side.”
Shows some fear that she won't see him again and that seems to be the only emotion she shows.
When looking at both and comparing them you can see she has a lack of pain and just is very
numb. She is very frank about being ready to die and is hopeless.

Both Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse carry themselves rather differently as
independent women. Del Rey is softer in comparison to Winehouse, maybe more on the
whimsical side of things even. Winehouse, on the other hand, has a more mellow tone to her
songs, especially in her album Back to Black. They both had rather rough upbringings, but it
never slowed them down. The only difference between the two artists is the decisions they
decided to make after the many hardships they endured.

Del Rey’s song “Dark Paradise” captures her feelings of desperation mixed with love.
Even when she closes her eyes, she has trouble with reality. The song is all about a love for
someone she refuses to let go of despite what everyone else is telling her. She wants to be
blissfully ignorant, regardless of the consequences. Winehouse’s song “Love is a Losing Game”
has a similar theme where it is also about love. However, this is a love that Winehouse knows is
bad for her, lethal. Instead of wanting to continue the relationship, she knows it will all amount
to nothing in the end. Hence the title of the song, “love is a losing game.” Another one of Amy
Winehouse’s songs is like “Dark Paradise” as well. Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own” is
all about a love that is not mutual and may never be returned. Both songs are involved with
people who have done some type of damage to the singer, whether it be mental or emotional. It is
clear that in both songs the singers are upset and depressed about the situation. In “Dark
Paradise,” Del Rey is also trying to find or maintain a love that may be too difficult to keep.
Similar to Winehouse, Del Rey wishes to live in the facade she imagined.
 Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse felt the same degree of pain from heartbreak but
captured their emotions in completely different styles. Whether it is Del Rey’s melancholic
vocals in a dramatic pop ballad or Winehouse’s soulful vocals accompanied by jazz instrumental,
listeners can feel and relate to the vulnerability shown by both artists. It is this vulnerability that
gave Del Rey and Winehouse their widespread success and will allow them to continue being
timeless artists.