On Wednesday, July 31st Lana released the official cover and tracklist for her upcoming fifth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell!
When Lana Del Rey revealed the title of her fifth studio album last year, fans had trouble accepting it given its contrast to her poetic titles (e.g. Paradise, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, etc.).
A stark departure from her previous records, the new album cover also features a boat, a man (Duke Nicholson — grandson of Jack Nicholson) and…comic book font?
In her previous eras, Lana always used the same typeface and had her posing by a vehicle. From Born to Die to Lust for Life, the incarnation is complete. There couldn’t be a more perfect end to a cycle of albums in terms of aesthetic.
She needed to move on and she did. Odd as the Norman Fucking Rockwell! title (and punctuation use) may seem, Lana Del Rey is true to her brand.
Lana paints her lyrics with Americana imagery since the days before her first major studio album. Who better to name her album after than a painter renowned for reflecting intricacy of American culture in his art?
I’ll admit I didn’t like the cover art at first — mostly due to the comic book font — but, much like with her music, it’s the details that win me over.
On a boat out at sea, Lana is reaching out to us. It’s difficult not to recall “Mariners Apartment Complex,” a promotional single from the record that she released in September 2018.
“You lose your way, just take my hand / You’re lost at sea, then I’ll command your boat to me again”
Let’s not also forget about “Venice Bitch,” another promotional single:
“One dream, one life, one lover / Paint me happy and blue”
Take a closer look at the sky on the NFR cover. The sky is a painting!
But my favorite detail is the one I mistook for a sunset. Do you see that glow in the landscape behind Lana? It’s California forest fire.
The album art is beautiful and ominous, much like how I expect Norman Fucking Rockwell! to be.
Tracklist Breakdown
Norman Fucking Rockwell will have fourteen songs in all with no words on a deluxe edition yet.
As someone who follows Lana regularly (ahem — compulsively), I felt like I was being punished when I saw the tracklist.
On the tracklist is “Doin’ Time,” a cover of a Sublime song which was officially released to promote a Sublime documentary.
Three other songs were also officially released (“MAC”, “VB”, “Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have — but I Have it”) with the former two given a music video.
Lana sung “How to Disappear” live at an Apple event in 2018.
A demo of “Next Best American Record” was leaked in early 2017. Now, even though it’s likely the lyrics and production will change in the official release, the DNA of the song is public.
Lana released snippets on her Instagram of four songs: “Love Song” (formerly known as “In Your Car”), “Happiness is a Butterfly,” “Cinnamon Girl” and the title track “Norman Fucking Rockwell.”
This leaves fans who follow her regularly with only four songs left: “Fuck It I Love You,” “California,” “The Greatest,” and “Bartender.” (I have a theory that “California” was the previously teased track “Yosemite,” originally recorded for Lust for Life, but this is pure speculation.)
I was already excited about “Cinnamon.” I was already excited about “Happiness is a Butterfly.” But when I saw the track list would only have four true surprises in store for me, it felt like I wasn’t getting a full album.
None of this matters…
I know when the album is released, none of this will matter. I’m going to be playing the record in the dark on my bed, headphones on, listening till the moon drops from the sky and the sun jumps from the ocean.
Norman Fucking Rockwell! out August 30th. Pre-order today.
