Almighty Prophet and Young, Dope and Proud American Lana Del Rey has been (mostly) staying out of the spotlight in the first half of 2013, instead focusing on recording for the soundtrack of the upcoming Great Gatsby remake, as well as her “dark” sophomore album. (Already crying, no one is worthy, etc.)
But out of nowhere, like the blessed bad baby and Pepsi Cola-lovin’ celestial being that she is, Queen Rey has gifted us with a stunning cover of “Chelsea Hotel No. 2,” a song recorded in 1974 by Leonard Cohen dedicated to an–err, “brief encounter” with the late Janis Joplin at the famed New York City hotel.
Singing sorrowfully by a flickering candle and gazing off into the distance, the talented songstress loses herself in the music within the haunting clip, occasionally cutting away to grainy scenes of cigarette smoking and matchbox fumbling—the signature cut ‘n’ splice Del Rey aesthetic.
There’s really no rhyme or reason for the video–the press release simply declares that it’s “for her fans”–but it’s as perfect as she is (which is a lot of perfect.) Also, I could hear Lana croon the phrase “giving me head” for days on end.
See us through the sea of basics and lessers, Lana Del Christ.
“And clenching your fist for the ones like us who are oppressed by the figures of beauty, you fixed yourself, you said, ‘Well, never mind, we are ugly but we have the music…'”