Introduction
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (referred to as Ocean Blvd) was the ninth studio album released by Lana Del Rey. It was released on March 24, 2023, through Polydor and Interscope Records. This project is a very diverse album, with collaborations that is. Features include Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Riopy, and Tommy Genesis. The list of producers is also lengthy including Jack Antonoff, Del Rey, Zach Dawes, and Mike Hermosa to name a few. Since the release, the album has topped the charts in 8 countries, and reached top five in over twenty. Ocean Blvd peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200. Preceding the album were the singles: “The Grants,” “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” and “A&W.” The latter, “A&W” has been nominated for Song of the Year and Best Alternative Music Performance at the 66th Grammy Awards.
Vocal Prowess
Lana’s voice is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the genre. Ocean Blvd further proves that statement. Del Rey provides a diverse vocal performance, consistently extending her range, tempo, and style to each end. Songs like, the title track and “Candy Necklace,” feature very high notes, where Lana hits them with ease. These higher songs demonstrate outstanding control in her vocals, as well as extremely emotional storytelling by her. Many of these songs are the best on the project. On the other side of the spectrum, songs like the second part of “A&W” and “Fingertips” feature lower vocals. This switch in the middle of the project emphasize her amazing progression as an artist throughout Ocean Blvd. She emphasizes many notes, which again enhances her storytelling. Her prowess is certainly on full display throughout the project, gifting the music world a grand performance for the ages.
Production
The production isn’t very diverse; however, it works for its intended method. A majority of Ocean Blvd features a very quiet and mellow sound, again however, there are aspects in which this is built upon. The quiet songs are built based on piano backings, which feature a very quiet production. Strings are also brought in occasionally and also build on adding the rhythm to the songs. A diverse production level comes on “A&W,” where the song is broken into two parts. The first part has the first type of production, and the second part features another type of production that was built throughout Ocean Blvd.
While Lana does often sound fantastic on the first style, the second style also sees her excel. The tempo increases mirror those of rap songs. And that is exactly how you can categorize this style. There is a constant tempo change, often utilized with guitar and drums. There are also synthesizers used, however they were utilized scarcely. This style sounds good on every track apart from “Peppers.” Although it is heavily brought down by Lana’s vocal approach, the production certainly isn’t the greatest either, making for a mediocre song at best.
Meanings
Ocean Blvd is packed with personal meanings to Lana. These meanings are brought through Lana’s excellent storytelling and lyricism, which is further brought through her establishment of tone. The first couple of songs talks about her memories and experiences, which all showed a handful of her characteristics. “A&W” follows this suit, which features Lana narrating a personal anecdote from her childhood. A majority of the rest of the tracks sees Lana talking about previous relationships and reflecting on what had gone wrong. It is also features plenty of symbolism and looking inward on herself. The only difference in the final tracks comes with “Margaret,” which is written for Jack Antonoff’s wife, Margaret Qualley, which also features the producer’s vocals.
Conclusion
Ocean Blvd is certainly a very solid project in Lana’s discography, which is arguably one of her best. Her vocals are absolutely fantastic, which elevate the project to the next level. The production levels, meshing with her vocals, establishes a tone that conveys her desired tone throughout the project. This tone also brings with it a much more emotional feel throughout the project, which has personal meanings intertwined throughout. This project certainly is one of the best of the year, and it will go down as one of Lana’s best.
Song Rankings
- “A&W”
- “Fishtail”
- “Paris, Texas” (feat. SYML)
- “Taco Truck x VB”
- “Candy Necklace” (feat. Jon Batiste)
- “Fingertips”
- “Let The Light In” (feat. Father John Misty)
- “Sweet”
- “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”
- “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing” (feat. RIOPY)
- “Margaret” (feat. Bleachers)
- “The Grants”
- “Kintsugi”
- “Peppers” (feat. Tommy Genesis)
- “Jon Batiste Interlude”
- “Judah Smith Interlude”
Strongest Track
Although a little cliche, “A&W” is the best song on Ocean Blvd. The song opens very quietly, however, has a faster tempo then the rest. The constant changes in tempo and vocal pattern excels the song into another echelon. The second part is nearly as good as the first, with an entire diversion from the style of the rest. It still features many of the same elements, however, which is the difference between this song and a song like “Peppers.” Lana sounds great laongside the wonderful proudction template here, creating one of the best songs of the year.
Weakest Track
Disregarding the interludes on the project, “Peppers” is below the quality of the other songs. The vocal style of Lana on this project is entirely different to Ocean Blvd, and it doesn’t fit at all. This diversion at the second to last track did not work, and it lacked because of it. With this vocal difference, tempo and style was entirely different, as “Peppers” was designed to fit the qualities of a hip-hop song. All in all, this song did not fit the intentions of the project.
Final Notes
As always, take the reviews as opinion pieces. Not everyone will share the same views. As for these opinions, leave them below to share your thoughts. We also suggest subscribing to our emails to keep up to date with posts. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the contact form. This will allow you to receive weekly emails of recaps. Finally, go give Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd a listen for yourself.