Norman F—ing Rockwell!, Lana Del Rey’s sixth studio album, was released Aug. 30, 2019.
NFR! has a total of 14 tracks and is deeply introspective and rather melancholic.
“NFR!”, the title track, is, in Del Rey’s words, “about this guy who is such a genius artist but he thinks he’s the s— and he knows it and he, like, won’t shut up talking about it.”
She liked the title so much she wanted the record to have the title as well.
Six singles were released in the year leading up to the release of NFR!. “Mariner’s Apartment Complex” and “Venice B—-” were both released in September of 2018.
The third single, “Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – and I have it” was released in January, followed by the fourth single “Doin’ Time” in May.
In the week leading up to the release of the album, the final two singles, “F— It I Love You” and “The Greatest,” were released.
Out of the six singles, “F— It I Love You” stood out to me the most.
The music itself is soothing and Del Rey’s vocals are very soft, giving the song a relaxing tone although the words themselves have a darker meaning. This was definitely a must-add to my playlist.
Another track off the album I really enjoyed was “California.”
The opening line “You don’t ever have to be stronger than you really are” caught my attention and I was overwhelmed with a sense of understanding and relief just listening to the rest of the opening, even after the first listen.
Even though the lyrics are full of regret and nostalgia, the piano and drums are light and pair well with Del Rey’s voice.
“Mariner’s Apartment Complex” was possibly my least favorite of the singles and even the songs on the album.
I’m not a big fan of this song, primarily because of the bridge in which Del Rey is talking while the background vocalists are trying to harmonize with her. The whole thing is just awkward and doesn’t sit well with me.
Another song that I didn’t care for was “Bartender.” The lyrics didn’t make much sense to me. Even after reading them and listening to the song again, I was still confused about the meaning. The music and Del Rey’s vocals were fine, but the lyrics were the reason I didn’t care for the song.
Overall, NFR! was a great album. There were a few songs that I felt could have been better, but the majority were beautiful ballads.
