Lana Del Rey - New video for Ride and preview of Paradise

Born To Die was my favourite album of the last year and upon first hearing Video Games, I instantly fell in love with Lana Del Rey, as did the rest of the world. Upon hearing that Lana was going to reissue the album on November 12th, I became extremely excited at the prospect of hearing her new material. Normally, I don't see the point of buying a re-release for the sake of just a couple of songs but the new Paradise Edition will reportedly have eight new tracks with another bonus song for the itunes release. Here's the cover;
 

 
I love how the artwork is both similar and different to the original album's cover, featuring a similar pose and font but jazzed up with a more exotic Hollywood style. Apparently, the Paradise edition will be available with both the original release and also as a separate smaller album for fans who already own the first collection. Not like Gaga then, who threw the Fame in with the Fame Monster, even though the entire universe already owned her debut album. However, just like Gaga, this new release is more than just a reissue and can really be considered her official sophomore album.
 
One of the songs included is Lana's seminal cover of Blue Velvet, which was originally recorded for an H&M advertising campaign. Here's the whole commercial, which has a hypnotic Lynchian feel to it (of course) that perfectly matches her sultry interpretation of the classic 50s song. 
 

 
Also included is the track 'Ride', which serves as the lead single for the Paradise edition. Upon first hearing the song, I was instantly reminded of how beautiful yet fragile that voice of hers is. Lana's warm yet sad tone draws you in to the stunning verses and deceptively simple chorus. In parts, Ride reminds me of Video Games and there are some elements of Dark Paradise in there as well but ultimately, the new single represents an evolution in Lana's sound towards the 50s vibe that Blue Velvet hinted at. And I love it for that. Here's the ten minute long video, which features stunning art direction and mysterious narration from Lana herself. Enjoy.
 

 
Can't wait for the whole album! To whet your appetite however, here is a new preview of the entire Paradise release, featuring a short snippet from each song on the reissue. American sounds like it will be one of my favourites but Cola is the one that really stood out to me for its provocative lyrics. Who knew certain body parts taste like sugary soft drinks?! Here's the title of each track and where in the preview they appear. Enjoy!
 
00:00 "Ride" 
00:34 "Cola"
01:10 "American"
01:40 "Gods & Monsters"
02:21 "Body Electric"
02:47 "Blue Velvet"
03:21 "Bel Air"
03:56 "Yayo"
 

 

Loving how creepy she looks in that video, like some kind of refugee from a David Lynch film (She's clearly obsessed!). I do kind of miss the auburn hair though :(

I am ridiculously excited about Lana's new reissue but there is a part of me that thought Born To Die still had some mileage left in it, with perhaps a few more potential singles that could have been released. If Lana had gone down that route, my choice for her next promotional single would have been either Diet Mountain Dew or Off To The Races, both excellent songs which are slightly more up-tempo (by Lana's standards) but still retain that melancholic sadness which makes her music so strangely appealing. Here's a live performance of Diet Mountain Dew and the audio for Off To The Races;

Which one would you have chosen had Lana decided to promote Born To Die further? And how excited are you about the new Paradise edition? I'm loving American and Cola but what song are you looking forward to hearing most in full? Feel free to comment below and check back regularly for more new music releases.