What The Heck Are They? The Scoop
Lana Del Rey– Shows of her radio show whisper and sultry tone in her under forty minute audio spoken word book of poems. With light background music, Lana shares what feels like excerpts from her diary. A coming of age, emotional, and vulnerable audiobook.
The spoken word recording includes 14 poems performed by Lana Del Rey accompanied by music from Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff
What They Say
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is brought to life in an unprecedented spoken word audiobook which features Lana Del Rey reading fourteen select poems from the book accompanied by music from Grammy Award–winning musician Jack Antonoff.
“Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is the title poem of the book and the first poem I wrote of many. Some of which came to me in their entirety, which I dictated and then typed out, and some that I worked laboriously picking apart each word to make the perfect poem. They are eclectic and honest and not trying to be anything other than what they are and for that reason I’m proud of them, especially because the spirit in which they were written was very authentic.” —Lana Del Rey
Lana’s breathtaking first book solidifies her further as “the essential writer of her times” (The Atlantic). The collection features more than thirty poems, many exclusive to the book: Never to Heaven, The Land of 1,000 Fires, Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving, LA Who Am I to Love You?, Tessa DiPietro, Happy, Paradise Is Very Fragile, Bare Feet on Linoleum, and many more.
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is also brought to life in an unprecedented spoken word audiobook which features Lana Del Rey reading fourteen select poems from the book accompanied by music from Grammy Award–winning musician Jack Antonoff.
This beautiful hardcover edition showcases Lana’s typewritten manuscript pages alongside her original photography. The result is an extraordinary poetic landscape that reflects the unguarded spirit of its creator.
Sound Quality
Ease of Use, Packaging?
Audible is an easy to use app. Just download for free here
Is It Affordable?
The audiobook is free.
Would I Purchase It?
I enjoyed the audiobook enough that I definitely want the hard copy. .Which is out Sept 29th. I pre ordered it here.
“This beautiful hardcover edition showcases Lana’s typewritten manuscript pages alongside her original photography. The result is an extraordinary poetic landscape that reflects the unguarded spirit of its creator.”
My Thoughts
If you are a Lana Del Rey fan, and a lover of her lyrics and her voice.. she will take you somewhere else. Her meditative voice, along with ocean and car backgrounds with similar musical notes, guide you get into Lana’s world. Almost as if we are not part of her world. And she is filling us in on all human feelings, perspectives, behaviors and emotions. Because we need Lana Del Rey to explain everything to us. But what she is really doing is sharing with us what we are all feeling. Her sweet ultra feminine voice, reminds us to soften, and notice, notice everything. One of the most poignant things about this audiobook, is that she reminds you just how present she can be, and with every meticulous attention to detail, But with enough fantasy and dreamy consequence. Her poems are filled with intelligent worlds and just enough rhyme to feel perfectly poetic.
She takes the time to defend herself from her critics and share parts of her life in poem, romanticizing LA, and giving her fans a chance to learn more about her. With her ability to whisper as she talks about the “Nowness” she offers the listener her zest for domesticity while we see her struggle to remain in her petulant youth. In her early thirties, she questions stardom, politics, her upbringing, and love. Her honesty is raw, and you feel her stuck between wanting to settle down and desperately, dreaming to fly away… and you cannot help but guess what is actually real or what she conjured up.
Her inner work which is clearly on staying focused, and finding structure in a currently questionable world, while sharing without wanting to overshare… is all of us right now. And when you finish the thirty nine minutes you just want her to keep talking because you are rooting for her. And you can feel her coming into her own. Her topics range from love to global warming, to career changes, her energy is infectious. She dreams, but she has a realistic view of our culture, her role in it and the harsh reality of the world.
At a time when we feel most vulnerable, Lana tells us that is exactly how we are all supposed to be feeling right now. And that is perfectly ok. So embrace the “Nowness”.
The Down-low on The Downside
Unfortunately, it is only thirty nine minutes long. And if you want the hard copy you will have to patiently wait until Sept 29th. In a pandemic world filled of podcasts, netflix binges, and bike rides.. I found joy in daydreaming with Lana in her spoken word. She really took me somewhere else.
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is a too short teaser. You can get the full version on vinyl and Audio CD via amazon here.
Lana reminds us beautifully just how big the imagination can be, and by listening… not watching. Because those old radio shows made the brain synapses and emotional heartstrings fire so much more than a tv or video can do.
Our Overall Rating 5 out of 5
I am speechless, Lana Del Rey has managed to navigate this pandemic as an artist, offering us up something unique, fresh, and yet oddly familiar. You can download her book for free here.