It Made Me Wild: Lana Del Rey’s ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’ (5 Year Anniversary)

5 years on from Lana Del Rey’s seventh studio album, ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’, it may be more relevant than ever.

Undoubtably, most of us think of Lana with winged eyeliner, swaying in front of an obnoxiously large American flag, cigarette in hand. Although, she has never hesitated to share its true colours. Coming off the back of Trump’s first presidency, if that’s what you can call it, America and the rest of the world were feeling some sort of way. The title itself talks of conspiracy theories; the juxtaposition of these perceived chemicals covering the high-end luxuries of a country club paints a darkness over Lana’s coquette tales of Americana.

I’m On The Run

Holding up through time, is arguably one of Lana’s best tracks, ‘Wild At Heart’. Its namesake, David Lynch’s 1990 masterpiece, tells the story of star-crossed lovers running away to start a life together. Much like the film’s stars, Sailor and Lula, Lana is running from something, too. “I left Calabasas, escaped all the ashes, ran into the dark.”, tells the tale of her running from the California forest fire and towards something new. Something wild. There truly is something Lynchian about the way LA inspires those who occupy it.

Tracks like ‘Tulsa Jesus Freak’ are a staple for the girls with rosary beads around their vanity mirrors. As we know, using religious metaphors and imagery is no new feat for Del Rey. These themes are recurring along with the seedy underbelly of the white picket fence life. Almost whispered toward the end of the track is “If you don’t pray, you’ll never learn.”. Arguably, this is done in a sarcastic tone. A more prominent line being “We’ll be white-hot forever.”. Originally, the album was called just that, ‘White Hot Forever’.

‘Let Me Love You Like A Woman’ is one closest to the Lana we know. In addition, paired with a title that feels quite provocative, it makes you wonder what she could mean. Often singing of tales of older men and the roles women are expected to carry, this track is filled with metaphors of doing things that a woman of means may be looked down upon for. Here, that is daydreaming of a better life, and getting high. Equally, the track ‘Not All Who Wander Are Lost’, pokes fun at her partner for having too many opinions on her, but still not trusting that he would even stay. Also pulling the title itself from J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Fellowship of the Ring’, a tale of men who do just that, wander, she wishes to do the same.

While maybe not as on the nose or as punchy as the album’s predecessor, ‘Norman F*****g Rockwell!’, there is that familiar storytelling that gives this LP such an ambience. You can see that country club, you can smell that beer-soaked breath. Much of that is to the credit of Jack Antonoff, a pop producer and a jack of all trades. He has worked closely with Lana over multiple projects and has cemented himself in the cultivation of such storytelling.

This album is one of Lana’s folkiest albums, fitting enough that it caps off with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘For Free’. The whimsical understanding of Joni’s lyricism is accompanied by Zella Day and Weyes Blood, and done justice by all involved. With layered vocals and Lana’s old-timey but always in fashion voice, her guests complement her perfectly. Weyes Blood, sounding hauntingly close to the original, encompasses the feelings of this album beautifully. The song itself was written about a street performer who would play for free. Joni watched on, reflecting on the life she had lived due to her success. Yet she is doing just the same thing as the man she watched on the street. A fitting metaphor for the life of those who surround her, is art ever truly free?

I’m still so strange and wild

Looking back now, much has changed in just five years, yet so much has stayed the same. As I mentioned previously, this album came off the back of a terrifying time in America. Yet right now, we’re in the midst of it, again. In an interview with Annie Mac, when the album first dropped, she spoke of America needing to realise its greatest weakness is “sociopathy and narcissism”. Since 2021, there have been new presidencies, war, and so many more catastrophic events. Scarily, at times, it has felt as if the world may just end. Where music can lift us, it can also be a catalyst to bring power to the voiceless and hold people in the highest of ranks accountable.

Lana has continued to capture the beauty of America. Its freedom and vastness seem like a tangible dream. However, she does not shy away from the secrets that others are forced to keep and the acts of cruelty that lurk in homes. ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’ drags this from the inside out.

You can find Lana on Instagram. Read more anniversary pieces like this one here and buy the album here or stream below.

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