Off To The Races

Lana Del Rey's 'Off To The Races' is one of those songs I can never play just once. As soon as it ends I'll put it back to the beginning, then it's take two, sometimes three or four times; A sombre-sounding melody with multiple metaphors throughout, many people believe the lyrics refer to a negative relationship with alcohol, others say it was inspired by the book "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. Lana herself explained in a 2012 interview that the song is about a point in her life when she was happy but things were chaotic. The songs energy picks up on this and reflects the relationship she had during that time. She goes on to say "We were travelling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, he was gambling, I was just swimming, and yeah I mean, I used to indulge in a lot drugs and dark poetry, and pop culture, and amazing music, but I've quieted down a lot but I just reminisce about it. I live a really simple life today".

Before Lana shot to fame her typical look consisted of denim jeans and white t-shirts. It was only when she started doing TV appearances that her style evolved. She credits Johnny Blue-eyes for her becoming a bit of a fashion icon, as he introduced summer dresses to her wardrobe, to match her music style. These floaty dresses became an important component of her on-stage outfits and the style she is known for today. Shop this look here.

My favourite rendition of this song is the 'LA to the Moon Tour Studio Version' (which is sadly only available on YouTube). It has an amazing outro and although I love the original version, it has a completely different feel to it, listen here.

What is your favourite version of a song that isn't the original recording?

- Cat