Raised in upstate New York, Del Rey moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career. After numerous projects, including her self-titled debut studio album, Del Rey's breakthrough came in 2011 with the viral success of her single "Video Games"; she subsequently signed a recording contract with Polydor and Interscope. She achieved critical and commercial success with her second album, Born to Die (2012), which contained the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness". Del Rey's third album, Ultraviolence (2014), featured greater use of guitar-driven instrumentation and debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200. Her fourth and fifth albums, Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017), saw a return to the stylistic traditions of her earlier releases, while her critically acclaimed sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), explored soft rock. Her next studio albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, followed in 2021. Her ninth studio album, “Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” was released on all platforms March 24th 2023. It includes singles like the title track - "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd", "A&W", and "The Grants".
Del Rey has collaborated on soundtracks for visual media; in 2013, she wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed musical short Tropico and released "Young and Beautiful" for the romantic drama The Great Gatsby. In 2014, she recorded "Once Upon a Dream" for the dark fantasy adventure film Maleficent and the self-titled theme song for the biopic Big Eyes. Del Rey collaborated with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus on "Don't Call Me Angel" for the action comedy Charlie's Angels (2019), which peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Del Rey published the poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass (2020).
She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Brit Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for six Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century".
Children of the Bad Revolution
Lana Del Rey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fast car Mercedes,
Kissing on your neck,
While you drive here, he,
Doesn't care I'm always,
On my blackberry,
All the time, all the time,
I'm a flashy little lush,
But he thinks I'm really fine.
Notorious and wild takes me,
Where I'm gonna shine.
Where the bad boys roll hard,
Dressing like James Dean,
And the vixen starlets,
Feels so good to be.
We're children of the bad revolution,
And partying's the only solution,
And I'm answering any confusion.
About who we are,
And what we're gonna be.
We gonna get free, free,
Free, free, free, free, free,
Get free.
Baby we are chancers,
On the scene,
Glamour in the gutters
Only so Artique.
See graffiti artists,
And tabloid queen,
Mix it up, mix it up,
Every dude you ever seen.
We're acting really tough,
Like the world belongs to us,
'Cause it does, yeah it must,
What we do creates the buzz.
Where the bad boys blow smoke,
Just like they're James Dean.
And the air girls blow kisses,
Just like Marilyn.
We're children of the bad revolution,
And partying's the only solution,
And I'm answering any confusion.
About who we are,
And what we're gonna be.
We gonna get free, free,
Free, free, free, free, free,
Get free.
We gun for your lives,
Break out of our chains,
So platinum edge,
Create our own games.
DJs, Rockstars,
Posers, we are,
The new politicians,
That celebrity edition.
And it's so pornographic,
And it's tragic,
But the magic makes us free,
To be what we wanna be, wanna be.
The children of the bad revolution,
And partying's the only solution,
And I'm answering any confusion.
About who we are,
And what we're gonna be.
We're children of the bad revolution,
And partying's the only solution,
And I'm answering any confusion.
About who we are,
What we're gonna be.
We gonna get free, free,
Free, free, free, free, free,
Get free, we're gonna,
Get free, oh.
In "Children of the Bad Revolution," Lana Del Rey paints a picture of the hedonistic and rebellious lifestyle of a generation. She sings of being in a fast car, kissing her partner's neck while he drives, and never putting down her Blackberry. They are living for the moment, indulging in excess and taking risks, all while dressing like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. The chorus declares that they are the children of the bad revolution, born into a world where partying is the only solution. They are determined to break free from their chains and make their mark on the world as DJs, rockstars, and even new politicians.
Throughout the song, Del Rey captures the essence of youth culture and the desire to be seen and heard. Despite the scene being full of tabloid queen posers and Hollywood glamour mixed with graffiti artists, she claims that what they do creates the buzz that fuels their ambitions. The song is an anthem for those seeking to break free from the constraints of society and make their own rules. By the end of the song, it is clear that their reckless behavior is not without consequence, but the magic of the moment is enough to make it all worthwhile.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me in your,
Let's go for a ride in your fast Mercedes.
Fast car Mercedes,
A fancy car that we can drive fast in.
Kissing on your neck,
Being intimate while driving the car.
While you drive here, he,
As you drive, you don't care about others seeing us being intimate.
Doesn't care I'm always,
You don't mind that I'm always on my phone, as we continue to enjoy the ride.
On my blackberry,
I'm always on my phone, a portable device used for communication and entertainment.
All the time, all the time,
I'm constantly using it.
Buying into every line.
I'm falling for everything that is being said to me.
I'm a flashy little lush,
I'm someone who loves to show off in a stylish way.
But he thinks I'm really fine.
You think I am really attractive.
Notorious and wild takes me,
Being wild is exciting and takes me to places where I can shine and stand out.
Where I'm gonna shine.
A place where I can truly express myself and be noticed.
Where the bad boys roll hard,
A place where tough and rebellious men hang out and stand out.
Dressing like James Dean,
Dressing fashionably like a movie icon James Dean.
And the vixen starlets,
The beautiful and sexy female celebrities that make us feel good.
Feels so good to be.
It feels good to be in that very presence that we dream about.
We're children of the bad revolution,
We are the kids of the revolution, the rule-breakers, the rebels.
And partying's the only solution,
Partying is our way of escape and feeling free from all the societal expectations and pressures.
And I'm answering any confusion.
I'm here to explain who we are, what we do and why we do it.
About who we are,
Our identity as the children of revolution and partygoers.
And what we're gonna be.
What we aspire to be in the future.
We gonna get free, free,
We are going to break free from constraints and live life to the fullest.
Baby we are chancers,
We are the ones who take risks and chances to live the life we want.
On the scene,
We are in the middle of it all, where the action is.
Glamour in the gutters
We find beauty and fame in unexpected and raw situations.
Only so Artique.
Our taste in things is unique and only caters to us.
See graffiti artists,
We acknowledge the art and beauty in street graffiti.
And tabloid queen,
We also pay attention to celebrity news and gossip.
Mix it up, mix it up,
We mix different things that we like and enjoy, regardless of their origin and how they're perceived.
Every dude you ever seen.
All sorts of guys, good or bad, can be found in our circle.
We're acting really tough,
We are putting on a brave face and showing confidence even when we might not feel that way inside.
Like the world belongs to us,
We feel invincible and untouchable, like nothing can stop us.
'Cause it does, yeah it must,
We truly believe that the world is ours for the taking, and that we can make anything happen.
What we do creates the buzz.
Our actions and behaviours generate interest and excitement among people around us.
Where the bad boys blow smoke,
We hang out with guys who smoke to look cool and edgy.
Just like they're James Dean.
Just like the iconic actor James Dean who had a rebellious image.
And the air girls blow kisses,
The attractive and flirtatious girls who blow kisses to show their interest and attention.
Just like Marilyn.
Just like Marilyn Monroe, another Hollywood icon who symbolized sex appeal and glamour.
We gun for your lives,
We are determined and focused to seize every opportunity for ourselves.
Break out of our chains,
We aim to free ourselves from anything that holds us back from living life our way.
So platinum edge,
Going for the highest and most glamorous goals.
Create our own games.
We create our own rules and guidelines for what we want to do and how we want to live.
DJs, rockstars,
The most popular and fascinating people in the entertainment industry.
Posers, we are,
We tend to exaggerate and overemphasize our image to stand out more and look more interesting.
The new politicians,
We are the new power brokers who have the ability to sway opinions and influence people's lives.
That celebrity edition.
Our version of becoming famous and well-known through our lifestyles.
And it's so pornographic,
Our lifestyles and behaviours can be controversial and shocking to some people, who would perceive them as explicitly sexual and inappropriate.
And it's tragic,
There's something sad about the underlying reasons behind our actions and behaviours.
But the magic makes us free,
Despite the negative aspects, there's something about what we do that gives us freedom and liberty to do what we wish.
To be what we wanna be, wanna be.
We are living life on our own terms and being true to ourselves by doing what we want and what makes us happy.
We're children of the bad revolution,
One more emphasis on the fact that we are young revolutionaries who are challenging conventional ideas and norms.
And partying's the only solution,
Celebrating and enjoying our lives through parties and similar activities is the way of life for us.
And I'm answering any confusion.
Again, stressing the point that I'm providing answers and explanations for the grander picture.
What we're gonna be.
Our aspirations and goals for our future selves.
Get free, we're gonna,
We are going to break free from constraints and be whoever we want to be.
Get free, oh.
A reminder that we will become free to the extent that we allow ourselves to get there.
Contributed by Kayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Dancemomsfanatic419
The GENIUS you have to be to make this
@morgankay3069
Wow, I don't know how you find your inspiration for your videos but you are just amazing. You keep suprising us with your great editing. Seriously, you rock
@carolinegormley5107
Did you just edit a Lana Del Rey song over Fred
@LanaDelRadio
Caroline Gormley No, I edited Fred to Lana Del Rey.
@dianaram.c.1992
I mean... it works lmaoool
@ecstasy3692
LMAOO
@martinamills7695
Wow you really made me want to watch Fred again WELL DONE
@c.s.9511
I have a love hate relationship with this omg
@noelleveronica9589
i re-visit this vides every now & then (i think it was taken down at some point) and i'm convinced that it is my favorite video on youtube. the song, the movies, the art. all of it is captured perfectly. bravo, you never fail to amaze me
@ryankoski2916
This is Iconic. Absolutely and unquestionably.