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".
Mermaid Motel
Lana Del Rey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe I could sing the national anthem
Buy a white sweater for the last white day of the summer
Buy my purple wig for my mermaid video
Walk back to where I lived in my motel on Neptune (Avenue)
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You say take it off, take it off
(Maybe we could go to) Suede Tokyo
Or see Van Halen at their reunion show
Heavy metal hour on T.V
Diamond Dave and Ray Lee
And you salute me, Miss America
Because I am, I am
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
Maybe we could go to Coney Island
Maybe I could sing you to sleep
God bless the universe, god bless the ocean
God bless you and god bless me
God bless you and god bless me
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
In the song, "Mermaid Motel," Lana Del Rey narrates a recollection of memories that she spent with a former lover. The lyrics are quite ambiguous, but the song is generally interpreted as delving into the complexities of the former relationship. At the beginning of the song, she reminisces about their summer together, suggesting that they go to Coney Island, buy a white sweater, and a purple wig for her mermaid video. She ends the stanza of the song with "Walk back to where I lived in my motel on Neptune (Avenue)," pointing out where she used to reside with her former lover.
In the chorus of "Mermaid Motel," the lyrics "You call me lavender, you call me sunshine/ You say take it off, take it off" suggest that her former partner adored her body and loved seeing her without clothes. The next stanza ponders the possibility of going to Suede Tokyo or see Van Halen at their reunion concert, once again reminiscing about their past adventures. The allurement of the 80s metal music and references to the Van Halen vibe suggest a longing for this period, which is also demonstrated in other tracks from Lana Del Rey's first album, "Born to Die."
The song finishes with a calm tone, where Lana Del Rey suggests that they could go to Coney Island and she could sing her former partner to sleep. The last lyrics "God bless the universe, god bless the ocean/ God bless you and god bless me" brings back a sense of spiritual nature to their relationship and finishes the song with a peaceful tone.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe we could go to Coney Island
Perhaps we should take a trip to Coney Island
Maybe I could sing the national anthem
Maybe I could perform the national anthem
Buy a white sweater for the last white day of the summer
Purchase a white sweater for the final day of summer where it is appropriate to wear white clothing
Buy my purple wig for my mermaid video
Acquire a purple wig for a video in which I will be portraying a mermaid
Walk back to where I lived in my motel on Neptune (Avenue)
Stroll to my former abode located on Neptune Avenue, where I resided in a motel
You call me lavender, you call me sunshine
You refer to me as both lavender and sunshine
You say take it off, take it off
You request that I disrobe
(Maybe we could go to) Suede Tokyo
Perhaps we should visit Suede Tokyo
Or see Van Halen at their reunion show
Or attend Van Halen's reunion concert
Heavy metal hour on T.V
A program featuring heavy metal is currently airing on television
Diamond Dave and Ray Lee
Two musicians, Diamond Dave and Ray Lee
And you salute me, Miss America
You give me a military-style salute, addressing me as Miss America
Because I am, I am
Because I exist as I am
Maybe I could sing you to sleep
Perhaps I could perform a song for you until you fall asleep
God bless the universe, god bless the ocean
May God bless the universe and the ocean
God bless you and god bless me
May God bless both you and me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Elizabeth Grant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cochran
on West Coast
Amazing how the film maker lifted the filming of this video directly from the Chet Baker documentary Let's Get Lost - black & white hanging at the beach and cruising in the backs of convertables
ciggywater
on National Anthem
such a goddess
Abygail Fernandez Smith
on West Coast
ganda
Inside Bilderberg
on Cruel World
Love this song.
Romatizzalid Bozin Veda Loca
on West Coast
barcelona akhawa
Dawit Dawit
on Ultraviolence
nice
Dawit Dawit
on West Coast
best