Lana Del Rey’s major-label debut “Born to Die” arrived in 2012 as a cultural lightning rod—equal parts revered and reviled. In hindsight, it stands as one of the most influential pop albums of the 2010s, establishing a template for cinematic melancholy that countless artists would follow.
The album’s lush orchestration, hip-hop influenced beats, and Del Rey’s languid vocal delivery create an intoxicating atmosphere. Songs like “Video Games,” “Summertime Sadness,” and the title track showcase her unique ability to blend Old Hollywood glamour with contemporary production. Her lyrical obsession with doomed romance, Americana iconography, and vintage aesthetics felt genuinely novel at the time.
While the album occasionally succumbs to its own excess—some tracks blur together in their sameness—the highs are undeniable. “Born to Die” proved that pop music could be both commercially successful and artistically ambitious, paving the way for the sad-girl pop boom that would dominate the decade. It’s a flawed but essential record that remains compelling more than a decade later.