Lana Del Ray
By Kasia Pilat
By now, you’ve most likely seen, or heard, or maybe only heard about the husky voiced, quasi-controversial 25-year-old Internet sensation Lana del Rey. You’re probably also already aware that you’ve been told about her about three or four thousand times. As Judy Berman writes in her review of del Rey’s album,
“If you printed out every word that was written on the Internet about Lana Del Rey by the time her debut album, Born to Die, leaked earlier this week, the resulting stack of paper would reach from the lowest point on Earth to the moon.”
However, rest assured, fair reader: this article isn’t just about Ms. del Rey. It’s also about Lady Gaga.
Like Ms. Berman, I didn’t initially feel strongly for or against Lana del Rey — her music is intriguing and goes perfectly with the sultry-seductress-slash-innocent-lamb persona that del Rey seems to promote — and I wasn’t keen on adding my two cents when there’s already much more criticism than actual content. Watching her perform two weeks ago on the widely popular, long-running American program Saturday Night Live, however, triggered something in me.
I will admit, parts of watching del Rey’s breakout single “Video Games,” and her second song, “Blue Jeans,” had me cringing. (Here is where I sincerely applaud anyone capable of appearing on SNL in any capacity without puking their guts out.) Say what you will about her music, talent, ability and songwriting, but on the Saturday Night Live stage, the young songstress seems totally, utterly, and unmistakably out of her comfort zone.
I won’t say much more than that — for your own assessment, watch “Video Games,” and “Blue Jeans,” below.
Sure, there are few singers who don’t look uncomfortable not holding an instrument while performing, and SNL hasn’t always been the best venue for certain bands. Case in point: US indie-rockers TV on the Radio’s 2009 performance was likewise labeled a bomb; the difference was that the group attributed it to monitor and sound issues, while del Rey has made no such claims. Additionally, let’s face it: the girl was most likely ridiculously nervous and probably also thinking about how she might like to do what we, the non-famous, inevitably would and puke her guts out. As she told MTV before the performance,
“You just think to yourself, ‘Don’t f— up.’ And that’s it. That’s all you ever think with live television. You hope that it goes well.” She wanted to do a good job, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that. And, hey, at least she didn’t pull an Ashlee Simpson, right? Well…
Mulling over this humongous backlash that del Rey’s appearance triggered, I couldn’t help but recall another SNL performance from 2009: Lady Gaga’s. Like del Rey, Gaga was a young twentysomething at the time, and it was likewise her first appearance on the show. Both females attest to years of performing as unknown nobodies before attaining their massive fames, and, additionally, both figures incited widespread, impassioned reactions both positive and negative almost immediately. Noting these facts, the two actually seem quite alike. The difference, then, between them isn’t based in their backgrounds, or even in their vocal ability or talent — in this writer’s humble opinion, both women are more than flush with both — the difference is in poise.
In her “Love Game”/”Bad Romance”/”Poker Face” mashup performance, in true Gaga form, the Lady donned a futuristic, moving set of metal circles, dark sunglasses, and little else. Are her vocals mind-blowingly perfect throughout? No. Is she still entertaining just to watch? Yes.
About a minute and a half into her performance, Gaga quite literally changes up the (Love) game. She settles down calmly before a gleaming baby grand and embarks upon a barebones-yet-beautiful acoustic rendition of “Bad Romance” followed by “Poker Face” while singing tribute to her time growing up in the city that Saturday Night Live also calls home, New York.
To put it frankly: she nailed it. But why?
To me, the thing that contrasts Gaga so sharply with del Rey is her unshakable self-possession. At nearly every moment, even when adjusting her probably self-designed/inflicted circular metal body apparatus in order to play the piano, Gaga does it with some tact. She smiles and waves at the audience. She vamps. At that moment, it seems she belongs nowhere but on stage. In comparison, when not singing, del Rey steps in awkward circles as if staking out an exit route for a quick getaway. Yes, she’s gorgeous. Yes, her voice does remind me of Nancy Sinatra, and, in general, I enjoy her music. But the question remains: with only a two-song EP and a short string of not-so-secret shows under her belt, was del Rey ready for live, nationwide television? I hesitate to respond with a firm no, especially since I belong in team Puke, but let’s just say my own personal view would start with an “n” and end with “ot really.”
So, a word to the wise before mothers unwittingly send their daughters up on stage live in front of millions of already skeptical viewers waiting to pounce on the slightest stumble: if they’re not ready to perform with just their music and a mic, the least they could do is fasten on a clunky metal body contraption and play some classical piano.
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