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Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, professionally known as Lana Del Rey, is a singer-songwriter. She's renowned for delving into tragic romance and melancholic themes with her music and her nostalgia-driven cinematic visuals. She started her career with the name Lizzy Grant, but in 2010 settled on Lana Del Rey.
She has earned several accolades, such as an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Women in Music, and a Satellite Award. Lana Del Rey has also been nominated for the Grammy Awards eleven times.
Lana Del Rey's 2011 song Video Games gave her the breakthrough she needed. She made the song's music video herself with a webcam and some stock footage, and it went on to become a sensational hit. Since then, the 29-year-old star has produced several chart-dominating hits such as Summertime Sadness and Dark Paradise.
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Her next album, Lasso, will come out next year. So, as one waits for Lana's new music, here are her top eight songs based on Spotify streaming numbers.
From Summertime Sadness to Brooklyn Baby and everything in between
1) Summertime Sadness
Total streams: 1,559,602,310
Daily streams: 1,390,514
This song arguably established Lana Del Rey in the music industry. Summertime Sadness was part of her second studio album, Born to Die. This pop and trip-hop concoction had fans swooning over its lyrics. The song became a massive hit and eventually gathered 8× Platinum certification from the RIAA. In September 2021, the song was placed at No. 456 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"I got my red dress on tonight / Dancin' in the dark, in the pale moonlight / Done my hair up real big, beauty queen style / High heels off, I'm feelin' alive"
2) Young And Beautiful
Total streams: 1,354,437,772
Daily streams: 1,179,740
Young And Beautiful made it to the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 22 and No. 3 on the Hot Rocks Songs Chart. The song is certified with a staggering 9x Platinum in Australia, 5x Platinum in the US, and Platinum or higher in about seven other countries. The song also gave Rey a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? / Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul? / I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will"
3) Stargirl Interlude
Total streams: 1,143,458,314
Daily streams: 992,782
The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey got together for the third time to produce the song that would peak at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 73 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is a nod to a moment of passion between two individuals. Stargirl Interlude is part of Weeknd's third studio album, Starboy (2016).
"I had a vision / A vision of my nails in the kitchen / Scratchin' countertops, I was screamin' / My back arched like a cat / My position couldn't stop, you were hittin' / And I shouldn't cry, but I love it, starboy
4) Video Games
Total streams: 979,195,738
Daily streams: 673,482
Lana Del Rey's debut single delves into the theme of unrequited love. She sings of her boyfriend who'd rather play video games than pay attention to her. Lana talks of making an effort for her disinterested boyfriend, but it goes unnoticed. The song fared well for a newbie, having peaked at No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, after which it was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. Rey edited and directed the music video herself.
"Swingin' in the backyard, pull up in your fast car / Whistlin' my name / Open up a beer and you say, 'Get over here / And play a video game'"
5) West Coast
Total streams: 788,491,286
Daily streams: 886,545
As a ballad about a tragic romance, West Coast touches on the dilemma of a woman who can't choose between love and ambition. It also paints vivid imagery of its namesake, the West Coast's atmosphere. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 17 and the Rock Airplay Chart at no. 26. It was also certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
"Down on the West coast, they got a sayin' / If you're not drinkin', then you're not playin'"
6) Born To Die
Total streams: 729,947,516
Daily streams: 617,026
This Lana Del Rey song tells the tale of someone who's in a relationship that she knows is doomed. Things between the couple are "born to die," but she turns a blind eye. Born To Die is taken from her second studio album of the same name. The trip-hop ballad was written and composed by Del Rey and Justin Parker. It is produced by Emile Haynie.
"Walking through the city streets, is it by mistake or design? / I feel so alone on a Friday night / Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine?"
7) Doin' Time
Total streams: 719,210,804
Daily streams: 480,471
The song is a nod to infidelity. The cheating girlfriend makes her lover feel low, and this mistreatment makes him feel trapped, akin to being in prison. The song clocked in at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 28 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and No. 28 on the US Alternative Airplay by Billboard. It also got certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Interestingly, Doin' Time is not an original Lana Del Rey song, it's her version of the 1997 hit of the same name, made by American band Sublime.
"On lockdown, like a penitentiary / She spreads her lovin' all over / And when she gets home, there's none left for me"
8) Brooklyn Baby
Total streams: 713,182,320
Daily streams: 677,727
In Brooklyn Baby, Lana Del Rey paints an image of a young woman who feels like she was born in the wrong era. It pays homage to the "freedom land of the seventies", as the song's protagonist brags about her boyfriend, who is a musician, and her rare jazz collection. The song dominated Billboard's US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and got certified Platinum by the RIAA.
"They say I'm too young to love you / I don't know what I need / They think I don't understand / The freedom land of the seventies"
Apart from her music, Lana Del Rey is also known for giving back. She donated all the proceeds from her 2019 single Looking for America towards relief for the victims of the public shootings. She also donated $350,000 to DigDeep in October 2020, an organization that aims to bring water to remote families and areas.
For her next album, Lasso, Lana Del Rey is reportedly dipping her toes into the world of country music, Pitchfork reported in February 2024. The album will likely come out next year.
