Since Lana Del Rey first burst onto the scene back in 2011 with “Video Games” during a now-infamous performance on Saturday Night Live, she has enjoyed a career that has seen her shift the sound of mainstream pop, making singing about sadness popular. Her debut album Born to Die was a huge success, and her aesthetic was unavoidable with her influence seen in fashion and Tumblr feeds.
Del Rey would see her career thrive to even greater heights, releasing several more successful albums and embarking on several world tours. Her distinctive voice turned out to be very successful for cinema, and the singer often found herself collaborating with many filmmakers, writing songs specifically for their movies. In fact, according to NME, via Vogue Australia, Del Rey stated that writing song for movies is her “happy place.” As such, here’s every original song Lana Del Rey wrote for a movie or TV show.
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6 The Great Gatsby — “Young and Beautiful”
Warner Bros.
Lana Del Rey first lent her voice to a major production when she wrote “Young and Beautiful” for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. The movie featured a star-studded cast ,which included Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, the great Tobey Maguire, and the soulful Carey Mulligan. The Great Gatsby follows the familiar story of Jay Gatsby, who is separated from his love Daisy, and then uses elaborate parties set in the backdrop of the 20s to win her back. The film was notable for blending the old aesthetic of the 20s with modern music. Del Rey’s music is nostalgic in tone, so it was the perfect choice to compliment Luhrmann’s directorial choices. The song was a commercial success and gave the singer one of her highest-charting hits, claiming to the number 22 spot on the billboard 100 and snagging her a Grammy nomination.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Maleficent — “Once Upon a Dream”
Walt Disney Pictures
Lana Del Rey continued her success after her first album Born To Die by releasing its follow-up, Ultraviolence, which was also hugely successful. In the same year, she contributed to the Disney film Maleficent, which was a twist on the live-action Disney Princess movie trend in that it told Sleeping Beauty’s story from the perspective of the antagonist. This gave audiences a fresh look at the beloved villain. Even though Del Rey’s contribution to this film was a cover, she made it so haunting and different that it felt like an entirely new song — so it’s allowed on this list. The singer’s haunting vocals feel like the exact opposite to the original in Sleeping Beauty, which is exactly what we need to accompany the untold story of Maleficent.
4 Big Eyes — “Big Eyes”
TWC
2014 also saw the release of Tim Burton’s film Big Eyes, which starred Amy Adams as Margaret Keane and Christopher Waltz as Walter Keane. Based on true events, the movie is about a painter, Walter Keane, who achieved massive levels of fame and success for his portraits, which featured people with huge eyes. However, the real painter was actually his wife Margaret. Del Rey gave two songs to the film, the first of which, “Big Eyes,” is about deception and betrayal, a perfect song for the way Margaret must have been feeling.
3 Big Eyes — “I Can Fly”
Lana Del Rey also included “I Can Fly” in the soundtrack for Big Eyes, which was another perfect fit for the movie. This song tells the story of someone who was held captive like a bird in a cage, and now they can fly and express who they really are. It’s obviously linked to the plot of Big Eyes and the story of Margaret. Del Rey delivers the song in her signature style, and it’s a well-orchestrated addition to the film.
2 The Age of Adaline — “Life is Beautiful”
Lionsgate
The Age of Adaline was released in 2015 and was directed by Lee Toland Krieger, starring Blake Lively, Harrison Ford and Michiel Huisman. The plot focuses on Adaline Bowan (Lively) who has managed to remain youthful for nearly eight decades and never allows anyone to get close enough to her to discover her secret. After she meets a philanthropist named Ellis Jones (Huisman), her lust for life is reawakened, and she begins a journey of self-discovery. Del Rey’s original song for this movie is called “Life Is Beautiful,” and her music’s theme on the appreciation for the beauty of life and rediscovering beauty make the song the perfect soundtrack for this film.
1 Euphoria — “Watercolor Eyes”
HBO
Most recently, we saw Lana Del Rey lend her talents to the smash hit HBO series Euphoria. Euphoria has a soundtrack of amazing songs, especially season 2, and Del Rey wrote the original song “Watercolor Eyes.” The song details a toxic relationship that leaves the subject feeling stressed and upset. It’s the perfect backdrop for the onscreen issues faced by Rue and Jules, as well as other featured couples, and is overall a great song.
