The Lana Del Rey song that crowned Bruce Springsteen “the king”
Bruce Springsteen is one of the most acclaimed and admired artists of all time. Simultaneously playing up his roles as both the everyman and the entertainer, Springsteen has spent over 60 years penning Americana anthems and inspiring awe in audiences worldwide, including Lana Del Rey.
Though he has often been referred to as ‘The Boss’, Del Rey once crowned him a king of the music scene in an early track. Her 2012 debut Born to Die spawned huge hits like ‘Summertime Sadness’ and the titular ‘Born to Die’, but one of Del Rey’s most beautiful exercises in songwriting was reserved for the reissued Paradise Edition of the album.
The expanded version of the record featured eight more tracks, including the gorgeous ‘American’. Over tender keys and swirling strings, Del Rey sings of love and Americana, giving a quick shout-out to the iconic songwriter. The opening verse finds Del Rey playing house with her partner, falling in love over their shared love of music, specifically Springsteen.
She mimics her lover’s words with the line, “Springsteen is the king, don’t you think?” quickly followed by her affirmation, “Hell yeah, that guy can sing”. It’s a fitting reference in a song themed around old Americana music – she later shouts out another staple often deemed a king, Elvis.
Del Rey’s admiration for the Americana king is not one-sided, and Springsteen has frequently shared his love for her music, including on his radio show From My Home To Yours on SiriusXM. He once played ‘American’ and acknowledged the shoutout, joking, “She’s, uh, name-checking some guy from New Jersey in there. I’m not sure who.”
Springsteen continued to speak about his connection to and enthusiasm for Del Rey, sharing: “She is from New York and was raised in Lake Placid. Lake Placid, a fabulous little American town where I have spent many a lovely summer evening with my children and my family over the years. And Lana is simply one of the best songwriters in the country, as we speak.”
“She just creates a world of her own and invites you in. So a big favourite of mine, the lovely Lana Del Rey,” he concluded. In her soaring soundscapes and vivid lyricism, she certainly has created a whole world in her discography, one full of glamour and gloom in equal measure.
While Springsteen became an American essential through his honest heartland storytelling, Del Rey has taken the genre in an entirely different direction while still paying homage to her predecessors.
Listen to ‘American’, the Lana Del Rey song that crowned Bruce Springsteen “the king”, below.
