Issue #95: Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver and taking Nashville seriously

Henry, come on (down to Tennessee)

So it’s finally here: Lana Del Rey’s long awaited country song, “Henry, come on.” Written with Nashville songwriter Luke Laird, you may notice that, upon listening, it is not actually a “country song” – it has guitar, it mentions “hats” and “jeans,” it says y’all, it does that sinewy thing that Lana Del Rey does that takes its roots from all kinds of American traditions but bends into her own singular voice. But it’s classified as “alternative” as far as Apple Music and DSPs go, though I know choosing a genre category to appease the streaming Gods is not exactly any artist’s favorite activity. Nor is it mine. I’d just prefer to listen to the damn music and not worry about what box it’s gotta go in. But here we are.

Looking for the country-ness in “Henry, come on” is only logical, though, as Lana herself made some comments about making a country album, originally called Lasso: “If you can't already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We're going country. It's happening. That's why Jack [Antonoff] has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years," she said. She has posted songs on Instagram from Cole Swindell and George Birge, she shared the stage with Megan Moroney, she would make the most insane country supergroup with pals Sierra Ferrell and Nikki Lane. I have no idea what the rest of the record will sound like and Lana is set for a Stagecoach country set, so it’s possible that this story is far from over: there could be country radio singles for all I know. It’s Lana Del Rey and we’re just along for the ride.

I think this song – which is all I have to go on – existing in the context of country, and of Nashville, and not being exactly country, is what I’m really interested in right now. There is something very liberating and, honestly, very respectful of the craft of the town of Nashville going on here. Luke Laird is pretty much a Nashville guy – writing with Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church. He’s not doing much pop or rock crossover stuff. Writing something like this that feels very Lana seems almost better for the PR of the town than if he helped her craft some catchy country radio thing that was the smash of the summer: it shows that she respects what country music can do as an artform and bring to the work, not just what it does as a genre (or in the bank).

I think part of that comes from what it feels like an unpretentious interest in country music. Americana lure and nostalgia has always been a part of Lana’s art, and bringing in Nashville/southern traditions floats along easily with all of that. She’s hinted at appreciating not just what is coastally critically acclaimed, but the mainstream stuff most others are constantly making fun of and assuming lacks any emotional depth. I am somewhat fascinated by this video of Lana listening to “She Had Me At Heads, Carolina,” because there is something subversive about one of the “cool” folks being keyed into what’s happening here in a non-ironic and non-condescending way.

Folks like Natalie and I spend our lives trying to convince people who think they don’t like country music or Nashville/Texas things that they are missing out on a world of music they have just been programmed to be biased against. Lana lending her co-sign not to just the genre but the people who make it can really make a difference there, I think. I feel like she could get high and do her own version of Converting the Skeptics for a couple hours on a bunch of country radio singles? I would like to be there for that.

It’s been a good run for this kind of stuff actually: specifically, Bon Iver hunting down one of the town’s current best kept secrets in Carter Faith, who appears on SABLE, fABLE’s “AWARDS SEASON.” I was shocked when I heard about this, just because this usually isn’t how Nashville folks are brought into music from other genres - either they borrow folks to make a crossover country song, or add some big vocals to a pop song so it can be…well, a crossover. Justin Vernon seems to have an ear to the ground and a genuine interest in what is good and going on here in Nashville, which isn’t surprising per se, but it is exciting. I like Carter Faith too. I love hearing her offer something non-country, because then it’s about appreciating her talent, not just her genre. More of this, please. We have a lot of talent to go around.

- Marissa