The Blackest Day by Lana Del Rey

An invigorating perusal into the mind of the singer-songwriter as she describes the various stages of grief and possessing the hope of overcoming it one day.

We have all had that one particular romantic interest that could never be ours to keep. You and I both probably have been on the same boat in that sense at some or the other point in our lives. Apparently so has Lana Del Rey, or this is at least what I feel comfortable enough interpreting and expressing about her after listening to this beautiful and dynamic song, the fourth last track from her 4th studio album — ‘Honeymoon’ which was critically acclaimed for its influence by 50s -70s Americana and Hollywood. A ballad with hints of jazz and rock, The blackest day’ is a 6 minute and 5-second long song talking about heartbreak and separation of one from one’s lover.

The beginning of the song itself portrays her desperation about getting reunited with her unrequited love when she pleads him to “carry her home” while also adding a timid detail about her nail polish being blue which is supposedly meant to convey the color of her soul and days in general after she was heartbroken. The emphasis on her grief illustrates and humanizes her despair and pain as she navigates it through the 5 stages of grief.

THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF AS PICTURISED THROUGH THE LYRICS OF ‘THE BLACKEST DAY’

1. DENIAL

It is apparent that Lana does not want her relationship with this person to end in the first verse itself wherein she can be observed denying the multitudes of issues that existed in her relationship which were acknowledged by her boyfriend when he broke up with her whereas she only intends to focus on the good things and memories. Denying herself time and energy to process the reality.

2. ANGER

As the song gets closer to its bridge the lyrics start getting increasingly intense and Lana starts to blame her lover for the bitter end of a beautiful relationship. Phrases like “ you should’ve known better” and “ you’re deader than ever” indicate that she is finding peace in lashing out at him at this point.

3. BARGAINING

This stage of grief is basically the whole essence of the song. Lana can be seen beseeching her partner to “carry her home” time and again, paralleling bargaining with denial by not accepting that it’s over already. She’s trying her best to recall all the beautiful moments she was able to live while she was still in a relationship.

4. DEPRESSION

The title itself reeks of this stage of grieving. By referring to this eventful day as ‘The Blackest Day’ in the chorus, she tries to convey her sorrow not only to the listener but also acknowledges it to herself. She also goes as far as to claim that she “can’t feel nothing” in the second pre-chorus which is practically one of the textbook synonyms of depression.

5. ACCEPTANCE

Gradually but slowly, she is seen coming to terms with the truth once and for all, she is trying to contemplate life without the comfort and warmth of her lover. This is especially envisioned in the outro wherein she finally admits the end of the relationship and stops to cling to what could have been but wasn’t. She is able to accept that she is “on her own again” as much as she wishes she wasn’t.

If you have made it this far, I commend you! Lana Del Rey’s music is renowned for being exploratory around the themes of being delicate, sad, betrayed, and materialized. Some critics have also found it at times to be, glamorizing abuse for its indulgence in themes like passiveness, violence, and submission. But in my own opinion, Art is Art and should be perceived and judged for what it is, not what it should have been. Through her lyrics in this particular song, Lana has been able to convey the 5 stages of grief without mentioning it out-rightly even once. She never proclaimed to do just that while writing this song, it seems as if she meant to opine her side of the story about when a man she loved, left her, for whatever reason it may be, and the sort of darkness that followed. Heartbreak and its devolution have been perfectly encapsulated and envisioned for the listener to make sense of, on their own and for themselves in the ballad, paired with some tunes that send chills down your spine, it persists to be one of my favorite songs ever.