10 Greatest Debut Singles Of All Time

We know far too much about Lana Del Rey. Her previous attempts at stardom as Lizzie Grant, her various, questionably formed political stances, even the way she… tastes. Contrast this to 2011, when it seemed that all there was of her was this song and its video. Video Games still catches flight nearly a decade on from its release.

A broadcast from the side of the 60s that shivered, rather than swung, it managed stop the world and demand its attention while barely raising its voice beyond Lana’s rich contralto. A love song on the surface, the darkness hid in plain sight like only a diehard David Lynch fan can embody. A ballad to a shiftless partner that didn’t just forgive them of their flaws, but celebrated them. Dimly aware of how wrong it all is but the highs too blissful to care.

All wrapped up in a song so good it nabbed the Ivor Novello that year for Best Contemporary Song. In a way, there’s still a part of her that will never move on from lip-syncing a promising demo into her laptop webcam. For an artist as proudly out of time as Lana, I don’t think she’d have it any other way.