Every Lana Del Rey Album Ranked Worst To Best
2. Born To Die
Despite only being her second album, Born To Die is a stunning portrait of an artist already in their prime, completely in control of their style and tone, refusing to back down from what they want out of their work.
Opening with the enveloping title track before one-upping itself with such inspired tunes as the booming ballad Dark Paradise and the radio-favourite classic Summertime Sadness, the record features all of Del Rey's most vital traits, including her gloomy vocal chops, vulnerable lyricism and effective genre-mixing.
Few songwriters have burst onto the scene quite like Del Rey on this record, with its melancholy tone, increasingly dark themes and vivid storytelling making her a force to be reckoned with within the pop world.
Born To Die is unflinchingly honest, beautifully poetic and musically hypnotising, and the truth is that even today no one has written anything quite like it. In fact, it would be #1 here if it wasn't for one other Del Rey album...