A Review Of Lana Del Rey’s Most Vulnerable Album Yet: Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

By Kayla Harper

Nearly one year ago, on March 24 of 2023, the highly-acclaimed singer Lana Del Rey released her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Although Del Rey’s signature sultry style is present throughout the entire record, the album’s emotional depth and vulnerability stands out compared to all of her past work.  This is mainly due to the themes of going through and coping with the loss of loved ones, family, self-reflection, honesty and love.

Del Rey produced the album with her frequent collaborator and friend Jack Antonoff along with Mike Hermosa, Drew Erickson and Benji Zach Dawes.  The album is cohesive with instrumentals that resemble many of Del Rey’s other albums such as Blue Banisters and Chemtrails Over The Country Club.   Most songs are led by piano and strings forming a mellow, yet full sound that weaves it’s way through the meaningful, and intricate lyrics.  However, Del Rey also calls back to musical themes of the Born To Die album on “A&W” as well as Norman Fucking Rockwell, through the “Venice Bitch” sample on “Taco Truck x VB”.

Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd reaches emotional heights in songs like “The Grants”,  “Kintsugi”, “Fingertips” and my personal favourite, “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing”.  Along with others on the album, these songs have similar themes of coping with the loss of loved ones and finding comfort in the memories of them you will carry with you and cherish forever, “when you leave all you take is your memories / and I’m gonna take mine of you with me.”  Songs like these make Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd feel like a warm hug, comforting you through what is arguably the most difficult human emotion to cope with.

Similar to Del Rey’s previous albums, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd also explores themes of romance and love.  However, it seems to delve into a more mature and long term analysis of love in songs like “Sweet”, “Let The Light In” and Jack Antonoff’s feature and tribute to his wife, Margaret Qualley, “Margaret (feat. Bleachers)”.   Del Rey sings about the appeal of a long-term partner, desiring serious commitment, “Do you want children? Do you want to marry me? Do you want to run marathons in long beach by the sea? I’ve got things to do, like nothing at all, I wanna do them with you, do you wanna do them with me?”

All in all, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is arguably the most vulnerable and emotionally-complex in Del Rey’s discography.  It’s range of themes is lyrically and instrumentally cohesive resulting in an enjoyable listen from the first track straight through until the last.

Personal Opinions:

As a fan of Del Rey since my parents bought the Born To Die CD for our car when it first came out it is difficult for me to choose a favourite album or decide which is arguably “the best.”  However, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd holds a special place in my heart as it evokes a certain feeling in me every time I listen.  The album came out the day after I had to put down my childhood dog, and the same year my grandpa passed, so my first listen of this album was really emotional. However, the meaning in many of the songs resonated deeply with me because of it.