Lana Del Rey - Summertime (The Gershwin Version) - Single / You'll Never Walk Alone [from The End of the Storm: Official Soundtrack] [Review]

Back in 2019, American singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey released a cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time," and while it was originally intended only for a Sublime documentary and not for her soon to be released studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell! (which I reviewed here), it ended up making the NFR! cut all the same. The Sublime song (and, obviously, by default, the Lana Del Rey cover) samples the classic (and very old) jazz song "Summertime" by George Gershwin. Lana herself has always seemed to be a big fan of old school music, especially jazz, so it comes as no surprise to me that she has now covered the original version of the song that Sublime's version samples. (The song has also been covered by Billie Holiday, of whom Lana is an avid fan.) It's really only a small part of the song that "Doin' Time" samples, making this song a very, very different song. It's much slower and more focused, but fans of the Sublime song (and/or, obviously, the Lana Del Rey cover) will definitely recognize Lana's opening lyrics and melody: "Summertime, and the livin' is easy." The song begins with somewhat eerie chanting and gently strumming acoustic guitar, and even though other elements do join in (such as piano and a very gentle and soft beat, just to name a couple), the song remains pretty tender and slow throughout its entirety. (The tempo, in fact, never really changes at all.) What's interesting is that, according to Genius (and I had honestly suspected as much anyway because of some of the song's lyrical phrasing with words such as cotton and mammy), the song, originally being part of the play Porgy & Bess, was written from the perspective of a black slave living in the south addressing a white baby, assuring the baby that he/she is going to have a good life because he/she is white: "Oh, your daddy's rich, and your ma is good lookin', so hush, little baby; don't you cry." Because of the song's lyrics being rather poetic and abstract, however, it can of course be repurposed and reinterpreted. Lana, for example, is very unlikely intending to sing from such a perspective (as that would be kind of inappropriate). Like I said, however, the great thing about poetic and abstract art is that there isn't one single way to view it, and I adore this take on the song. It's so haunting and beautiful.

 

Soon after releasing "Summertime," Lana released yet another cover version of a classic song - "You'll Never Walk Alone" - which was written in 1945 by Rodgers & Hammerstein for the musical Carousel. I have to admit that prior to hearing Lana's version of the song, I hadn't been aware of the song, but I was absolutely blown away and brought to tears by Lana's rendition. Her version is heavily fueled by piano which is what it begins on (and piano is one of my favorite instruments), but when Lana breaks through, she sings the first verse completely a cappella which is so chilling. She is soon joined by strings, and making for one of the most theatrical recordings that Lana has ever done (if not the most), a Gregorian-esque choir takes control approximately halfway through the track. When Lana comes back into the fold, she is accompanied by the choir, and it is absolutely gorgeous and chilling to the bone. I realize that what I am about to say is very high praise, but it's 100% truthful - I believe that I can honestly say that this song showcases the most impressive vocal work that Lana has done in her career thus far. Her voice here is so angelic and soars; it even boasts somewhat of a vibrato effect, and I don't know if I have ever heard her sing like this before. Don't get me wrong; I am a huge fan of Lana Del Rey and think that she has a great voice, but this just seems like a new and more ambitious style for her, and I adore it. The song is lyrically beautiful but pretty simple: "Walk on, walk on," the chorus encourages us, "and you'll never walk alone." We are encouraged to remain positive through difficult times because we are not alone; others endure similar struggles, and there is light at the end of the dark tunnel especially if we hold on to hope. Lana's cover is featured on the soundtrack to the film The End of the Storm (making the lyrics' references to a storm all the more fitting) along with an instrumental orchestral version of the song (which are also both featured on a limited edition 7" vinyl single). According to Genius, Lana will be releasing a collection of covers some time this year titled American Classics and Standards, and the collection will include "Summertime." With "You'll Never Walk Alone" also fitting the description of that title, I wonder if it will also be featured.