Lana Del Rey released the surprise track “Watercolor Eyes” for HBO’s Euphoria soundtrack.
The Subtle Nature of Lana’s Releases
There was little buzz and official press regarding the track; In her fandom, Lana is known for prolonging projects or completely forgetting them. Speculation of “Watercolor Eyes” started on January 12th via Twitter with stan account @LDRCRAVE. They stated that it “will resemble a lot like ‘F*ck it I love you’ and ‘Dark But Just A Game.’ The song will also have electric guitars”.
Lana Del Rey, herself, didn’t announce “Watercolor Eyes” until January 16th via Instagram; however, she didn’t confirmed either. The post included a trailer for Euphoria’s third episode, with Lana’s vocals in the back. She captioned it, “Once a bad girl… always.” The second season of HBO’s Euphoria airs on Sundays at 9 pm, so fans assumed it would release then. However, Friday releases have become an industry standard, and Lana is no exception. Fans got a listen two days before the episode’s release.
Analysis of “Watercolor Eyes” by Lana Del Rey
The song never reaches a climax and favors a sad vibe, using sparse electric guitars and strategic layering. Lana begins with disdain, saying, “Why you always doin’ that? / Breakin’ up with me, then makin’ up / Just to make me mad.” The song expands into a beautiful pre-chorus and explains why their relationship is doomed. Here, the layering is atmospheric, yet Lana’s storytelling doesn’t waver. She sings, “I think that you taste like rock candy / Sweet like beaches, leave me all sandy /Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes?” Lana’s poetic lyricism isn’t hard to decipher. While her lover is sweet– even addictive — she becomes “sandy,” meaning maybe his badness lingers and potentially harms her.
With soft piano and percussion, she continues, “Young love don’t always last forever / Wild horses can’t keep us together / So what if you taste just like heaven?”. In true Lana fashion, she references the classic rock group Rolling Stones and their song “Wild Horses.” But, she reverses the song’s meaning to reinforce that there is no love left to keep her around. In a soft falsetto, Lana repeats “Watercolor eyes” referencing her tears, and how he makes her cry all the time.
Connecting “Watercolor Eyes” to Euphoria is interesting. While Euphoria’s is full of glitter and seductive colors, watercolors are light and soft. So, although Lana’s distinct slow, lush sound is ever-present and contrasts from other soundtrack favorites, it compliments the show’s vulnerable themes of toxic love.
Where is Lana Del Rey Now?
Before releasing her eighth studio album, “Blue Banisters,” Lana let fans know she wanted to try other ventures besides music. (Such themes are on her seventh studio album “Chemtrails Over The Country Club.”) So, to focus on other passions, she would deactivate her main Instagram and Twitter accounts. Therefore, this song was a surprise to many fans and maybe the last song we will get from Lana for a while. She still uses a secret second account on Instagram, @honeymoon, named after her fourth studio album, having only 737k followers. However, gaining access is tricky as it is private, only public when she wants it. So, as Lana follows her passion projects and poetry, it will be harder to track her next move.
Upon receiving Variety’s “Artist of the Decade” Award, Lana speaks of where she’s been, at, and where she’s going.
What do you think of Lana Del Rey’s latest single, “Watercolor Eyes”? Let us know in the comments!
