“Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” introduces a new side of artist Lana Del Rey as she addresses criticisms of songs from her past and sings about grief and death. The album reads like a diary as Del Rey reflects on previous criticisms, love and family. 

The title track, “Did you know that there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” issomber and beautiful. The main metaphor of this song is there’s more to Del Rey than one might think. This metaphor appears to be addressing her struggles with finding someone who sees the parts of her beyond what is on the surface.

I also think it’s important to note her intentional crudeness when she sings “f— me to death” in the chorus of this otherwise very soft song.The use of harsh language here could be a statement for women being sexual beings who can be appreciated as such. I think this is the best song on the album — it’s beautiful and sets the tone for the songs that follow.

“A&W” is very different from a lot of songs Del Rey has made in the past, since it’s so abstract and dark. “A&W” reinforces a theme from the album about the hindrances of being an adult and trying to constantly please others. The song appears to mock physical expectations placed on women’s looks when Del Rey draws attention to the length of her hair and the shape of her body.

The end of the song shifts into a more pop-esque beat with repetitive verses that sound almost like cheerleading chants. The voice layering and editing here are really fun, especially as music from “Norman F—ing Rockwell,” the titular song from a previous album, starts playing in the background. “A&W” is one of the most well-made pieces on the album. 

“The Grants” is a stunning piece of music. It is one of three songs on the album where Del Rey sings about grief. The vocals are feathery and light, and arguably reminiscent of her rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” This song almost feels like a love letter to her family and her memories of them as she faces the idea of losing them. “The Grants” is effective in embracing the sadness and beauty around death and losing the ones you love.  

“Sweet” sounds a lot like a hymnal, which ties in a theme of religion and spirituality noticeable throughout the album. Here, Del Rey sings about enjoying living simply, but still being a complex and complicated individual. There is also a question of her future with the possibility of starting a family and creating a life with someone who is willing to accept her as she is. “Sweet” is a very pretty song, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as “Ocean Blvd” or “The Grants.”

“Margaret” featuring Bleachers is one of my favorite songs on the album. Del Rey’s voice with Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff’s vocals is so pretty, and after listening to so many songs over the years about Del Rey not finding real love, it’s really cool hearing her celebrating love. In the chorus, they sing “when you know, you know” repeatedly, and at the end, Del Rey says it’s okay to not have found love yet, which sounds like a message to herself as much as it is a message to her audience. “Margaret” is a very well-made song, and I really enjoy it. 

“Candy Necklace” featuring Jon Batiste is very simple and whimsical. It incorporates a lot of repetition, which is a pattern within the album. The song is dark and pretty, and Batiste’s voice enters hauntingly at the end. It adds depth in the last bit of the song, which was really well done. This is one of my favorite songs on the album simply because of Batiste’s voice. 

“Judah Smith Interlude” is a recording of pastor Judah Smith preaching. This interlude hit really hard after listening to and analyzing a lot of the songs on the album, because in the songs, it’s alluded that this album is Del Rey saying her music is for her, not necessarily for her listeners. The last line of the interlude, after four minutes of preaching, said, “I’ve discovered my preaching is mostly about me,” and it was very clear the statement is how Del Rey feels about her music. I thought this interlude was really powerful, and she clearly got her point across.

“Fingertips” is a reflection of Del Rey’s past and a question of her future. She contemplates her relationship with her mother and a time she was sent away as a teen before wondering whether or not to have kids. “Fingertips” is a series of verses without a chorus, which Del Rey referred to as a “stream-of-consciousness” song, reminiscent of a poem. “Fingertips” is a very word-heavy, interesting song. I enjoyed thinking through its intricacies. 

“Jon Batiste Interlude” is dreamlike and cool. There is limited speech but the music is really powerful. 

“Taco Truck x VB” is another reinforcement of Del Rey pushing against people’s expectations of her. She sings a lot about being violent and wild and not caring what she does because people aren’t going to like her regardless of what she does. Taco Truck ends up morphing into her song “Venice B—-,” which feels like an ode to the types of songs she’s been judged for in the past. It was cool to hear the combination of these two tracks.  

“Fishtail” was not my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. It lacked the depth that I enjoyed in most of the other songs. “Fishtail” is about Del Rey realizing she’s in a toxic relationship. There is also more electronic voice editing in this song, which reminded me of songs off of Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights.” 

“Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing” featuring RIOPYis another song about loss and grief. In this song, Del Rey acknowledges people in her family she has lost and asks them to appear as symbols and omens. I wasn’t a huge fan of this song either. I felt like it lacked the artistic edge Del Rey’s songs are known for.  

“Peppers” featuring Tommy Genesisis completely different from all of the other songs on the album. Genesis’s chorus is fun and adds a flair of pop to Del Rey’s usually dark, somber style. 

“Let The Light In” featuring Father John Mistyincorporates storytelling in a way that’s unique among the rest of the tracks in the album, and the chorus is really sweet. Misty only sings in the chorus and isn’t as prominent as I expected, but “Let The Light In” is a really sweet love song.

“Paris, Texas” featuring SYML is really different from others on the album. Del Rey sings in a higher register throughout the entire song and at a faster pace than usual. It’s really pretty, but as someone who prefers her lower register and poetic songs, it wasn’t my favorite. 

“Kintsugi” is simply beautiful.It’s another song about grief where Del Rey leans into the idea that hearts are meant to break. The song is also very piano forward, which is really nice. 

Overall, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is a beautifully made album. The writing is extremely personal in a way that draws listeners to pay attention and search for meaning, and it fits in perfectly as the latest addition to Del Rey’s discography full of similarly poetic and artistic works.