Mermaid Motel

she writes a lot about coney island. i wonder what kind of experiences she has had there..... ponder ponder

I’m not saying I’m privy to Lana’s intentions for this song and I could be way off, but this is my take:

From the picture this song paints, I get a kind of seedy, amateur porno film vibe. She’s living in a motel with an unknown man, she’s buying a purple wig for her “mermaid video” -- it could be a music video, but it seems like they’re shooting in the motel because she says she walks back to the motel after she buys it, and he repeatedly tells her to “take it off,” implying her clothing, obviously. The gasps she makes after each set of “take it off”s sound almost a little surprised, like her innocence has been corrupted… with the motel on Neptune Avenue, the fact that they live there, and the almost childlike, whimsical image of the vivid purple wig all paired with her little girly gasping sounds invoke a scene of a naïve, possibly nervous young woman being persuaded or cajoled into “tak[ing] it off.” The pet names he uses for her of “Lavender” and “Sunshine” also reinforce that she’s young and innocent, and the breathy way she sings “you call me Lavender, you call me Sunshine” further suggest that she’s been/being coaxed into his dirtier, more adult world. As for the heavy metal and Americana references, I don’t know, that sounds like Lana just being Lana ;) (Or should I say Lizzy being Lizzy…?)

Love the song, the whole album is great to listen to while lazing in the sun by the pool or on the beach :)

I think the line "Diamond Dave and Ray late" should be:

"Diamond Dave and Ray Lee"