Blue Jeans

To me this is a song about how she is in love with a guy and wants to make a life with him. The guy feels like he needs to get money in order for them to have a "life", a house, a car, kids and the American Dream. In his haste he turns to drug dealing for easy money and winds up getting chewed up and spit out by the game. In the end all she wanted was him, he was always enough, but he was convinced she would only be happy if they lived the good life, the rich life. He pays the price by being taken away to prison and she has to wait for him. She wants him to know that even though he has fucked up, she still loves him and longs for the simple love they once shared.

I never do this. But some interpretations are just so obviously wrong that I felt the ridiculous need to correct them. It's ridiculous, I know. But whatever. Here it is:

Blue jeans, White shirt Walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn

This is not a "negative," as one commentator suggested. She's saying that he was so awesome that the aura around him was blinding.

It was like James Dean, for sure You so fresh to death & sick as ca-cancer

Also, this is not a negative, either. In hip-hop slang, "sick" is the same thing as saying "dope" or "ill." It means that person/thing is cool/awesome.

Big dreams, gangster Said you had to leave to start your life over I was like: "no please, stay here," We don't need no money we can make it all work But he headed out on Sunday, said he'd come home Monday I stayed up waitin', anticipatin' and pacin' but he was Chasing paper "Caught up in the game" that was the last I heard

Again, that commentator who thought "chasing paper" meant getting an MBA, is wrong. In hiphop, Chasing paper usually means getting caught up in something illicit because you'll probably get easy money out of it. Usually this means selling drugs. It's also called the drug game. He got caught in the drug game.

You went out every night And baby that's alright I told you that no matter what you did I'd be by your side Cause Ima ride or die Whether you fail or fly Well shit, at least you tried.

The whole song, in the chorus too, she's describing that she would have done anything to have kept him. In the first half of this verse she seems to acknowledge that he tried, but in the next few lines, she obviously feels that wasn't enough.

But when you walked out that door, a piece of me died I told you I wanted more-but that not what I had in mind

She didn't mean she wanted more money, but that's how he took it and so he got caught in that aforementioned "game."

I just want it like before We were dancin' all night

This is what she meant by "more." She wanted to go back to how it was.

Then they took you away- stole you out of my life

"They" could mean other drug slingers, maybe he died in a turf war or something. But I think it could also mean he went to prison, and "they" mean the police; or maybe "they" are not cops, but the people who lured him to sell drugs in the first place. The way she sings the chorus sounds like she hopes he's still alive and she's waiting for him.

Will love you till the end of time I would wait a million years

wait to get out of prison, maybe? Or stop selling drugs?

Lana said this song was part of a trilogy: Video Games, Blue Jeans, Born to Die. It makes sense that he's not dead if there's another part of it. It also makes sense if he is dead though - just have to read Born to Die in a different way (which is pretty easy)! :D

I've always thought this was about a girl whose boy ends up in prison. Denim is a fairly common standard for uniforms in state prisons, hence the blue jeans. "I would wait a million years" and "I''m a ride or die" says to me that she's waiting for him to come home. A lot of prison wives refer to themselves as ride or die chicks. It sounds like he leaves to pull off a big heist, maybe so they can get a bunch of money and start their lives over, but he gets caught and now she's waiting for him.

First of all, interpretation means taking something and defining or deciding what it means to you, so nobody's interpretation is wrong..

I just wanted to throw that out there.

Okay, here goes my interpretation:

Blue jeans, white shirt Walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn It was like James Dean, for sure You so fresh to death & sick as ca-cancer You were sorta punk rock, I grew up on hip hop But you fit me better than my favorite sweater, and I know That love is mean, and love hurts But I still remember that day we met in December, oh baby!

I think here she is talking about that moment when you meet someone and you are so awestruck and infatuated that you are speechless and have that deer-caught-in-headlights look because you are so blown away by them. I think the difference in music tastes that she references is only to signify their differing backgrounds and then she goes on to say that it doesn't matter because they just "fit" together. And then she goes on to tell him that she will always love him and never stop, and that is only because he is the one for her.

Big dreams, gangster Said you had to leave to start your life over I was like: "no please, stay here," We don't need no money we can make it all work But he headed out on Sunday, said he'd come home Monday I stayed up waitin', anticipatin' and pacin' but he was Chasing paper "Caught up in the game" that was the last I heard

I think this is just about someone being a workaholic and maybe embezzling money from a company or doing things off the table. It doesn't necessarily mean drug-running or dealing. She says that she would rather be broke and with him than have all the money in the world and be a part from him. When she says that he left on Sunday and said he'd come back on Monday but doesn't show, just shows that he chose his career over her and he fell in love with money and an extravagent lifestyle.

You went out every night And baby that's alright I told you that no matter what you did I'd be by your side Cause Ima ride or die Whether you fail or fly Well shit, at least you tried. But when you walked out that door, a piece of me died I told you I wanted more-but that not what I had in mind I just want it like before We were dancin' all night Then they took you away- stole you out of my life You just need to remember

She says that he was going out and partying and messing around basically, and that she didn't care because their love was still her first priority and always would be no matter if he was successful or not and even if he tried and failed, she would stand by him. And then he leaves one last time to work it all out and it's the last time she sees him and then he ends up in jail because he couldn't make it work career-wise.

It kinda reminds me of the like.. 1950s gangster movies though.. I love it.

Okay so my friend knows Lana and was pretty close to her.

"Big dreams, gangster Said you had to leave to start your life over I was like: "no please, stay here," We don't need no money we can make it all work"

The song is legitimately about this guy she was in love with, the dudes name is Rob. He was into heroine or something (dealing it/using it) and one day he traveled to Alaska for some reason or another.

"But he headed out on Sunday, said he'd come home Monday I stayed up waitin', anticipatin' and pacin' but he was Chasing paper Caught up in the game" that was the last I heard"

Caught up in the heroine game that is. While the guy was there in Alaksa he overdosed. The news spread to all his friends but after a day or two Lana still had no idea and MY friend was the one who found out and called Lana on the phone to tell her the news. Lana then wrote the song sometime between then and January 15 when she performed it live for the first time on Saturday Night Live (She was pretty messed up with alcohol and what not thats why the performance was so ehh.)

"You went out every night And baby that's alright I told you that no matter what you did I'd be by your side Cause Ima ride or die Whether you fail or fly Well shit, at least you tried."

At least he tried right?

Hope some of you found this worth reading :)

• Johnny

Lana Del Rey is AMAZING!!

Definitely one of my favourites from the album. I love all the different interpretations, too. Very insightful, guys. Never thought it could be jail he went. I just thought he got caught up in drugs/something illegal. "Chasing paper"- I don't think that has anything to do with going to college.

I think this song is about a girl and a guy who fell in love and their relationship started well but then he got involved in something not good. Maybe he was doing it to get money so that they could live a good life. The girl doesn't care though, she will love him no matter what he does. Really, she just wants to be with him and she doesn't really care about anything else.

I agree with the first comment. But maybe he didn't go to jail, I think he got caught up in the game and probably died. I would hope it was just jail though. She said "they took you away"

OR she could mean the "game" the life of making money took him away from her. He wasnt from the area but he wanted to be a "Gangster" so he was going out lookin for it. Drugs and money are a bad mixture and they can ruin a relationship, so maybe that took over his life. "They" took him away. Maybe it's like he doesnt even remember her being there anymore when he's on his high. So that's why she's askin him to "remember her" And even though he might not remember her, she will remember him. My favorite part is the "You were sorta Punk Rock I grew up on hip hop, but you fit me better than my favorite sweater" Which meant more of he was perfect for her.

"Chasing Paper" is a probably euphemism for greed/always running after money (: