A song that has been important to me since I came to Maryland is "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Ray. The entire album the song comes from is one of my all-time favorites. I remember seeing her for the first time on Saturday Night Live where she was the musical guest. He was performing his popular single “Video Games” from his Born to Die album. His performance was not theatrical at all; in fact it was very minimalist. The performance was supposed to be about the song only and not specifically about its showmanship. Critics gave her negative reviews about her lack of energy and how the performance was emotionless. He just made me more curious about his music. I downloaded his album soon after and didn't get to listen to it until the beginning of the summer, when I was a freshman at Maryland. I'd be lying if I didn't say I have a huge crush on her, which has also increased my liking for her music. One particular song on the album that stood out to me was “Summertime Sadness.” The song described my feelings about leaving home for school and starting a new chapter in my life. The song genre also includes the subgenres of Rock that inspire the bands/producers that Dr. Warfield taught in our class. His song is about his feelings of sadness that come around the end of summer; The main theme is about Lana and her summer boyfriend having to separate by the end of the summer and her emotions when that last meeting happens. Summer romances are always short and fun, but ending a summer romance is always a little sad and depressing. While I personally don't relate to a romantic experience last summer, the feelings she describes in the song where... middle of paper... were her voice adding mystery and a defined sound applicable only to Del Ray . Personally I think his new character creates an intriguing guise that leads to artistic music. Lana even says: "I was a singer, not very popular, who once dreamed of becoming a beautiful poet" (Staff). His lyrics exemplify this perfectly as each song sounds like a piece that could be read in a bar accompanied by shots of audience recognition. Works cited "Far from Dusty". New statesman. (January 23, 2012): 804 words. Academic LexisNexis. Network. Access date: 11/14/2013. "Genre Profile - Shoegaze." About.com Alternative music. Np, nd Web. November 14, 2013.Staff, idolatrous. “Lana Del Rey Goes Wild for Her “Ride” Video Premiere.” Music news reviews and gossip on Idolatorcom RSS. NP, October 11, 2012. Web. November 14, 2013."Trip Hop." ALL music. Np, nd Web. November 11. 2013.