From Leonard Cohen to Rufus Wainwright to Lana Del Rey – the baton has officially been passed. Chelsea Hotel No 2 has always been a really personal and dear song to me – for a number of reasons, so to hear it covered by Lana in such an immensely beautiful way is simply unreal. I always said that I thought Rufus outdid Leonard’s original as he took a much darker and twisted take on the track, but Lana’s is serving stiff competition with a charming and almost seductive depth making it perfect if it is set to be part of her contribution to the Great Gatsby soundtrack. She also hasn’t adjusted the lyrical content for gender or sexuality which takes the song to a completely different level from its previous male vocalists. Thank you once again, Lana.
Oh and regarding the Marlboro Red product placement in exchange for no legal tender, genius.
