Lana Del Rey – “Chelsea Hotel No. 2” Video
In a new video, and for no discernible reason, Lana Del Rey has given us her take on Leonard Cohen’s ridiculously great 1974 song and possible Janis Joplin tribute “Chelsea Hotel No. 2.” LDR has left all of Cohen’s gendered pronouns intact, but it doesn’t come across like a gender-fucking stunt; it’s more a languid tribute to a song so perfect that nobody needed to do anything to change it. Musically, it’s faithful to the original, just Del Rey’s voice and a florid guitar line. And in the simple video, from director Ant Shurmer, she sings the song in flickering candlelight. If you’re still looking for further reasons to hate Lana Del Rey, you probably won’t find them here. Watch it below.
The Paradise Edition of LDR’s Born To Die is out now on Interscope, but this cover isn’t on it.