Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky live American Dream in 'National Anthem' video
For her latest visual, Lana Del Rey takes some classic American iconography and flips it on its head.
While Lana opens with a breathy a cappella "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" serenade that invokes Marilyn Monroe's iconic 1962 rendition, the moody singer mostly plays Jackie Kennedy to A$AP Rocky's John F. Kennedy as the pair spend much of the clip frolicking and getting affectionate in a pastoral, Kennebunkport-like setting with their curly-haired tots. They also get down 2012 style, swigging cognac and chucking dice at raucous house parties.
Preppy threads aside, Rocky is mostly just ... Rocky. The buzzed-about Harlem lyricist plays JFK with chunky pinky rings, cornrows, snap-back caps, and glitzy gold chains. Lana, for the most part, is faithful to Jackie O's retro glam, although she does keep her signature tricked-out nails.
The clip ends the same way JFK and Jackie's fabled love story does, as Lana muses in a voice-over about still being head over heels with her "charismatic" love.
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Sarah Rodman is a staff music critic for the Boston Globe.James Reed is a staff music critic for the Boston Globe.
Jonathan Perry is the Globe's Scene & Heard columnist, covering local music.
Michael Brodeur is the assistant arts editor for the Boston Globe, covering pop music, TV, and nightlife.
Julian Benbow is a staff writer at the Boston Globe, covering sports and music.
Katie McLeod is Boston.com's features editor.
Rachel Raczka is a producer for Lifestyle and Arts & Entertainment at Boston.com.
Glenn Yoder is an Arts & Entertainment producer at Boston.com.
