In 2019, I wrote a post called “Top 25 Darkest & Saddest Lana Del Rey Songs”. Since then, she has released four more albums, and her sound has completely evolved. In this post, I’ll be ranking her most angelic and ethereal songs.
In her later discography, Lana’s music has become so much more angelic and ethereal. Her early work also carries a dreamy tone, but in a way that did not come into full fruition until her third or fourth album. She has really leaned into this graceful and delicate sound. It contrasts the hazy edginess of her early days.
Personally, I used to think that being called an “angel” was an insult, and being seen as “ethereal” was lame. We grow up conditioned to believe that kindness and sensitivity equate to weakness. But these qualities are exactly where beauty lies – both inside and out.
To be an angel means having an open heart, a moral compass, and a strong sense of hope. And being ethereal means having grace, delicacy, and softness – promoting peace and tranquility. Together, these traits bring on the sensation of lifting up into the sky and floating with the clouds.
Here is the criteria: we are looking for 50% angelic and 50% ethereal, a perfect and equal balance. We are counting down from 25 to 1!
25. Radio (Album: Born to Die, 2012)
“Now my life is sweet like cinnamon.”
This is the only song from her debut album that makes the list. On the surface, it has a dreamy melody with a peaceful message. But looking a little deeper, there is a lot of darkness to this song. While it can be seen as a love song, or a celebration of career success, it’s really about winning a man’s affection after making it in Hollywood and becoming a star.
24. Art Deco (Album: Honeymoon, 2015)
“Shining like gun metal, cold and unsure.”
This melody really feels like I am floating up into a world beyond this one. It’s like a daydream come to life. The lyrics have an edge, yet there’s sort of a wholesome message here. It’s about a woman who likes to go out and party, but she’s craving a life that’s deeper, and a relationship in which she can fully commit to someone.
23. Happiness is a butterfly (Album: Norman F***** Rockwell!, 2019)
“If he’s a serial killer, then what’s the worst that could happen to a girl who’s already hurt?”
This song has a hopeful intention with a cynical mindset. The composure is completely piano – and there’s something so angelic about a song on piano with no other instruments or production. But the lyrics are indeed quite sad. It’s about chasing after happiness but being caught in toxic relationship patterns, notably being involved with a man who’s toxic.
22. Arcadia (Album: Blue Banisters, 2021)
“I’ll pray for ya, but you’ll need a miracle, America.”
Bonus points for mentioning the actual word “angel,” in the lyric “I stand straight like an angel with a halo.” It’s also another piano-acoustic ballad (with some violins towards the end?) I see this as something Lana wrote from feeling like she no longer belongs in L.A. It can also represent feeling like you no longer belong in this world. And there’s images of encompassing L.A. in her body.
21. When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing (Album: Lust for Life, 2017)
“If we hold on to hope, we’ll have our happy ending.”
There is so much hope in this song. It’s a message of peace, that even during times of war and conflict, a person or an entire country can bounce back from it. It captures the period from the late 1960s, and written five decades later, shows how history repeats itself. It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. But peace is only possible when all of us commit to having faith.
This feels like a true angel’s answer to war. Choose faith over fear and revenge. Now, the only reason why it’s a little lower on the list is because it is ultimately about political violence – even though it is a peaceful response.
20. God Bless America – And All The Beautiful Women In It (Lust for Life)
“Stand proud and strong like Lady Liberty, shining all night long.”
The production is a little heavy and overly filtered, so it may sound dreamy, but just not very “ethereal.” And patriotism can be beautiful (and sometimes refreshing), but it does feel just a smidge elitist. Having said that, what is more angel-like than “God Bless” in a song title? And the appreciation for all women alike – that’s feminism.
19. Young And Beautiful (Young And Beautiful, 2013)
“Dear Lord, when I get to Heaven, please let me bring my man.”
This song is a classic. The message is so pure: you love me for who I am on the inside. It’s an incredible love song with a theatrical soundtrack. Still, there’s a hint of edginess in some of the lyrics and the beats are dark and somber, bringing this closer to the bottom of the list.
18. Religion (Honeymoon)
“It never was about the money or the drugs; For you there’s only love”
The references to religion, hallelujah, and praying, gives this song such an angelic tone. But this isn’t about spirituality – it’s about a romance. And being in love is just so ethereal. However, points are docked due to some sexy lines and the mention of drugs and partying and… other stuff.
17. Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (Album: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, 2023)
“Don’t forget me.”
The entire album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” is Lana’s most angelic and ethereal album to date. This certainly includes the title track. It’s cinematic with nostalgia that makes you yearn for a period that never even existed. The lyrics are opposite of superficial – it’s about understanding that there’s more to a person than what meets the eye. (Points docked for sensual suggestions and the F-word!)
16. Change (Lust for Life)
“Change is a powerful thing, people are powerful beings“
Now we are getting into much more angelic and ethereal territory. This is character development playing over the sound of piano. This is a metamorphosis in which the devil transforms into the angel – or at least takes the first step in the right direction.
15. Kitsungi (Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd)
“That’s how the light gets in.”
A soft and sweet song, so delicate that it almost feels like she’s mumbling at times. “Kitsungi” is the Japanese art of taking broken pieces and putting them back together in pottery. Lana connects this to real life, in which your heart can break like glass, but it can be mended back together. In fact, a broken heart is how the light gets in.
14. Cinnamon Girl (Norman F Rockwell!)
“If you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”
It is certainly more of a melancholy song, but the way that she sings in the chorus is incredibly ethereal. It comes from a place of past hurt, but ultimately shows faith moving forward.
13. hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it (Norman F Rockwell!)
“Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not; But, at best, I can say I’m not sad”
There is absolutely a lot of darkness in this song. However, it gives so much power to the concept of having hope. Hope does not come easy, it tends to come with a price – but it’s what is right.
12. Love song (Norman F Rockwell!)
“Be my once in a lifetime”
This song is exactly what the title says. There’s really nothing dark or sinister about this except for a curse word and a hint of lust.
11. Sweet (ocean blvd)
“I’ve got magic in my hand, stars in my eyes”
Once again, the way that she sings on this album is so much more angelic than her prior records. Along with that, there’s something so wholesome about this song. It paints the image of hiking through the woods or the mountains and thinking of the person you love, contemplating your future together.
10. Let Me Love You Like A Woman (Album: Chemtrails Over The Country Club, 2021)
“Let me hold you like a baby”
I find this to be a very sweet and wholesome love song. There’s also this strong desire to leave L.A. – and while that’s likely literal, it can also be a metaphor for everything that the city stands for, such as glamour and fame. It’s not just a song about romance, it’s also about this need to live a more authentic life.
9. Chemtrails Over The Country Club (Chemtrails Over The Country Club)
“My Cancer is sun and my Leo is moon.”
I really feel like I’m floating when I hear this! There’s a reflection on childhood and innocence. There’s so much to say about this song, but basically it serves as a metaphor for feeling protected inside of a bubble, despite evil and corruptness in the world. It’s a little bit of a dark undertone, but that sense of innocence is so angelic.
8. Love (Lust for Life)
“It’s enough just to make you feel crazy, crazy, crazy.”
The music video itself is celestial with people floating up into space – and that’s exactly how this song feels. It especially captures young love. Being young can make you feel lost and anxious about the future, but falling in love relieves all of those fears – and brings hope and peace.
7. Swan song (Honeymoon)
“Why work so hard when you could just be free?”
This sound is hypnotic. I really feel like an angel is coming down and singing this to me. The song is about choosing love over work, money, fame, and other worldly matters.
6. Honeymoon (Honeymoon)
“Dreaming away your life”
This just might be the soundtrack to entering Heaven… or a 1940’s Disney princess movie. There’s maybe one or two lines in the lyrics that are questionable, which is why this cannot be #1.
5. White Dress (Chemtrails Over The Countryclub)
“When I was a waitress, wearing a white dress.”
The production is so minimal and raw, giving it that ethereal effect. It’s about reflecting on younger and more innocent times. Specifically, Lana is recalling a time before she sprung into fame, starting from humble beginnings. But in a broader context, we all build lives for ourselves, and we all have a period in which we started with nothing. That was a time of freedom with nothing to lose. The color white symbolizes innocence and inexperience.
4. The Grants (Ocean Blvd)
“My pastor told me, ‘when you leave, all you take is your memories.’ And I’m gonna take mine of you with me.”
This is a gospel song – of course it’s angelic. First off, it starts with a choir singing in acapella. And then it goes into a soft piano. The message is about how when we die, we leave behind our money, our possessions, and all of our worldly belongings. The only thing that we take with us is the connections of our loved ones. And so, you should live your life understanding what is truly important.
3. Paris, Texas (Ocean Blvd)
“When you’re right, you’re right. Even when you’re wrong.”
I cannot hear this song without imagining fairies flying around a magical garden. While Lana has many piano songs, this one is different – probably because the instrumental is originally a piece by SYML. But she also sings a little differently, softer and higher pitched, which truly creates this angelic vibe. I know that the lyrics are a little bit melancholy, but I also think that there is a lot of peace in these words, a bittersweet feeling of acceptance. It’s just such a beautiful harmony.
2. Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing (Ocean Blvd)
“God, if you’re near me, send me three white butterflies. Or an owl to know know you’re listening”
Similar to “Paris, Texas,” the instrumentals are done by RIOPY – which again, explains why it sounds even more ethereal than her other songs. What makes it so angelic is standing firm about having a moral compass and being a good person. It’s also reflective on the meaning of signs and spirituality. And specifically, she is remembering her grandfather, in hopes that he is watching over her family.
1. Say Yes To Heaven (Say Yes To Heaven, 2023)
“Give peace a chance; Let the fear you have fall away”
This song is perfectly equal parts angelic and ethereal. It was actually an unreleased song that was randomly dropped one day in 2023. It feels serene and mystical. The lyrics are quite simple, yet they say so much. This is her purest love song.
Crystal Aura Gaze 
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