Lana Del Rey – Henry, come on – clashmusic.com

Lana Del Rey’s country-inflection has been making headlines for months now, long before anyone actually heard any music. Seemingly set to release on May 21^st, new album ‘The Right Person Will Stay’ has been dissected in anonymity, fans poring over any miniscule slice of information they can get.
Out now, ‘Henry, come on’ is the most emphatic sign yet of her intent. Those looking for a honky tonk hoedown might be best placed to look elsewhere – an opaque acoustic ballad with rivulets of piano and a cinematic string arrangement, the country aspects are more pronounced in the lyric sheet, than the melody. There’s no harm in that – Lana’s ability to frame a narrative in just a few words puts her ahead of her peers, transplanting entire screenplays into succinct pop songs.
A tale of love and rejection set against Western nightfall – “tell him that his cowgirl is gone” – ‘Henry, come on’ finds space to play with gender roles, patriarchal religious norms, and the intersection of myth and personal choice. Lana’s sensual touch runs through the song in its entirety, from the breathy vocal to the word play – “soft leather / blue jeans” is so Lana codified it may as well be imprinted with her DNA.
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While its longing to succumb to Western mythos can stray into broad brushstrokes – “it struck me just like lightning” – Lana’s songwriting remains magisterial. Infused with femininity in the manner of Emmylou Harris, say, she puts the matter to the crux with “All these country singers / And their lonely rides to Houston / Don’t really make for the best / Y’know, settle-down type…”
Teased for a year – most recently with a billboard in Palm Springs – ‘Henry, come on’ is a subtle return, one that evades the Major Pop Moment some fans were perhaps expecting. Nonetheless its sense of world-building makes you massively invested from the off – the perfume-esque aura floats out of the speakers, constructing a unique realm in the process. And as ever, the fusion of light and shade, heavenly beauty and undeniable menace, is prime Lana. Far from a mere country homage, ‘Henry, come on’ is a nuanced take on pervading American mythology that emerges bloodied, and emboldened. As Lana herself sings: “It’s not because of you / That I turned out so dangerous…”
8/10
Words: Robin Murray
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