Bianca XZ sings on riding into the sunset
open road / neon lights / violet sky
Dear hopeful reader,
A couple of years ago there was a submission call for poetry inspired by Lana Del Rey at an online magazine that had, unfortunately, shuttered not too long after that. Lana has been one of my musical muses since I first heard Summertime Sadness.
I recall being at a wedding-themed convention with my friend who was getting married soon. We were watching a bridal fashion show, and the song came on. I was spellbound. I didn’t know who this seductress was, but I remembered the words. When I came home, I listened to Lana on repeat.
I listened to all her songs as Lana, and as Lizzy Grant before her renaissance. I got to see her perform in Montréal once. The wait was exasperating—so I’m never doing that again—but she was worth it after all. She was magic.
Also read: Working on a Kate Bush medley
I wrote once on how Del Rey’s Ride is my life anthem at Luna Luna Magazine. I’m happy to say I’m a different person today. The dichotomy I was wrestling with fused into one whole being in time. I’m free, baby!
Ride is still one of my beloved tracks by Lana. And when I was writing my own poem unoriginally also titled “ride” then renamed “sky lore” I thought a lot about this song. And then others—to flesh out her darkling, vulnerable, lyrical, daredevil nature in the piece. I tried to give it a musical and repetitive tone too, like in a song.
The poem was accepted, which was quite a thrill. And a sadness—when the publication vanished. The poem has since been republished at one of my most favorite journals Pøst- that accepts poems in both English and French.
The result:
sky lore
open road / neon lights / violet sky / you & i / you & i / yeah we ride / ‘til the sun doesn’t come / ‘til the forests stop their burning / cherries pop blossom dead / & the crows lose their way / yeah we ride / to the sky / to the sky / to the end / of this world / ‘til all peaches rot black / ‘til the sleeping lions laugh / & all beaches are emptied / only white noise remains / ‘til our last kiss goodbye / honey tangerines & wine / ‘til we’re crimson baby blue / diamonds in the sky
Some time later I collaborated with a very special musician in my life Vad3K who makes awesome trance music. My only direction to him was to make the poem have a synthwave-y beat. For the vocals, we used a “robot” we named Bianca XZ. I was enamored with the track. You can listen to it below or here.
Listening to it again today, I ponder on the elusiveness of life and how important it is to be ourselves fully, to follow our calling to the depths or heights, to love others like it’s the last day on Earth. I want to be good to those in my life, and I want to reach for my dreams. I don’t need anything else. No matter “how late,” the limitations matter not. I’ll break through them, baby!
I got back a piano keyboard yesterday. I forgot all the keys. But I have many a songs in me to sing. Re-exploring that part of me shall be an interesting exercise.
What is your calling? Follow it. The time is always now.
Yours hopefully,
Nadia
Carpe Diem, Carpe Noctis, all the time. I could quote Thoreau about living deep but you said it: The time is always now. Looking forward to those tunes!
When I read "the elusiveness of life" I'm reminded of how often the most important things in our lives are contingent on chance events. The trajectory of our lives is so delicate, so easily changed. It's a daunting realisation, terrifying even. But all we can do in the face of it, like you say, is be ruthlessly ourselves and offer ourselves up to chance. I really enjoyed this piece Nadia. Very glad I found your newsletter.