“Trash Magic” by Lana Del Rey
If you’re a Lana Del Rey fan and wondering why you never heard of “Trash Magic”, first of all it has never been officially released (though Lana has expressed an intent to do so).
Secondly its recording, with this piece being written by Del Rey and producer by Steven Mertens, predates the songstress’s signing with Interscope and Polydor and the release of her self-titled debut LP by a few years, dating back rather to her days of hustling on MySpace.
So this can be considered one of her earliest, albeit unofficial hits in that Lana performed this song, which she also calls “Miss America”, at a few notable venues sometime prior to experiencing her big break in 2011.
The Trailer Lifestyle
Lana Del Rey is quite an interesting soul. The aesthetic of the lyrics revolve around the vocalist being, shall we say, a hot young woman living by herself in a trailer park. And yes, Lana was in fact living that life and not singing from her imagination.
That is to say that Del Rey used the proceeds from her very-first recording contract, to 5 Points Records for only $10,000, to venture out on her own, away from her parents, who are rumored to be wealthy. And she used that dough to move into a trailer home in part of New Jersey that’s less than a mile away from New York City, in the name of furthering her music career.
This transpired circa 2007, with this track’s recording also taking place during November of that year.
So the vocalist’s setting is a trailer that she resides in that is apparently her own. And a good portion of the lyrics are dedicated to describing her beauty and decorating style accordingly. So it is from that motif that we get the title, as the term ‘trailer trash’ is one commonly associated with individuals, especially of the Caucasian variety, who live in trailer parks.
And yes, it is a derogatory term. But since Lana embarked on such a lifestyle under her own accord, it can be said that she perceives a value or “magic” to it that perhaps the average person cannot.
But more the overall point of the lyrics is “Trash Magic” being a love song. And primary goal of the vocalist biggin’ up her aesthetic is in the name of luring the addressee into her home so that the two of them can get it on.
