And so begins Lana Del Rey’s “Doin’ Time”, a lament of her unfaithful,
controlling, and unappreciative girlfriend. A woman who sleeps around, and
keeps Lana living in an emotional “penitentiary”. Despite proclaiming her love
for her, Lana also admits that she’d like to hold her… head underwater. Pretty
dark stuff for a pop song, especially one in which the verses are juxtaposed
against a laid-back summery vibe and a chorus that evokes parties, concerts,
and fun.
Yet that is
exactly what Del Rey delivers on her smoky, jazzy treatment of this classic ‘90s
tune, originally recorded by ska-punk icons Sublime. I haven’t been able to get
this one out of my head since I first heard it a few weeks ago, and this is why
it earns Kyle’s All-New Radio Dial spotlight tonight!
Released on
Sublime’s self-titled 1996 breakthrough LP, and as the album’s fourth single in
’97, the original “Doin’ Time” was Sublime’s
only hot 100 hit, peaking undeservedly low at US #87. Even the band’s signature
tunes “Santeria”, “Wrong Way” and “What I Got” from that album didn’t cross over to the hot 100, (much
less the top 40), though the first two peaked at #3 on the US Modern Rock charts,
and “What I Got” topped that very same
chart.
Lana Del Ray’s
version was recorded for a documentary on Sublime for the Tribeca Film
Festival, and may possibly appear on her upcoming 2019 album. To date, she has
earned three top 40 singles, with her greatest being the #6 pop, and #2 Hot
Dance smash “Summertime Sadness” from
2013. Despite rampant critical acclaim and tunes that draw from indie pop, trip
hop, baroque pop, and alternative, Lana has not really burst into the
mainstream, and it remains to be seen if “Doin’
Time” scales the Hot 100, or Modern Rock charts, though this reviewer
believes it truly deserves to.
On the surface,
Lana’s vocals are relaxed and dreamy; lovely and melodic, but lying just below
the surface there is a tangible level of anguished weariness that speak to the
dark subject matter. In fact, it almost sounds like a beautiful lullaby until
you notice the story of the awful relationship she is stuck in.
I also appreciate
that Lana did not alter any of the lyrics (no gender swapping of “boyfriend” for
“girlfriend”, no sanitizing the “S” word, etc.), and she still calls out the
members of Sublime during the chorus exactly as done in the original. This
makes me imagine that Lana is at a Sublime concert, and thus she would actually
be referring to the late singer Bradley Nowell when she sings “Bradley’s on the microphone with Ras M.G.”,
as opposed to Nowell speaking of himself in the third person.
Even if you
somehow are not a fan of (or are, perish the thought, unfamiliar with the
original version), do yourself a favor, and lend Lana’ your ear below. Hands
down, this one deserves to be her next top 10 hit!
