# Lana Del Rey's Performance on SNL January 14th, 2012: Was She High or Something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686 "2012-01-16T13:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/21 "2012-01-17T12:33:16Z")
Sinus problems? Plus nerves and can’t dance? ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/22 "2012-01-17T23:13:57Z")
I had never heard of her but I was almost thinking it was an SNL sketch. It wasn’t just the totally distracted “singing” but also the constant hair adjustment-over the shoulder, behind the shoulder etc. I couldn’t help wondering what Simon would say if she showed up to audition for American Idol or the X-Factor. She was about on par with their bad auditions. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/23 "2012-01-17T23:19:22Z")
I wouldn’t say it’s a _bad_ performance, but it’s a _weak_ performance. Perhaps it’s the choice of material? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/24 "2012-01-17T23:42:53Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I couldn’t help wondering what Simon would say if she showed up to audition for American Idol or the X-Factor. She was about on par with their bad auditions. \ Really dear, you can’t sing, your lip looks like you were punched in the face backstage, and you keep touching your hair like you’re afraid someone is going to steal it. You should really face the fact that you have no talent at all. None whatsoever. Go back to your job as nail technician or whatever it is you do. \ ---
**Author:** ![Neevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Neevil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neevil)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/25 "2012-01-17T23:47:09Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Sinus problems? Plus nerves and can’t dance? Hmmm I’d be dubious about this. She was on Jonathan Ross (for American Dopers it’s a Uk chat show) a week or two ago and she sounded pretty bad there too to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/26 "2012-01-17T23:55:16Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I had never heard of her but I was almost thinking it was an SNL sketch. It wasn’t just the totally distracted “singing” but also the constant hair adjustment-over the shoulder, behind the shoulder etc. From the way her hair line looked, I’m fairly certain that was a wig. Maybe because it’s not her real hair, she was messing with it so much. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/27 "2012-01-17T23:55:48Z")
The video for that song has a wasted starlet, stumbling around and being held up by various boyfriends or publicists/managers or whoever. I thought she was perhaps trying to emulate the video. (couldn’t tell if if was her “acting” in the vid or someone else - didn’t look closely enough) Which doesn’t justify the performance, but having seen the video first it seemed like she was trying to bring the video to life, per se, and it fell totally flat - especially because the vast majority of people who saw her on SNL that night probably never saw the video. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/28 "2012-01-18T00:17:20Z")
That was the worst Cat Powers impersonation that I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Ray\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Ray\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ray_F)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/29 "2012-01-20T00:54:16Z")
She wasn’t very animated for sure, but I did like the very wide range of her voice. I downloaded “blue jeans” to my I pod. Maybe she was nervous; performing live on snl, and maybe someone offered her some sedatives back stage. Bottom line…I like her style…I like her voice. I do believe the future of this young lady will be moving in a positive direction. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/30 "2012-01-20T00:59:42Z")
This shows how clueless I am about current performers. I saw that video, and thought it was kinda average for what I would expect from some “young person of the month” on live TV. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/31 "2012-01-20T02:37:53Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > That was the worst Cat Powers impersonation that I’ve ever seen. No s. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/32 "2012-01-20T02:49:26Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I wouldn’t say it’s a _bad_ performance, but it’s a _weak_ performance. Perhaps it’s the choice of material? That’s her big song. Or what they are pushing as her big song. What else would she sing? ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/33 "2012-01-20T03:11:50Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > No s. Yes, I know, but five minutes had passed before I realized my mistake. EDIT: And now Whitney Cummings, the cutting-edge female comedian and co-creator of the much-beloved NBC sitcom _Whitney_, has come out against the criticism of Lana Del Rey, saying, basically, “It’s hard performing. Also, cut her some slack, she’s a woman,” without, it appears, even a whiff of irony or sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/34 "2012-01-20T03:50:45Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > EDIT: And now Whitney Cummings, the cutting-edge female comedian and co-creator of the much-beloved NBC sitcom _Whitney_, has come out against the criticism of Lana Del Rey, saying, basically, “It’s hard performing. Also, cut her some slack, she’s a woman,” without, it appears, even a whiff of irony or sarcasm. Hahaha. Thanks for passing that along. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/35 "2012-01-20T08:11:18Z")
Listening to the studio recordings on [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/user/LanaDelReyVEVO?feature=watch#p/u/4/cE6wxDqdOV0), I can hear her vocal limitations have been smoothed out with lots of compression, reverb, and autotune. The singing is passable plus she is easy on the eyes in the videos. However, she can’t pull it off live. If I were her manager, for live performances I would drown her out with backup singers and guitars. The total lack of stage presence is also a problem but that is more easily improved than the singing. I think she is going to be an indie artist rather than a star. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/36 "2012-01-20T18:46:28Z")
I didn’t hate it - I felt like she was going for something, but I didn’t know what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/37 "2012-01-20T20:18:35Z")
At least she can look back on this and tell herself she was still marginally better then Ashlee Simpson and the Lip-syncing, Jig-Dancing Fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/38 "2012-01-21T21:35:00Z")
She didn’t seem stoned or anything to me. This performance was the same percentage worse than usual as virtually every other performance on SNL, 25% or so. I don’t know why they even bother with the music because **every** band/artist sounds significantly worse there than everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686/39 "2012-01-21T21:47:08Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Listening to the studio recordings on [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/user/LanaDelReyVEVO?feature=watch#p/u/4/cE6wxDqdOV0), I can hear her vocal limitations have been smoothed out with lots of compression, reverb, and autotune. The singing is passable plus she is easy on the eyes in the videos. Huh. I wasn’t familiar with her before this thread and checked out your link. She should be right in my wheelhouse with the smokey, retro-lounge, attractive woman thing but I just don’t feel it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lana-del-reys-performance-on-snl-january-14th-2012-was-she-high-or-something/609686.md?page=1)