There’s a persuasive number of parallels between Lana Del Rey’s Lust For Life and the infamous suicide of actress Peg Entwistle
Lana Del Rey is no stranger to Hollywood lore, with her songs frequently drawing upon the storied glamour and tragedy of cinema’s golden age. Recently, her references have grown even more knowing, with an album trailer portraying her as a ghostly figure living in the ‘H’ of the Hollywood sign – a theme continued in the video accompanying latest single Lust For Life, in which The Weeknd and Del Rey are perched atop the Mount Lee landmark.
However, some eagle-eyed pop culture scholars have uncovered what appears to be parallels between some of the lyrics and imagery accompanying this album and the 1932 suicide of actress Peg Entwistle. According to Wikipedia, Entwistle was an English actress who, after finding success on Broadway, moved to Los Angeles to carve a career in movies. She landed a major role in David O. Selznick’s Thirteen Women, only to find her contribution excised from the final cut. In response, she hiked up Hollywood Hills, scaled the 30ft-high ‘H’ with the help of a ladder and jumped to her death.
At this point, we don’t actually know whether these parallels to the Hollywood legend is merely coincidence. However, the clues, such as the ladder in the album teaser and some key Lust For Life lyrics – ‘Climb up the H of the Hollywood sign, yeah/ In these stolen moments/ The world is mine (do it, do it’) – suggest otherwise.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Lana Del Rey has referenced death in the same breath as glamour, it’s been a common theme in her music ever since Born To Die.
The full breakdown of the parallels can be found on Genius.
