“Put Me in a Movie” by Lana Del Rey

The generally-accepted interpretation of “Put Me in a Movie” is that Lana Del Rey is taking on the role of a girl with starlet fever, who is accordingly taken sexual advantage of by older, unscrupulous men or at least one of such in the addressee. 

But the interesting thing is that nowhere in this song does the vocalist specify that she is aspiring to be a star. That particular understanding was logically derived from the fact that the phrase “lights, camera, action”, which is associated with the movie industry, plays a prominent role herein. And more to the point, the vocalist relatedly tells the addressee to ‘put her in a movie’, which does sound like maybe she is trying to seduce him to cast her in a film. 

But another way all of this may be interpreted is as the two of them making some type of raunchy home movie. This song was dropped in 2010, when camera phones and what have you weren’t as universally-ubiquitous as they are now. But still, even back in those days s-x tapes very much existed.

Is the Narrator being abused?

If the vocalist is being taken advantage of by an older man, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from her attitude. Why? Because she appears very much down to participate in what he’s putting her through. So if you take it like that, as if they are straight-up lovers with the addressee being the vocalist’s sugar “daddy” or what have you, then the expression “put me in a movie” would speak to the singer’s willingness to participate in an adult-themed tape or something along those lines.

Interesting to Note

Interestingly, certain analysts have referred to a 2012 Lana Del Rey track called “Lolita” in comparing its theme to this one. In that song also, Lana actually takes on the role of a younger woman who enjoys hooking up with older men. So who knows if “Put Me in a Movie” is actually meant to allude to a girl being willing to go all the way in the name of stardom. But if nothing else, it can be postulated that the implication behind this piece is that the vocalist is hooking up with this older dude for advantages beyond just sexual enjoyment.

Facts about “Put Me in a Movie”

This track is from the “Lana Del Rey” project, i.e. the songstress’s inaugural LP, which 5 Points Records put out on the date of 4 January 2010. 5 Points is the first label Lana signed with, back in the days when she was still pursuing her bachelor’s degree and a music career simultaneously. 

The said indie company was responsible for the earliest entries in her discography, before Del Rey really proceeded to make a name for herself and then sign with Interscope and Polydor in 2012, whom she has been associated with since.

Lana wrote “Put Me in a Movie” herself, with its producer being David Kahne. This song is in fact one of her first works, i.e. being amongst the demos Lana circulated at a time she was searching for a producer. And to note, this piece is interpolated into a song she dropped later down the line, that being 2015’s “High By the Beach”.

There is also a music video “Put Me in a Movie”, which Del Rey herself directed and filmed.

The “Lana Del Ray” Album

“Lana Del Ray” is a 13-tracked eponymous album released on January 4 of 2010. The album happens to be the singer’s debut studio album.

American record producer, executive and composer, David Kahne was behind the production of “Lana Del Ray”. 5 Points Records was the record label responsible for its official release.

The album’s release was not without challenges. According to claims by Lana, the record label was unable to fund the album, forcing her to buy back the rights.

All 13 tracks on the album were composed by Lana.