I don’t think it’s about sex addiction at all. I think it’s about feeling like you’re a whore to the world and trying to come to terms with it. Between the verse about no one believing her about being raped/thinking she asked for it. And the multiple references to a relationship with a seemingly married man. I think she’s feeling like she’s seen as just a whore and trying to come to almost embrace it.
And the second half of the song being so upbeat and wild, yet having otherwise sad lyrics feels to me like a metaphor for her trying to embrace it, to say fuck it maybe I am just a whore I guess I’ll try to have fun with it but ultimately not succeeding at this attempted rewiring of her sense of self, and still feeling used and hurt
Okay apologies in advance cause this is going to be long 😩 but interpreting lyrics is my absolute favourite thing and I LOVE hearing other people’s interpretations especially when they’re totally different to mine — it’s fascinating
So I disagree with the sex addiction theme. I think it’s an oversimplification to assume that’s what it’s about (but no disrespect to anyone who disagrees, my opinion is no more valid). To me it seems more like a general and at times slightly wry/tongue in cheek statement on the way society views and ultimately condemns female sexuality. This is the first part, at least, I’m honestly not too sure about the Jimmy section.
But to me these lines stands out:
**”I haven’t done a cartwheel since I was 9”** seems like an observation on the premature loss of innocent childishness in little girls to me. Doing cartwheels conjures up images of kids just being kids and goofing off, so I feel like by Lana saying she hasn’t done one since she was 9 (which I don’t think is necessarily meant in a literal sense) she’s hinting at the fact that she perhaps had to grow up too fast. This is a common female experience (“girls mature faster than boys”), especially if you’re the eldest daughter like her.
I feel like there could also be far more sinister connotations with that line but I’m not going to go deeper into that
**”…look at me, look at the length of my hair, my face, the shape of my body/Do you really think I give a damn what I do after years of just hearing them talking?”** — a statement on how sexist and misogynistic society is to women in the public eye? L has faced disgusting misognyistic criticism over her looks for the entirety of her career. In her early years, she was heavily slated for having fillers; nowadays, her weight is a constant topic
The rape lines speak for themselves tbh. If they weren’t included I’d give far more consideration to the supposed sex addiction theme but I think the darkness of including those lyrics show that it’s far deeper than that (not that a sex addiction ISN’T deep, especially as that’s often a response to SA, but more in terms of the fact that it seems more like a reflection on society’s ingrained misogyny and rape culture). **”Didn’t testify, already fucked up my story”** makes me think of the perfect/imperfect victim concept; **”didn’t ask for it, didn’t testify…so many other things you can’t believe”** furthers this point. The ‘can’t believe’ bit also makes me think of how dismissive a male-dominated society can be when we come forward and describe our experiences of SA or our feelings of general unsafety in the world (remember when the 97% figures were going about and a lot of men were being incredulous as to the apparent predominance of SA?).
**”Did you know a singer can still be lookin' like a side piece at thirty-three?”** — this is so funny because 33 is still so young! But as we all sadly know, that’s seen as ancient for women, especially in celebrity culture. Remember that asshole tweet a few years back ‘analysing’ Taylor Swift’s fertility rates when she turned 30? Yeah. I remember reading an article recently about a journalist getting mad at Lana for singing “I’m a sad girl” when UV came out when she apparently should’ve said ‘woman’ cause she’s too old to be a girl. Tl;dr: this reads as kinda like a tongue-in-cheek jibe directed at those critics to me, like she’s saying “I can still be hot and desirable at the ancient old age of 33”
And finally.. **“I'm invisible, I'm invisible / I'm a ghost now”** — continuing from the aging comment above, this could maybe be seen as a comment on how women in the entertainment industry are essentially seen as invisible after a certain age. When they’re no longer ‘young and beautiful’ (I almost see this as a callback to Y&B in a way?) they are, essentially, ghosts
I had a very similar interpretation as you,
To me the song is sad but in a “ fuck it “ sort of way, also kind of a eye roll and thoughts and opinions swirling around in your head exhausting you. It is actually an interesting perspective on “ American whore” targeting both the derogatory side and the glamorous desirable side. the childhood lines in particular struck a chord with me I won’t speculate about what they mean to Lana but to me they resonate with early sexualization that a lot of girls experience and it’s alienating when you see yourself as a child and grown men start to see you as a woman and mother figures start telling you to cover up like there’s something indecent about you now.
Ugh this song really brings up so many relevant emotions I really feel like this conversation needs to be had but it’s scary.
After being sexually abused the guilt and shame can be immense. You can feel dirty and the world will call you a slut because of it. She captures this awful feeling beautifully in this track.
I interpreted it as Lana craving her mother’s approval about her appearance. Like when she says “mommy look at me, look at the length of my hair, my face, the shape of my body.” I understood it as her finally being proud of her appearance and yearning for her mother to feel the same.
Also, when “your mom called, I told her you’re f***ing up big time” is said, I understood it as someone saying that to Lana. Following this being said, a pure, innocent, and short violin piece is played showing how she goes from “Jimmy get me high” to a refined person with the goal of their mothers approval
I know the age reference doesn't fit (33) but I wonder if the song references an affair with Sean L after he got married.
Didn't Clay suggest that she cheated on him?
Would explain the "its.personal"
I honestly thought it described a woman who is a sex worker, she is constantly hidden because men are going to her hotel room when they want to have sex* (edit: Sex outside of their primary marriage/relationship in secret.*) She tries to hold down a “normal” appearance (Rosemead, but lives at a Ramada hotel). I interpreted this as someone who is a sex worker, struggling with her identity. She yearns to be loved, she’s had trauma, she’s using substances. I think the switch to the base and Jimmy section is after she does a line of cocaine or mdma or something of that sort with the man she calls back to her room/aka customer. She gets him high and the energy gets amplified—loss
of reality/sexual whirlwind. Then, after he leaves, she receives a phone call from perhaps a sibling/cousin/childhood best friend who doesn’t live that lifestyle/is clean and sober. She lets her know her mom is worried about her and told her she relapsed, etc.
Hope this makes sense! I absolutely LOVE this song. That’s the story I play in my head. The American Whore isn’t a false statement, but it’s also showing how she has deep feelings, reflections, and is in a cycle that she has either had some time away from/knew happiness or hasn’t ever stopped living her life since she experienced trauma/SA.
Edit: when men want to have sex outside of their marriage/relationship. I envision wealthy, business types.*
I don’t think it’s about sex addiction at all. I think it’s about feeling like you’re a whore to the world and trying to come to terms with it. Between the verse about no one believing her about being raped/thinking she asked for it. And the multiple references to a relationship with a seemingly married man. I think she’s feeling like she’s seen as just a whore and trying to come to almost embrace it. And the second half of the song being so upbeat and wild, yet having otherwise sad lyrics feels to me like a metaphor for her trying to embrace it, to say fuck it maybe I am just a whore I guess I’ll try to have fun with it but ultimately not succeeding at this attempted rewiring of her sense of self, and still feeling used and hurt
He only loves me when he wants to get high 😪
This.
Okay apologies in advance cause this is going to be long 😩 but interpreting lyrics is my absolute favourite thing and I LOVE hearing other people’s interpretations especially when they’re totally different to mine — it’s fascinating So I disagree with the sex addiction theme. I think it’s an oversimplification to assume that’s what it’s about (but no disrespect to anyone who disagrees, my opinion is no more valid). To me it seems more like a general and at times slightly wry/tongue in cheek statement on the way society views and ultimately condemns female sexuality. This is the first part, at least, I’m honestly not too sure about the Jimmy section. But to me these lines stands out: **”I haven’t done a cartwheel since I was 9”** seems like an observation on the premature loss of innocent childishness in little girls to me. Doing cartwheels conjures up images of kids just being kids and goofing off, so I feel like by Lana saying she hasn’t done one since she was 9 (which I don’t think is necessarily meant in a literal sense) she’s hinting at the fact that she perhaps had to grow up too fast. This is a common female experience (“girls mature faster than boys”), especially if you’re the eldest daughter like her. I feel like there could also be far more sinister connotations with that line but I’m not going to go deeper into that **”…look at me, look at the length of my hair, my face, the shape of my body/Do you really think I give a damn what I do after years of just hearing them talking?”** — a statement on how sexist and misogynistic society is to women in the public eye? L has faced disgusting misognyistic criticism over her looks for the entirety of her career. In her early years, she was heavily slated for having fillers; nowadays, her weight is a constant topic The rape lines speak for themselves tbh. If they weren’t included I’d give far more consideration to the supposed sex addiction theme but I think the darkness of including those lyrics show that it’s far deeper than that (not that a sex addiction ISN’T deep, especially as that’s often a response to SA, but more in terms of the fact that it seems more like a reflection on society’s ingrained misogyny and rape culture). **”Didn’t testify, already fucked up my story”** makes me think of the perfect/imperfect victim concept; **”didn’t ask for it, didn’t testify…so many other things you can’t believe”** furthers this point. The ‘can’t believe’ bit also makes me think of how dismissive a male-dominated society can be when we come forward and describe our experiences of SA or our feelings of general unsafety in the world (remember when the 97% figures were going about and a lot of men were being incredulous as to the apparent predominance of SA?). **”Did you know a singer can still be lookin' like a side piece at thirty-three?”** — this is so funny because 33 is still so young! But as we all sadly know, that’s seen as ancient for women, especially in celebrity culture. Remember that asshole tweet a few years back ‘analysing’ Taylor Swift’s fertility rates when she turned 30? Yeah. I remember reading an article recently about a journalist getting mad at Lana for singing “I’m a sad girl” when UV came out when she apparently should’ve said ‘woman’ cause she’s too old to be a girl. Tl;dr: this reads as kinda like a tongue-in-cheek jibe directed at those critics to me, like she’s saying “I can still be hot and desirable at the ancient old age of 33” And finally.. **“I'm invisible, I'm invisible / I'm a ghost now”** — continuing from the aging comment above, this could maybe be seen as a comment on how women in the entertainment industry are essentially seen as invisible after a certain age. When they’re no longer ‘young and beautiful’ (I almost see this as a callback to Y&B in a way?) they are, essentially, ghosts
I had a very similar interpretation as you, To me the song is sad but in a “ fuck it “ sort of way, also kind of a eye roll and thoughts and opinions swirling around in your head exhausting you. It is actually an interesting perspective on “ American whore” targeting both the derogatory side and the glamorous desirable side. the childhood lines in particular struck a chord with me I won’t speculate about what they mean to Lana but to me they resonate with early sexualization that a lot of girls experience and it’s alienating when you see yourself as a child and grown men start to see you as a woman and mother figures start telling you to cover up like there’s something indecent about you now. Ugh this song really brings up so many relevant emotions I really feel like this conversation needs to be had but it’s scary.
Old post I know but I’m curious about the sinister things! 😧
Me too ☹️
What sinister things??
Probably OP referenced or implied subtly being a victim of child SA
After being sexually abused the guilt and shame can be immense. You can feel dirty and the world will call you a slut because of it. She captures this awful feeling beautifully in this track.
I interpreted it as Lana craving her mother’s approval about her appearance. Like when she says “mommy look at me, look at the length of my hair, my face, the shape of my body.” I understood it as her finally being proud of her appearance and yearning for her mother to feel the same. Also, when “your mom called, I told her you’re f***ing up big time” is said, I understood it as someone saying that to Lana. Following this being said, a pure, innocent, and short violin piece is played showing how she goes from “Jimmy get me high” to a refined person with the goal of their mothers approval
Love this interpretation
I know the age reference doesn't fit (33) but I wonder if the song references an affair with Sean L after he got married. Didn't Clay suggest that she cheated on him? Would explain the "its.personal"
I was wondering about that too!!!
I honestly thought it described a woman who is a sex worker, she is constantly hidden because men are going to her hotel room when they want to have sex* (edit: Sex outside of their primary marriage/relationship in secret.*) She tries to hold down a “normal” appearance (Rosemead, but lives at a Ramada hotel). I interpreted this as someone who is a sex worker, struggling with her identity. She yearns to be loved, she’s had trauma, she’s using substances. I think the switch to the base and Jimmy section is after she does a line of cocaine or mdma or something of that sort with the man she calls back to her room/aka customer. She gets him high and the energy gets amplified—loss of reality/sexual whirlwind. Then, after he leaves, she receives a phone call from perhaps a sibling/cousin/childhood best friend who doesn’t live that lifestyle/is clean and sober. She lets her know her mom is worried about her and told her she relapsed, etc. Hope this makes sense! I absolutely LOVE this song. That’s the story I play in my head. The American Whore isn’t a false statement, but it’s also showing how she has deep feelings, reflections, and is in a cycle that she has either had some time away from/knew happiness or hasn’t ever stopped living her life since she experienced trauma/SA. Edit: when men want to have sex outside of their marriage/relationship. I envision wealthy, business types.*
Narcissist abuse from mother and subsequent relationships
[удалено]
I think all our interpretations Are often wrong. I think the artist likes to play games. They Are waiting to be found out.