Lana Del Rey’s “Wild at Heart” Lyrics Meaning

Listening to songs like Lana Del Rey’s “Wild at Heart” and grooving to the beat can hide just as deceptively-complicated the lyrics actually are.

It’s easy to just chalk them up as another love song and derive what you can from there. But whereas there may be some allusions to romance, all lyrics considered such does not seem to be what Lana is singing about.

In fact it is arguable that the addressee is not a person per se but rather a personification. Also, as will be noted at the conclusion of this post, it is also very much possible that there is more than one addressee at hand.

Verse 1

For instance, in the first verse, Lana specifies that the person she is singing to ‘makes her crazy’. But before jumping to any hasty conclusion, note that she also alludes to the idea of this individual being “pretty” and some sort of celebrity, or at least someone whose ‘pics are on Sunset Boulevard’.

Moreover in concluding the passage, she doesn’t come off as if this person is a lover. Rather seeing his pics ‘makes her lazy’ and also inspires the vocalist to “smoke cigarettes” in a smog-filled environment. So it’s sort of like she’s just chillin’, doing nothing. But the main point of the stanza is her infatuation, if you will, with the addressee.

Pre-Chorus and Chorus of “Wild Heart”

Then the pre-chorus follows with more metaphors of affection. And in the end, it is implied that it was said feelings for the addressee which made the singer pursue him. Or rather let’s say that the most-important revelation made in the pre-chorus is the fact that it was the singer who came to the addressee.

And even though their relationship is ‘killing her’, if she “had to do it all again (she) would”. Or stated plainly, despite the singer’s relationship with the addressee being less-than-ideal, she doesn’t regret initiating it in the first place.

The chorus is a bit more difficult to understand. Indeed, as put forth earlier, this is not an easy song to decipher. But once again, instead of reading into the lyrics literally, we’ll try to interpret them holistically, so to speak.

And what it seems Lana Del Rey is speaking to throughout the first half of the song is that being “wild at heart” is one of her internal attributes. Or stated otherwise, even if she gave up her music profession she would still be “wild at heart” by nature.

Other Sections of the Lyrics of “Wild Heart”

In fact going into the second verse, she seems to be teasing the addressee with the prospect of giving up singing altogether.  And in doing so, she would also exchange her fame for sort of an unknown, nomad type of existence.

Verily the singer regularly “think(s) about leaving” the game. But the fact that the addressee believes in her prevents Del Rey from doing so.

In the pre-chorus that follows, which is different from the first, she elaborates that the aforementioned commitment is also based on the fact that the addressee, whom she refers to as “Joe”, had encouraged her “even in the worst of times”.

So remaining faithful to him is another way of repaying him for his own dedication. Or as far as the theory being put forth is concerned, Joe may be symbolic of the singer’s fandom. And the fact that she “think(s) about leaving” but doesn’t is due to Lana’s loyalty to her fans more so than anything else.

And ultimately the song concludes with Lana once again asserting that she’s “wild at heart”. That’s just who she is. So the underlying sentiment is that the people who love her for that particular quality, which is apparently her main attribute, would love her whether she is famous or not, since such is part and parcel of her being.

Who really is the addressee of “Wild at Heart”?

So going back to who the actual addressee is, we’re going to argue that there are actually two of them. And neither one would be a romantic interest per se, although at points the lyrics may read as such. Rather what we’re going to theorize is that, more or less, during the first half of the song, Lana is addressing the industry. Or let’s say she’s addressing a personification of Hollywood itself.

And in the second half, whom she would be addressing is for the most part her fans. And what she is saying to the first addressee is that fame is not all it’s cracked up to be. Yet and still, she doesn’t regret chasing and achieving it.

And as far as her fans go yes, going back to her less-than-favorable perception of the limelight, Del Rey does at times consider quitting. But the fact that they have been so loyal to her throughout prevents her from doing so.

However, in the process of it all, she’s developed this sort of wildness which is now part of her being. So even if she does walk away from her fame or the music industry, those who truly love the singer would still feel the same about her.

Song’s Writing Credits

“Wild at Heart” is yet another songwriting collaboration between Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff. In addition to actitng as a co-writer, Antonoff also served as the track’s producer.

Release Date of “Wild at Heart”

This track came out on 19 March 2021. It is part of “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”, Lana Del Rey’s seventh album. And this is a project that was brought to us via the collaborative efforts of Interscope Records alongside Polydor Records.

Does “Wild at Heart” really reference the death of Princess Diana?

There is a line in the chorus of this song that reads, “The cameras have flashes. They cause car crashes.” Many people have interpreted this as being a reference to the death of Princess Diana in 1997, which some researchers have asserted was caused by over-aggressive paparazzi.

As it stands now, there’s no solid evidence to support the claim that the said lyric references the demise of Princess Diana.