“Dark Paradise”

I chose “Dark Paradise”, from Lana’s first album, Born to Die, as a parallel to “God Knows I Tried”during the small sequence before the final scene of Act 2. As the darkest song on the album, “Dark Paradise” easily times into Willy’s goal of suicide in Act 2, as well as his comfort in places other than he actually is. The pre-chorus will began to play as Ben appears, showing Willy’s thoughts during the scene. “And there’s no remedy for memory. Your face is like a melody; It won’t leave my head. Your soul is haunting me, And telling me that everything is fine. But I wish I was dead (Dead, like you)” As Ben has been dead for a long time, his memory has been haunting Willy for just as long, just as Lana’s lover’s memory haunts her. The final line of the pre chorus also connects to Willy’s dream of suicide. A piece of the chorus would also be played as the flashback comes to an end, “Every time I close my eyes. It’s like a dark paradise.” This again would reinforce his wish to die, and would buildup the coming end of the Act, as well as the coming end of his life. The paradise described has two separate meanings. As the paradise is in the dark, it is a corruption of the actual memories, and in the song, Lana knows that even if she is fond of them, she knows that they will only bring her pain. Willy’s flashbacks as a whole are his “dark paradise.”