What does Shades Of Cool mean?

Lana Del Rey: Shades Of Cool Meaning

Album cover for Shades Of Cool album cover

Song Released: 2014


Shades Of Cool Lyrics

My baby lives in shades of blue
Blue eyes and jazz and attitude
He lives in California too
He drives a chevy Malibu

And when he calls
He calls for me and not for you
He lives for love, he loves his drugs
He loves his baby too

But I...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 3rd 2014 !⃝

    If you watch the music video, he's mostly alone. She appears far away, or ethereal, or untouchable, for most of the video.

    This seems to imply that she's dead,
    (I can't break through your world)
    and he can't get over her, but still tries to fill the void with drugs and women.
    (when he calls, he calls for me and not for you)

    Only near the end does she make any contact with him, and it seems implied that he is remembering the times he had with her, as it ends with him by himself again, looking into his own pained eyes.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 9th 2019 !⃝

    This song I can relate to so much sadly. Its about being in love with an addict. Plain and simple. She yearns for him, but he yearns for his drugs. No matter what she does, it's never enough because the only thing that he needs is drugs. He loves her, but loves his drugs more, and she is one of many woman in his life, the other ones are all drug users as well, and Lana being the only real woman that loves him for who he is, feels alienated because she is not part of his dark, shady world. This song is so beautiful and I'm so thankful for Lana always, but especially this song. There is nothing like it. I too love an addict. We grew up together and then fell in love and then he fell in love with hardcore drugs. I will always love him just from afar now, pray for him. This song has always struck me in the heart. Thankyou Lana

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 18th 2014 !⃝

    The whole song could be about the downfall of Elvis. We all know Lana loves Elvis & was addicted to drugs and had alot of groupies. He also owned a white Chevy Malibu. His eyes were blue & he was known for his blue suede shoes. Also, his last album was called Moody Blue. Anyways, toward the end of the song she starts talking about the last days of Elvis and him trying to get help and he was refused and he died summer of 1977. "You're hot, hot, weather in the summer. High, high, neglectful lover. Hot, hot, weather in the summer High, neglectful lover.Youre crumbling, sadly
    I'm sorry.You're gone with me."

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 31st 2022 !⃝

    Nobody seems to be on my wave length but I thought the song was about an affair. When he calls he calls for me and not for you. The guy in the song is married with babies and is not leaving his wife despite him having lana and many other women. The wife's heart is unbreakable and she stays with him despite his bad behavior and relationships with other women. Lana can't break their world....

  5. anonymous
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    Aug 27th 2019 !⃝

    I always interpreted this song and video to be about the ghost of a young woman who's singing to the man who has lived a lifetime after her death. The man has become in part, addicted to drugs to get through the pain of his loss and has a revolving door of women in his life, but his heart has become completely hardened as a result of his ongoing mourning and grieving for Lana. Occasionally, she comes alive in his memory through his use of drugs and his longing for her, but the separation of death keeps both from ever reuniting. Lana mourns her inability to fix him and knows that he will always be calling her name in his heart.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 2nd 2018 !⃝

    I think the song’s about loving someone who doesn’t care about you and cares more about drugs, she never seems to catch his attention and the song message is that no matter what your neglectful lover’s attitude is, you ARE important and nobody can take that away from you

  7. anonymous
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    Aug 17th 2018 !⃝

    From what I know Baby Blue is a street name lots of dealers go by. Blue is also slang for a type of meth. I feel like the song is either her relation with that drug or with the drug dealer who maybe had an addiction to what he sold

  8. anonymous
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    Aug 27th 2017 !⃝

    I dont interpret i just listen to an angels voice.
    I take the song for me and love my angel when kissing her and listening to this beautiful song.

    Its like a line of the best with all of my sorrow .

    But i kiss it all away with my angel Ettas kiss.

    Quality.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 4th 2016 !⃝

    She's in love with someone who loves something else more than her. He loves her but he just loves something else more, or he's obsessed with something he can't let go (maybe drugs). Whatever it is she's tired of it keeping her from her baby.

  10. anonymous
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    Mar 12th 2016 !⃝

    I love lana... her special voice ...
    In this song ; she's very very sad... she felt giving up her love... lose him... her hear break when he dead...
    so nice song

  11. desired
    click a star to vote
    Mar 2nd 2016 !⃝

    shades of cool meaning the man she loves is shady but he's "cool" he doesn't care for the way he is. he seems to love her but loves drugs more; making him live in "shades of cool" "i can't help him can't make him better" she also says "i can't do nothing about his strange weather" she tries so hard to understand him but she can't just like people don't understand weather. he has his own personal weather.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 18th 2014 !⃝

    I think that the song is about falling in love with someone addicted to cocaine. It is a very popular drug in Hollywood and it makes you feel invisible(but you are invisible). No matter how hard she tries, he will always be addicted. It could be from the perspective of a rock stars wife. Because they often have many women(one of many bonnies blue). So the drug then causes their marriage to fall apart and without her, he dies. (you're crumbling. Im sorry. You're gone with me.)

  13. anonymous
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    Oct 9th 2014 !⃝

    She was in love with a serial killer, and big surprise he killed her.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Aug 21st 2014 !⃝

    I think it's about Barrie James O'Neil (her ex-boyfriend/fiancé ?). They broke up because he was depressed (My baby lives in shades of blue) and Elizabeth did not feel good with this relationship. I dont say he didn't make her happy ! I know he did. I saw it. But somehow Barrie maybe just ended up making lizzy unhappy and uncomfortable with the whole situation (he lives for love, he loves his drugs). She probably felt powerless with his unhappiness (i can't do nothing about his strange weather)

  15. anonymous
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    Jul 23rd 2014 !⃝

    When I listen to this song...I pick up something very strong about the character Lana is speaking of...Its like she sees this guy as a man that always wants something better...so she feels helpless that she cannot help him in any way because he has this emotional barrier built in him...So she feels that she isn't good enough for him..at the same time she chooses to stay with him because she has accepted that she cannot change him...I guess she feels that she is nothing without him...and no one will love her like he does...although she knows that he has other materialistic things that he values above her..she still wants to stay..

  16. anonymous
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    Jul 15th 2014 !⃝

    It's her father. He loves his drugs more than her.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  17. anonymous
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    Jul 3rd 2014 !⃝

    I think she means that he is very cold hearted and she can't seem to break down his emotional barrior. He won't love her as much she loves him. Ever. He also seems like he has had other woman before her as well that have left because of the same problems. It's like every part of him is a different shade of blue and the darker the blue, the colder. I love this song so much...


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