One of the qualities of Westworld‘s great soundtrack was the curation and version that composer Ramin Djwadi chose for each episode. Among the most used covers were Rolling Stones and Radiohead, but the surprising versions of Nirvana and Lana Del Rey were also highlighted. In Netflix‘s The 3-Body Problem, he returned to the feature.

In episode 6, The Stars Our Destination, Will (Alex Sharp) buys a star for Jin (Jess Hong). In a creative delirium, he, who is close to death, decides to spend millions for this “surprise”. In the background, we can see that we know the melody and yes, it is VideoGames, by Lana Del Rey. The veiled (and expensive!) declaration of love that he makes to Jin becomes more moving when we remember the song’s chorus – It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you – which is implicit in the crazy gesture of giving her a star. Literally.

VideoGames was the song that put Lana Del Rey on the world circuit in 2011 after the singer reinvented herself with that name and aborted using her real name Elizabeth Grant.

Lana presented herself as a “Nancy Sinatra Gangsta” and bet on dense, cinematic, and slow songs, practically impossible for radio. She is a Goddess for Millennials. With this song of total submission, she defined her signature.

Composed by Justin Parker, Lana used the piano chords he created as the backbone for the melody, and in the lyrics she reflects on a codependent relationship where she is the one who does everything for her lover. According to her, a common trap for introverts who cling to people who “understand you”.

As with Taylor Swift, Lana’s fans like to look for sources of inspiration and it is said that VideoGames combines two of the singer’s broken relationships. The chorus, the most striking and emotional part, reflects on how she would like it to be while the verse, showing that her partner is lost in time playing video games without paying attention to her, is reality.

Executives rejected the VideoGames demo precisely because of its originality, which grew its legend, and the irony of it still being one of Lana’s biggest hits. Unfortunately, it almost sank her as well, as she was the one she sang on Saturday Night Live when it was released, falling so far out of tune that many thought she had ended her career before it began. Superproducer Jimmy Iovine helped her overcome the trauma.

As a curiosity: what was it about the video game that took away the boyfriend’s attention? World of Warcraft is the answer, but not naming it leaves it open for it to be anyone. Video Games was named Song of the Decade at the 2019 Q Awards in London. Ramin Djwadi‘s orchestrated version in Westworld, and now The 3-Body Problem helps maintain the classic aura. It’s all about her, after all!

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