On Monday (March 27), Mel’s Drive-In, the quintessential retro restaurant chain founded in San Francisco over 75 years ago, is hosting a listening party for pop star Lana Del Rey’s latest album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard.”
Mel’s is a suitable place to record Dey Rey’s music. Both the singer and the burger chain aim to evoke a nostalgic 1950s vibe: Del Rey with her Americana aesthetic, Mel’s with its neon signs and fountain sodas. Del Rey’s music is available on Mel’s jukeboxes, and grabbing a milkshake at the diner while listening to Lana do it has become a TikTok trend.
Mel’s capitalizes on the publicity, hosts the listening party, and names a milkshake after “The Grants,” a song from Del Rey’s latest album. At the party, fans will have a chance to snag Lana merchandise and free giveaways. Admission is free, Mel’s only asks that guests try their new Del Rey shake, a Nutella and banana mix. The party is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Mel’s at 3355 Geary Boulevard in San Francisco’s Laurel Heights neighborhood.
Early reviews for “Ocean Blvd” praised Del Rey’s ability to convey raw sensibilities even after global success. As Pitchfork’s Olivia Horn writes, “It’s Lana, a self-made symbol of vulnerable femininity – in her own words ‘a modern woman with a frail constitution’ – exposed in her most honest form.”
Del Rey has a long, if complicated, history with the city of San Francisco. In 2020, she released LA Who Am I to Love You?, a searing poem about moving to San Francisco. The poem follows the main character (is it Del Rey himself? Who’s to say) as he moves to San Francisco on a “free ride off a billionaire’s jet,” but it doesn’t work out the way she’d like.
I left my city for San Francisco
And I’m writing from the Golden Gate Bridge
But things aren’t going the way I planned
I took a billionaire for free and brought my typewriter
Like it or not, the “Summertime Sadness” singer will have another chance to “write from the Golden Gate Bridge” later this year. Along with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, the Foo Fighters and Megan Thee Stallion, Lana Del Rey will be appearing at Outside Lands next August.