After building anticipation with yesterday’s four-minute trailer and last weekend’s Twitpics, Lana Del Rey officially released the video for “National Anthem,” starring herself and Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, on Wednesday (June 27).
At nearly eight minutes, the cinematic clip depicts the pouty singer and rapper living out their whirlwind romance as Jackie Kennedy Onassis and President John F. Kennedy, respectively. Beginning with a black-and-white scene of Del Rey crooning “Happy Birthday” to her man, the two continue to share intimate moments at various life events alongside their three children.
Both Del Rey and Rocky embrace their characters completely, giving off a natural chemistry as the two sneak kisses at various points in the clip. The video ends with the untimely assassination of JFK, but as the music fades out, Lana leaves the viewer with some food for thought.
“And I remember when I met him,” she starts as the camera pans between her and various faces in the crowd. “It was so clear he was the one for me. We both knew right away. As the years went on, things got more difficult and we were faced with more challenges.”
In an April interview with Billboard.com, A$AP Rocky revealed his long-standing appreciation for the sultry singer. “I first had had a crush on her from seeing her on the Internet — I fell in love with her voice the first time I heard it,” said the rapper. “Mind you, we never even spoke to each other, and then in Complex [magazine], when she said I was her favorite rapper, I was like, ‘Oh fuck no, man. I gotta work with her! My dream girl acknowledges me!”
“National Anthem” is the latest single from Lana Del Rey’s debut album, “Born to Die,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 upon its release back in January.