
What it means to be free and how to become free varies from person to person. The United States founding fathers thought separation from the British Empire and having each citizen granted unalienable rights is what it meant to be free. Many Christians believe that “… the truth will set you free” as it says in John 8:32 in the Bible, leading believers to follow a more honest life. If you asked my mother what true freedom is, she would say it would be when you stop caring about what other people think, giving you ultimate freedom to do what makes you happy, and therefore improving your quality of life. Whatever freedom means to you, it is something we all aspire to have. To finally be unrestricted by something that was hindering the happiness in your life for so long is a feeling that is strikingly portrayed in Lana Del Rey’s music video “Ride”. Lana uses various representations and symbols of freedom from oneself throughout the video, creating a truly peaceful and compelling visual text. Through the scenes I am about to analyze, I will explain how Lana portrays how she achieves freedom from the mind in “Ride”. 

In the first scene I’d like to talk about, Lana is in an open and vast desert landscape.  Deserts usually symbolize suffering, with the lack of water and civilization. There is no one to help, only yourself. Deserts also relate to being lost, seeing there is no real direction to follow. 

This directly relates to the human mind. No one can really help you through issues that you only allow to be alive within you. If you only let yourself know about your problems, no one else may realize they exist. If you don’t allow anyone in to your life to help, you are all alone to solve your problems and deal with unfortunate aspects of life. I would also like to point out that she is riding a tire swing and swinging back and forth in a wide angle shot. Lana is going back and forth within herself, trying to control where she is going but only finding herself end up in the same place she was. Lana is also wearing a very southwestern inspired outfit, with cowboy boots and tassels hanging from her jacket. Freedom is largely associated with the USA and this look is very specific to the country. Overall, this scene shows us how alone Lana is and her lack of progress in life as she tries to control it herself. 

The next scene I would like to discuss starts at 5:02 and ends at 5:22. Lana is riding a motorcycle on an open road. Here she is riding another object, therefore relating back to my previous statement about the swing. However, this ride is a bit different. First, she has a direction, she isn’t going back and forth, she now has a path. Her life is now taking her somewhere, representing progress within her mind and life. She is actually riding through life, letting it take her where it wants to. She is also not alone, even though there aren’t many people on the road, she has people helping her get to where she wants to be. We often feel so alone within our minds, especially if there is something wrong like a mental illness or just being stuck in unlucky situations. This is the first time we see Lana smile within the music video. She is trusting other people and the universe. She isn't struggling like she was in the first scene. We are also quickly flashed a shot of Lana wrapped in the United States flag. Another iconic symbol of freedom. I would like to point out that she chooses to have herself embraced in the fabric, showing us she is finally free. 

The last scene I would like to analyze starts at 6:55 and ends at 7:22. The overall color of this scene is vastly different from the rest of the video. The previous scenes I discussed were very bright and vibrant seeing that it is shot during the day. This scene is at night, making the bonfire and lights from the guns and motorcycles stand out beautifully. The camera starts getting very close and personal with the group. It is shaking and moving with the people, giving us a more personal look on the scene taking place. The people are riding their motorcycles through the fire, as if saying that it can’t hurt them. Fire symbolizes many things in many cultures, but in this scene I find it symbolizes the pain and suffering that goes on within ones mind. The bonfire is so big you can’t destroy it, but you can ride through it and still not get burned. We also get a shot of Lana, wearing a headdress and holding up a gun. The headdress represents true freedom, as the native americans had before it was stripped away from them. The Native American’s had a whole land all to themselves, with no set rules, and a type of peacefulness that can’t be replicated anymore due to so much conflict in todays world. I find it amazing that Lana was able to go from a cowboy look at the beginning of the video, to going back farther in history to wearing the United States flag, to going even farther back and wearing a headdress. Showing us the real evolution of freedom. She also holds up a gun, showing us that she has the ability to end the suffering in her mind in life, but she puts it down and chooses not to. It takes great strength to not take the easy way out, and thats how we as a viewer know that she has fully overcome this fight within herself. 

Overall, this music video gives the viewer a great visual representation of the mind and how one realizes to be free from it. She finds safety in others and decides to ride through life, she doesn’t want to control her life are think through it too much. From the symbols of freedom to the color and lights to even the outfits Lana wears, we get a captivating story where we see progression and the final destination of happiness. Regardless of all types of freedom we aspire to have, we can’t truly be free until we are free from ourselves. 
