Vocally , '' NME '' observed that Del Rey sings like a " perfect mannequin " on " National Anthem " , criticizing the track for baldly revisiting the beat-driven chorus of " Born to Die " . Further , '' NME '' praised certain elements of the track , saying : " As she sings of a relationship of a well-heeled man and a blank canvas woman , she invokes not only the dreamland of the monied classes ( The Hamptons ) and their could-be motto ' Money is the anthem of success ' but also invokes the spectre of Vietnam with a reference to ' The Queen Of Saigon ' . " Digital Spy called the running theme of '' Born to Die '' , " demonic Stepford moll " , which " National Anthem " fit into . The track was praised for having a : " laconic , anaesthetised vocal that conjures up images of her swigging from a bottle of Hendricks . There 's a deep sadness underneath the sweeping string section and gangster hip-hop beats , but it 's the chorus 's fleeting glimpse of euphoria that 'll keep you coming back . " The music video for " National Anthem " was directed by Anthony Mandler in May 2012 . It premiered on June 27 , 2012 . Mandler stated the concept was Del Rey 's and that she was " really interested in exploring this loss of innocence , this idea that what you think you 're experiencing is maybe not what it 's always going to be . Because when you say ' Kennedy , ' that immediately evokes something , just like when I say ' It 's a Romeo and Juliet story . ' So I think using that power , that pedigree of the story is a really fascinating place to show the loss of something , the breakdown of something . " It begins with Del Rey as Marilyn Monroe in a re-enactment of Monroe 's 1962 performance of " Happy Birthday , Mr. President " . The rest of the video depicts Del Rey as Jacqueline Kennedy and rapper ASAP Rocky as John F. Kennedy in re-enactments of home videos . The video ends with a re-enactment of the infamous Zapruder film showing Kennedy 's assassination and Del Rey reading a monologue as Onassis concerning her and Kennedy 's relationship
Kennedy 's assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
National Anthem (Lana Del Rey song)