"Garden of Eden" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. It was released on March 7, 2025, through Interscope Records, as the third track from Gaga's studio album, Mayhem (2025). It was written and produced jointly by Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and Gesaffelstein. "Garden of Eden" is an electro, electroclash, synth-pop, and dance-pop track whose lyrics describe a one-night adventure at a rave, using the Garden of Eden as a reference to paradise.
The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who singled it out as one of the strongest tracks on Mayhem and praised its production, while also noting influences from her earlier works. Gaga performed "Garden of Eden" live at several events, including her 2025 promotional concerts and The Mayhem Ball tour (2025–2026). During these shows, she appeared in a black outfit and played electric guitar, with the stage illuminated in green lighting.
Background and release
In March 2024, Lady Gaga stated that she was writing "some of the best songs she could remember" and revealed that work on her upcoming album had begun in 2022 while she was on her Chromatica Ball tour (2022).[1][2] Following the announcement of her studio album Mayhem (2025), Gaga revealed the song title as part of the tracklist on February 18, 2025.[3] Lyrics from the song circulated a day earlier on her official website in a string of cryptic teasers.[4] On March 5, she previewed the song through an ESPN commercial that features the song over clips and montages of Formula One racing.[5]
"Garden of Eden" was written by Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and Gesaffelstein and produced by all four. Gaga performed lead vocals and played synthesizers, while Watt contributed bass, drums, guitars, percussion, and synthesizers. Cirkut handled drums, programming, synthesizers, and keyboards, and Gesaffelstein provided programming. It was recorded at Shangri-La in Malibu, California, by Paul Lamalfa, with additional engineering by Marco Sonzini. Tommy Turner and Tyler Harris served as assistant recording engineers. The song was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with Bryce Bordone as assistant mixing engineer, and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.[6]
"Garden of Eden" is an electro,[7]electroclash,[8]synth-pop,[5] and dance-pop[9] track that combines influences from some of her earlier works, including The Fame (2008),[7][10]The Fame Monster (2009),[10]Born This Way (2011) and Artpop (2013).[11]Billboard's Stephen Daw described the track as an "eclectic" club song that incorporates elements from Gaga's expansive career while leaning into 2000s pop influences.[11] Lyrically, the song depicts a hedonistic one-night encounter set in a rave-like environment.[12][13] According to Walden Green from Pitchfork, the lyrics draw heavily on biblical imagery, reimagining the Garden of Eden as a contemporary dancefloor.[12] Writing for The i, Emily Bootle described the song as portraying a bacchanalian party in which Gaga depicts herself "falling over in my nine-inch heels" while seeking fleeting romantic connections.[13]
Critical reception
Upon release, "Garden of Eden" received positive reviews from music critics with many declaring the song a standout. In a ranking of all songs on the album for Billboard, Stephen Daw placed it second, calling the track an "A+ pop gem" as well as a conglomeration of "all the sounds that have helped make Gaga the icon that she is".[11]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian viewed the song as an example of "the fleeting clubland hook-up as balm for the soul".[14]Vogue editor Christian Allaire called it one of the album's two "sexy pop bangers certain to be hits in all the gay clubs".[15]Variety's Steven J. Horowitz called it a "snapping sweet treat", suggesting it fulfills the promise of high-impact, low-stakes art first hinted at in "Abracadabra", the last single issued before the album's release.[10]
In a review for Pitchfork, Walden Green praised the track on which "Gaga invokes MDMA, nine-inch stilettos, and some good old-fashioned blasphemy, envisioning the site of original sin as a warehouse rave with God in the DJ booth."[12] Chris Hedden of Screen Rant ranked the song ninth among the album's tracks and described it as a blend of Gaga's rock-tinged pop, calling it "the perfect combination".[16] Kristen S. Hé of Vulture called it "pure musical hedonism", and highlighted "the stuttering synths, pitch-shifted guitars, and the choral call-and-response — 'So hit the lights / Come on and hit me, come on!'" as examples of how the song "pushes it over the top" with its attention to detail.[17] Alexa Camp at Slant Magazine thought the track was "an attempt to revive the messy party-girl shtick" hailing from The Fame with a "shamelessness of someone half her age".[7]
Commercial performance
During the release week of Mayhem, "Garden of Eden" entered the Billboard Global 200 at number 31. It was one of twelve tracks from the album to appear on the chart, ranking as the third highest-charting track among them.[18] In the United States, the song debuted at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number three on the Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart.[19][20] On the latter chart, Gaga simultaneously placed nine songs from the album, with "Garden of Eden" ranking as the second highest-positioned track.[21] In Canada, it entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 43,[22] while in Brazil it reached number 47 on the Brasil Hot 100.[23] In the United Kingdom, "Garden of Eden" debuted at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart, marking her 32nd song to enter the top 40 of the chart.[24]
Live performances
Gaga performing "Garden of Eden" during the Mayhem Ball tour
Gaga included "Garden of Eden" in the set list of her 2025 promotional concerts for Mayhem,[25][26] as well as her seventh solo headlining tour, the Mayhem Ball (2025–2026).[27][28] The stage turned green for the song as Gaga played on electric guitar, moving with her dancers toward the tip of the catwalk near the end of the track.[25][26][29] Gaga, matching her dancers, took the stage in an all-black ensemble that featured a short, gothic-styled hairstyle, a veil reminiscent of mourning attire, tall leather boots, and translucent lingerie pieces.[30][31] Robin Murray of Clash found the "epic, wildly over-the-top" performance one of the highlights.[32]NME noted the track was "given an operatic revamp".[33] Chris Willman of Variety's remarked that for "Garden of Eden" Gaga and her dancers "engaged in a funkier style of movement than at other times, and it was delightful."[34]
On January 14, 2026, Gaga performed the song at Mayhem: Requiem, a one-off concert, held at The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.[35]
↑"Top Singles (Week 11, 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
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