Joanne is the fifth studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga, Mark Ronson and BloodPop handled its production. Other collaborators include Kevin Parker, Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker and Josh Homme. Musically, Joanne is a stripped-down, soft rock and Americana record with country elements, with a focus on Gaga's vocals. Lyrically, the album delves into the theme of family and life's emotions; the death of her aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, deeply influenced the record. The singer's experience acting on the television series American Horror Story also influenced its creative process.
Joanne topped the album charts in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States while reaching the top five in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Three singles were released: "Perfect Illusion", "Million Reasons" and the title track. "Perfect Illusion" was released as the album's lead single on September 9, 2016, and reached number one in France, while "Million Reasons" reached number four in the United States. A piano version of the title track was released to radio in selected territories as the album's third single. The album received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised Gaga's musical direction, vocals, production and lyrical content. However, some critics found that the album lacked cohesiveness. Joanne was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. "Million Reasons" and "Joanne" were nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance in separate years, for which the latter won the award.
The release and promotion of the album marked a softening of Gaga's image, who took on a more singer-songwriter oriented look in promotional materials, wearing a pink, wide-brimmed cowgirl hat, vintage denim and pastel colors, evoking the 1970s. She promoted the album with her Dive Bar Tour, a promotional concert in dive bars in the United States, and the Joanne World Tour, which began in August 2017 and ended in February 2018. Gaga also did some television appearances, and headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show and the 2017 Coachella Festival. That same year, she released a documentary film, titled Gaga: Five Foot Two, showing the production of the album and her halftime performance.
Background and development
Lady Gaga's third studio album Artpop was released in November 2013 to mixed reviews.[1] It debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, and had sold 2.5million copies as of July 2014.[2][3] Gaga split from her longtime manager Troy Carter in late 2013.[4] By June 2014, she and new manager Bobby Campbell had joined Artist Nation, the artist management division of Live Nation Entertainment.[5] Gaga confessed to NME that she had considered quitting music altogether because she felt depressed about herself and "wasn't able to see my own ability or my own talent".[6] The ambivalent reception to Artpop, controversies surrounding the album and Born This Way (2011) and negative press reactions led Gaga's management to come up with an image change for her.[7] Along with a more subdued appearance in the media, Gaga emphasized her vocal prowess. A tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music at the 87th Academy Awards, where she sang a medley of songs from the film, was critically lauded.[5][8] She and Tony Bennett also released Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz duets, in September 2014 to generally favorable reviews.[9] It debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Gaga's third consecutive number-one album in the United States,[10] and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[11]
According to Gaga, she wanted "fans to be surprised [by the album]... it's a wonderful, soul-searching experience. And it's very unlike [Artpop] in that way".[17] In an interview with Billboard, producer RedOne said the singer was mentally in a "cleaner" state of mind, hearkening back to her earlier days, which he felt was beneficial.[5] Gaga and Ronson served as Joanne's executive producers.[18] The two grew up near each other on the Upper East Side of New York City, and had collaborated on Wale's song "Chillin" (2009). They reunited in late 2015, when Gaga presented the song "Angel Down" to Ronson at a studio in London. Later, the duo worked for six months in Rick Rubin's Shangri-La recording studio in Malibu, while he was between projects. On Gaga and Ronson's first day at Shangri-La, they wrote the song "Joanne". Ronson encouraged Gaga to "write [lyrics] about whatever was happening in her life or on her mind".[19]
Recording continued until the album's final mastering session.[19] Gaga was involved in the technical aspects of recording. "She loves just sitting at a piano and barking orders at a drummer and she has an incredible voice", Ronson said.[20] He later said that the music recorded with Gaga was "some of my favorite music I've really ever worked on. It's incredible– I love it. ... I can't wait until you can hear it because the music speaks for itself".[21] Ronson also hinted at the involvement of Kevin Parker, frontman for the Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala, which BBC Music later confirmed.[22]
Florence Welch (pictured) is a featured vocalist on "Hey Girl".
Many prominent musicians make guest appearances on Joanne. Gaga invited Father John Misty to play drums on the record. Ronson invited Josh Homme to play guitar on the song "John Wayne" because of his work for the band Queens of the Stone Age; in addition, Homme drummed and was a co-producer. Ronson also invited Beck to collaborate on the album, resulting in the song "Dancin' in Circles". Gaga, a longtime fan of Beck's, was initially starstruck at working with him. Gaga and Florence Welch developed the concept of their duet, "Hey Girl", during a meeting at New York's Electric Lady Studios.[19] According to Gaga, the song's theme demanded a female collaborator. She selected Welch, calling her "if not the best, one of the greatest vocalists in the world".[23][24]
Ronson crafted the album's organic sound by recruiting musicians he had previously worked with on projects for Rufus Wainwright and Amy Winehouse. He credited producer BloodPop with bringing the album "into the modern era".[19] During the album's production, Gaga collaborated with Elton John; their sessions resulted in a song titled "Room in My Heart", which did not make the album's final cut.[16] In 2017, Gaga released her documentary film Gaga: Five Foot Two on Netflix, which included scenes of the singer and Ronson shot during the album's recording sessions.[25]
Themes and influences
"Returning to your family and where you came from, and your history... this is what makes you strong. It's not looking out that's going to do that—it's looking in... Joanne is a progression for me. It was about going into the studio and forgetting that I was famous."
Family is an underlying theme on Joanne. Gaga explained that the album "goes through all of [life]'s emotions".[27] While crafting it, she envisioned a girl in the middle of the country, who would understand the singer's lyrics and find a human connection. To achieve that, Gaga said in an interview with E! that she decided to encompass an assortment of genres, including "[crossing] between country and funk, pop, dance, rock, electronic music, [and] folk". The death of Gaga's aunt, Joanne Germanotta, contributed to the emotional content of the songs, as well as to their lyrics. Along with identity, feelings such as loss, heartbreak, frustration, desire and nostalgia also influenced the album. The singer clarified that with Joanne she wanted to go "out into the world... bringing with me its deepest stories that I have of my life and turning them into songs that I hope will touch people in a deep and meaningful way about their own lives and their own stories".[28]
The singer's experience working on American Horror Story influenced Joanne's creative process. Gaga said: "I have returned to something I've believed in so much, which is the art of darkness."[29] Being on the show also impacted her vocals. She explained that she would "listen" more to the music and then write. She added that Joanne would talk less about her painful time during the Artpop era and would have more clarity: "Now I'm thinking more about what it is I want to say and what I want to leave on Earth. It's less an expression of all my pain."[16] The album became an outlet for the singer to relieve herself of the "pain and anguish" she was feeling.[30]
Other influences came from the men in Gaga's life, including her father Joe Germanotta and ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney. She said that using her "rebellious spirit", she wanted to understand the different relationships she had gone through, saying that Joanne was not a "sad album. It's an album that is very revealing of me as a woman."[31] According to Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast: "The act of being Lady Gaga had drowned out the brilliant music, and the importance of Lady Gaga had somehow muddied the simple pleasure of being her fan: It was her authenticity, in all of its strangeness and lofty artistic pursuit, that spoke to us. That seemed to have gone missing." He felt that with Joanne, Gaga was able to eliminate that redundancy and present herself as an "evolved performer", who could "lay bare" emotions in the songs, rather than "mask" them in electronic music beats.[32]
Title and packaging
The tattoo on Gaga's left biceps displays the date her aunt Joanne died between lines from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke.
Gaga named the album after Joanne Stefani Germanotta, her father's sister. She died on December 18, 1974, at age 19, due to complications arising from lupus.[34] Gaga, whose middle name is Joanne (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), recognized her aunt's death had had a profound effect on her family[35] and her work. The booklet in her debut album, The Fame (2008), contained a poem titled For a Moment written by Joanne.[34]
Gaga credits Joanne with helping her overcome addiction problems, and dedicated The Fame Ball Tour (2009) to her. The singer tattooed the date of Joanne's death on her left biceps, "between lines of a verse from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke". The singer's parents opened a restaurant called Joanne Trattoria in New York in 2012. Gaga has often said that although she never met her, Joanne was "one of the most important figures in my life".[34] After she wrote the song "Joanne" with Ronson, they decided to use the name as the album's title as a tribute to her aunt.[35]
Along with revealing the album's title, Gaga also unveiled the cover artwork. It consists of an image of the singer's left profile, with her wearing a pink, wide-brimmed hat, against a blue background.[36] The hat was designed by millinerGladys Tamez, who revealed it was another source of inspiration behind the overall direction of Joanne.[37] The milliner explained to The Daily Beast that one of the hats was inspired by English singer Marianne Faithfull. She said that "Gaga was the first to ever request this hat in pink", stating it is the singer's favorite color. Tamez also named it "Lady Joanne" and added that Gaga had her change the shape, color and the ribbon on the hat. While designing the cover and the overall image, Tamez and Gaga spoke of using more pastel colors, inspired by the aesthetics of the 1970s.[38]
Dominique Redfearn of Billboard noted that the cover appeared simpler compared to those for Born This Way (2011) and Artpop (2013).[36]Billboard's Andrew Unterberger described it as "thoughtfully composed", adding it was an indication that the album's music was much more straightforward than her earlier work.[39] The standard version of the album contains 11 songs; the deluxe edition includes three additional tracks – two bonus songs and a demo. The booklet includes Gaga and her father's pictures, and Joanne's driving license and handwriting.[40] Gaga felt it was "nice to include family heirlooms that carry meaning to me still today", as well as "a Polaroid of me and [Ronson] in the studio".[41]
Music and lyrics
Journalists have described Joanne as a soft rock[42] and Americana album,[43] with elements of country music.[44] According to Rolling Stone, Gaga "didn't give much thought to genre" while creating Joanne, which ranges "from the dance-rock of [its] lead single[,] 'Perfect Illusion'[,] to the introspective country songwriting of the title track". Gaga stated she professed a fascination with all aspects of country music, which in turn influenced the album.[45] In terms of production and composition, Joanne continued the "stripped-down" approach to music Gaga had taken following Artpop, emphasizing her vocals and the songwriting.[32] Gaga told Rolling Stone that the tracks consisted of "stories about my family, my sister, my father and his sister. My mom's family. My relationships with men, my failures".[27]
Gaga performing the title track on the Joanne World Tour. The song marks the first time the general tempo of the album drops. The singer called it the "true heart and soul of the record".
Joe Lynch of Billboard described Joanne as "a stylistically eclectic collection of swaggering rock, introspective ballads and soulful, danceable grooves".[47] It opens with the track "Diamond Heart". Hearkening back to her earlier works,[48] this autobiographical song talks about Gaga's time as a go-go dancer in New York. "Diamond Heart" varies from a moody vibe in the verses, to a drum-oriented pre-chorus, and finally a rock-EDM chorus, with Homme playing guitar.[49] The second track, "A-Yo", has "touches of country", and is reminiscent of the music played in dive bars, with double hand claps.[48] Lyrically, it is a metaphor for having sex. The repetition of the same two chords in the song's instrumentation is complemented by BloodPop's "background shouts and synth" elements.[49] As the title track starts, the general tempo drops. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar and minimal percussion, Gaga sings lyrics about her late aunt Joanne.[48] The singer described the track as "the true heart and soul of the record".[46]
The electronic "John Wayne" is more "tongue-in-cheek" lyrically, with Gaga including "cowboy references" in the lyrics: "I just love a cowboy, I know it's bad, but I'm, like, can I just hang off the back of your horse and can you go a little faster?".[48] Gaga's vocals are accompanied by Homme's guitar,[18] and the track talks about her constant need to chase wild men, with comparisons to actor John Wayne.[47][46] The Beck-composed track "Dancin' in Circles" is a pop song with influences of reggae,[50] consisting of a dance beat, a spoken-word bridge and lyrics about having a good time by oneself.[48] It was described by Billboard' Lynch as an "ode to masturbation".[47] The lyrics find Gaga, dancing alone late at night, "fantasizing about a past lover" and masturbating: "I lay around, touch myself to pass the time / I feel down, I wish you were mine".[47][51]
An 18-second sample of "Perfect Illusion", which illustrates the chorus of the song. The track presents a guitar-and-vocal breakdown, as well is a mixture of guitar and "grumbling" synths.
According to Mark Savage of BBC Music, "Perfect Illusion" is a disco-rock song, composed around a "building chord sequence", which he felt leads to a "compelling sense of urgency".[52] The singer's vocals are kept "raw" and "untreated", "eschewing Auto-Tune".[52] The composition consists of "pulsing verses" and a "guitar-and-vocals breakdown before the final chorus", where Gaga sings the title multiple times. Around the two-minute mark, there is a key change for the final chorus.[53] In "Million Reasons" Gaga talks about love which does not last, uttering "several variations" of the title in the verses.[48] The composition consists of a simple, country-oriented piano and guitar instrumentation. In the chorus Gaga sings, "You're giving me a million reasons to let you go / You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show".[54] Tom Rasmussen of Vice feels "Million Reasons" has the strongest country music influence of all the songs on Joanne.[49]
"Sinner's Prayer" is a mixture of country music, R&B and pop.[49] The "Father John Misty-assisted track" finds a "vulnerable" Gaga wanting her man to love her true self.[48][55] The lyric, "Her love for him ain't cheap / But it breaks just like a knockoff piece from Fulton Street" references Fulton Street in Manhattan, New York, where cheap trinkets are available.[47] In the 1970s-inspired "Come to Mama", Gaga sings about loving and accepting one another in an affected voice, elongating her vowel enunciation.[48][55] The song has biblical references, with Gaga alluding to both the Old and New Testaments. The lyric about "a forty-day flood" references Noah's Ark, while "stop throwin' stones at your sisters and your brothers" is taken from one of Jesus' aphorisms: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."[47]
"Hey Girl" features guest vocals by Welch and its lyrics are an ode to feminism. Reviewers observed the inspiration on Elton John's 1974 single "Bennie and the Jets".[48][56] The eleventh track, "Angel Down", is a "torch song" that was inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead by George Zimmerman in 2012.[49] The song includes lyrics regarding the shooting, such as: "Shots were fired on the street, by the church where we used to meet."[48] Deluxe edition bonus track "Grigio Girls" was written for Sonja Durham, creative coordinator of her team, the Haus of Gaga, who had breast cancer. The song's lyrics include, "I was 23 / She was 35 / I was spiralin' out / And she was so alive".[57] The second bonus track, "Just Another Day" was inspired by glam and the work of David Bowie.[58]
Release
Gaga's manager Bobby Campbell confirmed the album would not be released until the latter half of 2016; Elton John said it would not be released until 2017.[5][59] In September 2016, Gaga updated her official website announcing the new album and revealed the title of the lead single, "Perfect Illusion". On September 15, the singer appeared on Apple Radio's Beats 1 and announced the album was titled Joanne and its release date would be October 21, 2016. She also confirmed that within the next 48 hours, the recording would be finished.[60] Gaga confessed that finally announcing the album's name and release date was a bittersweet moment for her, acknowledging "this isn't the end just the end of this moment. It's also the beginning of this moment."[35]
During the same interview, the singer confirmed that, unlike recent releases, the album would not be available exclusively on streaming services like Apple Music or Tidal. "I told my label that if they signed those contracts with Apple Music and Tidal, I'd leak all my own new music", she explained to host Zane Lowe. Gaga was opposed to these services having exclusive streaming rights to an artist's releases.[61] Before its release, the album was leaked several times. On Amazon, the album was listed for pre-order,[62] but using Amazon's Echo speaker allowed listeners to preview 30 second snippets of each track that if they instructed it to "play Joanne by Lady Gaga".[63] Amazon later disabled previews for the whole album.[64] Three days prior to the official release date of October 21, the album was mistakenly put out for sale in shops in Belgium, leading to additional leaks.[65]
Promotion
Chris Willman of Billboard wrote that the promotional "blitz" for Joanne "felt like something from a bygone era" due to the traditional route taken by Gaga and her team, in place of surprise album launches.[66] During her interview on The Howard Stern Show, Gaga confirmed that she wanted to promote Joanne in the "old-school style".[66] The events leading up to the release were described by Willman as "the most culturally ubiquitous rollout since Taylor Swift's 1989 two years ago".[66] He theorized that after the perceived commercial disappointment with Artpop, Gaga's management wanted to make sure of a comeback with Joanne. Adding to this was the musical and stylistic change that Gaga underwent with the release, which would have confused her core audience and fans without promotion. Willman concluded that the promo would "provide a pre-Super Bowl primer to Middle America–that somewhere between the meat dress and the Tony Bennett collaboration, Gaga has settled into a middle path".[66]
Singles
Gaga performing "Million Reasons" in her characteristic Joanne pink hat during the Joanne World Tour
"Perfect Illusion" was released as the album's first single on September 9, 2016.[67] It received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its catchiness, the song's key change and Gaga's vocal delivery.[68][69] Others deemed it a disappointing choice as a lead single compared to the singer's previous releases.[70] The song debuted at number one in France[71] while reaching a peak of number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.[72]
This was followed by the release of two promotional singles – "Million Reasons" on October 6[73] and "A-Yo" on October 18, 2016.[74] "A-Yo" was initially chosen as the second single of the album, but "Million Reasons" proved to be more successful commercially and was released first.[75] The song debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100, initially peaking at number 54. However, after Gaga's Super Bowl performance, it re-entered the chart at number four, becoming her fourteenth top-ten in the nation. The placement was aided by the song reaching number one on the Digital Songs Chart with sales of 149,000 copies, 7.6million US streams and 15million radio airplays.[76] Most critics reacted positively to the song, highlighting its simple nature and the lyrics.[77] It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[78] For further promotion, both singles were accompanied by music videos, with the clip for "Million Reasons" being a continuation of "Perfect Illusion".[79] The loose narrative contained in the two clips was continued later in a video for "John Wayne".[80][81]
"Joanne" was released as the third single from the album in Italy on December 22, 2017, and a piano version of the song as well as its music video (dedicated to her deceased aunt Joanne) was released as a digital download worldwide on January 26, 2018.[82][83]
Performances
Promotional activities for Joanne began with the announcement of "Perfect Illusion" as the album's lead single. Gaga performed it live for the first time at Moth Club in London, on September 10, 2016.[84] She featured "Perfect Illusion" in a trailer for American Horror Story: Roanoke (2016).[85] Gaga released a number of commercials for Apple Music featuring the track. She gave interviews to Good Morning America and The New York Times, and appeared at a Best Buy in Manhattan to purchase Joanne for unsuspecting customers.[66]
Gaga during the performance of "A-Yo" at her 2017 Coachella set
The singer performed "A-Yo" and "Million Reasons" on Saturday Night Live on October 22, 2016, assisted by Ronson and Lindsey.[86] On October 25, 2016, Gaga appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden in the Carpool Karaoke segment singing her previous singles, along with "Perfect Illusion" and "Million Reasons".[87] Later, she sang "A-Yo" on the main stage of The Late Late Show.[88] The following week Gaga headed to Japan to promote Joanne.[89] She performed a piano version of "Perfect Illusion" on Sukkiri, "Joanne" on News Zero and a medley of "Million Reasons", "Perfect Illusion" and "A-Yo" on SMAP×SMAP.[90][91][92] Gaga sang "Million Reasons" at the 2016 American Music Awards and the Ali Forney Center, an LGBT pride center.[93][94] Album tracks "Come to Mama" and "Angel Down" were performed at presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's final campaign stop in Raleigh, North Carolina.[95]
Gaga was the headliner of the Super Bowl LI halftime show, where along with past material, she performed "Million Reasons" on the piano.[101] She was also a main headliner at the 2017 Coachella Festival. Her setlist included "John Wayne", "A-Yo" and "Million Reasons" from the album.[102] In 2018, Gaga performed "Joanne" and "Million Reasons" on the piano at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, where she was joined on stage by Mark Ronson, who played guitar.[103]
Shortly before the release of the album, Gaga announced her Dive Bar Tour, sponsored by Bud Light. The 3-date long concert series saw her visit dive bars in the United States on October 5, 20 and 27, 2016. Her performances were live streamed on Bud Light's Facebook page.[104][105][106] Gaga described the dive bar sets as an opportunity to return to her roots, and said that she aimed to make a closer connection with her audience after her stadium and arena shows.[106][107] She added the venues would accentuate the "raw Americana vibe" of the album.[107]
On February 5, 2017, Gaga announced she would embark on the Joanne World Tour to support the album. It began on August 1, 2017, and ended on February 1, 2018.[108] Gaga postponed the European leg of the tour due to severe pain caused by fibromyalgia and was forced to cancel the last 10 shows.[109] The tour's concerts were deemed "more minimalist" compared to previous tours, but received praise for its visuals, Gaga's singing abilities and her connection with the audience.[110] The tour ultimately grossed $95million from sales of 842,000 tickets.[111]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Joanne received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 27 critic scores.[113] AnyDecentMusic? summed up the critical consensus as 6.4 out of 10.[112] British music journalist Neil McCormick gave the album 4 out of 5 stars in The Daily Telegraph, stating "for all its bravura exuberance and pop slickness it is old fashioned to its core".[117]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing that unlike Gaga's previous endeavors, where she appeared as a "high-wire act", Joanne was more "earth-bound" and is a "record made by an artist determined to execute only the stunts she knows how to pull off.... Gaga's feet remain firmly planted in dance-pop even when she brings in a number of collaborators."[114]Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield also awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, and described the release as an "old-school Nineties soft rock album, heavy on the acoustic guitar".[42] He complimented the understated production by Ronson and the other producers.[42]
Writing for The A.V. Club, Annie Zaleski commended the "genre fluidity" of Joanne.[115] Rating it a "B", Zaleski said that "Diamond Heart", "John Wayne", "Sinner's Prayer" and "Hey Girl" were the album's best tracks and highlighted Gaga's vocal prowess.[115] In a 3 out of 5 star review for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani criticized the album for its oversung ballads and lack of strong hooks, but deemed it more consistent and focused than Artpop.[50] Maeve McDermott of USA Today complimented Gaga for "expanding her artistic vision and toying with different genres [on the album], while still recording the customary pop tracks listeners have come to expect".[121] Andy Gill gave the album 3 out of 5 stars in a review for The Independent. Gill commended the album's rock-leaning tracks, and Homme's work on "A-Yo" and "John Wayne" as highlights, but called "Perfect Illusion" dull.[118]
The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan considered Joanne a "brave move" for Gaga and rated it 3 out of 5 stars. She explained that "Gaga's huge voice adds a self-protective veneer, as does the presence of the other musicians, but at least she's done the groundwork for future albums that might show her with true transparency".[56]Digital Spy's Lewis Corner wrote: "Joanne is clearly Gaga's most personal album, popping aside the synthetic personas for something more honest and, well, human. Mother Monster may be retired for now, but Lady Gaga's sheer musical brilliance still shines through."[122] For Evan Sawdey of PopMatters, the album—with its "flaws and all"—was a correct musical step for Gaga, which he believed would make "fans and observers once again rethink what they know about the daring diva".[123] Similarly, Amanda Petrusich of Pitchfork remarked how Gaga explored an alternative path musically, diverging from the "visual provocations" that had permeated most of her career.[120]
Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times felt that most songs on the album "lacked strong stories" and were "mere stylistic exercises" on Gaga's part.[124] Rich Juzwiak, who reviewed Joanne for Spin, did not find the musical evolution that Gaga presented on the album authentic.[125] Rating the album 2 out of 5 stars, journalist Greg Kot wrote in the Chicago Tribune that "[Gaga] sounds like she's just trying too hard" with Joanne.[116] He also criticized the social commentary-filled lyrics on songs like "Come to Mama" and "Angel Down".[116] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times noted the album's elemental sound did not come as a surprise and felt that it was not "daring or radical—it's logical, a rejoinder to her past and also to the candy-striped pop that surrounds her".[126]
Commercial performance
In the United States, Joanne debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, moving 201,000 album-equivalent units of which 170,000 were pure sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It became Gaga's fourth album to top the chart following Born This Way (2011), Artpop (2013), and Cheek to Cheek (2014). It was 2016's second-highest debut for an album by a woman in the US after Beyoncé's Lemonade opened with 653,000 copies. As a result, Gaga became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s.[127] The album-equivalent units for Joanne consisted of 135,000 song sales and 26 million streams along with 170,000 traditional album sales.[128]Joanne's debut helped Gaga rise to number one on the Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across the publication's most influential charts.[129] The album's sales dropped by 70% to 61,000 units in the second week, with it falling to number five on the Billboard 200.[130] Following Gaga's Super Bowl halftime show performance, Joanne rose from number 66 to number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 48,000 copies and 74,000 album-equivalent units.[131] It has sold 649,000 units as of February 2019 in the United States and was certified Platinum in October 2017 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over a million equivalent units in the country.[132][133]
Joanne debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart with 17,500 album-equivalent units, behind Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker. According to the Canadian SoundScan, the album had the third-highest on-demand streams in the country.[134] On November 4, 2016, the album was certified Gold by Music Canada for shipments of 40,000 copies in the country.[135] Like in the United States, the Super Bowl performance also had an impact in Canada, where Joanne vaulted from number 54 to number 2 on the album chart, with a 524 percent gain in album-equivalent units.[136]
In the United Kingdom, Joanne debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 26,694 copies, behind Elvis Presley's posthumous release, The Wonder of You, and Michael Bublé's Nobody but Me.[137] On the UK Album Downloads Chart, Joanne entered the chart at number one. It also reached number two on the Official Albums Streaming Chart and number five on the Official Physical Albums Chart.[138][139][140] The following week it dropped to number 14, with sales of 9,602 units.[141] Following the Super Bowl performance, the record rose from number 88 to number 11 on the chart with sales increasing to 5,289 copies.[142] As of June 2020, the album has sold 168,564 copies in the UK and has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[143][144]Joanne debuted at number three on the Irish Albums Chart.[145] The album's debut failed to meet expectations in France, where it entered the album chart at number nine, with sales of just over 8,000 copies. Pure Charts theorized that the moderate performance of the lead single, "Perfect Illusion", and the absence of Gaga in the media during the album's release week contributed to the album's low sales.[146] By year end, they deemed Joanne one of the commercially disappointing albums in France, achieving total sales of only 12,000 copies.[147] Two years after its release, the album earned a Gold certification for selling 50,000 equivalent units there.[148]
Joanne's impact was observed in the subsequent musical releases of artists such as Miley Cyrus (left) and Kylie Minogue (right). Both singers pictured performing during their country phase.
Joanne was ranked in several publications' year-end lists. Billboard ranked it as the 32nd best album of 2016, stating that the "kitchen-sink pop album" had an "instant-classic breakup ballad" in "Million Reasons", which enabled Gaga to reclaim "her sweet spot with Joanne".[154] Digital Spy's Lewis Corner placed the record at number nine, believing that "simplicity" was the key to the album's success.[155]Joanne was NME magazine's 20th best album of the year, with the publication highlighting how it hearkened back to the stripped down sound employed by Gaga in her early years as an artist.[156] For Rolling Stone, the album was the seventh best pop release of 2016, stating that "Gaga's soft-rock transformation takes the pop star into a new direction without losing her flair for the dramatic and penchant for the kitschy."[157] The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, while "Million Reasons" was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance.[158] "Million Reasons" was one of the award-winning songs at the BMI Awards.[159] The piano version of the title track won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[160]
While reviewing Kesha's third studio album, Rainbow (2017), Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic noted the use of analogue instruments in lieu of electric ones as had been done with the songs on Joanne. Kesha also tamed down her image like Gaga, but kept her distinct personality.[161] In a Vanity Fair article, Josh Duboff wrote that singer Justin Timberlake's "countryfied" musical endeavors with his Man of the Woods (2018) album era recalled Joanne.[162] Kornhaber and Billy Nilles from E! News identified Miley Cyrus's sixth studio album Younger Now (2017) and Kylie Minogue's fourteenth studio album Golden (2018) as part of a trend of pop singers going through a country phase, which they compared to Gaga's work on Joanne.[163][164]
Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone observed that Joanne served as singer Noah Cyrus's "muse", leading her to incorporate the country-themes of Gaga's endeavor.[165] In Billboard, Gary Trust noted that with the release of "Million Reasons", Gaga had brought her vocal abilities to the forefront. He interviewed radio programmers who theorized that releasing the song was part of a bigger musical picture and believed that the musical scene was "entering a new era of traditional ballads and big vocals".[166]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music.
"Just Dance" is the debut single by American singer Lady Gaga. She co-wrote the song with Akon and his producer RedOne. It also features vocals from Colby O'Donis and was released on April 8, 2008, as the lead single from Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame. The song was written by Gaga in 10 minutes as "a happy record." "Just Dance" lyrically speaks about being intoxicated at a club.
The American singer Lady Gaga has released five solo studio albums, two collaborative studio albums, four film soundtracks, three remix albums, two compilation albums, four EPs, two live albums, 40 singles, and 14 promotional singles. Gaga made her debut in August 2008 with the studio album The Fame, which peaked at number two in the United States, where it was subsequently certified triple Platinum, while topping the charts in Austria, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", reached number one in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and for the latter, becoming the world's biggest single of the 2009 calendar year. The album spawned three more singles: "Eh, Eh ", "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi". The latter reached the top ten in many countries worldwide, and number one in Germany.
"LoveGame" is a song released by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Produced by RedOne, the track was released as the album's third single in North America and Europe and the fourth single in Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden after "Eh, Eh ". "LoveGame" was also released as the fourth single in the United Kingdom, after "Paparazzi".
The Fame Monster is a reissue of American singer Lady Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame (2008), and was released on November 18, 2009, through Interscope Records. Initially planned solely as a deluxe edition reissue of The Fame, Interscope later decided to release the eight new songs as a standalone EP in some territories. The decision was also because Gaga believed the re-release was too expensive and that the albums were conceptually different, describing them as yin and yang. The deluxe edition is a double album featuring the eight new songs on the first disc and The Fame on the second disc. A super deluxe edition was released on December 15, 2009, holding additional merchandise, including a lock from Gaga's wig.
"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. Following an unauthorized demo leak, Gaga premiered the song's final version during the finale of Alexander McQueen's 2010 Paris Fashion Week show in October 2009 and released it as the lead single from The Fame Monster later that month. Musically, it is an electropop and dance-pop song with a spoken bridge. Inspired by German house and techno, the song was developed as an experimental pop record. Lyrically, Gaga drew from the paranoia she experienced while on tour and wrote about her attraction to unhealthy romantic relationships.
"Monster" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third EP, The Fame Monster (2009). Inspired by her "Fear of Attachment Monster", the record was produced by Nadir "RedOne" Khayat, and written by Gaga, RedOne and Space Cowboy. Gaga had explained that "Monster" describes her fear of sex and relationships, and described the lyrics as being in love with the bad boy all the time, but instead of running away, one keeps going back to the same person. She added that the fear in "Monster" erupted from her need to have a stable relationship. Incorporating the usage of heavy bass lines, descending keyboard lines and "massive" choruses, "Monster" contains zombie-like metaphors and a reference to Gaga's debut single "Just Dance".
"Bloody Mary" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga recorded for her second studio album Born This Way (2011). Gaga, Fernando Garibay, and Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair wrote and produced it; Clinton Sparks also received a producer credit. "Bloody Mary" is an electropop song with elements of synth-pop and trance, and features Gregorian chants. Although the song's title is an epithet mostly associated with the English queen Mary Tudor, Gaga assumes the role of biblical figure Mary Magdalene in its lyrics, whom she considered a "feminine force" she had worshiped since her childhood in a Catholic girls school. It is one of several tracks on the album with religious themes.
Artpop is the third studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second effort, Born This Way. Work continued until 2013 while Gaga was traveling for her Born This Way Ball tour and recovering from surgery for an injury she had sustained while touring. Gaga described Artpop as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey". It displays an intentional "lack of maturity and responsibility" by comparison to the darker and anthemic nature of Born This Way.
"Perfect Illusion" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released for digital download on September 9, 2016, through Interscope Records as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). The track was written and produced by Gaga, Kevin Parker, Mark Ronson and BloodPop. A synth-pop, dance-rock and pop rock song, "Perfect Illusion" lyrically delves on the singer's "highest of highs and lowest of lows" in a relationship, and is ultimately a commentary on social media. Gaga wrote the lyrics using her Underwood typewriter; after numerous permutations the composers derived the final track. Speculation that the song referred to Gaga's ex-boyfriend Taylor Kinney was refuted by the singer.
"Joanne" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga from her fifth studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's third official single on December 22, 2017 in Italy, and a piano version, titled "Joanne ", followed in the rest of the world on January 26, 2018. The track was written and produced by Gaga and Mark Ronson, with additional production from BloodPop. Inspired by the singer's late aunt, Joanne Germanotta, the song became a focal point for the musical direction of the album. Gaga intended the song to have a healing effect for those dealing with loss and pain.
"John Wayne" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga, for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). Gaga co-wrote and co-produced the track with Mark Ronson and BloodPop, with additional writing from Josh Homme who also played guitar. "John Wayne" is a pop rock song that features elements of country, disco, funk, and house music. It derives its name from American actor John Wayne, who was known for his roles in Western films. The lyrics talk about Gaga's romantic craving for a wild, blue-collar man and smoking cannabis. Some critics felt that "John Wayne" might portray Gaga's relationship with her ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney.
"Million Reasons" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). Initially released as a promotional single, it was released to radio stations on October 29, 2016, as the album's second single. The track was written by Gaga, Hillary Lindsey and Mark Ronson, and produced by Ronson, Gaga and BloodPop. It grew organically from the conversations that Lindsey and Gaga were having one day, with the title phrase lifted from the singer's musings about the men in her life.
"A-Yo" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). It was released to Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on October 18, 2016, as the record's second promotional single by Interscope Records. Gaga co-wrote and co-produced the song with Mark Ronson and BloodPop, with Hillary Lindsey being the additional songwriter. A funky, electro-tinged and rock-inspired upbeat country pop track, "A-Yo" lyrically delves on leaving behind haters.
The Dive Bar Tour was a promotional concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga, sponsored by American lager brand Bud Light, in support of her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). The tour visited three dive bars in the United States on the 5, 20 and 27 of October in 2016. Gaga aspired to perform her new songs in a more intimate environment than her previous tours, which took place in arenas and stadiums, believing the small bars captured the "raw Americana vibe" of Joanne. During her gigs, Gaga debuted numerous songs from her then-upcoming album, and shared personal stories with the audience. Journalists appreciated the tour for its simplicity and found it emotional. All shows were live streamed on Bud Light's Facebook page.
The Joanne World Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga, in support of her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). It began on August 1, 2017, in Vancouver, Canada and ended on February 1, 2018, in Birmingham, England. After tickets went on sale, various shows in Europe and North America quickly sold out, prompting additional dates in both continents.
"The Cure" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga. She co-wrote the song with DJ White Shadow, Nick Monson, Lukas Nelson, and Mark Nilan; Detroit City, Gaga, and Monson produced the song. The song originated from a positive vibe between the collaborators, created as a response to atrocities happening around the world. It was developed in Los Angeles, California, where Gaga and her team were working on some music before the singer started filming the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born. Consisting of finger snaps and an electronic pop beat, "The Cure" is composed around an R&B sound. Lyrically, the song talks about the healing effects of love, with the singer advocating herself as the one administering 'the cure'.
"Shallow" is a song performed by American singer Lady Gaga and American actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper. It was released through Interscope Records on September 27, 2018, as the lead single from the soundtrack to the 2018 musical romantic drama film A Star Is Born. "Shallow" was written by Gaga with Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson, and produced by Gaga with Benjamin Rice. The song is heard three times in the film, most prominently during a sequence when Cooper's character Jackson Maine invites Gaga's character Ally to perform it onstage with him. The scene was filmed in front of a live audience at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
"Angel Down" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. It serves as the concluding track on the standard edition of her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). Influenced by the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, it was written by Gaga and her long-time collaborator RedOne, during the initial recording sessions of the album in 2015; he also produced its work tape version. In late 2015, she played "Angel Down" to Mark Ronson, who later produced the official rendition of the track, along with BloodPop. It is a torch song, as well as protest song against shootings of African Americans in the United States. The piano ballad also touches on topics of social media.
1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 21, 2016). "Joanne: Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
↑ Tuch, Paul (February 13, 2017). "On the Charts... This Week". FYI Music Canada. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 43.Týden 2016 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums"[Annual overviews 2016 Albums] (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
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