Best Lady Gaga Lyrics
- #Opinions
- Jan 17, 2021
- 10 min read
Music Review- Lady Gaga's discography (2008-2020)
When debating the best lyricist of our generation, many people perceive artists like Taylor Swift or Adele to be the best writers in the mainstream because of their story like lyrics that transport you into their narrative. An often overlooked style of writing is the metaphorically oozing pop lyrics of Lady Gaga that don't often follow a simple narrative but give you something to analyse and think about. More concerned with pop hooks and capturing feelings rather than stories, Gaga's discography is distinct from her contemporaries. Here is a short overview of some lyrics that make Lady Gaga stand out as a lyricist.
Honourable Mentions:
Fashion of his love- Born This Way
(Oh) 'Cause baby, I was born to be his
I was made for loving him
The Fashion of His Love"
Pop is known for few lyrical themes love, sex and partying but Gaga is no traditional popstar and has for the most part kept away from straight forward pop songs by finding darker and edgier twists. However, Fashion of His Love is the closest Gaga gets to a traditional love song with its bright, happy and simple lyrics that give a breath of fresh life to her discography. That is not to say it is bland in any way, by positioning her love with her love for fashion, Gaga makes interesting parallels between the two. Feeling like she is made for him like a tailored outfit, Gaga explains how she has always been about transforming, changing and moving on with her fashion as she always likes to keep it fresh, but this man is what she keeps coming back to. It is cute, and from anyone else it might have been cliché, but Gaga pulls it off to make a personal love song.
Aura- ARTPOP
Left her in the trunk on Highway 10
*laughs*
Aura-a-a-a, aura-a-a-a"
Opening with manic laughter, Aura is not known for its lyrical genius rather its daring weirdness. However, paired with the context of the turmoil of the ARTPOP album, the lyrics have layers of intrigue and depth. Gaga beckons the listener to see her for who she really is without the media and celebrity smoke screen where everything is so dramatic that it could be a movie, as underneath Gaga is a vulnerable woman. It is a cliché concept of a celebrity crying "I'm human too", but where Aura earns merit is the crazy manic relay of lyrics when denoting her celebrity life, whereas she slows it down to plain and simple when talking about her true self. This pace and recreation of her life in lyrical form develops it from the cliché it could be.
Sinners Prayer- Joanne
Put on a pretty little number
I'm wearing you still
I get on my knees and beg you"
A narrative led Gaga track where she denotes her constant arguments with her man but begs and begs for the relationship not to end. She has a desperation where she knows she is causing problems and is at fault so she is trying to change and become better. It is sad melancholy that feels perfect to be sung around a camp fire after a long day. In the second verse, Gaga compares her relationship to her sisters where her man is selfish and always taking what he wants which in turn makes Gaga respect and appreciate her man more. It is personal and an introspective way of Gaga trying to reconcile her own demons and appreciate the love she has got.
Shallow- A Star is Born
Not being shallow is the thesis statement of the movie A Star is Born as there are only 12 notes so an artist has to say something different to make them stand out. The song is a perfect encapsulation of the movie as it outlines both the characters flaws as well as showing that the other is the answer to them. Both character's verses answer the problems and questions they pose like a Romeo and Juliet soliloquy showing how they were made for each other. In the same sense, they come together to offer a statement on the music industry, so has a multifaceted meaning.
Donatella- ARTPOP
Song lyrics are not known for having a sense of humour, but here Gaga addresses the haters in a tongue and cheek sarcastic and satirical manner that wears its humour on its sleeve. Gaga takes the misconceptions of Gaga, Donatella and the world of high fashion and turns it up to 11 with over the top image after over the top image. The world Gaga paints is so outrageous and otherworldly that it makes the haters comments seem ridiculous as underneath this veneer of silly it is clear these women work damn hard but don't get the credit they deserve.
911- Chromatica
911 denotes Gaga's struggles with her mental health. She recognises her destructive behaviour and can only control them by taking anti-psychotic pills, but 911 is her desperate plea for it all to stop. It's a battle between the chaos of her mind and the short burst of relief when she can control her panic attacks, she just cannot seem to find the balance and thus creates these heart wrenching lyrics as she fights the way she's been programmed. The song is deeply personal and filled with definite statements suggesting this is a fixed cycle that she will never break or get out of.
Top 10:
10) Is that alright?- A Star is Born
"Life is so simple
A little boy, a little girl
Laughing and loving
Tryin' to figure out the world
Gaga's most simple lyrics, but sometimes simple gets it so right. Here she captures love so effortlessly and beautifully that it is impressive how hard it hits. Love is often denoted through endless metaphors to capture the confusing power it holds, but here Gaga writes a straightforward love story between a boy and a girl and makes you think why has no one wrote this before. It brings an intensely human perspective of love as it doesn't try and answer any big questions or make any statements, it is just raw unfiltered love in its bare glory. Beautiful.
9) Artpop- ARTPOP
Delving into the similarities and differences of pop and art, Gaga gives us a metaphorical deep dive into her mind as an artist in this capitalist world. She poses the hypothesis that anything can be art as long as it has honest intent and then it is the public's choice to make it pop or not. However, she doesn't shy away from the struggles that offers as she wants to make a hit and for people adore it, but she still has to be true to herself. The song has a vulnerable undertone as Gaga as a writer has no idea where her new masterpiece could come from so has to go to every part of her mind as anything could be inspiration.
8) Judas- Born This Way
"Ew...
In the most Biblical sense, I am beyond repentance
Gaga has always used religious imagery to add layers to her lyrics, none more so than when she takes the role of Mary Magdalene to break down the incorrectly simple definitions of good and bad in the Bible. In Judas, Gaga discusses her love to break the rules as what is considered bad now will be good in the future; therefore, we must move away from simple binaries of good and bad and accept that even Judas was loved and forgiven by Jesus, so we all need to reckon with and come to terms with our enemies/demons. She does this by looking at the role of women across history through Mary, and the role of Jesus and Judas.
7) Americano- Born This Way
"Mis canciones son de la revolución (My songs are about the revolution)
Mi corazón me duele por mi generación (My Heart aches for our generation)
On a Wednesday, En un verano o en agosto (in the summer or in August)"
On the Born this way album, Gaga explicitly showed her support for the gay community many times but never as bombastic and beautiful as this. Empowerment anthems like the Born this way song and Bad Kids are good and needed, however Americano's twisted tale of two women falling in love and running away from the law so they can be together cuts to the core of the dangerous situation being gay can be in a world that doesn't accept them. Mixed with the Spanish lyrics that make them sound even more romantic and saucy, Americano celebrates lesbian love without sugar coating the issues the LGBTQ+ community face.
6) Poker Face- The Fame
A secret bisexual anthem, Gaga sings about being with a guy but thinking about a girl. It is sexy and naughty in all the best ways as well as being an inside look of the mind of someone committing/ thinking about committing infidelity. Gaga holds all the cards and she is not afraid to use them to her advantage, it is clear manipulation with high risk and danger of which the lyrics revel in and make a mockery of. It is a playful game that isn't black or white and the tension of who will win and lose keeps you hooked to the end just like any good game.
5) You and I- Born This Way
Gaga's most narrative led song in a similar vein to the way Taylor Swift writes, but unlike most Gaga songs that are filled with metaphor and intertextuality. You and I is a personal song oozing with details of a lover Gaga regrets leaving as she reminisces about the happy times. The nostalgic feel of the lyrics capture that of a Carol Ann Duffy poem as she not only discusses her love but the bitter break up which creates an interesting dichotomy that one man can cause these polar emotions; it perfectly captures how complicated love can be, especially when you are always on the road like Lady Gaga and traditional relationships are not an option.
4) Replay- Chromatica
Fame has been a constant theme in Gaga's career, often in a romanticised fashion on her earlier albums. However, Gaga has been in the game a long time and the strains of being a celebrity have clearly taken a toll. Here Gaga battles with how her fans are the best and worst thing she's had in her life as they bring her so much joy but also limit everything she can do. It is a complicated and personal discussion where Gaga is willing to take as much blame as the media and fans as she recognises she's chose this and encouraged this- the kind of nuances often left out of singers ''woe is me'' tracks. Replay pulls no punches and is willing to say the truth that would never dared be uttered on her earlier albums.
3) Paparazzi- The Fame
This is the kind of metaphorical imagery that makes Lady Gaga stand out. Pairing obsessive love with paparazzi doesn't sound ground braking, but that is because it is so obviously perfect of a pairing that it makes too much sense. Scrolling through your crushes social media to feel close to them and learn about them because you can't get them out of your head; always wanting to be there with them and hear about their day; wanting to know everything about them; the first stages of a crush mirror that of celebrity culture. The lyrics develop understanding of love as well as fame and make them both make a little more sense.
2) Bad Romance- The Fame Monster
I want your love
Love, love, love, I want your love"
With hook after hook after hook, Bad Romance is a lyrical masterclass on how to write ear worm pop. Often people think of love as this fairy-tale romance where everything is perfect, in reality it is messy, complicated and painful. You can't only love your partner when everything is going well, but you have to be their when shit hits the fan and the world is a raging fire, and you have to stand there and love that person just as much. That is Bad Romance: a declaration to love all the parts of a person even when they can't. It is this deep exchange of passion that no matter how much you might hate parts of yourself or the life you lead, your partner will always be there and love you. It is dark, twisted and oh so beautiful.
1) Bloody Mary- Born This Way
J'veux pas mourir toute seule (I don't want to die alone)"
Bloody Mary transcribes a lover who is obsessed with their partner to the point where they worship them and will do any dance necessary to please them. They go as far as to suggest that even artists and poets would never understand the devotion they have as they will go to any extreme to not die alone. The tale has a subdued sadness in the chorus where the lover seems to understand that no matter how deeply they feel for their partner they will inevitably leave them. Added to this the context of Mary I, who was no worse than any King of England for beheadings but is remembered as a psychotic killer, the song is showing how the lover puts up with so much shit from her partner because she loves them so much, but when they leave she will be known as the crazy one. Some times no matter what you do you'll always be perceived as the bad guy.
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