tvguy's Top 16 Gaga Songs

[Ron]

Inspired by Nuggets' topic. This was difficult - what I did was put all of her songs in a document and then narrow it down to the Top 15. But I couldn't make that happen, so it's a Top 16 lol. These reviews aren't going to be particularly deep on account that I'm lazy. Here we go:

16. The Lady is a Tramp (duet with Tony Bennett) - Cheek to Cheek

Originally released under Bennett's Duets II, this song was re-released on the deluxe version of Gaga and Bennett's collab album, Cheek to Cheek. Gaga's vocals are really shown off in this cover, as well as her ability to venture into genres outside her home style. Her voice sounds fantastic here, silky contrasting Tony's gravelly sound.

I don't particularly like jazz tho and that's why this comes in 16th place. Still Top 16!

[Steel Sponge]

Wait, didn't you do a Top Gaga songs list a year ago?

[Ron]

Wait, didn't you do a Top Gaga songs list a year ago?

 

did I?

Wait, didn't you do a Top Gaga songs list a year ago?

 

I think I did, I remember that, but fuck that list

[Ron]

15. Jewels N' Drugs (ft. T.I., Too $hort, Twista) - ARTPOP

 

If somebody were to go back in time and show Lady Gaga a song from her future, I think this would be the one she'd be most shocked about. Again showing off her range of genres, I think this song works. I really like it, it doesn't feel like she's trying hard to make this work. It's not her first urban-influenced song and it isn't her last (Hello Partynauseous) and thank God she isn't trying to rap. She knows her place and that's what makes this song work. It's a good song, but I do have a few qualms with it. 

 

This is a Gaga song, and she's more like a featured artist on it. T.I., Too Short, and Twista do most of the heavy lifting outside the chorus and that's weird, considering it's a regular track on ARTPOP. The parts she is in are repetitive (which is understandable but disappointing because it's almost entirely the chorus). The production here is fitting but nothing spectacular - I do like the beat here. Typical banger shit, but it's much louder? than other hip hop, and I think that can be attributed to the fact that Gaga sings over it, versus rapping. In that respect, I think it goes beyond the typical pop-rap mashup and that's why it's #15. At face value, it looks like it's trying to be emulate other pop song formulas. In reality, it creates its own category. 

[Ron]

14. G.U.Y. (Girl Under You) - ARTPOP

 

The third single off ARTPOP (as well as arguably Gaga's biggest commercial failures), its music video is the album's best and one of LG's best overall. Catchy and addictive, this track is mesmerizing and (like virtually every ARTPOP song) is overly sexual. It's not deep, it's not multi-layered - it's Fame-Gaga, a good ole pop song, and I like that. It doesn't aspire to be something more like some of the more pretentious ARTPOP songs. The video here features the Real Housewives (nothing special), but is significant because it is shot at Hearst Castle. 

 

Hearst Castle is a California landmark and nearly all commercial filming requests are shot down. Only two productions have ever been allowed to shoot there --- Stanley Kubrick's Sparticus and this music video. The Neptune Pool makes for some phenomenal and unique shots. This video is the true strength of this song - it's incredibly pleasing to the eye, the aesthetics are on par, and it completely makes up for the fact that this album had 3 singles but only 2 videos (the first time LG hasn't released a video for a single). The Minecraft and Housewives inclusion really bring the "pop" into the "art" of Hearst Castle in what I think is the only true example of art meeting pop in this era. It's a shame this song wasn't more popular, especially in comparison to shitty videos like Katy Perry's Dark Horse. Note that the above video is the G.U.Y.-only portion and that the full video can be found here. 

[Wumbo]

I love the video for "G.U.Y." Goes to show that Gaga's the only one who bothers trying anymore when it comes to that medium. 

 

(okay maybe Taylor Swift too)

[Ron]

13. Do What U Want (ft. R. Kelly) - ARTPOP

 

An ARTPOP gem and the album's second single, DWUW is one of my favorites. R&B and pop infused, the R. Kelly (and in the remix, Christina Aguilera) fits perfectly. It deserved a peak hell of a lot higher than #13 on the Hot 100 - her vocals here are some of her best ever. She sounds clean and controlled and examples how great of a vocalist she actually is. There aren't too many bells and whistles here, it's just Gaga in her element. It's a smooth track and one of the few on ARTPOP that isn't trying to shove "art" or "pop" down our throats. It's just kinda there, and in that respect, it's a standout track because of its differences from the rest of the album. The only theme it has in common is the sex factor, which is a little weird coupled with an R. Kelly feature. I wish she would've picked a different R&B artist to feature other than Kelly. He's a great artist and his credentials speak for themselves, and he sounds fine on the song - I just feel there's still stigma with him and I think the song would've performed better if it had been a different song. 

 

Meanwhile, Gaga did make a music video for this. It essentially featured Gaga being fingered by Kelly (as a doctor) and her label (rightfully) pulled the video before release. It was an aesthetically pleasing video, lots of red nurses in a white hospital (Bad Romance anyone?) and saw Gaga wrapped in a newspaper outfit with headlines proclaiming "GAGA IS OVER" "GAGA IS FAT." This annoys me - LG throughout this era has in essence been one huge pity party because she hasn't been as successful as during her prior 3 releases. Grow up. I'm glad this video wasn't released, I think it would've been hugely detrimental to her career and ARTPOP as a whole. 

[Ron]

12. ARTPOP - ARTPOP

 

This song is cosmic. I love atmospheric songs and Gaga doesn't have very many, so this was a treat. I linked the iTunes Festival performance above because I watched it live and it struck me as the most unique of the songs she played in London. The lyricism in this song is mystic and fits perfectly, sounds like she was on a good one when she wrote it (which is probably accurate) and I don't know, it's like a trance. There's an undefinable quality about this song that makes it one of my favorites. It's techno, it's emotional at the same time, and I'm not really sure what it's about, given descriptive yet highly metaphorical lyrics "Keep it tight/Sometimes the simplest move is right/The melody that you choose/Can rescue you." It's catchy and invasive and seductive, I love it. 

[Ron]

11. Bloody Mary - Born This Way

 

When I first bought Born This Way, I listened to the album several times through in order and it just so happened that Scheiße was just in front of Bloody Mary. Scheiße quickly became one of my favorites on the album, so I would go to that song (among others), cutting out some of the lesser tracks. When I get a song I really love, I listen to it on repeat, but you'll soon find that you hear the song after it as much as you hear the song you want to hear. That's what this was. I wanted to hear Scheiße and I got Bloody Mary too because I'd be preoccupied with something else and I'd just let it slide over into Bloody Mary, and I came to adore this song in a different way. 

 

It's catchy and unique in its own way. It makes me think of dusty vampires awaking from their lair in a 70s flick. It has a really spooky vibe to it and its beat is ugly and fitting. Its a semi-experimental song in my opinion and I love it. It in no way could be a single, but for a normal album track, it gets an A+ from me. I'm not entirely sure what it's about (I'll dance with my hands above my head like Jesus said), but I don't care, because it's addictive. 

[kev]

I love Bloody Mary. Mary Jane Holland from ARTPOP really reminds me of this song.

[Ron]

10. Oh Well - Unreleased

 

So some of my favorite Gaga songs are not from any of her 3 studio albums. One of these is a song called 'Oh Well' and it comes from the era of Germanotta's very first album - Red and Blue. This album is unreleased and is unofficial, more of a collection of originals she penned while in Manhattan's underground pop scene. Her sound her is more organic, lacking the EDM feel like usually defines her current pop songs. Her vocal style is much more amateur as well, but it works - this was Stefani Germanotta, not Lady Gaga and she should be judged by different standards because she's essentially a different artist. I like Oh Well because it doesn't mention sex. There is zero profanity, and it's not necessarily a love song. It can be applied to various circumstances with its theme of "What're you gonna do? That's just how life is, it moves on." The lyric "My friends, you've got a lot to learn, you do" resonates with me. It kinda says, "Hey, we're in this moment right now and we're moving on. Oh well," and I love that. Listening to this song and then a song like Poker Face shows how much she changed. This song and another one of her pre-Fame songs called Blueberry Kisses are particularly Beatles-influenced. Songs like Oh Well and Blueberry Kisses (along with released songs like Speechless) TRULY show of her talent. I'm really hoping she releases an album full of songs like this, because when she's in this style, she's in her prime. 

[SpongebobViewer64]

Great work man keep it up

[Ron]

9. You and I - Born This Way

I'm not sure what it is about this song that I like. I guess it'd be something like pop rock, but I don't think that really describes it. It's just kinda there, and it's a beautiful song with great imagery. However, I like this song for more personal reasons. Gaga's writing skills are on point here, and her vocals are fantastic. My absolute favorite part of the song is her chilled vocals at the end, "It's been a long time since I came around, been a long time but I'm back in town, and this time I'm not leaving without you." The big parts preceding that contrast well with the quietness, and I love the lyrics. They resonate with me, when you're reconnecting with a person who you lost contact with, or had a fight with, etc. I love that redemption. 

[Katniss]

You and I is a great track <3 It makes me so happy whenever I hear it.

[Wumbo]

I honestly kind of dislike You and I, but that might be because my friends would always sing along whenever it came on. And I don't know, it's got some good moments, but it just doesn't feel Gaga to me.

[Ron]

8. Telephone (ft. Beyoncé) - The Fame Monster

 

So now we're getting into my Top 8, which I love more than the rest of her songs combined. These are my all-time top songs of hers, and are the epitome of good pop songs. Telephone, for example, is a highlight track off The Fame Monster. It's what a great pop song should look like. It's catchy, it's memorable, and should have been a #1 song (it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100). The video for this song is impeccable. She brings her A-game with every music video she makes, and Telephone's video (which is an extension of the story from the Paparazzi video) makes plenty of Kill Bill references and is twisted. Beyonce and Lady Gaga commit a mass murder - I can't imagine Katy Perry creating a video like that, or Taylor Swift, or other modern pop stars. 

[Wumbo]