It opens with "Marry the Night," a mediocre pop/industrial/glam-esque proclamation that she's going to marry the night (if you can marry whatever gender you want to, why not marry specific times of day?) It's slightly repetitive. It would be The Fame's equivalent of Dancing in the Dark.
"Born This Way" follows. She's exactly like Madonna blah blah...we've heard it all before. This song wasn't supposed to be that musically deep, it was mainly just to express in most obvious way that every different type of person that she could fit into a song is still awesome and God makes everyone perfect. Could use without the talking in the beginning (she only repeats it all later), and the incessant diphthongs in the end...but every diva needs her 5 minute song.
"Government Hooker" starts out like it's going to be some sort of an aria, but then it turns into some tacky techno striptease of how much of a whore she can be if you touch her. The song has more meaning than it sounds though. You just have to stop dancing and try to find it...and even I'm not that boring.
"Judas" IS NOT. AN OFFENSIVE. SONG. It's the result of someone who's at a spot in their life where they KNOW what's right, but are just...too addicted to what's wrong, and then one day, after Wikipediaing The Bible, put 2 and 2 together. The song is annoying at first, but incredibly catchy. Gaga uses all aspects of her voice here. She yelps, she pop sings, she belts, she talks, she makes a weird accent that forces us to google the lyrics...it's just great. And it's an epic dance song in itself. It combines biblical and cultural views, with just enough controversy and truth to be earbleedingly good. She even says it, people "Jesus is my virtue/and Judas is the demon I cling to". That's like me when I was 17 "Yeah, this guy will take care of me/I'm in love with the kid in jail"
"Americano" Who doesn't want to be Shirley Bassey? Obviously not Gaga. Because it opens like every fucking song that woman sang...(which still. isn't. a bad thing.) Then it goes into this Spanish account, but not before it remixes into the infectious one word chorus. If you're a Spanish speaker, you'll appreciate this song. Fuck you, "Bad Romance..." and your French...this song is about 50/50. It's still a song you can drive fast or dance to. Nothing really stupid about it, other than its pointlessness...but I mean, in the end, isn't that the same with every good pop song?
"Hair" It's like..."Born This Way" but...mainly just...talking about hair. So for all the gay stylists, this one really sinks in. I don't know...the music is obnoxiously THERE, and appealing to every adolescent at this time in music...but the lyrics, while they DO have meaning, in my opinion...suck. This is probably my least favourite song on the album.
"Scheiße," however, is my favourite song (right now). It, again, is one of those songs that explains that she wishes she was a stronger person...but she wants to be. With the intense music reverberations of "Vogue," this song is raunchy like "Vanity," but intense and feminine. It's this album's "Teeth." Also, she "doesn't speak German, but she can if you like" much like every other language she adds to her music. She takes the sauer out of sauerkraut.
"Bloody Mary" is a dark, low key obscure heavily religious song. It's nice in that you can actually understand what she's saying, but because of the lack of vocal range in the song...it gets old fast, despite being very initially captivating. Using heavy production tactics, there are interesting beats and effects throughout.
"Bad Kids" Once again, Gaga has to tell us that she's gonna be the way she is. And shock...it's a bad kid, baby. Taking all of the independent anthems, mixing them with all of the self-deprivating shit, it teaches you that you shouldn't be insecure if your heart is pure. Admitting you're the reason your parents aren't together anymore is bold. It has a sick metal guitar riff, but defeats it slightly with the constant pop beats. Then again, it being a pop album, the rock aspect not only adds to the theme of the song, but the variety on the album itself. Bad Kid...not a Half Bad Song.
"Highway Unicorn" It's as if she meant for you to speed heavily to this song. It's one of the better ones on the album. Special effects, yes...but it's heavy and industrial. It's dark, but it's still bold and it doesn't lie flat. It accelerates, and it breaks down very effectively indeed, but it never explodes the way I wish it would.
"You and I" It starts with a piano riff similar to Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There?" and then it becomes something more like a pop song meets a John Cougar Mellencamp song, with a jazzy "Again Again" type of vocality. It just keeps going. If you'd be caught dead at a Kenny Chesney concert, however, this will probably be the song you should skip ahead to. If Gaga is going to mix pop with EVERY genre, then this would be her country homage. Something about...Nebraska and Jesus Christ...Yeah.
"The Edge of Glory" shows us that Gaga knows how to use a basic synthesizer. If every song on this album tries to be different as far as genre, and sound mixing with pop...then this is the quintessential song to end on. It talks about being WITH someone, and it's absolutely 100% pop. It's got the dance beat every Gaga song has in the background, but her voice explodes, and she shows us that she's a diva for a reason. It has the musical maturity of where she should be by now, with the mystical satisfaction of a person who just won American Idol. It puts a smile on your face and a groove in your step. I don't care who you are.
I feel like this album definitely showed us that Gaga actually does TRY. Sometimes, we can't tell (Judas and Bad Romance have the same exact chord progression, and at times, I start singing the Oooohhhs from the latter by accident. Maybe she should switch to ahhhhhs). Some of the songs sound the same...but the message is clear, be yourself, you can be anything, believe in God.
Essentially...Spice Girls meets Charlotte Church meets....Aphrodite.
Lady Gaga isn't a person, she's an entity. She's the woman who sweeps the sky with colour (think Fantasia) to define the time of day. Her Biblical references are obvious, but never once do they try to persuade, or offend. I feel like anyone who believes in God would be thankful for this kind of advocation...but you know how Christians can be.
Would I listen to the whole thing straight through? Yes, it wouldn't be the worst accident in the world..but it wouldn't be on purpose. There are some songs that just sound like stock pile Gaga. It's her essence that makes her great. That, and the handful of epic songs she's produced. This album's got about...4 really different beats. But you can't compare Gaga songs to other Gaga songs and have it be fair. You have to compare them each to the rest of the pop world.
And even at her most mediocre, she's still better than the rest.
You go, Gaga.
A-
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