On August 25, 2017, I witnessed history, seeing the first woman to ever headline Chicago’s legendary and iconic venue, Wrigley Field, Lady Gaga. I grew up in a family full of White Sox fans, but as a Chicagoan, it was exciting to be a part of even more history at the Friendly Confines. As a Lady Gaga fan since the beginnings of her career, it’s very hard to talk about my favorite songs from each of her albums, since let’s be honest, I love all of her music. But here are some of my personal recommendations for those who have never listened to Gaga’s lesser-known tracks.
1. "Diamond Heart"
”This is the first track on her latest album, Joanne, and its mostly autobiographical about her beginnings in music. Its soft rock rhythm gives it a sense of rawness and candidness that gives Joanne its authenticity as a stellar album, and makes you want to rock out. Another reason why “Diamond Heart” is one of my lesser-known favorites is its message in its chorus, and the origin of the song’s title: “I might not be flawless but you know I’ve got a diamond heart”, meaning that it’s always important to remember you are flawed because you’re human, but our hearts become as strong as diamonds when we accept that perfection is impossible.
2. "A-YO"
“A-YO” is a song that I recommend to anyone who has known Gaga’s famous songs like “Born This Way” and “Applause” because this song has elements that are reminiscent of her earlier tracks while maintaining the rock-like vibe of Joanne. According to a tweet from Gaga, “A-YO” is a song about celebrating your achievements and what you’re proud of, and you really should shrug off what your critics say and leave them choking.
"A-YO, A-YO were smokin 'em all" is like "hey you, let's celebrate. Were leavin our haters in the dust." 💃
— xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) October 16, 2016
3. "Come to Mama"
This track’s lyrics couldn’t be any more relevant especially in today’s polarizing political age, where we are hostile towards others for a wide variety of reasons. The song opens with the truth: “Stop throwin' stones at your sisters and your brothers. Man, it wasn't that long ago we were all living in the jungle, so why do we gotta put each other down when there's more than enough love to go around?” In the end, we all come from the womb of one woman in central Africa, so any kind of hatred based on who we are is illogical, something that a lot of people seem to refuse to understand or accept. *sips tea*
4. "Angel Down"
Angel Down is another politically relevant tune, this time Gaga talks about the death of Trayvon Martin, which she revealed was the inspiration for the song in a tweet. With lyrics like “Shots were fired on the street by the church where we used to meet. Angel down, angel down, but the people just stood around” and “I'm a believer, it's chaos. Where are our leaders? Oh, oh, oh, I'd rather save an angel down”, this song sums up the repercussions of what those feel when people are complicit in the subliminal oppression of others, including Trayvon Martin and the countless other young people of color wrongfully killed.
@joncaramanica how far must ANYONE need to 🎣4 inspiration & write a song re: the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin as I did w/ "Angel Down".
— xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2016
5. "Just Another Day"
<span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"></span> <p>This is the last track on <i>Joanne</i>, and its elements of glam-pop and jazz reminiscent of Gaga’s beginnings and <i>Cheek to Cheek</i> era with the legendary Tony Bennett give it a feel-good finale of her record. The gist of the song is in essence a reflection of relief of a hard day’s work, and that “After all, it’s just another day”. It’s a perfect song to listen to when you’re unwinding after a long day at school or work, and that’s what makes it, in my view, such a wonderful song. </p> <p>This is the last track on Joanne, and its elements of glam-pop and jazz reminiscent of Gaga’s beginnings and Cheek to Cheek era with the legendary Tony Bennett give it a feel-good finale of her record. The gist of the song is in essence a reflection of relief of a hard day’s work, and that “After all, it’s just another day”. It’s a perfect song to listen to when you’re unwinding after a long day at school or work, and that’s what makes it, in my view, such a wonderful song.
6. "The Cure"
Gaga first premiered this song while headlining Coachella in April 2017, and it doesn’t disappoint. “The Cure” is also another feel-good track, but unlike “Just Another Day”, it brings back some of the electro-pop sounds that can be found on Gaga’s earlier records. The anthemic chorus and verses and catchy instrumental is a signal to Gaga’s critics that she isn’t done with pop, nor she ever will be.
Admittedly, this article is somewhat of a cure (no pun intended) for my post-concert depression of her show at Wrigley, but regardless, Lady Gaga is an artist that a lot of people can enjoy, simply because she has such a diverse portfolio of music, something that a lot of musical artists cannot seem to do.
