Lady Gaga's new album is nothing short of a gift to this universe, and I can't stop listening to it or talking about it.
Let's face it, I have been screaming YAS GAGA for about 8 years now, having been personally blessed by every piece of art that Lady Gaga has brought to pass, and you probably have too. In the past few weeks though, I have been re-baptized by the voice of an artist who first spoke to me at the age of 12 and it has wracked my soul.
I remember being 12 years old and staying in the minivan with my mom after we had already arrived at our destination until "Just Dance" was over. Some of the fondest memories I have of those days were of sitting around bonfires eating cake and singing along to "Love Games" without any hesitations; discovering ourselves as freaks with pride; referring to my best friend as my "Summer Boy" as we snuck my mom's heels to school for him to wear and did his makeup in the back of the classroom. Lady Gaga's voice was a beacon to the world of theatre kids in our small, and even smaller-minded, town. Her music was our anthem and we knew every word. That being said, things are very different now than they were then...
So much of the wonder of childhood has been stolen by this world. I do not fantasize the way I used to about the better places out there full of paparazzi lights and passionate fashion exploration. Rather, I worry about how to pay bills or where I'll be tomorrow. I worry about my friends and my soul and who I am; I vie for my own happiness and understanding. Enter once again Lady Gaga. Joanne has swept into my life and composed a feeling of validation. This album is a version of Lady Gaga that I am so familiar with and yet have not yet met. Like the version of myself I am still learning.
Each track has a feeling unique to itself, and each so full of life. "Angel Down" and "Dancing in Circles" are about as different songs as they could be, but they speak together in cogent ways. It's so hard to put my finger on the aesthetic of this album as a whole, but I think that's part of the point. It's like an unspeakable wave of surprising familiarity. Like I've opened my old favorite book and found notes to myself I'd forgotten were there along the rims of the pages.
As a woman today, it is a frightening world we live in. As anyone different today, that can be true. It's hard to feel like there is something bigger out there to identify with in these isolating times. But having a voice to sing along to and remind us of standing together... that's what it is about Joanne that I can't leave alone. It is an album of unison. This is a piece of art that reminds me of the love I can still share. Love of myself, love of the let-down, love of sisterhood and strangers alike. We can still share love in this world. Even if the love has to stretch beyond this world. Separation, oppression, depression cannot stop it if we have each other.
Lady Gaga's Joanne has helped me keep my voice singing these sentiments at a time in my life when I have struggled with feeling like I've lost my way.
So thank you, Lady Gaga, once again, for a timeless album that was delivered unto us at the perfect time. I can't stop listening to it and I won't stop talking about it because we need these words and we need this music and we need this love.
"I'll still love you even if I can't see you anymore."
