Spoilers! JWT Story Analaysis

[Dayman 5,897]

   I originally posted this as a comment in a thread, but I wanted to make a topic for it so it could open conversation on the overarching theme of the show and expand upon what I wrote.

 

   The show is a reflection on her life. The opening is Diamond Heart, a song about when she was a go go dancer. Followed by A-YO, which is her pretty much about her coming for a top spot and smoking the rest of the competition. Poker Face is next and it's the song that did exactly that for her and her career. She used to say she had the "science" of fame nailed down s o she could control it - however more recently she has said that being catapulted to that level so fast really took a toll on her with the amount of pressure it had - hence Perfect Illusion fits. So Act 1 is The Rise of Gaga.

   The interlude here is Gaga driving and just being a bad ass, there isn't much symbolism in the film itself - but the placement of it has meaning. It comes off the tail of Gagas trailblazing at the beginning of her career. The next act keeps up with the energy - but also starts to show some destructiveness. This film show inherent danger. She is driving a fast car, there is smoke bellowing out of it and pyrotechnics thorugh out all set to a chaotic and exciting instrumental. She is going crash eventually - and thus that brings us into Act 2.

  John Wayne opens , the song about her love for bad boys and danger. Bad boy boyfriends have always been big part of her life and career even, just look to Judas, Boys Boys Boys or Heavy Metal Lover, but eventually things end badly. They often will impact her work too and we see it, sometimes even career. Scheiße is in the setlist next due to her hip injury - notably there ware stairs used in the visuals and Gaga stated when she missed a step on the stair case during Government Hooker that was when she knew something was wrong - Scheiße was the final nail in the coffin for it though and the injury did her in. So her completing the choreo on her own in the end of the performance is her being symbolic of conquering what almost "ended" her career. Alejandro is a song about letting go, it was in the direct aftermath of her injury that she reassessed a lot of things and even eventually fired Troy Carter. There is also the aspect of her letting go of past relationships that maybe were holding her back as an artist. So this act is pretty much some of her demons, dangers and trials and her bidding them farewell so she can continue forward.

   The interlude is then that of her as a rhino - a rare and endangered animal hunted by poachers so they can cut off their horns for financial gain, usually killing the rhino in the process. Much like how her and other musicians in the industry are used and taken advantage of just for a paycheck - not so their true creative vision can be seen. We've lost countless musicians to early deaths that in part likely were caused by the pressure and stress caused by the nature of the industry.

   We then enter a very upbeat and positive section of the show which does a complete 180 from the tone of the last act. This is her return so to speak. Notable Just Dance and Telephone are part of this act which both have the same theme of ignoring the BS that would keep you down and just having fun and dancing. We then have an interlude showing her addicted to the applause pretty much, so we hit the ARTPOP-esque section of the show with Applause [very ARTPOP visually speaking too this act]. From Applause on to Born This Way the songs are a love letter to the fans. Applause is her living to entertain us, Come to Mama is her saying she'll always be there and so on and so forth. She even addresses the fans multiple times during this section - more than any other to be fair.

   We get an interlude showing walls closing in on her and her suffocating. In the immediate time frame of ARTPOP it was trashed and looked down upon - she was called a flop nonstop. An album she worked so hard on and put her soul into was being view negatively for no good reason. This interlude seems to represent the feelings she had at that time. We then go into the act. The over all theme of this act is her essentially succumbing to the media during the ARTPOP era - which comes to its head when she meets her demise during Paparazzi. The song plays on in full backing vocals and all as she is gone and sirens wail. Angel Down is next, "Angel down, but the people just stood around" just like how during Paparazzi she suffered and nobody did anything. We finally get to the song Joanne - which is her recovering from the blows and realizing its all about the music and her love of it. Not about how an album is received or what the world says about her. It's a pure moment.

   We get one more final act with Bad Romance and The Cure - which is essentially her return to being "Lady Gaga" after doing some healing through making the album Joanne and letting the music speak for itself and live. We have Million Reasons as the encore, which maybe isn't about just love in its placement, but rather the fans. Because as long as she has us as a good reasons, she'll keep being Gaga no matter what the critics say.

   This isn't the Joanne World Tour because it's just for the album - it's the Joanne World Tour because it tells the story of Gaga the person - Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. It's her story.

   The various things she says during the show, such as being sentimental in a different way before Scheiße. Or talking about blows and coming back from them and rediscovering a love of music during the Bloody Mary to Joanne act. She provides a lot of subtext herself that we view as just banter, but it's consistently there for a reason.

[PartySick 134,085]

A narrative

I actually love this

[GagaOnTop 342]

Just now, PartySick said:

A narrative

I actually love this

Bro how did you finish that so quick it takes me like an hour

[buttsicle 6,484]

This is why I stan this queen. 

[Dayman 5,897]

2 minutes ago, GagaOnTop said:

Bro how did you finish that so quick it takes me like an hour

And this is my idea of an abbreviated version!

[PartySick 134,085]

4 minutes ago, GagaOnTop said:

Bro how did you finish that so quick it takes me like an hour

I'm a quick reader

[Esteban 2,294]

I think you are right, in any case i feel the same, thank you to share that with us

[Irrelevant 20,272]

now it suddenly makes sense 

inb4 my fans think everything is cryptic 2.0

[gagagoogoose 30,952]

I love your interpretation on this but it lowkey reminds me of this

[Dayman 5,897]

Just now, gagagoogoose said:

I love your interpretation on this but it lowkey reminds me of this

Yo, totally thought that while writing this at some points. But the songs choices and speeches she consistently has given during set parts of the show is what really made me realize there was definitely an overall narrative for the show even if it wasn't as in your face as TMB or BTWB.

[PlasticHo 696]

I'm definitely more mathematically inclined and not very creative in terms of reading/writing comprehension. So, I really enjoyed this!! Thanks for sharing! 

[Quick Sand 12]

"Gaga stated when she missed a step on the stair case during Government Hooker that was when she knew something was wrong"

I didn't know this  Is there a link to it?

[Dayman 5,897]

35 minutes ago, Nathen1198 said:

"Gaga stated when she missed a step on the stair case during Government Hooker that was when she knew something was wrong"

I didn't know this  Is there a link to it?

She said it in an interview. I'm not sure which one and it's hard to find the source. I thought it was Howard Stern maybe, but I don't think that's the case now.

EDIT: It was a Ryan Seacrest interview!

[S0436 10,215]

I remember on opening night when some were saying there is no story and the tracks just put together.  Where are you now?

[Quick Sand 12]

2 hours ago, Dayman said:

She said it in an interview. I'm not sure which one and it's hard to find the source. I thought it was Howard Stern maybe, but I don't think that's the case now.

EDIT: It was a Ryan Seacrest interview!

I'll check it out!