My Thoughts on the Joanne Snippets

[calmar 22,055]

I know everyone and their mother has made a thread or commented on a thread already giving their ratings and opinions on the short snippets of Joanne we heard a few nights ago, but as I was typing mine, they became somewhat lengthy, and I don't think they're appropriate for a thread now thoroughly answered and several hours old. So I'll hack my own space into Gaga Thoughts for myself. The thoughts are written so as to describe the song for individuals who are abstaining from listening until the album's full release on October 21. If you have your own comments to make after (read: if) you dredge through my own, feel free to air them out. 
 

Diamond Heart: The snippet is defined mainly by its percussion. An uptempo "summery" pop track, the first couple of heard measures are singular drum beats; the short prechorus gains a percussion layer and a soft synth making a plummeting noise. The part of the chorus we hear appears to be bisected: in the first part, Gaga begins to belt as warm, strumming synths begin to increase in volume; there's a noticeable lack of percussion. In the second, the drum stem returns to interweave with the synths. Gaga appears to be somewhat lower in her vocal range than in other major-key pop songs we know her by.

A-Yo: I can definitely see people calling this country-influenced uptempo pop from the snippet, but we also know it has a bit of funk if we go from the live performance. Has a clap beat (like MANiCURE or Telephone), but replaces the idea of synths with twanging of guitars. The verse portion we hear has her singing quietly, almost conversationally, except of course the 'Which one I'll never tell' lyric, which is similarly belted in the live performance. Before the chorus kicks in we have a small rock guitar riff before Gaga starts growl-belting the chorus, over a similar instrumental. Definitely appears to be more focused on her vocals melodically, like PI does.

Joanne: A very mellow, almost dreamy-sounding pop ballad. Its instrumental appears to be, similar to A-Yo, the strumming of guitars, however these seem almost plucked delicately, giving a feeling of loneliness and loss. The vocal melody is somewhat descending, adding to the passively somber tone of the song. Not sure if there's reverb in effect on Gaga's vocals (hard to tell due to the low quality of the snippet), but it definitely works if it's there. Very minimalistic with a slow tempo, with all of the punch packed into Gaga's delicately crafted delivery. The closest song I can think of in terms of overall emotional impression is "Puff The Magic Dragon" (with basically everything else different from it.)

John Wayne: A huge departure from Joanne. The snippet starts a few measures before the chorus. Gaga's voice is more full-throated, and has a bit of an electronic tinge; whether's that a quality problem or actually on the track I can't say. The backing of the verse appears to be held-out acoustic guitar chords, a contrast to the plucking characterizing the prior two tracks. Right before the chorus, as Gaga screams I'm strung out on JOHN WAYNE! the percussion picks up and the acoustic guitars are replaced for a fantastic, grimy backing electric guitar cacophony, much in the vein (as others have mentioned) as Mary Jane Holland's opening. (As an aside, the prechoral scream reminds me of the I love in I love rock and roll from the famous Joan Jett song.) The chorus is mostly just instrumental, but Gaga does have a vocal hook or two overlaying it that seems a bit off.

Dancin' in Circles: The snippet we got of this song is another song to heavily feature the importance of percussion. The prechorus (if that's indeed what the segment starts with) has a singular drum with a somewhat erratic beat, which continues throughout the snippet with little hiccups and other effects added along the way, like a haunting soundbyte that repeats once or twice and a quick woo! before the post-chorus. Gaga is not belting but her vocals seem very controlled and solid, as if trying to hold back emotion (emotion that is expressed in a background hook of a descending melody that plays between lyrics in the pre-chorus), and stands seemingly far above the instrumental. The guitar is there but is more subdued as compared to prior tracks. Mid to uptempo pop song. The end of the snippet is the aforementioned postchorus, where she slinks into a girlish near-whisper. The vibe I get from it is somewhat like something I can see Fall Out Boy releasing.

Sinner's Prayer: Very, very similar to what Gaga did in Nashville, so this likely won't be as long; however, there are a few things worth mentioning. There is instrumentation behind the parts Gaga sang acoustically, but it is not the same as the hook we heard later on during the live performance. It's also a bit more compressed; the time Gaga leaves between sections of the song is not as pronounced on the studio version. As an overall impression, it's definitely a country-influenced pop ballad. 

Come to Mama: This is my favorite. In one other thread I agreed with a user who called it a track left off of the Hairspray musical album. The snippet begins with the latter end of the first verse and bursts into the chorus; during the process, the piano banging the same chord repeatedly (not in a bad way) gives way to what sounds like a saxophone playing the tonic chords behind Gaga's voice, which while not a full belt, is strong and dripping with affection in line with the lyrical content. The percussion only picks up in the chorus, where it appears to be a sort of clap beat played on a live snare drum. The song itself is, likely many said, something which can harken back to the 50s or 60s in sound, with some calling it "Motown" and others "soul". I think it's more acoustic pop, but there's a bit of a Motown influence in the hint of a call-and-response hinted at the very end of the snippet as it's fading. There might be a guitar in here, but it's well hidden and interwoven with the sax if it is. 

Hey Girl: A highly anticipated snippet, Gaga and Florence's vocals mesh together well in a snippet that many compared to something reminiscent of Benny and the Jets. I think it's the fact that the instrumental is just a quick, funky burst of percussion and guitar every beat or so, leaving the melody entirely to the duo's interchange. It's hard to tell what part of the song this is, but it's likely the verse and then the very beginning of the chorus, leaving the transition to just a quick few more drumbeats - very open, leaving all the attention on the vocals, which may or may not have a bit of an electronic reverb on them (hard to tell with quality.) The song is surprisingly mellower in tone than I expected, more in line with a Florence song than a Gaga song. The chorus part we hear is Florence forlornly crooning "Hey girl! Hey girl!" Probably not single material, but a favorite of a portion of the fanbase due to its sound and Florence's inclusion.

Angel Down: The RedOne snippet. A slow-tempo ballad stripped down to simply Gaga's most throaty, emotional voice and a piano giving purposeful, somewhat quiet chords (with quick flourishes of either the top of the piano or chimes at the end of each line.) The song again is somewhat somber, with quick jumps and hints at the relative major to express an internal hope that the mood will soon lift. Perhaps one of the simplest and most quintessentially Gaga songs on the album given the instrumentation and the occasional lack of good diction. As the last song on the standard version of Joanne, it seems almost like a track you'd hear in a B movie following a large loss of life.

Grigio Girls: What we hear of this bonus track appears to be the chorus, and in it, Gaga crafts a track that almost sounds like a sing-along campfire song, backed by piano, guitar and occasionally a vocal clip that sounds like the huh! from LoveGame, but more vacant, lighter, more reverb. Percussion is present but appears to be less important to the fabric of the song. The clip ends with Gaga repeating Make it all make sense in a tender voice with her voice accompanying her in a secondary melodic line behind her, giving the song an acoustic folk vibe. Gaga's vocals, which on the rest of the album have been heavy on control, emotion, and vibrato, seem to slink back a bit from their professional duty to make the song lighter, more breezy, and harken to quieter performances of Yoü and I or Speechless.

Just Another Day: Gaga's voice goes back to full and at attention in the final bit of Joanne, where what appears to be the verse seemingly stumbles around a somewhat simple beat and guitar backing we've come to expect from the album in a minor key. It then smoothly transitions into a chorus where Gaga's hints at major keys finally come out like the sun on a cloudy day. Like Grigio Girls, the song doesn't take itself too seriously and appears to be a fun ballad that, like many have claimed, harkens back to the style Gaga used before she became an artist on a major record label, with crowded vocals and an intriguing melody. Not my favorite so far, but that may change once the album itself is released. 

[JoanneMonster 9,017]

I disagree a lot

[calmar 22,055]

Just now, JoanneMonster said:

I disagree a lot

That's perfectly fine!  

[JoanneMonster 9,017]

Just now, calmar said:

That's perfectly fine!  

Didn't mean to be rude or anything 

[calmar 22,055]

Just now, JoanneMonster said:

Didn't mean to be rude or anything 

I didn't take it that way. Don't worry. What do you think?

[Computer 10,973]

2 minutes ago, JoanneMonster said:

I disagree a lot

But with what parts though

 

I love reading descriptions/reactions, thanks.

[calmar 22,055]

Just now, Computer said:

But with what parts though

 

I love reading descriptions/reactions, thanks.

I'm glad! 

[Dramatica 13,690]

5 minutes ago, JoanneMonster said:

I disagree a lot

What a lovely addition to the thread. When someone in a conversation states their opinion, they are not really waiting for your approval or disapproval 

[FlyingF 485]

Wait the snippet of angel down was the redone version??

[StJames 376]

21 minutes ago, calmar said:

That's perfectly fine!  

Did everyone see that..... a mature response that doesn't involve aggression and the acceptance of another's point of view 😁 I agree with a lot of what you said in the OP you have a pretty keen ear

[Monzter 182]

Can't wait any longer.. I try but I fail

Give me a link to the snippets!

[MAC 1,942]

Thanks for writing this.  I have not heard any of the snippets or anything other than Perfect Illusion really.  I am so looking forward to all these songs.  For now i'm enjoying reading everyone's comments.

[calmar 22,055]

Just now, Monzter said:

Can't wait any longer.. I try but I fail

Give me a link to the snippets!

Unfortunately I no longer have links! I downloaded them from Vocaroo when the user Travis put them up there; those Vocaroo links were later removed by what I suppose is Gaga's management. 

[Bayonetta 9,844]

2 minutes ago, Monzter said:

Can't wait any longer.. I try but I fail

Give me a link to the snippets!

 

dont do it

[Monzter 182]

Just now, calmar said:

Unfortunately I no longer have links! I downloaded them from Vocaroo when the user Travis put them up there; those Vocaroo links were later removed by what I suppose is Gaga's management. 

Okey  I should wait two weeks, and hear the CD when it comes out tho