Joanne: Stuck in the Middle Zone

[Gonzi 2,800]

First off all, hi! This is my very first thread. I've been a fan for a long time now but it was just recently that I joined GGD because I'm too bored with life atm tbh .

The past weeks I've been reading a lot of you guys commenting on Joanne and I noticed that a lot of you seem to be upset about it being too different from what Gaga has delivered in the past, and some of you don't even understand what's going on with this era. And I have to admit that at first I was a little confused by the message too, but I liked the music so I gave the whole thing a chance and I came up with a few theories that might help you guys understand it better.

Around a week ago, I came home very high from hanging out with some friends, I was feeling very anxious for some reason so I put on Joanne to relax a little bit. While listening to it I tried to analyze it since I was in different state of mind. I watched the PI/MR videos to see the connections between the music and the visuals and suddenly something clicked; the lyrics "Stuck in the middle zone" made more sense than ever:

Joanne is about transition:

I believe it's not what she had planned in first place to put out but it was what she needed emotionally. This is an era of healing for her and that's why in most interviews she's telling us that this album is just about her going back to what really matters, to being her father's daughter, her sister's sister and so on. And far from it being an image she's selling, I think it's because her family is the one that helped her through the break-up and many other things (I think everything that happened during the ARTPOP era affected her just as much) and so she dedicated the whole thing to them.

"You're giving me a million reasons to quit show"

I feel like with the videos, she's telling us how she wasn't ready for this new era at all. In the Perfect Illusion video, it shows a very hurt and upset Gaga, who tried to find solace in us and music, but we weren't really there for her, or at least she felt that way. Then the story continues with the Million Reasons video showing how her team and family are the ones to pick her up and how she then seamlessly continues to work for us (hence the backstage styled parts of the video) & sharing her feelings with this new record despite not being completely recovered. And I believe she did this only because she didn't want to let us down again postponing LG5.

"Well, what about the country vibes and toned down looks?", you may ask.

I think Joanne happens to be what Gaga needed professionally too. This album is the middle zone of her transition from the Lady she showed the world during the Cheek to cheek era to the Gaga we all know. The world isn't ready for Crazy Gaga just as much as Gaga herself isn't. But Joanne is getting us all there.

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

Yes. Even PI itself is a transitionary sacrificial lamb. Ran out of likes though. I'll give you one later

[Gonzi 2,800]

4 minutes ago, A Gaga Lad said:

Yes. Even PI itself is a transitionary sacrificial lamb. Ran out of likes though. I'll give you one later

It seems to be! the one thing I struggle to figure out is when did that part of the story (PI) take place?

[The Surrealist 27,470]

Just now, Gonzi said:

It seems to be! the one thing I struggle to figure out is when did that part of the story (PI) take place?

PI is about love (maybe specifically about Taylor):

"Tryin' to get control
Pressure's takin' its toll
Stuck in the middle zone
I just want you alone
My guessing game is strong
Way too real to be wrong
Caught up in your show
Yeah, at least now I know"

She is trying to get control of her love, because he already has someone else, but she is stuck between leaving him or staying with him, she can't share him with anyone. But she knew this all was coming, it is so real already that she can't even lie to herself anymore. She was just a game, but now she knows.

[Gonzi 2,800]

1 minute ago, Sycamore said:

PI is about love (maybe specifically about Taylor):

"Tryin' to get control
Pressure's takin' its toll
Stuck in the middle zone
I just want you alone
My guessing game is strong
Way too real to be wrong
Caught up in your show
Yeah, at least now I know"

She is trying to get control of her love, because he already has someone else, but she is stuck between leaving him or staying with him, she can't share him with anyone. But she knew this all was coming, it is so real already that she can't even lie to herself anymore. She was just a game, but now she knows.

I know it's about love and taylor, but what I was asking is when in time did the story of the music video take place. Because for me, PI could easily be about her split with Troy too.

[PMKKARDASHiAN 8,570]

6 minutes ago, Sycamore said:

PI is about love (maybe specifically about Taylor):

"Tryin' to get control
Pressure's takin' its toll
Stuck in the middle zone
I just want you alone
My guessing game is strong
Way too real to be wrong
Caught up in your show
Yeah, at least now I know"

She is trying to get control of her love, because he already has someone else, but she is stuck between leaving him or staying with him, she can't share him with anyone. But she knew this all was coming, it is so real already that she can't even lie to herself anymore. She was just a game, but now she knows.

You swine. 

It's about instagram 

[The Surrealist 27,470]

Just now, Gonzi said:

I know it's about love and taylor, but what I was asking is when in time did the story of the music video take place. Because for me, PI could easily be about her split with Troy too.

Hmm, let's see. Somewhere inbetween February-July of 2016.

[Anveeroy 57,726]

You just wrote a thesis about Joanne, which is great! 

[Gonzi 2,800]

2 minutes ago, Tanveer Anoy said:

You just wrote a thesis about Joanne, which is great! 

lol I know I didn't expect it to be so long but hopefully it helps at least one person understand this era a little bit more. Thanks btw 

[TCHIKITAH 2,810]

"I just want you alone"

[Jay.P 2,331]

But weren't BTW and ARTPOP also healing albums? I believe many albums have a healing intention to them (for the artist or the listener), so I don't think that is the main reason she made Joanne.

[Katie14 4,828]

1 hour ago, Gonzi said:

I know it's about love and taylor, but what I was asking is when in time did the story of the music video take place. Because for me, PI could easily be about her split with Troy too.

I think pi is about Taylor but also the music industry. She is singing about what she wished her career would be like and what she thought it was  the beginning. Fans and her management are interested in her on a superficial level because she entertains us and makes her management money. She realized that those people don't actually care for her as a person. I think the video takes place during the btwb and after her surgery.

[PopThatArt 2,193]

"Trying to get control, pressure's takin' it's toll" to me can be representative of two things:

1. The obvious one, about a relationship where she feels pressured and can't get control of what's going on, emotions, etc. One could assume there was a pressure on her to get married, have kids, etc. She even once commented about the having a baby thing, saying she is only going to be 30 and there's lots of time to have a baby, and there was also something back in 2012 where there were reports about Taylor pressuring her even back then about having kids. 

2. The one that a lot of her music is about - fame. She feels she lost control of her career and all the pressure from the label, the fans, the media, etc, has really taken a toll on her and she is torn, she doesn't know what to do, she's trying to get control of her career once again. And this is also reflective of how she said the song is representative of illusions in our culture - of success, of beauty, etc. It's also reflected in Angel Down, the age of the social line.

If you think about it Angel Down and Perfect Illusion, have similar themes.  And they also both correlate with Million Reasons. If you take out all the ideas about it being a relationship album, it is kind of fame oriented in a sense. 

[Katie14 4,828]

3 hours ago, PopThatArt said:

"Trying to get control, pressure's takin' it's toll" to me can be representative of two things:

1. The obvious one, about a relationship where she feels pressured and can't get control of what's going on, emotions, etc. One could assume there was a pressure on her to get married, have kids, etc. She even once commented about the having a baby thing, saying she is only going to be 30 and there's lots of time to have a baby, and there was also something back in 2012 where there were reports about Taylor pressuring her even back then about having kids. 

2. The one that a lot of her music is about - fame. She feels she lost control of her career and all the pressure from the label, the fans, the media, etc, has really taken a toll on her and she is torn, she doesn't know what to do, she's trying to get control of her career once again. And this is also reflective of how she said the song is representative of illusions in our culture - of success, of beauty, etc. It's also reflected in Angel Down, the age of the social line.

If you think about it Angel Down and Perfect Illusion, have similar themes.  And they also both correlate with Million Reasons. If you take out all the ideas about it being a relationship album, it is kind of fame oriented in a sense. 

I definitely think perfect illusion is about the illusion she had about what a career in the music industry would be like. Its like a warning to people who are striving for fame. 

[Gonzi 2,800]

5 hours ago, Jay.P said:

But weren't BTW and ARTPOP also healing albums? I believe many albums have a healing intention to them (for the artist or the listener), so I don't think that is the main reason she made Joanne.

I didn't say the album itself was intended for healing. I said the time and terms she released it in are. The album is a transition in many aspects of her life, that's why she made it.