Why Joanne is Gaga's Best Album

[rumours 45,521]

3 minutes ago, darkpaw said:

If this ain’t a reach 

 

Love this Sheryl sound tho. Just not for Gags

I can see where you're coming from. To be fair, Gaga doing an album like this would either end up being spectacular or sounding inauthentic. It would indeed be a gamble.

1 minute ago, Glamourpuss said:

I hope more fans come to appreciate it in time. I've said this before and I don't mean this in a condescending way, but I think it's one that will age with the fans as they grow up.

Oh, I definitely think you are right. It along with C2C will age the best in the long run.

2 minutes ago, Glamourpuss said:

If It Makes You Happy is such a tune. 

You've got good taste. 

[Glamourpuss 29,062]

42 minutes ago, L1ttleM0nster said:

Also just a quick note about LG6:

I heard some rumors that LG6 will be very similar to the A Star is Born Soundtrack. While I try not to trust rumors, I do think this would be a good idea if true. Gaga continued her work with Joanne in A Star is Born, but instead of diving deep into herself, she did so with Ally. A Star is Born is Ally's Joanne, a strip down of everything to give you the true emotion Ally is feeling. If Gaga continued this deep exploration like she did for herself in Joanne, and did for Ally in A Star is Born, by LG6 she would have mastered to perfection the art of character exploration and will be able to make her most personal album to date, letting us know Stefani even more.

 

Thanks for reading this lol

I love how you call A Star is Born Ally's Joanne. I hadn't thought of it that way before. I feel so much more excited for her future albums because I expect that she will continue diving deep into herself. It's obvious that Gaga has matured so much so I really hope she continues to show that in her music.

[Suspiria 10,683]

How is Joanne any more "personal" than her previous albums?

On TFM she wrote about her boyfriend making her feel so ashamed of her body she has to make love in the dark. About the impact of her dad's heart surgery on her family. Being in love with her best friend. About the isolation of fame.

On BTW she sang about the worst day of her life, getting dropped from her label. She sang about all the social causes that she cares about the most. About all her New York friends and what it was like growing up there. Her insecurities at high school. Her grandfather passing away. Plus Yoü and I is by far her most explicitly personal love song to date.

On ARTPOP she sang about the pressures of the media, the loneliness of touring. About the highs and lows of drug addiction, and her personal addiction to fame. And most raw of all, she purged herself of all her rage towards her rapist on Swine.

 

What exactly did she reveal on Joanne that was any deeper or mature than any other album?

 

Yes her voice is always improving but I wouldn't say the vocals on MR for example are any more powerful than the harrowing "I don't wanna be friends!" on Bad Romance

And both lyrically and melodically it was by far her weakest album. Very literal - all her past albums were full of creative and fun metaphors that felt very unique to her. Joanne was just super obvious and full of clichés (the title track sounds like it was written by a 12 year old). The songs are just as repetitive as her more dancey hits, but without the sense of fun.

 

I will admit that the production is superb, with a really nice mix of genres done to a really high standard. Angel Down is possibly her most beautiful instrumental yet.

However the album as a whole was just incohesive - no concept, nothing really tying it together. Poor visuals and awful fashion made it even worse. The whole era just had this dull feel to it, with Gaga acting so miserable in every interview in an attempt to be more relatable. It was an unpleasant and unenjoyable era, and I'm very glad it's over

[Hyperballad 4,310]

50 minutes ago, Ktaylor99 said:

I will never understand the hate that Joanne gets. 

It will go down as one of the greatest albums of all time. 

[mauvais 0]

12 minutes ago, Suspiria said:

However the album as a whole was just incohesive - no concept, nothing really tying it together. Poor visuals and awful fashion made it even worse. The whole era just had this dull feel to it, with Gaga acting so miserable in every interview in an attempt to be more relatable. It was an unpleasant and unenjoyable era, and I'm very glad it's over

It's interesting how divided fans are about Gaga performing Relatable Real Girl. I loved it as a performance, but you're basically revolted she dare try, and others are like 'Jean Cutoffs Gaga is The One True Gaga!'

[Zilla 13,397]

I think the album didn't get a fair shot because the fans wanted something dancey and this is the opposite. Joanne is beautiful, from start to finish.

[UnknownUser71 2,878]

35 minutes ago, Rumours1977 said:

Joanne was certainly a step in the right direction. It (along with C2C) shifted her focus on music that better showcases her vocal abilities.

I personally hope that LG6 will have a vibe similar to that of Sheryl Crow's sophomore album.

Although, I know this won't be a popular opinion here on GGD lol

The Globe Sessions is one of my favorite albums. She's a great songwriter and vocalist. 

Joanne is a good album, and my favorite from Gaga (besides BTW). I love TFM but honestly I think it's a little bit overrated, especially in this forum; only 8 songs and 2 of them (Teeth and Monster) are mediocre tracks. It's a cohesive album, iconic in the pop culture, but not her best (my personal opinion).

Joanne has no skip tracks, all the songs are in the same level, fails in cohesion, but compense with good vocals and well written lyrics. 

[Suspiria 10,683]

5 minutes ago, mauvais said:

It's interesting how divided fans are about Gaga performing Relatable Real Girl. I loved it as a performance, but you're basically revolted she dare try, and others are like 'Jean Cutoffs Gaga is The One True Gaga!'

Yeah it is interesting. Personally it just infuriates me that people still think wearing boring clothes and no makeup makes you "genuine and authentic", and that acoustic/rock music is more "raw and honest". Surely wearing makeup and expressive clothes, i.e. moulding your own appearance, is a better, more honest representation of your tastes and personality? And surely electronic music, with a much wider variety of sounds and possibilities, means you can more accurately express the ideas in your head?

I have a lot of really snobby and old fashioned friends, so this is stuff I think about a lot

[2School4Cool 6,449]

Joanne is my favorite album of hers as well. Every song is so incredible. I love that each of her albums is personal to her in a different way, but what makes Joanne stand out is that, while her past albums have been a musical photo album of where she is at that specific point in her life, Joanne is who she always has been and always will be. It is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germonatta. Plus, musically the album is a masterpiece. The stripped back production lets her vocals shine. Songs like Angel Down, Million Reasons, Joanne, Diamond Heart, Come To Mama, etc. will always stand as some of my favorite songs she’s ever written.

[UnknownUser71 2,878]

3 minutes ago, Suspiria said:

Yeah it is interesting. Personally it just infuriates me that people still think wearing boring clothes and no makeup makes you "genuine and authentic", and that acoustic/rock music is more "raw and honest". Surely wearing makeup and expressive clothes, i.e. moulding your own appearance, is a better, more honest representation of your tastes and personality? And surely electronic music, with a much wider variety of sounds and possibilities, means you can more accurately express the ideas in your head?

I have a lot of really snobby and old fashioned friends, so this is stuff I think about a lot

I get your point, and I agree. 

But I think it's true that when you wear impossible clothes, and crazy make up, the attention goes to your appearance, and not to your music, what is exactly what happened to Gaga in BTW/ARTPOP eras. The people forgot that Gaga was a singer and she became into a character. 

Why do you think that people loves Gaga again? It's because they are seeing her as a singer/artist, that doesn't need anything else to shine, only her voice. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Gaga from BTW/ARTPOP, but I think that the music (which is the most important) was shaded by her image/character. 

People consider the acustic/rock music more raw and honest, because it's simple, the voice and message are the most important. For example, I love Bloody Mary (one of my favorite tracks from BTW) and Judas, both have an outstanding production, but to me is more easy connect with Joanne (song), Angel Down or Million Reasons, because they are honest tracks, you only focus on Gaga's voice and in the lyrics. 

Just a personal opinion. 

[LilyLark 10,106]

I've always had eclectic tastes so I've pretty much liked all of Gaga's stuff, and not just because it is Gaga.

 I do have to say I think Joanne is massively underrated by the fans even though I know it is loved by some. I think the -issue- was that people were expecting more dance/pop/upbeat tracks (if she had a few more DIC and JW, I think the fans would have had a different reaction).  Lyrically, some of the tracks were much weaker than she has been in the past—particularly PI imo. But I also think some of the tracks had, in return, some of her strongest lyrics compared to everything else: particularly Angel Down, Sinner's Prayer, and Come to Mama. The production on PI was good, tho, so I don't put it on Mark Ronson or BloodPop. 

But also she does change it up a lot. I doubt it's going to be Joanne 2.0, especially as ASIB had Joanne vibes.  At the same time tho, considering the ARTPOP reception and Elton John basically even saying Gaga wasn't happy with it doesn't indicate she's ever going to go back to that era too, regardless of what fans want.  And Engima, the Grammy performance, etc. all are more signs, imo, that she isn't reverting entirely back to Joanne.

She's said a few times that she likes changing it up. I don't believe at all that she's desperately wanting to seem "authentic," a la Miley Cyrus and her many grasps at identity, but that she likes to constantly change. So I don't see her wearing cut offs as trying to portray her as the "real Gaga", even if the media puts her in that box, because the real Gaga is someone who likes to slip in and out of various personas dare I say...a bit like Madonna or her obvious inspiration, Bowie. But I think it perhaps angers some fans because they think she is trying to pander to the status quo, that says glitter and outrageous outfits aren't "real" and that she has to be wearing jeans to be serious, instead of just switching it up. 

 

[LilyLark 10,106]

12 minutes ago, Mister D said:

I get your point, and I agree. 

But I think it's true that when you wear impossible clothes, and crazy make up, the attention goes to your appearance, and not to your music, what is exactly what happened to Gaga in BTW/ARTPOP eras. The people forgot that Gaga was a singer and she became into a character. 

Why do you think that people loves Gaga again? It's because they are seeing her as a singer/artist, that doesn't need anything else to shine, only her voice. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Gaga from BTW/ARTPOP, but I think that the music (which is the most important) was shaded by her image/character. 

People consider the acustic/rock music more raw and honest, because it's simple, the voice and message are the most important. For example, I love Bloody Mary (one of my favorite tracks from BTW) and Judas, both have an outstanding production, but to me is more easy connect with Joanne (song), Angel Down or Million Reasons, because they are honest tracks, you only focus on Gaga's voice and in the lyrics. 

Just a personal opinion. 

Honestly I think she's kind of struck a good balance between embracing her less conventional self, and the public being able to still see her as a singer. The Enigma show has gotten good reviews in part because it's both camp and spectacle but the shock factor isn't -too-much for some. 

I love Gaga hatching out of an egg, or her head being superimposed on a swan, but the truth is it did overshadow her work some—which isn't fair but it is the way life is. I think she can still be -campy- but I do think she's probably never going to go back to the true shock elements.

[mauvais 0]

40 minutes ago, Suspiria said:

Yeah it is interesting. Personally it just infuriates me that people still think wearing boring clothes and no makeup makes you "genuine and authentic", and that acoustic/rock music is more "raw and honest". Surely wearing makeup and expressive clothes, i.e. moulding your own appearance, is a better, more honest representation of your tastes and personality? And surely electronic music, with a much wider variety of sounds and possibilities, means you can more accurately express the ideas in your head?

I have a lot of really snobby and old fashioned friends, so this is stuff I think about a lot

It's such a pervasive binary when, really, nothing is inherently authentic or inauthentic and therefore anything can be authentic or inauthentic. Reality is usually a combination of both. I think that's why meta discussion about Joanne are fascinating and revealing. It's basically a reverse TF experience  Rhetorically speaking, why did alien Gaga want to be a real girl and why was Joanne her chosen path? 

[2School4Cool 6,449]

10 minutes ago, Mister D said:

I get your point, and I agree. 

But I think it's true that when you wear impossible clothes, and crazy make up, the attention goes to your appearance, and not to your music, what is exactly what happened to Gaga in BTW/ARTPOP eras. The people forgot that Gaga was a singer and she became into a character. 

Why do you think that people loves Gaga again? It's because they are seeing her as a singer/artist, that doesn't need anything else to shine, only her voice. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Gaga from BTW/ARTPOP, but I think that the music (which is the most important) was shaded by her image/character. 

People consider the acustic/rock music more raw and honest, because it's simple, the voice and message are the most important. For example, I love Bloody Mary (one of my favorite tracks from BTW) and Judas, both have an outstanding production, but to me is more easy connect with Joanne (song), Angel Down or Million Reasons, because they are honest tracks, you only focus on Gaga's voice and in the lyrics. 

Just a personal opinion. 

I completely agree with this. I think all of Gaga’s albums are authentic. On the JWT she would always talk about the deeper meaning behind Scheiße and then say that she turned the sweet sentiment into an over-the-top electronic pop song for us to dance to. Also, Swine is about her sexual assault, but that wouldn’t be obvious if you didn’t really analyze the lyrics. So electronic music can still be personal, but when you hear a song with dance production, the first thing you do is dance, not listen to the meaningful lyrics. Plus, most (not all) artists make dance songs for the sole purpose of dancing to it, not telling a story or writing about a personal feeling or situation. When artists want to tell a story, they typically sit at a piano or pick up a guitar and let the lyrics guide the song, not the production. As for Joanne specifically, I think what makes it seem more personal is not only the production, but the fact that it tells the story of who she always has been, as opposed to her past albums which are a look at who she is in that specific moment in her life.

[gumzy3000 7,357]

Joanne is a beautiful album and I did always thing it was cohesive and smooth. 

The only part I disagree with in your explanation is that you mention Joanne is her most personal work to date and while I think that, a part of me also rejects the idea because Gaga toned it down for Joanne and I didn’t like how she put that as if it means she’s “authentic”... so the question is,  was she being authentic in her other, crazier eras? I feel like once she masters this balance, then she will truly release her magnum opus.