By Draven Copeland, Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Germanotta, better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, returned to the forefront of the music scene this week with the release of her sixth solo studio album (and twelfth full-length release overall), Mayhem.
Hot off her “Best Pop Duo” Grammy win with Bruno Mars for their track “Die With A Smile,” Gaga capitalizes on this recent and arguably ongoing success, bringing in another multiple-time Grammy winner Andrew Watt to record guitar for every track.
Throughout the album, there is clear inspiration from Trent Reznor’s work with Nine Inch Nails (NIN), my favorite band, so, obviously, I knew I would love this one. Here are my thoughts, track-by-track.
- “Disease”
“I could play the doctor, I can cure your disease / If you were a sinner I could make you believe”
An almost uncharacteristically dark and intense first track, this is a great introduction to the album’s vibe. Using synths and gasps to open the track, the listener is sucked into Gaga’s gothic lyrics, detailing a sickness that could be of mind or body… who is to say? No matter what kind of disease it is, she has the cure; to me, it seems as if this music is her cure, and she’s giving it to us.
- “Abracadabra”
“Hold me in your heart tonight / In the magic of the dark moonlight”
In this aptly titled ritualistic dance track, Gaga casts a spell on the listener, both sonically and lyrically. With a hyperventilating post-chorus backed by a rising bassline, she brings what is easily the most danceable song on the album… which is saying a lot because this is, at its soul, an album still very much rooted in her dance-pop origins. “Death or love tonight,” she proclaims, hinting at the themes to come later.
- “Garden of Eden”
“I could be your girlfriend for the weekend / You could be my boyfriend for the night”
Reznor’s influence is most clear in this song’s instrumental production, featuring an incredibly distorted and note-bending guitar riff during the post-chorus that is very reminiscent of NIN’s 1999 album, The Fragile. On top of this very industrial beat, Gaga returns to a tone closer to her early work in albums like The Fame Monster; still dark, but with more focus on the pop-centered earworm chorus than the previous tracks.
- “Perfect Celebrity”
“You love to hate me / I’m the perfect celebrity”
Our first glimpse into the more introspective and emotional side of the album, this song maintains the pop sound from the previous track but adds some light piano riffs in the background, which we will be seeing come to greater prominence later. This song also introduces the thematic motif of a clone of Gaga’s self, which she references a couple more times throughout the album. Ending with a groovy (yet heavily distorted) guitar riff, this track is a perfect interstice between the previous track and the next.
- “Vanish Into You”
“When I die, can I vanish into you?”
One of my personal favorite tracks on the album, this is also one of her most emotionally vulnerable songs since her 2016 album, Joanne. With yet another danceable pop beat, the vocals and lyrics carry the weight of the song, adding in some very beautiful piano melodies here and there. Keeping with the gothic tone of the overall work, the ghostly love and focus on death are exceptionally raw, which is exactly the type of thing I love from a lyrical standpoint.
- “Killah” (feat. Gesaffelstein)
“I’m lightin’ up my final cigarette / I’ll burn a hole right through your eyes”
Gaga’s first collaboration with French DJ Gesaffelstein, the entire musical tone of the album takes a drastic turn and, even though it’s strange after every song has smoothly transitioned into the next thus far, it feels right. With an 80’s dance-pop vibe that is very reminiscent of Prince’s work on albums like 1999, the lyrics still maintain a dark mood even though their delivery is very different from anything we’ve heard yet on the album. Finishing off with an incredibly groovy bass loop, this one is sure to be a banger for any fan of nostalgic 80’s music.
- “Zombieboy”
“We about to be up all night, wakin’ up a zombie / So put your paws all over me, you Zombieboy”
Following up with another track that could’ve been released in the 80’s and no one would know the difference, Gaga gives us a more lighthearted track that will definitely be played at Halloween parties this year. With a rock-oriented guitar solo, synthy choruses, and vocal call-and-response, “Zombieboy” is the most unapologetically fun piece of the album, marking the halfway point with an exciting and nostalgic exclamation point.
- “LoveDrug”
“My heart is in a bind, if I could bear it on my own / I wouldn’t try so hard to numb what’s left behind”
When I first saw this song on the tracklist, I was very excited to see what could be a follow-up to Gaga’s 2008 track “LoveGame.” I was at first caught off-guard when the song turned out to be, in many ways, the antithesis of its similarly-titled predecessor; instead of being confident and in control of her next encounter, she is mournful, looking for something to distract her from the pain and remorse she’s feeling. Transitioning musically toward a relatively more modern sound than the last few tracks (think 90’s Madonna), this is another one of my personal favorites, perfectly mixing the emotional weight that she isn’t afraid to explore with this era of her work with the fun production she has never strayed far from.
- “How Bad Do U Want Me”
“She’s on your mind, like, all the time / But I got a tattoo for us last week”
I was again misled by the title of this track, expecting a powerful statement like the 2013 track “Do What U Want,” and finding instead a soulful and sad recount of a woman caught with feelings for someone who seems to be preoccupied with another girl. Instead of the flippant confidence in response to this bad romance that I would’ve expected from Gaga’s previous eras, she conveys desperation for this person, doing everything she can for their attention. This song also marks the reappearance of a theme throughout the album of Gaga’s dissonance of character, as she cannot be the “good girl” that this person expects from her despite their attraction to her stemming from her “bad girl” persona.
- “Don’t Call Tonight”
“The sun is risin’ but we’re out of light / We twist the knife too many times to say goodbye”
Although she is detailing a different kind of toxic relationship and has significantly more confidence than in the last few tracks, Gaga brings so much emotion in her voice and lyrics on this track that it’s hard not to cry despite the fun production and guitar riffs that back her up. She tells her significant other repeatedly not to call her and it’s unclear whether she is leaving them for good or if she is just taking a small step to regaining autonomy over her life; no matter which, she can never escape them, because when she looks in the mirror, she can only see their eyes.
- “Shadow Of A Man”
“Can’t ignore the voice within / And a woman can’t lose, but you still pretend”
This track brings us the classic Lady Gaga from her early work, a confident and self-assured star who will find success and self-worth despite being in the “shadow of a man.” Easily the least gothic song on the album, this one’s for her fans and everyone looking up to her as the icon she has made herself to be. There is no longer dissonance of self or any uncertainty here and, in the context of the album, she seems to have broken free from the toxicity she had found herself in and finds happiness within herself.
- “The Beast”
“Turn on the music, turn off the lights / I wanna feel the beast inside”
Returning to the gothic and introspective tone of the overall album, Gaga uses the folkloric concept of werewolves “turning” at midnight to describe her relationship with someone who has a secret that must be revealed. She repeats “11:59,” signifying that what has yet been unknown will become known very soon, leaving the time that the titular “beast” will be released up to the person she is addressing, begging them to give her what she wants. A slower song than anything thus far, this one still ditches melancholy for hope, as she has clearly taken back control of her situation.
- “Blade of Grass”
“You said, ‘How does a man like me love a woman like you’ / I said, ‘Hold me until I die and I’ll make you brand new’”
Ever since her Academy Award-nominated performance in Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born, I have been obsessed with Gaga’s production-stripped emotional ballads. With not much in the production other than a piano, a guitar, and her voice, she delivers what I would consider one of her greatest lyrical compositions yet. Using the imagery of a field with a burned-down church to describe the setting of her life, she asks her man to use a “blade of grass” as a wedding band, hoping that they may live together and “make this last.” It’s truly a beautiful love song that I would recommend even to those who may not usually be a fan of her work.
- “Die With A Smile” (feat. Bruno Mars)
“If the world was ending / I’d wanna be next to you”
Having already won the aforementioned Grammy as well as a nomination for “Song of the Year,” I don’t feel like I have to sell this one too much. What did surprise me, however, was just how perfect it fits on the album. From the moment I saw it on the tracklist to the moment just before the song played, I thought it was a little bit of a cheap move on Gaga’s part to include a song that had never been marketed as a single for the album that had already seen huge success on its own. But, when it played, it was a perfect song to round the album out with. The concept of death and darkness that is prominent throughout the whole work is still here, but it’s approached with hope and peace, Gaga having found them both for herself throughout the preceding few tracks. The album is better off with the track than without it, and I credit that to the masterful chronology of Mayhem as a whole.
There you have it: my briefest thoughts on Lady Gaga’s most recent full-length album, Mayhem. I’d say it was an easy 9/10, but I could be swayed a point one way or another if the argument for it was strong enough. Listen to it as you walk around campus or while you’re studying, or hell, wherever you want, and see what you think!
