Why Lady Gaga’s ‘Joanne’ is the album 2016 needs

We need to do more than ‘Just Dance’ right now


There’s no denying Lemonade was THE album of 2016, but another album recently dropped and it’s phenom.com. Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” is more than just catchy melodies and sassy lyrics. Each song has a message that invokes a strong emotion. I’ve listened to this album no less than 67 times (sorry neighbors) and have deciphered what I think we can learn from each jam. So turn up the volume and listen to what this extraordinary woman has to say.

Track 1: Diamond Heart

“Good thing I know what I’m worth”

This is pure celebration of women going after what they want with the full realization of their own worth. We’re not perfect, and we’ve been hurt before, but we’re masters of our own destiny and, baby, your destiny is you.

Lesson: Don’t be scared to take risks and make your intentions known. Good things don’t always come to those who wait — go out and grab those good things!

Track 2: A-YO

“My body’s got you pleadin'”

Not going to lie, this is my least fave of the album and I usually go for the skip. However, talking to my friend the other day he explained: “it’s just fun!” And after watching her perform it on SNL I had to agree. This one’s for all the die-hard Gaga fans — in all its glittery glory.

Lesson: 2HOT4U. You are a solid, sassy, 10 and anyone should be so lucky to have you.

Track 3: Joanne

“Where do you think you’re goin’ girl?”

The title track of the album is a tribute to Gaga’s late aunt who tragically died at 19. Crafted as a woman singing to her younger self, the song’s subliminal message addresses the time in every gal’s life that’s filled with self-doubt, loss, and confusion.

Lesson: It’s okay to feel lost and in limbo. Don’t pressure yourself to have your shit together. Celebrate progress no matter how small you think it may be. Everything will work out as it should.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNnW1ISjUYO/?taken-by=ladygaga&hl=en

Track 4: John Wayne 

“I just love a cowboy you know”

Yes, Gaga, I know. There’s something about a man who can crack a whip and ride horseback into a sunset… Marion Mitchell Morrison (better known by his stage name, John Wayne) was an actor famous for Westerns. I haven’t seen anything he’s been in but, if they’re anything like Brokeback Mountain, I’m in.

Lesson: Why can’t we resist the wild, bad boy? Honestly. But to take a positive lesson from this saucy track, perhaps the perfect man for us isn’t who we’d initially thought. Yes, men look great in a slim-fit navy suit and tan leather shoes, but men who wear high-vis, or flannel, are just as sexy and smart.

Track 5: Dancin’ in Circles

“I lay around, touch myself to pass the time”

This is another self-love anthem breaking down the stigma around female masturbation. It’s a sexy song about not needing someone else to give you what you want — the female body is a powerful machine!

Lesson: Get to know yourself and don’t be scared of your own body. Enough with the body-shaming! 2017 is the time to join the Self Love Club and focus on the amazing function of your body, not its aesthetics.

Track 6: Perfect Illusion

“Mistaken for love, it wasn’t love. It was a perfect illusion”

This is a shout out to every gal who’s ever been blindsided by a partner who changed their mind. This song tries to make sense of the nonsensical, and is a reminder that you have no control over love.

Lesson: Being in love is magical, but also fragile. Sometimes love leaves when you very much want it to stay. Don’t blame yourself, or question what you may have done wrong. The likelihood is you’re awesome, you did nothing wrong, and this person was just a love of your life — not the.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCWuCoGpFE3/?taken-by=ladygaga&hl=en

Track 7: Million Reasons

“Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith”

Heartbreaks challenge your faith in love. This song’s obviously about Gaga and her ex-fiance which makes it even sadder. At the end of the day — no matter how rich or famous — humans just want to love, and be loved in return.

Lesson: Love and trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship. If it’s not there it’s time to say goodbye. Try to remember, through the tears, that things will always get better no matter how bleak the outlook.

Track 8: Sinner’s Prayer

“I don’t wanna break the heart of any other man but you”

This is a “please don’t leave” song. Again, breaks my heart with her and Taylor Kinney (R.I.P love). No one’s perfect, some love can’t be explained to those outside of it but, as Selena says, “the heart wants what it wants.”

Lesson: Sometimes you have to fight for what you love and make yourself extremely vulnerable, and what better thing to fight for than love?

Track 9: Come to Mama

“There’s gonna be no future if we don’t figure this out”

Mother Monster reminds us that we cannot keep doing what we’re doing. Similarities in message can be drawn from 2003’s Where Is the Love? This track has banger lyric after banger lyric with a surprisingly boppy melody for such a serious message.

Lesson: If we keep disagreeing about climate change we’re going to destroy the earth. If we keep disagreeing about religion we’re going to keep killing each other. If we keep disagreeing about lifestyles, no one will be free. We are all humans — let’s start treating each other as such!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMMba_iB2gR/?taken-by=ladygaga&hl=en

Track 10: Hey Girl

“We can make it easy if we lift each other”

It’s all about women helping women. This song is a reminder of what we can achieve if we lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down. Sung in duet with Florence Welch, this feminist anthem is a celebration of the sisterhood — and it’s also catchy as fuck.

Lesson: A rising tide lifts all boats. All women are fighting against the patriarchy and don’t need other women trying to push them down, too. Instead of seeing another woman as a threat, see her as an ally.

Track 11: Angel Down

“Why do people just stand around?”

This song refuses to be ignored — and even appears on the album twice for that very reason. Black Americans represent 13 percent of the U.S. population yet account for 50 percent of all homicide victims (Huffington Post, 2016). In this song Gaga asks “where are our leaders?” But she also asks why bystanders are remaining silent.

Lesson: In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Let’s leave neutrality and silence in 2016 and start to make our world one we’re proud of.

Track 12: Grigio Girls

“Pour your heart out, watch your blues turn gold”

Talk about a gal-pal anthem! Pop that bottle and cheers to being a woman! This is really a love song to female friendship and even includes a mother fucking Spice Girls reference — what else could you ever need?

Lesson: There are a lot of challenges that come with being a woman. Sometimes the world can seem overwhelming but there’s one thing we can always rely on; our fellow females!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMGd77xhv9N/?taken-by=ladygaga&hl=en

Track 13: Just Another Day

“Today I won’t be so hard on me”

Now this just makes you want to skip down a sunny New York street in a long, flowy dress while store owners pass you flowers as you kiss the heads of random babies. A fun reminder, from Gaga, that sometimes you just gotta laugh it off and have some fun!

Lesson: Don’t take yourself too seriously! Have fun with life – sing, dance, laugh. Meet new people, be silly and, most importantly, be yourself!

 

Lady Gaga’s already given us honesty (in being open about her own rape and subsequent PTSD), motivation (to go out and exercise the democratic right to vote), safety (in her messages about the right to be yourself), and now she’s blessed us with this album. Praise be to Gaga!