4. March 2025
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Media Review

Lady Gaga – Chromatica

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Lady Gaga - Chromatica

Lady Gaga - Chromatica
4.5

Rating

 4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Top class dancefloor entertainment
  • Nice variety of songs
  • Ariana Grande, Blackpink and Elton John

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Sometimes a bit too similar and too experimental

Lady Gaga is one of the very, very big names in music industry. You just do not have to introduce her. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the publishing of her 2020 album Chromatica has been postponed from 10th April 2020 to 29th May 2020. Here is – finally – my review of it.

Lady Gaga – About The Artist

Even her civil name is extraordinary: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, was born on 28th March 1986 in New York City. Not too hard to guess, her family has Italian roots. Her mother insisted her to become a “cultured young women”, so that she learned to play the piano from the age of four. She started to be on stage as a teenager in open mic nights. Furthermore, she took acting training. At the age of 17, she went to the music school section of New York University, but she quit in 2005 to pursue her musical career. She played in some projects and at a showcase in the legendary The Cutting Room in New York, a talent scout referred her to a music producer, Rob Fusari, who is the “inventor” of the stage name Lady Gaga. Later, however, she lawsuited against him. Below is the music video to Poker Face, which has amazingly played more than 700 million times on YouTube only at the time of writing.

Fusari helped her to develop her music, which finally to Lady Gaga’s 2008 breakthrough album, The Fame. Hard to list all countries this album hit the number one in the charts, but you will definitely know the songs Just Dance, Poker Face and Paparazzi, which all made it to the lead in some national single charts. Regarding the chart positions, the second album, Born This Way, was even more successful and practically topped all major markets.  Thereafter, you have to say that (on a high level), the success of Lady Gaga slightly faded. The only single charts lead she had for quite some years was Perfect Illusion, which was #1 in the French charts.

Then came A Star Is Born, the amazing music movie, in which Lady Gaga starred alongside Bradley Cooper. Shallow became a massive success – Flyctory.com even features a Shallow-ism posting just showing a long list of very different cover versions of this amazing track. By the way: this video has 850 million YouTube views. The soundtrack lead to two more singles, which had decent chart placements (in the mid-range of national charts). Chromatica is Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album.

 

Lady Gaga – Chromatica – Track by Track

Chromatica includes 16 tracks and lasts 42 minutes. If you are in the US, you can buy a special edition at Target, which features one more song (Love Me Right) and two additional versions of Chromatica songs.

1. Chromatica I

Classic strings and orchestra sound? The album contains three instrumental Chromatica tracks. This one is at the very beginning of the album. I am not too much into these intro tracks, but I like it here – it is just that much of a contrast to what you expect (and also: what you later get) when you listen to a Lady Gaga album.

2. Alice

Okay, the strings are done. Gaga time. The songs are very straight. I am not a dance floor music person at all, but this girl catches with from the very beginning and makes me smile and dance while I am typing these words. My name isn’t Alice // But I’ll keep looking, I’ll keep looking for Wonderland… Maybe you are just in other spheres, Miss Gaga.

3. Stupid Love

The rhythm of Stupid Love reminds of previous Lady Gaga songs. The first single release of the album has a lot of power, a lot of the rhythm… And keeps me smiling and feeling good. Mille grazie – top-class pop entertainment.

4. Rain On Me (feat. Ariana Grande)

If Lady Gaga is calling, you find Ariana Grande in the “featuring” section of the song. What a combo of female pop superstars. I prefer Stupid Love, but this second single release of the album is a cool track, definitely. Fun fact: one week after this track has been released, it has three million on YouTube… Not views, but likes (views are twenty times higher…).

5. Free Woman

You just keep on dancing… Free Woman may not be as powerful on the melodic side as some of the tracks before – but it is just a good rhythm and even has a lot of summer feeling.

This is my dancefloor I fought for
A heart, that’s what I’m livin’ for
So light up my body and kiss me too hardly
We own the downtown, hear our sound

6. Fun Tonight

The song starts like a ballad, but finally turns to a dance track with a touch of lounge music here and there. Nice!

7. Chromatica II

Back to the orchestra. Just a 41 second relax, not sufficient to grab a drink at the bar or for a pee break, but a short pause for your dancing shoes.

8. 911

911 feels to seamlessly connect to Chromatica.

My biggest enemy is me
Pop a 911

The song has a stronger electric side, with slightly distorted voices as well. Not my favorite on the album (but it is still in the “somehow catchy” category).

9. Plastic Doll

Barbie Girl, Lady Gaga-style? Luckily not. This is the first song which makes me think whether we had something similar on this album already or not. At least the lyrics make me smile, definitely.

I’ve got blonde hair and cherry lips
I’m stained of art, a microchip
Am I your type?
‘Cause I’ve spent too long
Dancing all alone
Dancing to the same song

10. Sour Candy (feat. Blackpink)

Interesting combination on the tenth track: Lady Gaga is partnering with K-Pop girl band Blackpink for Sour Candy. This also means that we have Korean lyrics on Chromatica.

11. Enigma

Enigma is the kind of Lady Gaga tracks I like most: very present voice, a lot of power. A style, which slightly reminds of Poker Face again. The track also illustrates her great vocal talent (which may sometimes be a bit hidden in her tracks).

12. Replay

Replay is a quite melodic track, the beat is comparably quiet on this song as well. The vocals give the typical Lady Gaga sound, though.

13. Chromatica III

The final intermission – this time 27 seconds only. So you have to rush if you don’t want to miss the next track.

14. Sine From Above (feat. Elton John)

Chromatica had Ariana Grande, it had Blackpink… Can one top it? Sure, with Elton John. I am not kidding. The British piano god joins the Queen of the Dancefloor on this one. And his not only hitting the keys, but giving his voice.

When I was young, I felt immortal
And not a day went by without a struggle
I lived my days just for the nights
I lost myself under the lights
When I was young, I felt immortal

I like the track, I don’t like Elton John not too much alongside Lady Gaga here… But hey, it is a duet of big names, sometimes you just have to enjoy these music epic superstories.

15. 1000 Doves

I struggle a bit with 1000 Doves: on the one hand, it is the track on which I enjoy her vocals most – on the other hand, the song as such does not touch me too much – maybe you like it more.

16. Babylon

We only have the weekend
You can serve it to me ancient city style
We can party like it’s B.C.
With a pretty sixteenth century smile

Aha… The song, which somehow reminds me of Westend Girls by the Pet Shop Boys aims for a “history” topic. The sound is cool, but the lyrics are a bit too… much… for me. Yeah, it is pop music – but if you sing these lyrics in Nashville, you are not even allowed to pee in the Bluebird Cafe…

 

Lady Gaga – Chromatica – Spotify

Here is the Spotify prweview to Chromatica:

 

Lady Gaga – Chromatica – My View

Lady Gaga has been the International Queen of Dancefloors, she has given us one of the most remarkable moments with Shallow – and with Chromatica, she just illustrates why she deserved that. It is like placing towels on all sun loungers at Majorca Beach at once – when Lady Gaga comes, there is no place for somebody else. Even Elton John has to knock at the door and kindly beg for being allowed to join the party. She just does amazing. Even though Chromatica has some minor weaknesses, this is going to be great one in 2020. Top Pick! (of course…)

 

 

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