Alright, alright Steem buckets,
Before you go preachin' to the children how drugs are bad you should know: yes, drugs are bad. You're a genius. Now go sit in the corner because I don't want to make the point of this post discussing my personal opinions on recreational drugs being used safely (but maybe I'll make a post about it at some point in the future? Ask nicely and thee shall give you a wall of text that thou can read.)
Sorry about that, didn't mean to get all up in yer face there. I'm just responding to a way certain individuals might choose to respond to this sort of article. Remember, it's all in good fun!
I figured this would be the perfect break before continuing on with my Battlestar Galactica EPIC watch and respond series. The link to the first episode can be found here.
Without further ado! I give you all....
LADY GAGA'S JOANNE ALBUM REVIEW AFTER 1 TAB OF LSD (SONG BY SONG)
Song 1: Diamond Heart - This album starts off STRONG. The mixing of genres, the fake-out before the drop into the chorus is great. It has the same Gaga-ish moments as Venus when it goes from hook, to another hook, to chorus, to hook. Her vocals are stronger than ever. It's almost like she jumped into a Door's/Pink Floyd album at times. The words she is saying are POWERFUL, and it's obvious that she is singing about herself at a younger stage in her life, but this also ties into the themes she's going to hit you with by the end of the album (I'll bring it back, don't worry). "Daddy's girl is never good enough, so I'll keep go-going cause this dance is on you."
My only issue would be with the levels of her actual voice. Maybe it's because I was tripping by the time I heard the first song, but I didn't understand the lyrics until well into my second listen.
Song 2: A-YO - I've heard this song live, and before I listened to the album. Another fucking JAM. And I mean a FUCKING JAM. It makes you want to light up an entire pack of cigarettes and smoke them into someone's face. The production is fucking CLEAN. Like SO clean. The album continually uses these screechy, sudden jerking sound effects that literally make you wanna jerk around like she does when she plays live. To people say there is no "jams" on this album are either listening to this on their god damn computer speakers or wasn't playing it loud enough. Or maybe it's the drugs...either way, love the song when I'm sober too.
Song 3: Joanne - The single greatest moment on the album is when she proudly proclaims the hook with a tear in her eye "Girl, where do you think you're goin'?" I mean, that statement alone about someone who has left you to pass to the other side and that heaven isn't ready for them is just really powerful. The beginning of the song is a little...odd? I can't describe it. But once you hit the chorus it all opens up and makes sense. I was playing with my two rainbow flow fans during the song (it's funnier if you guys knew my gender), and I actually went "woooooooooow" during the hook of this song. I'm sure I looked absolutely bonkers spinning about in my apartment with pupils the size of half dollars, but not many people can say they have enjoyed the finer things in life like I have. Or that's what I keep telling myself.
Song 4: John Wayne - Best Gaga talking opener EVER. I mean this song is SEXY. You wanna talk about a song that was made for acid? I mean, the fucking detail in this instrumental is just so interesting and all over the place with focus. It makes you wanna fall on all fours in the dirt and crawl sexy towards the nearest person that'll watch lmfao. It's also great that she says "I'm strung out on John Wayne" but says it like "Joanne" because we just got through the Joanne song. Boom. Connections. Smart. Nouns. Places. Things.
Song 5: Dancin' in Circles - Another instrumental made for drugs. The masturbation song of this album!!!! The sexiest song of the album! She finally hit the nail on the head of talking about touching herself without it feeling like she's trying to start people talking about it. I mean, this one is just a jam. People complain about the screaming monkey...but girl's get INTO it. Man, if only I could be sexual on LSD. It just doesn't do it for me. Story time for other readers perhaps?
Song 6: Perfect Illusion - Keep it quick. Wasn't feeling the song when it came out. It fits PERFECTLY in the album, and right here is perfect. It is really nice having the other songs around it. When you hear it by itself it is almost way too powerful and repetitive like she is trying so hard to get a certain emotion/mood across. Fits really nicely here. I also found myself on my knees during this song clutching at the air for a release from the adrenaline of the music.
Song 7: Million Reasons - Begins the toned down part of the album. Millions Reasons is a beautiful, uplifting, bittersweet anthem and most of us have heard it. Pretty much how I feel about it when I'm sober too.
Song 8: Sinner's Prayer - The only time she gives into that country flair that she's wanted to try to hit on the other songs. The chorus was stuck in my roommate and my head's all day today without realizing it. She tones her voice back, and it's really nice. A very good song to vibe to. I do like the break before the chorus and how it kind of stops the flow of the song for a second. I also relate very strongly to this song because I feel as though this has been me in certain situations.
Song 9: Come to Mama - WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS SONG?! It's exactly how I feel about the world right now. It's like a brand new Imagine. Everyone keeps saying "Mama" is a play on her talking about herself as Mother Monster and how she'll fix everything, but that's not what I get from it at all. Mama is MOTHER EARTH (although it's a great play on both), like seriously we weren't in the jungle that long ago, so come back to Mother Earth because she'll protect us because we were born from her. Ugh, the double meaning is so good. This song sounds old school, but it's got these really nice subtle synths going on. This one definitely hit me with the whole trip head space and love and earth and nature.
Song 10: Hey Girl - Beautiful. Girls, why the HELL are you not helping your fellow women and lifting each other up? I think Florence and Gaga sound wonderful together and are spreading a really important message about what it means to be a woman and what you need to do for your fellow women. I'm so happy Florence even sang with Gaga! It's really good. My roommate (she's a girl) just kept going YES! YES! WE NEED TO STOP PUTTING EACH OTHER DOWN! As we tripped out on the porch looking out over the city's skyline.
Song 11: Angel Down - God, this is going to be a career making song for Gaga and get ready to hear it at the Super Bowl, because if she doesn't play it...she is missing the biggest opportunity to send a MESSAGE of acceptance and love even bigger than Born This Way [Side note: these notes we taken before the Super Bowl performance and she did not actually play it...so I was wrong. Kill me.] My roommate kept asking me during the song "I feel this way! But what can I do about it? Do I just stay silent? How do I fix what the world is doing?" And I said "....well, I guess you just cope..." but THEN...
Song 12: Grigio Girls - Gaga hits you with the silliest, and most smiley song on the album. It reminds of the girls that come into my restaurant and just wanna have a good time and laugh with them. Gaga is saying this is how you cope with it all (and Just Another Day). She literally says "Spice Girls in this bitch" which automatically makes me love the song. Being with the people you love helps you deal with this world. By the way, the last 20 seconds of the album are BRILLIANT.
Song 13: Just Another Day - Another track that just takes it all and makes it fun. She's literally telling us all how to cope with the horrible things people do to each other and the knowledge that we are destroying the planet and each other.
Song 14: Angel Down Work Tape - But not too long, because the horrors of the world will always come back after the fun lasts for a few minutes. :) The bitch than takes it home and lets everyone EAT WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY. And yes, she screams it.
Absolutely fabulous album. It's no ARTPOP for me (which is my favorite of hers) but it definitely has a wonderful wonderful overall feeling to it and the story, to me, is very clear. Well done, Gaga.
What albums/videos/shows would you like to see my review on LSD in the future? Leave comments below!
Thanks for reading,
Sincerely --- that thing you bake a cake inside of.