Imagine yourself center stage in a major Broadway theater. The spotlight is on you and the audience is expecting to be blown away by the Act I finale. The orchestra begins to play and you perform the choreography just as it was rehearsed. The tap dancing playfully turns into a kickline as you belt your heart out through song. This is exactly how I feel when listening to Lady Gaga’s latest album, Harlequin.
On Sept. 27, 13-time GRAMMY-winning artist Lady Gaga released her sixth solo studio album. This aptly named album is being released in conjunction with the film “Joker: Folie á Deux,” in theaters Oct. 4. The movie will follow the DC story of failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) as he falls in love with Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) in an asylum while struggling with his own mental health.
The soundtrack album consists of 13 tracks, totaling 41 minutes in length. “Happy Mistakes” and “Folie á deux” are the only two original tracks on the album while the rest are all covers. Songs such as “That’s Life” and “That’s Entertainment” have been popularized by late performers like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, among others. A number of different genres can be found within the album, but one style of music is prevalent throughout almost all of the tracks: jazz. Gaga seamlessly combines classic jazz anthems with aspects of pop, rock, gospel and show tunes. While most of the album’s songs fall under this category, some would be better categorized as pop ballads.
I have come up with a few conclusions while simultaneously listening, and resisting the urge to dance, to this album. The songs that immediately caught my attention were “Get Happy,” “World On A String,” “Happy Mistake” and my personal favorite, “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” “Get Happy” starts slowly before livening up and jazz-ily spreading a message of happiness. “World On A String” is a slower song that uses unique chord progressions and aspects of rock music to make the listener feel powerful and in control. A song that reminds me of P!NK, “Happy Mistake” is an emotional ballad whose lyrics explain the fixing of past mistakes in an attempt to make things right. My personal favorite, “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” starts off slow as Gaga reminisces about her past before exploding into a jazzy show tune that I can’t help but to bounce my shoulders to.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Harlequin. I am a huge fan of classic jazz artists like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, and I am very excited that modern day musicians are beginning to cover songs like theirs. I am looking forward to watching “Joker: Folie á Deux” in theaters and ordering the album on vinyl. I recommend that everyone give this album a listen and see what you think — especially if you’re ready to get up and boogie.
