Zelenny's Chromatica - An Unabridged Review
A Track-by-Track Review of Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album, Chromatica
by Zelenny
the journey to Chromatica
I don't even know where to start in describing my love for Lady Gaga, or the anticipation I had for Chromatica. I was a fan of Gaga from the beginning of her career, but it wasn't until I saw her at the Monster Ball Tour sometime in 2011 that I truly fell in love and became a true stan.
My love for her is pretty ridiculous, and I've noticed most people don't necessarily stan artists this hard. I'm not sure what exactly makes me so passionate, but I know that when I saw her live at the impressionable age of 16, I was inspired like I'd never experienced before. She was so powerful and subversive from the very beginning, challenging the concept of fame and restrictions for women in pop music. She spoke about freedom to be whoever you want to be, following your dreams even if 99 people don't believe in you (stated differently back then but same idea), and her passion for creating a safe space for people to be their whole authentic selves through her music, and at her shows.
I attended many of her shows after that, and each time was just as inspiring to hear her voice again, both while singing and while talking between songs. If you know me, you're probably aware of my obsession in some way, but Gaga has inspired many other aspects of my life. My love for reading deeply into pop culture, my own intrigue with the concept of fame, my appreciation for commercial art and Warhol, my obsession with fashion, and the valuing of my own creativity, have all been impacted in some way by Lady Gaga.
As for Chromatica, I'd been patiently and impatiently waiting for this album since Joanne was released. I really enjoyed Joanne and her journey with that record, but electronic dance music is my absolute favorite genre, and like many Little Monsters, I held out hope that she would return to pop music someday. The wait and anticipation nearly killed me, and I am SO glad it's finally over. Once the album title was released, I just KNEW it was going to be right up my alley. I proceeded to immediately name my Animal Crossing island after the album, before even hearing it.
The album overall definitely lived up to my high expectations. There's not one song I skip, and the whole era has had amazing visuals to go along with the euphoric pop sound. I absolutely loved the three choices for collaborations on the album: Ariana Grande, Blackpink, and Elton John. I also enjoyed that the theme of the album, beyond the upbeat sound, is pretty dark and deep, focusing on her battles with her mental health, objectification as a celebrity, and her relationship to music.
To honor the release of Chromatica, I created my very first pop music mix (with a music video created in Animal Crossing) and decided to recreate Gaga's look from her Apple Music interview. I chose this one because I had the Stupid Love shirt and this random pink wig already.
Now let’s take a trip to Chromatica…
Chromatica I
I really liked the string arrangements throughout this album. I have yet to listen to it on shuffle because it feels like a whole cohesive journey, and the interludes helped me digest the album from the first listen by breaking it up into 3 parts.
Chromatica I sets the mood for something epic to come, with anticipatory fantasy war vibes. Especially after hearing it in the video teaser for Stupid Love (filmed on iPhoneTM), which had visuals that correlate with that narrative. Just like all the interludes on this album, it leads perfectly into the song that follows.
Alice
Wow, what an opening track! I'm a huge fan of all of Gaga's opening songs, I feel like they always capture the spirit of the album and get me ready for its sound. Alice is no exception to this and may be my favorite opener by her yet.
I love the reference to Alice in Wonderland, it fits the whimsical nature of the album and the magical world of Chromatica. It's catchy, it's club, it has her doing the robotic singing voice. It feels like we're going through the big pink rabbit hole and into Gaga's evolved pop world.
best moment:
The vocal delivery of "I'm tired of scrEAming, at the tOp of my luUungs". Delicious.
Stupid Love
It's always tough for me to judge singles that were released significantly before the album release, since I think of them as their own piece. It’s especially hard for me to judge it when it literally leaked over a year before release. I think Stupid Love fits into the album's sound well, while still feeling distinct enough to have been a single.
Stupid Love gave me high hopes for Chromatica (it was our first Gaga pop song in ages!! [Ally not included]), but I was still nervous for the album when it didn't particularly chart or hit mainstream too hard. The art and graphic design surrounding the promo for Stupid Love got me the most excited for this era, though. It was pink, illegible, and chaotic - breaking all the rules of design that I wish I could break on a daily basis.
graphic design is my passion
- first Stupid Love billboard
I mentioned that I'm not the biggest fan of the iPhone choice for the Stupid Love music video, it made it look like it was filmed in a green screen box when they were actually on location at this beautiful park. However I did really enjoy Gaga having fun again with music and pop culture after the very serious Joanne and A Star is Born eras.
Best moment:
Again a moment of vocal delivery in "All I ever wanted lAWve. All I ever wanted was lAWWWve." It feels like her voice coming from deep within her, a great build-up into the chorus.
Rain on Me
I remember the rumors of a Gaga + Ariana collaboration swirling before the confirmation. It was hard to believe at first but I'm so glad it came true! I've always seen a potential for Ariana's career to be somewhat similar to Gaga’s, mostly because she has an amazing voice that she doesn't get to use much in her music just yet. I'm hopeful she'll have a serious/ballad-y era someday where the locals can say "oh she can sing?!" Though I do think people are way more aware of Ariana's voice than they were of Gaga's, I still hope she'll get to a point in her career when she can really show it off.
As for Rain on Me, I had the biggest hype for this single release! I was working on my Pop Euphoria music mix at the time and had reserved a spot in the middle for WHATEVER this song turned out to be, so I was impatiently waiting for it on the week before Chromatica to wrap up my mix.
I loved the end result! Though it's one of the musically simpler tracks, it's a sweet bop and the music video is a major serve. The theme of embracing tears and sadness as part of life and comparing their intensity to rain is perfect for these two highly-sensitive artists that have gone through painful events and powered through to immensely successful careers. Plus the "rain" theme gave them a lot to play with, like having rain gear as merch, doing funny weather channel skits, and showing the giant Gaga creating the rain by crying on them as they dance in the music video.
I also admire Gaga's desire to connect with and mentor Ariana, rather than ignoring or hating on her for being her new, fresh competition (cough Madonna). Gaga mentioned in her Apple Music interview that she wanted to collaborate with Ari for this particular reason, and give someone the help she never got from her own role models and pop predecessors (aside from Sir Elton).
Best moment:
"Hands up to the sky. I'll be your galaxy. I'm about to fly. Rain on me, tsunami" leading into a final joyful chorus (and my favorite part).
Free Woman
Chromatica propaganda
This song makes me go back and forth a little bit. It's a tiny bit slow for me, but there's a lot of parts I really love. On some listens it makes me excited and other listens it feels like a chill break between the many other upbeat tracks. The message of freedom and pride in being a woman is what's most exciting for me, and this track has some of the best lyrics of the album.
I still believe ScheiBe is Gaga's best feminist anthem, and I have great urge to remix it with Free Woman to make the ultimate empowerment song...
Best moment:
A lot of empowering lyrics I love here. "I'm still something if I don't got a man... This is my dance floor, I fought for... "We own the downtown, hear our sound".
Fun Tonight
I would say Fun Tonight is my least favorite song on Chromatica. That statement is extremely relative in this case because I love the album so much. Don't tell the twitter stans this, but every Gaga album before this has at least one track that I just don't like and always skip. Chromatica doesn't have any tracks like that, so I still like and appreciate Fun Tonight.
I originally thought this was just about a shitty romantic relationship, but on the Spotify fun facts for this song Gaga says "Imagine you're singing this song to yourself". That really stuck with me and made me understand how this is a song about anxiety or other mental health issues hijacking moments in your life that should be happy, which was very relatable to me and I imagine many others.
Fun Tonight just happens to be the slowest and most chill track, so for me it's a nice calm-before-the-storm moment before a euphoric second half of the album.
Best moment:
"You love the Paparazzi, love The Fame, even though you know it causes me pain". A powerful lyric with a double meaning, referencing her previous hits and her complex relationship with fame. It gives me chills just to hear her say those words in new material.
Chromatica II
The feeling of Chromatica II into 911
Definitely the most renown interlude of the album, solely because of the instantly iconic transition into the next track, 911. My jaw literally dropped upon first listen at 11pm central time while I tried to suppress a scream so I wouldn't miss any of the music. Seamlessly transitioning from a very classical string arrangement into a danceable electronic beat is extremely exhilarating.
911
My second favorite song of the album. It's so danceable, so electronic, and I love the higher pitch robotic voice she uses here. Usually when she does the robotic talk-singing it's much lower and in smaller doses, and this song uses it through a lot of it.
This song doesn't get enough credit and seems to be fairly underrated. It has great build-ups and pay-offs, an ethereal bridge, interesting musical moments by using breaths and funky electronic sounds, *and* it aims decrease the stigma around taking prescribed mental health medication, what more could you want from a pop song?!
Best moment:
The lyric "my biggest enemy is me, pop a 911". It's very relatable to myself in being my own worst critic, and I think many over thinkers can relate to that. Plus the delivery of the lyric just sounds cool.
Plastic Doll
This is another of my top tracks, and number 1 on my list of solo tracks that NEED a music video. The imagery is so great and would make for an amazing video, especially if it has animated components. Gaga isn't generally an animated music video artist but in the age of Corona I can dream it's possible. The Paper Magazine shoot pictured is the closest imagery we’ve gotten this era to the theme of this track.
I love the metaphor of people treating Gaga, and celebrities in general, like dolls. Objectification of artists, especially women, has been a recurring theme in Gaga's music, and is mainly why Gaga was so conceptual with her artistry in her early career. Most, if not all, of her iconic looks have a deep meaning behind them, and a lot of times that meaning was a commentary on fame/celebrity and objectification.
Best moment:
The lyrics throughout this whole track are great for me. Some faves include:
"Don't play with me, it just hurts me..." - makes a great chorus
"I've got blonde hair and cherry lips..." - reference to her early career look and brand
"I'm state of art I'm microchipped..." - commentary on her level of fame at this point
"What's the price tag?" - reminds me of the theme of the Bad Romance music video
"Who's that girl - Malibu Gaga? Looks so sad, what is this saga?" - fun rhyme and the way she pronounces “Malibu” is fresh
Sour Candy
I never expected a K-Pop collaboration but I am absolutely here for it. This song surprise-dropped randomly on the morning before the album release, and it's a total bop. It's the track that gets stuck in my head most often nowadays. I do wish it was way longer, but I imagine they're trying to capitalize on the streaming power of Blinks and K-Pop fan culture.
The lower robotic voice is back in this track, and it's always welcome in my world. Apparently this song is about being a bad bitch/nasty woman/unapologetic person, which attempts to break the stereotype of women having to be submissive and sweet all the time. This wasn't obvious to me on the first listen, but it makes total sense to me now. It's the subvert feminist track of the album.
The lyric video for this is an absolute trip. The lyrics are BAREly readable, but I don't even care because I love this retro 3D maximalist colorful aesthetic. I really hope Blackpink and Gaga can create a music video for it someday. The POWER it would have..
I actually hadn't listened to Blackpink before the announcement of their Chromatica feature but god damn their songs are amazing and I am super excited for their album coming in September - the world isn't ready for their global domination (..but I am..).
Me listening to Sour Candy
Best moment:
Having so many women on one track and including lines in Korean.
Enigma
This track has a great build-up to a super danceable chorus. The fandom is particularly obsessed with this one, making it seem a bit overrated to me. I still love it, but there's other tracks occupying my top spots right now. The bridge and final chorus are my favorite parts and I enjoy the rhyme of "stigma" with "enigma".
Best moment:
The fantastical/mystical lyrics: "Mystery man, woman phantom...Violet light smears the atmosphere...Dragon's eyes watch, goddess breathing"
Replay
Replay is the most musically and instrumentally interesting track of the album. It reminds me a bit of Sexxx Dreams from ARTPOP in that way, both songs stand out on their respective albums for their particularly groovy instrumentals. The insane bass line on Sexxx Dreams = the wavy synth-y sound in the Replay chorus. Not necessarily equals but are stand-out instrumental moments.
The bridge where she says "does it matter, does it matter, damage is done" seems like a callback to the vocal styling she used on Swine, which is one of the oddest and most dance-worthy songs on ARTPOP.
Best moment:
The instrumental of the chorus around the repetition of "Replay", and the melody of the verses.
Chromatica III
This is my favorite interlude on its own (without taking into account the amazing C II/911 transition). It's exciting and sounds like an appropriate lead-in to the climax. We're on the verge of a great discovery.
Sine from Above
From the very first listen, I knew this was my favorite track on Chromatica. I cried when I first heard it and it continues to make me feel the emotions harder than any other track.
I'm completely obsessed with songs that have a narrative in the lyrics, as well as upbeat electronic dance breaks. This song is literally perfect to me. Every part is perfect: The melancholic yet hopeful sounds of the pre-chorus, the dance beat drop, Elton's passion and drama, the imagery of grand cosmic magic, and the absolutely amazing climactic end make it my ideal pop song. I'm so grateful it's the longest track on the album.
The story also encompasses the overall theme of the album which makes it the best possible climax. Gaga talks a lot about how she used this album and her return to pop as a way to heal her mind and spirit. The wordplay of a "sine" from above is an ode to finding her purpose in creating music, finding sound as her God, and connecting it to the sine wave. This was clearly a big epiphany that set the message of the album. The sine wave is featured on the album cover itself, anchoring her to the window to Chromatica.
Best moment:
Literally the whole song. I really love the climactic and chaotic ending instrumental part and am very glad it's there.
1000 Doves
This track is insanely inspirational and is another underrated gem! It's a necessary reminder to anyone that it's okay to ask for help sometimes. It has a feeling of unity and solidarity that really touches me, while still having a super danceable and catchy chorus.
Again, the bridge is a highlight for me. I think I just love song bridges in general, but the bridge of the track is the part of the whole album where Gaga's vocal talent is most prominently on display. There's usually only a few spots here and there in her pop albums where her voice is highlighted.
Best moment:
The lyrics of the whole song are very uplifting. I love the chorus "Lift me up, give me a start, 'cause I've been flying with some broken arms...Lift me up, just a small nudge, and I'll be flying like a thousand doves" immediately followed by an electronic dance beat.
Babylon
Disclaimer: I did not think of this great meme, I saw it on Twitter but wasn’t able to find it again so I recreated it.
This track is absolutely hilarious. The connection of the ancient city (not sure if it's real or fake?) of Babylon to "babble on" as a reference to gossip culture is just.. shall I say genius? I'm half kidding but I really do love this track. It makes me want to walk in a fashion show and attempt to vogue battle someone, which would NOT end up well for me but I would be happy at least. I do hope they release the Haus Labs remix of this song in the future, it sounds amazing just in that promo. Babylon also makes me want to create some sort of ancient-city look, maybe with some additional inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Best moment:
The choir singing "That's gossip". Also, the line "serve it ancient-city style" gets me every time.
And that’s it for our journey to Chromatica, now deboarding back to reality. If you got this far then... wow, congratulations and thank you for supporting me and/or Lady Gaga that hard!
Feel free to send me a message or comment about your accomplishment of reading this post and I'll reply with which Lady Gaga song you are based on your personality.
Oh! And here’s some photos from my trip to Chromatica:
