In honor of the 10th anniversary of Gaga's mid-career swerve, our ranking of each of the album's 14 tracks (including its bonus cuts).
Lady Gaga WWD/PMC
After three pop-heavy solo albums and a collaboration album with jazz legend Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga took a different turn with her fourth solo album Joanne — released 10 years ago this week in 2016.
Departing from the turbo-pop sonics she rose to fame with, the singer-songwriter delved into country, rock, Americana and folk influences to create what is considered by many to be her most personal discography entry, upon its release.
Named for her aunt Joanne Germanotta, Gaga dedicated Joanne to her father’s deceased sister. Joanne Germanotta died of lupus at the age of 19, in 1974, and she has influenced Gaga throughout her career, inspiring poems, a tattoo, and eventually resulting in this album being made in homage to her. Gaga has opened up multiple times about how she’s felt a connection to her late aunt, especially considering she was also an artist. While themes of trauma and grief make up a lot of the cathartic album’s weight, others such as female friendship, vulnerability, self love, and social justice also contribute. It’s sort of a coming-of-age piece altogether.
Produced by Gaga, along with main co-producers Mark Ronson and BloodPop, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and received multiple accolades, notably best pop vocal album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. Tracks “Million Reasons” and “Joanne” received nominations for best pop solo performance in 2018 and 2019 respectively, with the latter winning the award. Joanne also began a trend of pop stars leaning into back-to-roots phases, like Miley Cyrus with Younger Now (2017), Kylie Minogue with Golden (2019), and Kesha with Rainbow (2017) and High Road (2020).
As the album hits its 10th anniversary, let’s take a look at the track list, including the three bonus tracks from the Deluxe edition, from worst to best.
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“Angel Down” (Work Tape)
Because we have the polished standard album version of “Angel Down,” this work tape version of Gaga’s protest song, influenced by the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, feels rougher and quite shabby in comparison to the final draft. Notably, it’s missing the finalized version’s alluring Mellotron strings, and Gaga’s vocals are harsher, giving it a more caustic tone.
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“Come to Mama”
Doo-wop and 60s girl group vibes ignite this kumbaya-ish number, which opens with, “Everybody’s got to love each other/ Stop throwin’ stones at your sisters and your brothers.” It’s a cute and upbeat, if somewhat saccharine song, which showcases the message that Gaga has preached throughout her entire career — the importance of kindness and acceptance — as evidenced by her nonstop activism over the years, in areas of mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, youth empowerment, racial justice and more.
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“Hey Girl” (feat. Florence Welch)
The album’s only track with a feature, “Hey Girl” sees English singer-songwriter Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine join Gaga for a mellow song, keyed around themes of female friendship and womanhood. The two go back and forth in a call and response-type nature, with lyrics like, “Hey girl, hey girl/ We can make it easy if we lift each other up/ We don’t need to keep on one-in’ up another.” While it’s a sweet song, the repetitive lyrics and slow cadence leave the listener wanting more, especially from a link-up between two powerhouse vocalists and songwriters.
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“Diamond Heart”
As the opening track, “Diamond Heart” sets the stage for Joanne, giving a glimpse at the vibes and tone Gaga has in store. Here, she brings attention to the fact that although she has her share of shortcomings, she keeps on keeping on. “I may not be flawless, but at least I’ve got a diamond heart,” she belts in the chorus. Ultimately an autobiographical track, she weaves in a bit of the story of her career beginnings in downtown New York, when she was still in her late teens. Throughout the song, her perseverance and good intentions are examined, while simultaneously, her image of a polished pop star is pulled back.
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“Sinner’s Prayer”
Perhaps the album’s most typically country-sounding song, “Sinner’s Prayer” sees Gaga notably linking up with American singer-songwriter Father John Misty, who serves as a co-writer. On the surface, especially given the chorus, the song finds Gaga explaining to a lover that while she loves them, she wants them to understand that she’s got her flaws and sins. But diving deeper, there’s some interesting storytelling, particularly in the first and second verses.
For example, she recounts, “It was a hell of a scene at daddy’s feast/ Nobody saw it coming, but the little red devil in me” in the first verse. Whether there was an actual heated gathering or if this a sort of Biblical reference (slash metaphor) for “The Last Supper” is uncertain, as she’s never explicitly explained these parts. In any case, the song is laced with intriguing narratives.
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“John Wayne”
“It’s like, I just love a cowboy, you know/ I’m just like, I just, I know, it’s bad/ But I’m just like, can I just like, hang off the back of your horse/ And can you go a little faster?” Gaga yells at the opening of the album’s fourth track. Lamenting her attraction to bad boys, the singer shouts many cheeky lyrics across this pop-rock song, likening the men she’s a sucker for to John Wayne —the American actor known for personifying the American cowboy, with conservative political views. It’s an upbeat song with catchy electric guitar riffs, steady drum beats, funky synths, and dynamic vocals from Gaga.
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“Angel Down”
Gaga wrote the album’s closing track, “Angel Down,” in direct response to the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012. ”I was overwhelmed by the fact that people just stood around and didn’t do anything about it and that the justice system continues to over and over again not seek justice for these families,” Gaga told Zane Lowe shortly after the album was released in 2016. With piano chords and ethereal Mellotron sounds, the ballad serves as a protest song, in which Gaga cries out over the apathy and indifference that many of the world’s leaders and society at large have in regards to racial injustice. Ultimately, she ends the song with a call to action, “Save that angel/ Catch that angel,” she repeats multiple times. Echoing the socially conscious “Come to Mama,” this ballad closes out the album in a somber fashion, with its important message.
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“Dancin’ in Circles”
Imagine getting to work with one of your longtime musical influences. Well Gaga did just that with American singer-songwriter Beck, creating this fifth track on Joanne. Not only is it sonically funky, infusing reggae and ska elements, but it’s also lyrically bold, brash, and unapologetic — it’s a song about female masturbation. “Dancin’ in circles/ Feels good to be lonely.” It’s a self-love anthem for the masses; it’s OK to be alone, she beckons.
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“Grigio Girls”
Sonja Durham was one of Gaga’s longtime friends and managing director. Around the time of making Joanne, Sonja was battling breast cancer and Gaga wrote this first bonus track reflecting on their friendship and the support their friend group gave Sonja. Gaga recounts how they came together to drink and cry, as a cathartic response to Sonja’s illness.
Although it has solemn undertones, “Grigio Girls” is also warm with camaraderie. The album’s overall down-to-earth, stripped down qualities ring clear, as Gaga sings about coping with life’s challenges and seeking community in troubled times. “So we’ll turn on a Bachelorette/ Dye Ashley’s hair red/ And then we’ll have our sixth/ Spice Girl in this bitch!” she delivers in the song’s bridge. Sadly, about half a year after Joanne’s release, Sonja passed away, but her spirit will live on well with this strong song.
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“A-YO”
While a lot of the songs on Joanne have more woeful undertones, “A-YO” stands out as a fiery, upbeat dance-rock number, featuring a fully empowered Gaga, defying her naysayers, full of confidence. “I can’t wait to smoke them all/ Whole pack like Marlboro/ Blow it in your face” is just one of the fun clap-backs she hollers at her haters in the song. It’s a witty and catchy confidence- and mood-booster, which shines amongst the shadowy nuances of the overall album.
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“Million Reasons”
After being released initially as a promotional single, “Million Reasons” went on to officially become the album’s second single, in response to its success. The country ballad features Gaga’s musings about a trend she noticed going on with the men in her life — while on her Dive Bar promotional tour for the album ahead of its release, she explained that when writing the song, she was thinking about how the men in her life always gave her a million reasons to leave, but she just needed one that would make her feel it’s worth it to stay. Vulnerable and reflective, she sings lines evoking sadness and heartbreak — but there is a positive quality still, remaining hopeful and praying that someone will redeem her: “I bow down to pray/ I try to make the worst seem better/ Lord show me the way to cut through all his worn out leather.”
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“Just Another Day”
“Just Another Day” was written entirely by Gaga alone, and she proves less is more with this second bonus track. Accompanied by playful instrumentation that gives a theatrical feel to the song, Gaga’s audacious vocals imagine what it would be like if her and album co-producer/collaborator Mark Ronson grew up together as kids, considering they both were raised in NYC. It’s a real standout, despite not being given a spot on the standard tracklist, with its jazzy feel-good vibes and easily digestible and relatable verses relishing in simple everyday pleasures.
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“Joanne”
Named for and inspired by the artist’s late aunt, the title track is a beautifully moving tribute piece. Joanne Germanotta died at the age of 19 from complications related to lupus, and while Gaga never met her aunt, she has discussed at length how her aunt’s death not only pained her family, but how she has personally felt a deep connection to her. The homage is laced with many heartfelt lyrics, some beckoning Joanne not to leave, like, “Girl, where do you think you’re going?” There’s a touchingly beautiful sense of longing for someone whose life is unfortunately fleeting: “Take my hand/ Stay, Joanne/ Heaven’s not/ Ready for you.”
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“Perfect Illusion”
A flashy rave in the desert, a key change in the climax, an aggressive attitude, and lyrics for living in the 21st century make up “Perfect Illusion” — Joanne’s lead single. The pop rock track saw Gaga notably link up with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, resulting in a song woven with strong chord building, raw vocals and electrifying instrumentation. While many have speculated the song is about a former lover and the ups and downs of a relationship, Gaga has reiterated multiple times that it’s not, instead explaining that it’s a commentary on social media and reckoning with the idealized versions of others and ourselves that are presented online. Altogether, it’s a powerful, genre-blending number that’s explosive and poignant — both sonically and lyrically — which helped propel the Joanne era into the spotlight.