Lady Gaga is our modern day David Bowie. Actually, she's more like David Bowie meets Elton John meets Queen meets Madonna. In addition to writing incredible hit song after hit song, she's also a really talented musician and artist as well. She can act, she can sing, she can dance and of course her sense of fashion is one-of-a-kind. There's no one like Lady Gaga. Here are 11 of my favorite songs by this once-in-a-generation artist.
Number 11 - "Bloody Mary"
From the Album Born This Way, released in 2011
Gothic, spooky, infectious and spiritual are some of the adjectives that describe this incredible song off Lady Gaga's second album, Born This Way. Within the song, Gaga transforms herself into the biblical figure, Mary Magdalene. Gaga referred to Magdalene on social media as "the ultimate rockstar's girlfriend". She also said the song is "about living halfway between reality and fantasy". This song is a catchy, upbeat, weird, unique, creative masterpiece, and one of the standout tracks of Lady Gaga's career!
Number 10 - "Angel Down"
From the Album Joanne, released in 2016
Let's be honest, Joanne was a bit of a departure for Lady Gaga and it wasn't my favorite album of hers, but this track was one of the best and deserves some praise. I really dig the acoustic and stripped down vibe. According to Gaga, this song is a tribute to her late aunt, Joanne Germanotta. What I really love about this song is that because it's so vulnerable, you can really hear Gaga's vocal's shine. This is definitely an underated song, and one of her best of all time!
Number 9 - "The Edge Of Glory"
From the Album Born This Way, released in 2011
This song is really, truly incredible. It's only this low on the list because Gaga has other truly iconic songs that deserve to also be on the list higher. "Edge of Glory" is an anthem, filled with references to both the 70's and 80's and infused with modern electronic beats and rock vibes. On top of all that, we get Clarence Clemons (from The E Street Band) playing the saxophone and making an appearance in the music video!
Number 8 - "Gypsy"
From the Album Artpop, released in 2013
"Gypsy" is one of of those songs that has been the soundtrack for many of my workout sessions over the years. It's such a positive and uplifting song, even if the message is partly about Lady Gaga being lonely while traveling the world performing. A positive review on her wikipedia page states that "Gypsy" is "the kind of arena anthem that already sounds like it's being belted in the middle of a sold-out Madison Square Garden". It deserves a spot on my all time favorite list, if for no other reason, for being extremely uplifting and motivational.
Number 7 - "Telephone"
From the Album The Fame Monster, released in 2009
Where does one even start to begin to explain the crazy awesomeness that is "Telephone" featuring the one and only Beyoncé. The song is iconic, the music video is iconic and the collaboration between Gaga and Beyoncé at the height of their careers is iconic as well. Several media outlets have ranked "Telephone" as one of Gaga's best songs. Billboard acknowledged the song as an "an ass-kicking piece of empowerment pop during Gaga’s most prolonged win streak". I also really love that the message was and is very timely - put down your phone, stop texting with the drink in your hand and go have fun on the dance floor with your friends!
Number 6 - "Applause"
From the Album Artpop, released in 2013
As polarizing as Artpop was, the album's lead single was not. "Applause" was universally loved, and it's one of my favorite songs from Lady Gaga. According to Wikipedia, "the song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who felt it's chorus was catchy and favorably compared it to the material featured on Gaga's debut album, The Fame. The song is a love letter to her fans, with lyrics addressing how Gaga is dependent upon her fans' adoration, especially during live performances. Can we talk about that music video too - it's incredible!!
Number 5 - "Paparazzi"
From the Album The Fame, released in 2008
Early on in Lady Gaga's career, some people thought she would be a fluke, with songs like "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". Then came "Paparazzi", and it felt like everything changed. The Fame is a really really good album, and this song is its crowning jewel. "Paparazzi" was critically acclaimed for its "fun-filled" and club-friendly nature. It was also commercially successful, reaching top-ten positions in the music charts of Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. And, unless you were living in a cave in 2009, Gaga performed this song at the Video Music Awards, and her shocking live portrayal symbolizing the negative effect of fame leading to death (complete with fake blood) has become one of the most iconic VMA performances of all time!
Number 4 - "Replay"
From the Album Chromatica, released in 2020
This is the only song from Chromatica on this list, but that doesn't mean Chromatica is a bad album or even her weakest album. It's severely underrated and not as celebrated as come Gaga albums due to its release during the COVID-19 pandemic time period. This song is one of the best on the album and in my opinion, one of Gaga's strongest songs ever! This song has many layers. It’s about trauma, it’s about fame, it’s about our own inner demons and self destructive habits, all laying on top of a disco-like club beat that is pulsing throughout. It's so good, and definitely a song to replay over and over again.
Number 3 - "Alejandro"
From the Album The Fame Monster, released in 2009
Yes, the comparisons to ABBA and Madonna will always be there, but who cares right? This is a damn good song that has stood the test of time. The combination of the Euro-pop beat and the violin make it sound timeless. "Alejandro" opens with a sampling from "Csárdás" by Italian composer Vittorio Monti, and from there, the song goes full on club mode. The music video is really what pushes this song to the top of my list. It's artistic, provocative, controversial and full of great dance scenes: everything we have come to expect from Lady Gaga.
Number 2 - "Marry The Night"
From the Album Born This Way, released in 2011
I hope this doesn't sound too cheesy, but "Marry The Night" makes me believe I can do anything. It's such an anthem, and it has an energy about it that makes me think I can wake up and conquer the world. With the New York night life scene in mind, Gaga steps on the gas at the beginning of the song and never lets go. It has everything hitting you all at once: the pulsing club beat, the electro organ in the background, the rock and roll attitude, the hand claps to dance along to and the killer vocals that Gaga is known for. According to Vulture's list of Every Lady Gaga Song Ranked, "“Marry the Night” begins as a melancholy hymn that accelerates into an electro-rock opera, as Gaga romanticizes her days as a struggling artist, determined to succeed at any cost. Gaga sings of despair and glory, love and loss, until you no longer know which is which, till the song ends on synth chords that ascend like a neon-lit stairway to heaven."
Number 1 - "Bad Romance"
From the Album The Fame Monster, released in 2009
Would there be any other song at the Number 1 spot? "Bad Romance" is THE Lady Gaga song, and one of the defining tracks of the 2000's. It's one of the best selling singles of all time, it won Lady Gaga a Grammy in 2011, it was listed as one of Rolling Stone's greatest songs of the 21st Century and the music video was named "best music video of the 21st century" by Billboard Magazine. It is a song full of undeniable hooks, from the opening “Oh, oh, oh” to the chant of her surname (perfect for cementing that cultural legacy) to the part of the song where she sings in French. Pop perfection, plain and simple. This song will always be Lady Gaga's best!
Fun Fact: With her recent Sports Emmy win for her Super Bowl performance of "Hold My Hand", Lady Gaga is a Tony Award win away from becoming an EGOT winner. She has won 14 Grammy Awards and 1 Oscar for "Shallow", which won "Best Original Song" at the 2019 Academy Awards.