'Mayhem' is Lady Gaga's Best Album Yet

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Streamline/Interscope Records

Without a doubt, one of the biggest and most exciting artists of the last two decades is pop superstar Lady Gaga. There is no one like her. You cannot pick another singer that compares to her throughout the entire music industry. Gaga has unapologetically been herself from the beginning of her career in 2008. She has never concerned herself about what other people are doing. She focuses on herself, her craft, her voice and her messaging for the world. Throughout her musical career, Gaga has transcended many different pop music subgenres. She has explored electronic dance music with The Fame and Artpop, techno-pop with Born This Way, soft rock with Joanne and even pursued jazz on the album Cheek to Cheek with the late great Tony Bennett. 

Gaga has also proven her versatility throughout the entertainment industry with a Golden Globe-winning performance in the limited television series “American Horror Story: Hotel” and is an Oscar-nominated actress for the 2019 version of “A Star Is Born.” “A Star Is Born” original song, “Shallow,” won Gaga her first Academy Award for Best Original Song. Therefore, anytime Lady Gaga announces a project, it is met with widespread anticipation. So far, Lady Gaga has never let her fans down. On March 7th, Lady Gaga released her sixth solo studio album, Mayhem. 

Has Gaga continued to deliver? 
 
The answer is an unequivocal “yes.” In my opinion, it is Gaga’s best album to date. While I have been a huge Lady Gaga fan for years, I have not loved every song on every album. Though most of her albums have been solid, there have always been a few skips. 

I can declare that Mayhem is a no-skip album. Every single song feels so carefully thought out. Every song is a piece of the puzzle that makes Mayhem the massive creative success that it is. Gaga remains her authentic self but also showcases some of the greats she is influenced by, such as David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna and even pop superstar Taylor Swift. 

The roll-out for Mayhem has been mostly successful. The lead single, “Die With A Smile” was nominated for Song of the Year at this year’s Grammys and even won Best Pop/Duo Group Performance. It also recently hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is one of my favorite love songs. It does not get much more romantic than to tell someone that if the world is ending, that one person is who you want to be beside you. That shows the incredible love and devotion you have for them.

“Disease” was the next single. It had moderate success but never hit the top of the charts. I get why it was chosen, though. It is a solid song but didn’t have the “wow” factor of past Gaga singles. The most recent single, “Abracadabra,” has peaked at No. 13 so far, but it will not surprise me if it gets to the top of the charts in the coming weeks. “Abracadabra” is infectious. Magic in that song forces you to dance like you do not care. “Abracadabra” became a massive hit on TikTok, with millions replicating the choreography from the music video. All of the singles released have been great songs.  
 
The songs that you must listen to are “Vanish Into You,” “How Bad Do U Want Me,” “Blade of Grass,” “Perfect Celebrity” and “Zombieboy.”

“Vanish Into You” made it difficult for me to listen to the rest of the album. It is track five, and I kept repeating it for a while before moving on. It is such a romantic song of Gaga reminiscing while looking at an old photo. She wants to go into the photo and recapture when she was really in love with her partner. The “Vanish Into You” verses subtly nod to David Bowie’s 1983 hit, “Let’s Dance.”  

“How Bad Do U Want Me” sounds like Gaga has become influenced by mega superstar Taylor Swift. TikTok had millions of Swifties wondering if Swift had secretly collaborated with Gaga on the track. The lyrics are very reminiscent of a Taylor Swift song and the arrangement sounds like something in her repertoire. Gaga still manages to authentically be herself and not just a copycat, however. Her explosive vocals sell this hit. It really should be a single in the future.      

“Blade of Grass” is the song that Gaga has said is her favorite song on the album. This song is influenced by a conversation with her fiancé about when he would propose. She told him he should grab a blade of grass and wrap it around her finger, showing that her love for him was the most important thing to her. It is simply beautiful.
 
“Perfect Celebrity” reminds me of a sequel to “Paparazzi” and the arrangement of “Zombieboy” pays homage to Michael Jackson’s iconic song, “Thriller.” The arrangement manages to reference the hit while also being authentic Lady Gaga. 
 
The only criticism I have of Mayhem is that there isn’t a lot of mayhem going on in the album. I feel Gaga may have an album later that might fit this title more. It isn’t much of a complaint, though. 

Mayhem is an early contender to get Lady Gaga her first Album of the Year at the Grammys next year. If it does not win, there may be some mayhem.