Chromatica
Chromatica is the sixth studio album by American singer Lady Gaga, released on May 29, 2020, by Interscope Records and subsidiary Streamline. Gaga supervised the production with longtime collaborator BloodPop and a variety of other producers to create a concept album returning to her dance-pop roots, eschewing the stripped-down style of its predecessors Joanne (2016) and A Star Is Born (2018). Chromatica draws inspiration from early 1990s house music, seeing Gaga adopt a cyberpunk-inspired persona.
Chromatica
May 29, 2020
2017–2020
- Conway (Hollywood)
- EastWest (Hollywood)
- Electric Lady (New York City)
- Good Father (Los Angeles)
- Henson (Los Angeles)
- MXM (Los Angeles)
- Sterling Sound (New York City)
- Utility Muffin Research Kitchen (Hollywood Hills)
43:08
- Streamline
- Interscope
Chromatica centers on ideas of unwavering happiness and the pursuit of healing. Songs on the record encompass themes inspired by failed romance and mental health struggles in Gaga's private life. The music is distinguished by dense synthesizers, percussion, grooves, and orchestral arrangements that merge overarching melodies. Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Elton John contribute guest vocals. Most of the recording took place at Henson Recording Studios and Gaga's in-home Hollywood Hills studio. Interscope advertised Chromatica through product endorsements and TV partnerships, although the marketing campaign was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To support the album, Gaga embarked on The Chromatica Ball concert tour in July 2022, the first all-stadium international tour of her career, after it was postponed twice due to the pandemic.
Four singles supported the album, including the US Billboard Hot 100 top-five entry "Stupid Love", and "Rain on Me" with Grande, which marked Gaga's fifth number one song on the chart. "911" and "Free Woman" were released as singles in select countries. Chromatica was well received by music critics; the craftsmanship and treatment of the subject matter were praised, though the house production drew criticism from some. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Chromatica was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, and "Rain on Me" earned Gaga's second Best Pop Duo/Group Performance win. The album topped the charts in various countries, including the US, where it marked Gaga's sixth consecutive number-one on the Billboard 200. A remix album of Chromatica, titled Dawn of Chromatica, featuring an array of artists, was released on September 3, 2021.
Music and lyrics[edit]
Overview[edit]
Chromatica evinced a return to Gaga's characteristic dance-pop style, eschewing the acoustic musical form of Joanne and A Star Is Born.[1][36] The album's production is distinguished by dense synthesizers, pulsating percussion, ringing grooves, and orchestral arrangements which coalesce overarching melodic themes.[37][38][39] Since Gaga sought to recreate authentic 1990s house, the album forgoes contemporary R&B and trap crossover trends popular in mainstream music of the period.[40] Gaga and the producers' devotion to said vision led their total immersion in the music culture, influencing both their choice of technology and studio technique to ensure fidelity.[13] And in doing so, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine argues, the artist exploits her veteran popstar sensibility, making little attempt to engineer a modern sound.[40] Critics note stylistic debts to a spectrum of genres as techno, trance, and new wave.[6][41][42]
Chromatica is a concept album that examines the pursuit of healing and unwavering happiness.[19][43] The artist explained her attitude to Paper magazine: "I will do whatever it takes to make the world dance and smile [...] I want to put out a record that forces people to rejoice even in their saddest moments [...] If you're in pain and listening to this music, just know that I know what it's like to be in pain. And I know what it's like to also not let it ruin your life."[17] Yet the songwriting's often dark introspection of the subject matter juxtaposes the album's upbeat, diverse musical style, manifesting Gaga's personal views of themes inspired by failed romance and mental health struggles in her private life.[15][44] The unusual circumstance of an unforeseen pandemic, and the resulting impact on the album's promotional rollout, was said to lend unique context to the lyrics.[37] Justin Moran from Paper viewed Chromatica as an "antidepressant for Gaga" whose songs seem to mitigate her intense plight.[17] Although the singer declared Joanne her most personal record, some reviewers, such as Pitchfork's Katherine St. Asaph argued Chromatica's treatment of the subject matter provides a more intimate listening experience.[44] Kory Grow from Rolling Stone referred to the music of the album as "therapy pop".[45]
Songs[edit]
Chromatica is divided into three distinct acts, the first of which signifies the beginning of Gaga's quest for healing.[15] The opening orchestral interlude, "Chromatica I", exhibits the tone of impending doom into the electronica-inspired "Alice",[15][46] alluding to Lewis Carroll's similarly titled 1865 fantasy novel to portray the subject of one's yearning to belong.[47][48] "Alice" demonstrates Gaga's upper register against kick drums and shimmering synths.[49][50][51] The lyrics of "Stupid Love", set to the backdrop of a disco-flavored beat,[52][53] and "Rain on Me" examine the tale of resilience after heartbreak.[54][55] Gaga describes "Rain on Me" as symbolism for her dependence on alcohol.[56] The song's French house-inspired backdrop of synthesizers and pulsating percussion underpin Gaga and Grande's vocal interplay.[57] Gaga's experience with sexual assault from a producer yielded "Free Woman", a keyboard-laden song finding Gaga reclaiming her freedom.[26][58] "Fun Tonight", a Eurodance-fused track concerning self-reflection,[46][26] was sung in an impassioned style to exude intense anxiety.[51][59]
On the second interlude, "Chromatica II", crescendoing strings segue into Chromatica's eighth song "911".[26][39] "911" is built on vocoded vocals and a "sleek robo-funk groove",[60][61] a style Hannah Mylrea of NME associated with the work of Daft Punk.[62] The song's subject matter explores themes of self-loathing and Gaga's addiction to antipsychotic medication;[26][51] the song's processed vocals aimed to evoke the mental anguish of depression.[63] On "Plastic Doll", with its "punchy and scintillating" sound of synthetic drum snaps and swooping falsetto,[59][64][65] Gaga uses a Barbie metaphor to convey the objectification of women.[42][51]
A sample of Maya Jane Coles' "What They Say" (2010) sources the deep house-inflection of the bilingual "Sour Candy",[44][67][68] Chromatica's tenth track, where Blackpink and a deadpanned Gaga advise prospective lovers to embrace their imperfection through candy metaphors.[69][70] Elements of David Bowie's 1977 single "Heroes" were found in the chorus of "Enigma".[44] Reminiscent of Gaga's more contemporary work on Artpop,[49] "Enigma" speaks of one's desire for companionship,[44] underpinned by a "funky" backdrop of "woozy" horn loops, swirling strings, and vocal flexing.[63][71][72] "Replay", featuring a sample of "It's My House" (1979) by Diana Ross,[16] is a French house-flavored track replete with ghost-like vocals,[39][73] whose lyrics see Gaga confronting her diminished self-esteem.[49]
"Chromatica III", the album's "dramatic" final interlude,[51] then transitions into "Sine from Above", a synthpop song exploring spirituality and the therapeutic power of music.[38][74][75] With strong electronica and trance influences,[48][76] "Sine from Above" contains panpipe-inflected beats and a drum n' bass breakdown for outro.[73][77] The penultimate track of the standard edition is "1000 Doves", described as a "graceful cry for help",[42] where Gaga sings about the perils of loneliness.[37] The lyrics are accompanied by a piano-led backbeat, "sparkling" synths, and "ethereal" backing vocals.[51][64] Chromatica's closing track, the hi-NRG-inspired "Babylon",[78] was noted for its playful non sequiturs, key change, and diverse vocal approaches, mirroring the hallmarks of Grace Jones, The B-52's, and Madonna's "Vogue" (1990).[61] Expressing Gaga's dismissal of the tabloids, the retro sound of "Babylon" is marked by a melding of thick piano lines, flamboyant saxophones and half-spoken choruses.[49][79] "Love Me Right", the only original song on the Target and international deluxe editions, features a downtempo composition deviating from the album's soundscape.[80]
Commercial performance[edit]
Chromatica debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 274,000 album-equivalent units (including 205,000 pure sales), at that time the biggest opening week of 2020 for a female artist and fifth best sales week overall.[172] Album sales comprised 75% of the total sum, boosted by a robust performance at US retailers. The remaining 65,000 units were album-equivalent units, denoting 87.16 million on-demand streams of individual tracks.[172] This gave Gaga her sixth consecutive Billboard 200-topping album, the eighth woman to claim six chart-topping albums, and, at nine years and two days, the record for the fastest six number-one-album tally by a female artist.[172] The second week saw Chromatica's sales performance drop by 77%, dipping to number two, but the album sustained the momentum into the third week with 44,000 album-equivalent units.[173][174]
The album's reported US sales exceeded 400,000 units after a month.[175] Following a vinyl release on June 25, 2021, Chromatica re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 59 and topped the Vinyl Albums chart,[176] selling 8,000 vinyl copies. The album has sold 76,000 copies across all of its vinyl editions, as of July 2021.[177] As of January 2022, it has moved 1,132,000 units in the US.[178][179][180] It charted for a total of 41 weeks on the Billboard 200.[181]
After three days of release, Chromatica sold around 40,000 copies in the United Kingdom. According to the Official Charts Company data, this was more than the midweek sales of the combined top twenty.[182] After a week of sales, Chromatica topped the UK Albums Chart by selling 52,907 units, the fastest-selling record of 2020 until Kylie Minogue's Disco.[183] It was Gaga's fourth number one entry on the UK charts, eclipsing the debuts of her most contemporary work.[184] Physical sales constituted the largest share of the sum, with another 8,500 units comprising vinyl sales, the year's fastest selling vinyl record there at that time.[185] In its second week, Chromatica remained at number one on the UK Album Charts with 12,819 units.[186][187] Chromatica finished the year as the country's best-selling cassette record, the 22nd best-selling album (all formats), and among the five biggest releases from a female artist.[188][189] As of March 2021, it is the 19th fastest selling vinyl since 2000, placing fourth among women.[190]
The album reached number one on the charts of various overseas markets, including Austria, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland.[191] Chromatica yielded multi-week number one runs in Australia and Canada and, in France, ascended to the summit of the charts by selling 21,746 units.[192][193][194] In Japan, the album opened at number three on the charts, selling 14,238 copies for the week ending June 8, 2020.[195][196]
Notes