Speechless (Lady Gaga song)
"Speechless" is a song by the American singer Lady Gaga from her extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009). The song was written by Gaga to convince her father to undergo open-heart surgery for his malfunctioning aortic valve and remind her younger fans to appreciate their parents. "Speechless" is about Gaga's fear of death. A rock power ballad, the song has elements of 1970s rock, blues rock, glam rock and country music.
"Speechless"
November 18, 2009
Record Plant (Los Angeles)
4:31
- Streamline
- KonLive
- Cherrytree
- Interscope[1]
- Ron Fair
- Lady Gaga
- Tal Herzberg
"Speechless" initially received mixed reviews from critics; some praised it for its emotional depth and influences from the band Queen while others criticized it as weak and insincere. Retrospective reviewers described it as one of Gaga's best songs and praised her vocals. Billboard included the song in its 2017 list of the 100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars. "Speechless" charted in the US, the UK and Canada. Gaga performed the song in several live appearances including the 2009 American Music Awards, the 2009 Royal Variety Performance, the Monster Ball Tour (2009–2011) and the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Background[edit]
On November 18, 2009, the American singer Lady Gaga released The Fame Monster, an extended play that includes "Speechless".[2][3][4] She wrote the song and co-produced it with Ron Fair and Tal Herzberg. The song was recorded at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, using live instruments like drum (performed by Abraham Laboriel Jr.), guitar (John Goux), bass guitar (Herzberg) and piano (Gaga). She described the process as having a "really organic, delicious feeling".[5][6] Fair arranged and conducted the song. Herzberg handled the audio engineering with Frank Wolff. "Speechless" was mixed by Jack Joseph Puig, and the audio mastering was done at Oasis Mastering in Burbank, California by Gene Grimaldi. Personnel assisting the recording included Ryan Kennedy, Tal Oz and Joe Cory.[6]
In a November 2009 interview with MTV, Gaga explained that her father had a malfunctioning aortic valve, causing his body to pump only a third of the necessary blood with each heartbeat for an extended period. She added: "My mom called me and I was very depressed. I was on tour and I couldn't leave, so I went into the studio and I wrote this song 'Speechless,' and it's about these phone calls. My dad used to call me after he'd had a few drinks and I wouldn't know what to say. I was speechless and I just feared that I would lose him and I wouldn't be there."[7]
On each track of The Fame Monster, Gaga expresses some of her biggest fears.[8] She wrote "Speechless" to convey her "fear of death"[7] and implore her father to have the open-heart surgery needed for his condition.[9] In October 2009, Gaga confirmed that he had undergone the surgery. In expressing her desire for the song to inspire her younger fans to appreciate their parents, Gaga emphasized their irreplaceable role in a child's life.[10]
Music and lyrics[edit]
"Speechless" is a rock power ballad[11][12] with influences of 1970s rock,[13] blues rock,[14] glam rock[15] and country music.[12] The song consists of vocal harmonies and guitar riffs which, according to Evan Sawdey of PopMatters, are comparable to the work of the band Queen and its frontman Freddie Mercury.[16] Katrin Horn, a postdoctoral fellow in American studies, described her vocal delivery as "slightly raspy" with "a little vibrato".[17] Musicologist Alexandra Apolloni wrote that Gaga's vocal affectations verge on the melodramatic, underscoring the intentional "performativity" in using vocal techniques that convey a sense of strain. According to Apolloni, the introduction—characterized by theatrical "ohs"—immediately immerses the listener in heightened emotional landscapes, followed by moments of "vocal ugliness", particularly in high chest voice and slurred pitches. She added that these exaggerated vocal gestures serve as intensified pleas for emotional sympathy. In the final verse, Gaga's voice takes on "harshness and roughness", which echoes the theme of vocal disruption explored in the song.[18]
Critics discussed the song's lyrics and themes. Analyzing the emotional narrative of "Speechless", psychoanalyst Robert J. Benton wrote that although the song is dedicated to Gaga's father, the lyrics convey a romantic breakup. Benoten believed after expressing hurt and anger to her ex-lover in the initial lyrics, Gaga has a taunting desire for revenge in the closing line "Why are you so speechless?"[19] Exploring Gaga's "musical intertexts" on The Fame Monster, authors Lori Burns, Alyssa Woods and Marc Lafrance wrote that in "Speechless", she adopts a 1970s rock ballad style reminiscent of artists like Mercury, John Lennon and Elton John. The authors drew thematic connections to Mercury's desire to seek acceptance as an outsider in "Somebody to Love", Lennon's pursuit of a utopian society in "Imagine" and John's emphasis on "pure devotion through music and word" in "Your Song". Burns, Woods and Lafrance thought that by invoking this "genealogy", Gaga aims to promote unbiased love and a new world order emphasizing equality and fairness. As such, they deemed "Speechless" a sociomusical activism piece.[20]
Chart performance[edit]
"Speechless" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number ninety-four for the week of December 12, 2009.[33] After the medley performance of the song at the 2010 Grammy Awards, "Speechless" topped the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, with sales of 7,000 units according to Nielsen Soundscan, becoming Gaga's third number-one single. It also shifted an additional 13,000 digital downloads, just below the main Hot Digital Songs chart.[34] As of August 2010, the song had sold 197,000 downloads according to Nielsen Soundscan.[35] "Speechless" also debuted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 at number sixty-seven.[36] On the UK Singles Chart, "Speechless" reached number eighty-eight of December 27, 2009.[37] As of 2020, it has sold 60,000 digital downloads and acquired 3.38 million streams.[38]