"Americano"
I've been listening to the new Lady Gaga since Monday, and already I've fallen into the trap of playing my favourite song on infinite repeat. Gaga has made an album full of ear-worms, but I've ended up becoming most obsessed with "Americano".
"Americano" may be the greatest protest song since Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning". (Others may put forward other songs, but I consider Midnight Oil's the most successful based solely on the fact that, decades later, you still hear it regularly.) Lady Gaga has always been gay-friendly, but "Americano" is a huge gift to America's gay marriage struggle. Gaga sings a love song to a Latino East L.A. women with whom she claims to have "fallen in love with, but not in court."
The Latino aspect is crucial because it gives Lady Gaga the opportunity to give the song a Spanish feel, despite that the only true similarity between America's Latinos and the Spanish is the language. I don't know if you would call the sound authentically Spanish. It's got that same cheesy Spanish feel of ABBA's "Chiquitita" and "Fernando". I think that's on purpose. The reason for giving a more mythical Spanish feel becomes apparent when the chorus comes. Lady Gaga wails out "Americano", her voice filtered to sound like she's hollering it over a megaphone. The Spanish music, the "propaganda" feel to the chorus - Gaga manages to thematically join the oppression that America's gays suffer to suffering under an oppressive Fascist regime. And yet the song has energy. A lot of energy. Oppression provides the background, but the song is about the fight back.
The greatest bit comes about thirty seconds from the end. The song sounds like it's ending, but then, all of a sudden, in very ABBA-esque harmonies, Gaga sings "Don't you try to catch me, we're living on the edge of the law." It doesn't matter if gay marriage happens or not, gay people end up forming relationships.
I saw "The Monster Ball" concert video on HBO a few weeks ago. I loved it, but the only complaint I'd make that Gaga was way too preachy. "Americano" is different. It doesn't feel preachy at all, yet it makes a huge statement.
Lady Gaga was always going to have gay fans. She didn't even have to try to gain them. Gay fans were going to flock to her anyways. It's awesome though that she'd pay back her gay fans like this. You shouldn't be able to get close to a Gay Pride event this summer without hearing this song blasted. I can't wait for the video!
"Americano" may be the greatest protest song since Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning". (Others may put forward other songs, but I consider Midnight Oil's the most successful based solely on the fact that, decades later, you still hear it regularly.) Lady Gaga has always been gay-friendly, but "Americano" is a huge gift to America's gay marriage struggle. Gaga sings a love song to a Latino East L.A. women with whom she claims to have "fallen in love with, but not in court."
The Latino aspect is crucial because it gives Lady Gaga the opportunity to give the song a Spanish feel, despite that the only true similarity between America's Latinos and the Spanish is the language. I don't know if you would call the sound authentically Spanish. It's got that same cheesy Spanish feel of ABBA's "Chiquitita" and "Fernando". I think that's on purpose. The reason for giving a more mythical Spanish feel becomes apparent when the chorus comes. Lady Gaga wails out "Americano", her voice filtered to sound like she's hollering it over a megaphone. The Spanish music, the "propaganda" feel to the chorus - Gaga manages to thematically join the oppression that America's gays suffer to suffering under an oppressive Fascist regime. And yet the song has energy. A lot of energy. Oppression provides the background, but the song is about the fight back.
The greatest bit comes about thirty seconds from the end. The song sounds like it's ending, but then, all of a sudden, in very ABBA-esque harmonies, Gaga sings "Don't you try to catch me, we're living on the edge of the law." It doesn't matter if gay marriage happens or not, gay people end up forming relationships.
I saw "The Monster Ball" concert video on HBO a few weeks ago. I loved it, but the only complaint I'd make that Gaga was way too preachy. "Americano" is different. It doesn't feel preachy at all, yet it makes a huge statement.
Lady Gaga was always going to have gay fans. She didn't even have to try to gain them. Gay fans were going to flock to her anyways. It's awesome though that she'd pay back her gay fans like this. You shouldn't be able to get close to a Gay Pride event this summer without hearing this song blasted. I can't wait for the video!