The Singles Jukebox

But, everyone’s a little bit country these days.

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Crystal Leww: “A-Yo” is maybe one of the most egregious examples on Joanne of pop lyricism wrapped up in “country”-signaling production. The guitar masks some of Lady Gaga’s worst theatre kid tendencies, but alas, from the very first line about smoking Marlboros, I cannot help but yearn for Carrie’s “Smoke Break” instead.
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Ryo Miyauchi: Many things here seem to be included to check off what’s needed for a pop-country song without actually knowing how they’re used. Boots stomp because they ought to. And to continue tradition, the hokey chorus cheers sweet nothings as a chant. “A-Yo” sounds like Lady Gaga covering the idea of a hit pop-country single. I’m not so disappointed about it being neither here nor there. I just thought Gaga had a much better idea of what a hit pop-country song sounds like.
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Alfred Soto: So long as she’s writing weird resist-to-parsing stuff about John Wayne, Gaga will stay compelling, and the pat-a-cake beat and prominent organ make me wonder if she should can her A&R team for suggesting “Perfect Illusion” would delight fans and radio programmers.
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Claire Biddles: Although she probably wouldn’t want it seen this way, Lady Gaga’s strength as a singles artist far surpasses the overarching conceptual conceits of each era of her work. ARTPOP‘s claim to be a revolutionary fusing of art and pop made me wonder if she’d ever heard of David Bowie or Roxy Music, and Joanne‘s adoption of country-as-authenticity often feels tacked-on in the production room. Gaga’s varied commitment to the theme means that the stetson-and-cowboy-boots fancy dress jars on some tracks, but the power of the songwriting on the majority of the record outweighs the gimmicks. “A-Yo” is such a killer single that the burr of Gaga’s vocals and the twangy guitar don’t stand out as contrived. The transition from the hand-clap verse (does anyone else hear “Shake It Off”?) to the anticipation of the bridge and the party-time chorus is exhilarating — when Gaga shouts “MY BODY’S GOT YOU PLEADIN'” in the final bridge, the urge to throw down on the bus or in my office or wherever I’m listening is overwhelming. “Now it’s a party”! Yee-ha!
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Olivia Rafferty: Gaga’s whole album Joanne is an awkward struggle, as she tries to squeeze herself into a country sensibility through overly-long lyrical passages or vocals that sound so fresh it’s like they’ve bypassed post-production. What this results in is rawness, but rawness without reality. One of the few points of the album in which Gaga seems to sit more comfortably is “A-Yo.” The scratchy vocals blend easily with twanging electric guitars, her lyrics are curt and vivid enough to manifest properly. Gaga’s new direction is epitomised best here.
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Edward Okulicz: “A-Yo” sees Gaga leaning on “country” sounds as a crutch in lieu of writing a chorus. It has the same antiseptic, shiny, dirtless production you’d expect of Mark Ronson, which has his uses, but this isn’t one of them. It’s interesting that Gaga seems to be trying to be Tina Turner on the chorus, which actually suits her voice, but when she sings about cigarettes, she’s no Miranda, and when she dolls her music up in country glamour, she’s no Shania.
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Kat Stevens: Much better than I was expecting! It feels like montage music for an 80s comedy about a fed-up housewife who drives to Vegas for a spur of the moment blowout, accompanied by her repressed neighbour. Let’s call it Feelin’ Lucky, shall we? Should Betty and Ursula risk their kids’ college funds on red — or black? Casino owner Lady Gaga is watching them from the stage while singing, and points to a sign telling them to gamble responsibly. The cute waiter is twenty years too young in Ursula’s opinion but Betty eggs her on. Gaga gives both ladies a wink and the finger guns. I could go on but it’ll only end up with Ursula and Betty both realising they’re better off back at home with their boring-ass husbands. I didn’t say the film was any good!
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