10 Favourite Lady Gaga Songs

*last updated 10 January, 2022


By Waiching

Whilst Lady Gaga won plaudits for her acting work in 2018's music-based drama, A Star is Born, she is still, by and large, a pop icon and artist and musician first and foremost, who broke the mould during the mid to late 2000s & early 2010s. Out of nowhere, a certain and fresh-faced unknown in Stefani Germanotta was introduced to millions of us under the moniker of Lady Gaga and hence, she descended the charts; from 2008 up until 2014, through Just Dance, Bad Romance, Poker Face and Alejandro to The Edge of Glory, Born This Way, she graced us with wave after wave of melodic and memorable hit songs, with some of them becoming anthems in their own right. 

With Britney, Cristina Aguilera, Beyonce & P!nk already making their mark on the scene through her music, as well as a sense of style, Lady Gaga's arrival was a breath of fresh air for pop music, and with that she has revolutionised the genre, pushing pop to the limit that has never been attempted before and thus, defied all expectations, in addition to selling millions of records, worldwide. 

Looking back on her music career so far, it has been quite a transition from her heydays of the poppy Just Dance to the less than poppy, yet still highlight in Shallow, taken from the A Star is Born movie soundtrack, as she continues to develop and grow as a performer and artist by nabbing countless awards and racking up all those Youtube views for her music videos. 

Here are my 10 favourite songs of hers from her eclectic and ever-reaching and progressive career: 

1. Alejandro (2010) - this catchy melodic tune owes more to Swedish pop band, Ace of Base than to Just Dance and Pokerface, and whilst sound-wise, it feels completely different to anything else she has done before and after, Alejandro, with its Europop feel, is so utterly memorable and melodic. I instantly fell in love with this song when I first heard it on the radio - and when I found out the vocals were by Lady Gaga, I was even more surprised. What might have been a minor misstep and a song that is 'uncharacteristic' of hers, RedOne and Gaga crafted a mega-hit that is, in sync, lyrically and musically pop perfection. 

''Don't call my name, don't call my name Alejandro. I'm not your babe, I'm not your babe, Fernando....''

                                           

2. The Cure (2017) - out of all the recent songs she has performed and recorded, this is my favourite by far. If it had a music video to go with it, it would have propelled The Cure to the top of the charts back in 2017. Comprised of finger snaps, it has a slight R&B sound going for it, but it remained a commercial bop thanks to its clean, simple production and so Gaga anthem - familiarity, complete with an instantaneous and explosive chorus to boot. That and Lady Gaga knows how to write a good hook. The Cure is just as catchy and incredibly poppy as Alejandro and it's a bit of a pity she hasn't had a song as infectiously tuneful as this one is, since then. It's still a mystery to me and many as to why it didn't get an official EP release, as it so easily has 'hit', written all over it. Vocally, this is probably the strongest Gaga has sounded as she shows off more of her soulful pop side by singing in a high falsetto, & this coming from someone who comes from a performing arts background.

''If I can't find a cure, I'll fix you with my love. No matter what you know, I'll fix you with my love. And if you say you're okay, I'm gonna heal you anyway. Promise I'll always be there, promise I'll be the cure (be the cure)''

3. Video Phone The Extended Remix (2009) / Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga - the B-side to Telephone, I actually prefer this Beyonce- led song over the main single. Video Phone received mixed reviews from music critics and the song was overlooked by many - with some labelling the lyrics as ''smutty''; yes, it is a tad weird and all that, but it works. Lady Gaga's vocals are on point and they compliment Queen Bey's extremely well and in watching the video, both of them had chemistry. The music video directed by R&B maestro Hype Williams features wardrobe changes and pays homage to Reservoir Dogs and currently, it has racked up over 100 million views on Youtube.

''And when you miss me, just remember that I always got you with me, I'll be your Gene, you'll be my Brando. I'ma put you in my move if you think you can handle it (Can you handle it?)''

4. Second Time Around (2009) - an unreleased track that would have been a perfect addition to The Fame LP, as well as it ought to have been a single release, Lady Gaga, along with The JAM, co-wrote this song for another artist, which was rumoured to be Michael Bolton. Contrary to many, musically, Second Time Around sounds nothing like The Cure, but rather similarly to Murder My Heart, a Michael Bolton song, which was penned by Lady Gaga & produced by RedOne with its late 2000s R&B vibe. 

''I'm so unpredictable, you don't know what I think, I'm so unemotional, I wonder if I'm even still in love, you see. I don't know what to tell you know. It's always harder, the second time around''

5. Always Remember Us This Way (2018) - Ally from A Star is Born's theme song, Gaga's vocals add passion, soul and emotion to this delicate but also best ballad that she has ever composed. Listening to it now, it sounds incredible still. 

''So when I'm all choked up but I can't find the right words, every time we say goodbye baby, it hurts, when the sun goes down & the band won't play, I'll always remember us this way''

6. The Edge of Glory (2011) - Energetic, fist-pumping beat, Edge of Glory basks in the Electronic pop dance beat light that is punctuated by Lady Gaga's impassioned vocal delivery. Oh and it's another infectious chart offering

''I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth, out on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you. I'm on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you. I'm on the edge with you''

7. Bad Romance (2009) - Never gets old and another one of her notable songs and chart bangers from The Fame Monster LP. The sound was influenced by German-esque House and Techno music and the track still remains as upbeat and memorable as it was over 11 years ago as she continued her reign in 2009 and the song also shook the industry.

''I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!), I want your love and all your lover's revenge, you and me could write a bad romance''

8. Hair Body Face (2013) - this was supposed to feature in the A Star Is Born film, but instead, it ended up on the original motion picture soundtrack. A standout track if there was one, Hair Body Face definitely sounds poppier than Just Dance, Paparazzi and whilst this is yet another song that would've been a potential top 5/#1 hit record, it also echoes the brand of pop that put Lady Gaga on the map circa her 2008 debut, The Fame. 

''Try to leave here, but you won't let me leave, saying that if I care what they think, they'll never succeed, I won't leave here, if you promise to me, I've got my hair, body face (face), hair body face for you (hair, body, face, for you, triple threat, do it, for ya), for you (hair, body, face, for you, triple threat)''

9. Hair (2011) - an uptempo song penned by Lady Gaga and Morrocan Swedish songwriter, RedOne, the song draws inspiration from Pat Benatar's 1980s hit, 'We Belong', whilst its empowering lyrics harken back to those in Born This Way. Along with its 80s' pop-rock sound and the theme of one's hair as the ultimate expression of identity, it also kinds of makes for an emancipating pop anthem in its own right.

''And this is my prayer, I swear. I'm as free as my hair, I'm as free as my hair, I am my hair, I am my hair''

10. Just Dance feat. Colby O' Donis (2008) - one of the best - selling songs of the 2000s and Lady Gaga's debut chart single, this was our introduction of Lady Gaga as a pop star and a first glimpse of what to expect from her, songs-wise. With the help of RedOne and Akon, it was bold, ambitious & changed the sound of radio pop and established Gaga as a force to be reckoned with as a female solo chart star, alongside the likes of Britney Spears and Rihanna of the mid-2000s and into the early 2010s.

''Just dance, gonna be okay. Da-doo-doo-doo. Just dance, spin that record babe, da-doo-doo-doo, just dance''

*Honourable Mentions: Dance in the Dark, Heavy Metal Lover, Highway Unicorn (Road to Love), Marry The Night, Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say), Starstruck feat. Space Cowboy & Flo Rida, Applause, Sexxx Dreams, Paparazzi, Boys Boys Boys, G.U.Y, The Fame, Christmas Tree, Chillin' by Wale (Lady Gaga featuring), Scheibe, Judas, Paper Gangsta, Big Girl Now feat. New Kids On The Block, Do What U Want, Fashion, Gypsy, Telephone (featuring Beyonce), So Happy I Can Die, Fashion!, Nothing On (But The Radio), Out of Control (featuring Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea), LoveGame, Glitter and Grease, Love Me Right, Plastic Doll, Free Woman, Rain on Me (featuring Ariana Grande), LoveGame, You & I