The little monster is now eating. Lady Gaga is not only starring in the upcoming “Joker: Folie a Deux” (Joker: Folie a Deux), playing Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix (Joaquin Phoenix), and she also recently released a concept album in memory of the film. This wonderful album, called Harlequin, is composed of songs from the film and was written entirely by Gaga and her fiancé Michael Polansky.
So, to celebrate the release of the new album, who better to instantly react to the album than a serious Gaga fan (me)? Here are my 15 takeaways from Harlequin.
1. Before moving on, it’s necessary to introduce Gaga’s role in “Joker.” She plays Lee Quinzel, a deranged Joker fan who falls in love with him. A press release describes the film as “an exploration of the raw emotional complexities of a woman who thrives on chaos, an unruly, genre-defying force.” I predict the musical will highlight this interesting love story – the union of two lonely souls. But who knows!
2. The first song is “Good Morning”, a song written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed for the movie “Babes in Arms” with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in 1939 and also by Gene Kelly in the song “Singin’ in the Rain”, composed in 1952. The sweet sound of jazz piano greeted me. I think we added a jazzy touch to this record, a sound he explored with Tony Bennett on his albums Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale.
3. She sounds great. It’s really great. They changed some of the lyrics in the song. “When the prisoners start to sleep, the stars start to shine,” she sings, “Now the warden is coming and it’s too late for goodnight.” In the movie, she and the Joker meet as inmates at Arkham Asylum. This would be the music played during their sessions!
4. The next song is “Get Happy,” another classic Garland song from Summer Stock. Interesting – was the whole album covered?
5. “All sinners, gather together,” she softly sang. “All sinners – follow me. Forget your troubles and get ready for Judgment Day. I can definitely see her singing this song to you.” Your charming shelter friends. But it’s a great song—the kind of song you’d want to hear while dancing with men in tuxedos in a fancy ballroom.
6. Right now Gaga is singing Louis Armstrong’s “Oh When the Saints.” We also have another great pipe organ sound. “I pour out my heart to the Lord,” she sings. “The devil plays some lousy guitar.” (Hint: a lousy guitar solo.) I can see her rocking a Harley Quinn costume. I think this would be a really dedicated performance from Gaga – both song and dance. However, does she ever do things half-heartedly? This is the same woman who once wore a meat skirt!
7. The songs are very cleverly chosen. All the songs point to the concepts of love, pain and the darkness of the world around us. In the famous “That’s Entertainment” by Judy Garland, Gaga sang: “The clown takes off his pants – that’s entertainment. The world is a stage; the stage is the world of entertainment.” In “The Joker” in the 20th century. A song by Shirley Bassey in the late 1960s, Gaga sings: “There’s always a joker in the group.” Her songs.
8. “Joker” is a pop song. Very rock and roll soul. It could have easily been included on Gaga’s Joanne album.
9. We’re back to jazz with “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from the musical Sweet Charity. “If they could see me now,” she sings, “walking around in this million-dollar chicken coop.” I imagine Harley will be singing this song when she escapes from the asylum with the Joker. The song has the atmosphere of a modern Gatsby party. Someone immediately offer me a moonlight martini!
10. Gaga’s cover of Nat King Cole’s “Smile” is a little emotional. “Smile, even if your heart hurts. Smile, even if it’s broken. When the sky is cloudy, you can hear the heartache in her voice.” (Maybe she and the Joker broke up?) Could this cover be nominated for Best Song? At the very least, I’m looking forward to this great Grammy performance!
11. The album also features a lot of instrumental music. The whole thing was filled with the tremendous energy of a theater kid. To me, this suggests that we are going to see several big dance numbers in the film. Get your toes on and get ready to dance!
12. It doesn’t matter that Gaga wrote some original music for this album—it wasn’t all covers. In the string waltz ballad “Folie a Deux” she sings: “They might say we’re crazy, but I just love you.”
13. In another acoustic song, “Happy Mistakes,” she sings: “I may try to hide behind makeup, but the show must go on. If I could put the broken pieces back together, I’d make Happy Mistakes.” I love that Gaga makes uptempo tracks like this that showcase her beautiful voice. Of course, I love the weird monster Gaga, but her dramatic flair can make you forget what a great singer she is.
14. The album ends with Frank Sinatra’s 1966 song “That’s Life.” “That’s life – that’s what they say,” he sings. “It may sound strange, but some people like to make their dreams come true – but I’m not going to let it get to me.” Don’t let life get to you, friends!
15. Can I learn all of these songs now so I can sing them out loud in the theater on October 4th, the day Joker opens? Absolutely.
