By Justin Kemp
Mother Monster is back with what fans and critics are calling her best album yet. While not the unleashed, grungy, dark-pop sound fans expected from lead single “Disease” and the album’s promo, Lady Gaga’s “MAYHEM” is an immaculately crafted experience through the inner turmoil of an artist who has spent half her life in the limelight. Its bombastic, gothic exterior quickly reveals a beating heart full of pain and ready to embrace its fractured pieces in all their ugly beauty.
Thematic Analysis
“MAYHEM” calls back to Gaga’s biggest influences, as various as the Prince-esque “Killah,” the “Hollaback Girl” sample on “Zombieboy,” and references to the hits that made her a household name.
Does “Abracadebra” remind anyone else of “Bad Romance” with its ad-libs and near-nonsense words? Many listeners have commented that “MAYHEM” sounds like Gaga’s breakout, “The Fame,” yet it sonically and thematically builds on her pandemic album, “Chromatica,” as well. “LoveDrug” references addiction and mental health like “911,” and “Plastic Doll” is a somewhat watered-down precursor to “Perfect Celebrity,” but where “Chromatica” bleeds barely concealed pain, “MAYHEM” celebrates love’s healing influence on past traumas without diminishing the darkness Gaga has experienced. I prefer to judge works on their artistic merit rather than the artist’s personal life; however, Gaga has cited her fiancé Michael Polansky’s influence as the reason for the album’s ultimately happy tone.
Despite its links to previous works, “MAYHEM” feels new. The album plays out like a gothic theatre show, giving the audience a front row seat to Gaga’s madness along with her pop hooks. Dancefloor bangers and apocalyptic love ballads set the stage for “MAYHEM’s” self-mythology, casting werewolves, zombies, and the “Lady in Red” in the drama. Sometimes, Gaga is the monster, trying to save herself from “poison on the inside” in “Disease.” Sometimes, it’s a man, like “The Beast” she falls in love with. And sometimes, it’s us—her fans, and the music industry as a whole. “Perfect Celebrity” casts the army of online strangers seeking to control Gaga’s life as the most horrifying creatures imaginable. Gaga’s years of writing and performing music have given her art an edge unlike anyone else in the industry.
As unattainably artistic as “MAYHEM” can be, the story is grounded in something everyone can relate to—love. Gaga describes losing her personhood to fame, broken by the love she sought from her fans. Her craving for authenticity leads her to slowly regain herself over the record’s course as she discovers a love based on human connection. “Vanish Into You” depicts a longing for a love that will help her heal and disappear from the spotlight. Then, after misadventures into toxic realizations of her desire, Gaga draws inspiration from her fiancé’s proposal in “Blade of Grass” for a tender, lasting view of love. Though it feels somewhat tacked on, “Die With a Smile” ends “MAYHEM” with a true “forever do us part,” sweeping aside all thoughts of fame or pain to literally die in a lover’s embrace.
Track Ranking
My ranking of “MAYHEM” reorders itself almost every time I hear it. Thematic depth aside, it’s an incredibly fun album, and the more somber tracks are beautifully made as well. Repeat listens allow under-the-radar tracks to blossom and deepen my appreciation for those I immediately enjoyed.
14. Zombieboy
13. Killah
12. Don’t Call Tonight
11. Shadow Of A Man
10. Vanish Into You
9. The Beast
8. Disease
7. LoveDrug
6. How Bad Do U Want Me
5. Die With A Smile
4. Garden of Eden
3 — “Blade of Grass”
Gaga’s penultimate ballad makes the chaos of “MAYHEM” stand still. Drawing on fairytale imagery, she imagines a simple blade of grass from her backyard as both a ring and a cast, symbolizing the power of such an intimate, familiar setting to heal the traumas of the past. In the end, Gaga rejects the grandiose and gothic for a love that will last.
2 — “Perfect Celebrity”
Raw and brooding, “Perfect Celebrity” sees Gaga lamenting the torturous level of fame she’s trapped herself in. She wrestles with the pain of becoming a commodity while simultaneously acknowledging how badly she wants to be on top. Gaga’s quest for authenticity holds up the track to the broken mirror, revealing the brokenness of seeking love in infamy.
1 — “Abracadabra”
If you asked a team of songwriters to create something quintessentially Lady Gaga, this is the best possible version of that track. The lyrics might appear nonsensical at first glance, but their rich symbolism leads the listener on a search for meaning amid life’s darkness. Gaga’s explosive vocal performance and frenetic dancing are much less attainable than the themes she tackles—“Abracadabra” showcases her at her best as a performer and lyricist. Yet, by grounding her work in the human condition, Gaga turns excellence into accessibility.
Conclusion
“MAYHEM” is an album of contrast—chaos and peace, love and pain, journey and destination, darkness and light—that turns its shards into a kaleidoscopic art piece. Whether you agree with the conclusions Gaga draws on the record, there’s no arguing that she writes her story magnificently. Perhaps, like Frankenstein’s monster, she is a tortured beast beset by circumstance. Or perhaps the princess takes control of her destiny in this fairytale, stepping into the dawn after her night of “MAYHEM.”
I give “MAYHEM” a 9.1/10.
“MAYHEM” is available on all music streaming platforms.
Justin Kemp is a senior Linguistics student interested in library science. When not lost in the Centennial Library’s depths stressing about his capstone, you can find him reading, listening to pop music and writing poetry.
Images courtesy of lamerch, Music Times, Spotify, and YouTube.
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