Wikipedia

Harlequin (Lady Gaga album)

Harlequin is a soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, released on September 27, 2024, through Interscope Records. It serves as a companion album to the 2024 American musical thriller film Joker: Folie à Deux,[a] in which she portrays the DC character Harley Quinn.

Harlequin
Gaga with red-dyed hair standing below an operating shower head wearing a white clothed-dress with a personal flotation device around her neck
Standard cover
Soundtrack album by
Lady Gaga
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2024
Length41:27
LabelInterscope
Producer
Lady Gaga chronology
Top Gun: Maverick
(2022) 		Harlequin
(2024) 		Joker: Folie à Deux
(2024)

Described by Gaga as "vintage pop", Harlequin consists of songs featured on the film's soundtrack, as well as two original songs with different production. It expands on Gaga's venture into jazz music, also including elements of rock, soul, gospel and doo-wop in its composition.[3]

Development

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Following the completion of The Chromatica Ball (2022), Lady Gaga took a step back from social media and promotional activities while she focused on preparing her role as Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Harley Quinn) in the American musical thriller film Joker: Folie à Deux (2024).[4] In a lengthy Instagram post made on June 16, 2023, Gaga shared that she had been spending alone time "healing" while editing her concert film Gaga Chromatica Ball (2024), filming Joker: Folie à Deux, and creating music for a "special project".[5] Throughout the rest of the year and into 2024, she occasionally teased upcoming music via social media, sharing photos from within the studios where she was working and offering insights into the process.[6]

At the film's red carpet premiere in London, England, on September 25, 2024, Gaga discussed the inspiration for the album, stated, "When we were done with the movie, I wasn't done with her. Because I'm not done with her, I made Harlequin." She also described it as an "indicative of a complex woman that wants to be whoever she wants to be at any given moment."[7]

Harlequin marked Gaga's first standard record without Tony Bennett, following their collaborative albums, Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021).[8] In an interview with Rolling Stone, she emphasized that it was not a sad experience; instead, she felt his presence throughout the entire process. Gaga also reflected on her artistic choices, stating, "In a funny way, if I had put rock & roll chords over production in a record that I did with Tony years ago, I don't know how he would've felt about that. Tony didn't love rock & roll. But he would've said, 'Wow, that's amazing.' He was somebody who loved how risk-taking and different I am, and I always thought that was so cool."[9]

Music and lyrics

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Gaga stated in an interview with The Associated Press that the album consists of music from the film as well as original pieces written for the film, and one original piece created for the album titled "Happy Mistake".[10] Of the album's thirteen tracks, all are covers except for a pair of original tracks, "Folie à Deux" and "Happy Mistake".[11] In a interview with Entertainment Weekly, the singer explained the meaning of the latter song:[12]

"Playing a strung-out girl my whole career was a way for me to split off from my true self, but, it’s all me. Basically, that song says if I was ever going to find joy or happiness in my life, it would probably feel like an accident. Where I was in my life for a long time, I was on a path that was pretty futile because I was so split off from reality. My dedicated fans know this about me, that playing a persona had a price, and it has a price for Lee and her love of Joker. There’s definitely a way that I address that on this record."

Release and promotion

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Gaga posted an image on September 20, 2024, containing a "grainy" red background with a white text displaying, "I'm ready for my interview".[13] She later uploaded four more "cryptic" images with three containing sound through Instagram, with many fans believing to be her seventh studio album or related to Joker: Folie à Deux.[14]

The artist revealed the album to be titled Harlequin and shared the cover artwork via Instagram, on September 24, 2024. In the same post, she referred to the project as a "companion album" to Joker: Folie à Deux and linked to pre-order the album's CD, vinyl, and digital formats on her web store.[15] The following day, Gaga utilized Instagram once again to announce a collaboration with the Louvre Museum in promotion for the album. The post featured an 80-second preview of "The Joker" set to an accompanying visual that shows Gaga exploring the museum at night. Towards the end of the clip, she uses red lipstick to draw a Joker-inspired grin on the Mona Lisa. The clip also promotes the upcoming "Figures Du Fou" exhibition that will open at the Louvre on October 16, 2024.[16] After the film's premiere in London, Gaga hosted a "secret" intimate listening party where her fans got a chance to listen the soundtrack album.[17]

Artwork and aesthetics

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The album's standard cover features Gaga standing in a shower sporting orange hair while wearing a white clothed-dress with a flotation device around her neck.[18] An alternate cover used for an exclusive vinyl sold only on Gaga's web store shows her in a messy bedroom lying on the bed facing the ceiling. She sports orange hair once again while items present in the shot reference previous moments in her career, including her collaborations with American singer Tony Bennett and her concert tour, the Joanne World Tour (2017–2018).[19] The back cover of the album features a photograph of a messy bedroom with the 1862 painting Stańczyk by the Polish painter Jan Matejko hanging on the wall.[20][21]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.3/10[22]
Metacritic69/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[24]
The Daily Telegraph     [25]
The Guardian     [26]
The Independent     [27]
The Irish Times     [28]
Slant Magazine     [29]
Rolling Stone     [30]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? compiled six reviews and gave the album an average of 6.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[22]

Michael Cragg for The Guardian sees the album is similar to her two "jazz standards" collaborative albums Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021) rather than her "cyberpunk influenced electropop" album Chromatica. He felt it as Gaga's Jazz & Piano concert residency "turned into an album". Cragg also added many of Gaga's fans will be pleased "of immaculately covered jazz standards" and described the artist sounding "fully engaged, happy, and completely in her element as she skips between Harley Quinn's various moods."[26]

Track listing

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Harlequin standard edition track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Good Morning"
2:47
2."Get Happy (2024)"
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
3:12
3."Oh, When the Saints"
  • Traditional
  • Germanotta
  • Polansky
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
3:43
4."World on a String"
  • Arlen
  • Koehler
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
2:37
5."If My Friends Could See Me Now"
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
2:44
6."That's Entertainment"Arthur Schwartz
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
4:10
7."Smile"
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
3:42
8."The Joker"
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
2:52
9."Folie à Deux"Germanotta
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
3:00
10."Gonna Build a Mountain"
  • Bricusse
  • Newley
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
2:52
11."Close to You"
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rice
2:44
12."Happy Mistake"
4:08
13."That's Life"
3:04
Total length:41:27

Note

  • ^[p] signifies a primary and vocal producer.

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Lady Gaga – vocals
  • Tim Stewart – guitar (tracks 1–8, 10–12)
  • Steve Kortyka – saxophone (tracks 1–7, 9, 10), background vocals (1); conductor, piano (2, 11)
  • Daniel Foose – bass guitar (tracks 1–5, 7–12), background vocals (1), double bass (6)
  • Alex Smith – piano (tracks 1, 5, 6, 9), background vocals (1), organ (2–5, 10–13), Wurlitzer organ (4, 5)
  • Donald Barrett – drums (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9–11, 13), background vocals (1)
  • Brian Newman – trumpet (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9–11, 13), background vocals (1)
  • Ashley Wigginton – additional vocals (track 1)
  • Seth Fetzer – additional vocals (track 1)
  • Tim Brooks – additional vocals (track 1)
  • Tyler Wigginton – additional vocals (track 1)
  • Adrienne Woods – cello (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Moonlight Tran – cello (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Adam Schroeder – saxophone (tracks 2, 6, 11), bass clarinet (9)
  • Erick Tewalt – saxophone (tracks 2, 6, 11), clarinet (9)
  • Rick Keller – saxophone (tracks 2, 6, 11), clarinet (9)
  • Rob Mader – saxophone (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Curt Miller – trombone (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Isrea Butler – trombone (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Kirby Galbraith – trombone (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Dan Falcone – trumpet (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Gil Kaupp – trumpet (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Jason Levi – trumpet (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • John Pollock – viola (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Tianna Heppner – viola (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Lauren Cordell – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Mark Cargill – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Naoko Taniguchi – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Nicole Garcia – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Rahmaan Phillip – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Rebecca Sabine – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Shigeru Logan – violin (tracks 2, 6, 9, 11)
  • Nathan Tanouye – trombone (tracks 2, 9, 11)
  • Bethany Mennemeyer – violin (tracks 2, 9, 11)
  • Jacob Scesney – saxophone (tracks 2, 11)
  • Tom DeLibero – trumpet (tracks 2, 11)
  • Benjamin Rice – drums (tracks 4, 5, 8), percussion (4, 10, 12), guitar (12)
  • Sal Lozano – saxophone (tracks 6, 13), flute (9)
  • Rashawn Ross – trumpet (tracks 6, 9)
  • Michael Bearden – conductor, piano (track 6)
  • David Phillippus – trombone (track 6)
  • Juliette Jones – violin (track 6)
  • Brandon Lamonte Hawkins – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Chanel White – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Christopher Williams – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Ciara Green – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Darius Wright – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Elyse Branch Clardy – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Jadah Cheri Ellis – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Jon Morgan – additional vocals (track 9)
  • LaToya Walker – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Leslie Stackhouse – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Shyra Adamson – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Skye Dee Miles – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Torin Derek – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Giovanna Clayton – cello (track 13)
  • Jacob Braun – cello (track 13)
  • David Campbell – conductor, piano (track 13)
  • Michael Valerio – contrabass recorder (track 13)
  • Brian Scanlon – saxophone (track 13)
  • Dan Higgins – saxophone (track 13)
  • James Mason – saxophone (track 13)
  • Rusty Higgins – saxophone (track 13)
  • Alex Iles – trombone (track 13)
  • Andrew Martin – trombone (track 13)
  • Craig Gosnell – trombone (track 13)
  • Ryan Dragon – trombone (track 13)
  • Dan Fornero – trumpet (track 13)
  • Jamie Hovorka – trumpet (track 13)
  • Rob Schaer – trumpet (track 13)
  • Wayne Bergeron – trumpet (track 13)
  • Matt Funes – viola (track 13)
  • Zach Dellinger – viola (track 13)
  • Ana Landaurer – violin (track 13)
  • Ben Jacobson – violin (track 13)
  • Charlie Bisharat – violin (track 13)
  • Eun-Mee Ahn – violin (track 13)
  • Kerenza Peacock – violin (track 13)
  • Maya Magub – violin (track 13)
  • Phillip Levy – violin (track 13)
  • Songa Lee – violin (track 13)
  • Tereza Stanislav – violin (track 13)
  • Ashley Levin – vocals (track 13)
  • Meloney Collins – vocals (track 13)
  • Sara Mann – vocals (track 13)

Technical

  • Emily Lazar – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Benjamin Rice – engineering (tracks 1–12), arrangement (3, 5, 7, 8, 10–12)
  • David Boucher – engineering (tracks 1, 5–7, 11)
  • Kevin Harp – engineering (tracks 2–5, 7–12)
  • Noah Hubbell – engineering (track 13)
  • Kaleb Rollins – vocal mixing (track 13)
  • Paul Lamalfa – vocal engineering (track 13)
  • Joe Dougherty – additional engineering
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
  • Daniel "Chief" Van Billiard – engineering assistance
  • Patrick Hundley – engineering assistance
  • Bella Corich – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 5, 7, 11)
  • Miguel Lara – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 5, 7, 11)
  • Josh Connolly – engineering assistance (track 6)
  • Alex Smith – arrangement (tracks 1, 3–7, 9–12)
  • Steve Kortyka – arrangement (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11)
  • Lady Gaga – arrangement (tracks 3–5, 7, 8, 10–12)
  • Daniel Foose – arrangement (tracks 3–5, 7, 8, 10–12)
  • Michael Polansky – arrangement (tracks 3–5, 7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Tim Stewart – arrangement (tracks 3–5, 7, 8, 10–12)
  • Donald Barrett – arrangement (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10)
  • Brian Newman – arrangement (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10)
  • Danny Jonokuchi – arrangement (track 6)
  • David Campbell – arrangement (track 13)

Credits adapted from album liner notes.[31]

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Harlequin
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 27, 2024
Interscope [32]
United States
[33]
Various October 11, 2024 [34]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Folie à deux (US: /foʊˌliː ə ˈdʌ/ foh-LEE ə DUH[1]) is a French-derived term meaning "madness for two."[2]

References

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  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, p. 665, ISBN 9781405881180
  2. ^ Chapman, Wilson (August 5, 2022). "Everything we know about Joker 2 so far". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Tabberer, Jamie (September 25, 2024). "Gaga talks Joker companion LP Harlequin: 'The record has so many different genres on it'". Attitude. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Sharf, Zack (October 7, 2022). "Margot Robbie gives Lady Gaga Her blessing for Harley Quinn role in Joker 2: 'She'll do something incredible with it'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Mier, Tomás (June 16, 2023). "Lady Gaga confirms Chromatica Ball film, says alone time has been 'healing'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  6. ^ Aniftos, Rania (March 21, 2024). "Lady Gaga is teasing that she's working on new music". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Tabberer, Jamie (September 25, 2024). "Gaga talks Joker companion LP Harlequin: 'The record has so many different genres on it'". Attitude. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  8. ^ P. Frank, Jason (September 27, 2024). "Tony Bennett Would Never Say Anything Mean About Lady Gaga's New Album". Vulture. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Martoccio, Angie (September 27, 2024). "'I Wasn't Done With Her': How Lady Gaga Channeled Harley Quinn on Her New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Dailey, Hannah (September 26, 2024). "Lady Gaga Confirms New Album 'Harlequin' Features Original Music She Wrote for 'Joker 2'". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Daw, Stephen (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga's 'Joker' Companion Album 'Harlequin': All 13 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Nolfi, Joey (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga says 'playing a persona had a price,' confronts pain of early fame on 'Harlequin'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Dailey, Hannah (September 20, 2024). "Lady Gaga shares cryptic teaser ahead of new album: 'I'm ready for my interview'". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Bonner, Mehera (September 23, 2024). "What we know about Lady Gaga's cryptic Instagram posts and "secret project"". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Strauss, Matthew (September 24, 2024). "Lady Gaga releasing new album Harlequin on Friday". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Kaufman, Gil (September 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga gives the Mona Lisa a sinister smile in preview of rocking new Harlequin song "The Joker"". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Duran, Anagricel (September 26, 2024). "Watch Lady Gaga dance with fans at Harlequin listening party in London". New Musical Express. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Edwards, Molly (September 24, 2024). "Joker: Folie à Deux marketing goes to the next level: A Harley Quinn concept album from Lady Gaga". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Calfee, Joel (September 24, 2024). "Everything you need to know about Lady Gaga's upcoming concept album, Harlequin". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Rybak, Adrian (September 25, 2024). "Polski obraz na okładce nowej płyty Lady Gagi! Artystka użyła dzieło Jana Matejki" [Polish painting on the cover of Lady Gaga's new album! The artist used the work of Jan Matejko] (in Polish). Radio Eska. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Webber, Alex (September 26, 2024). "Iconic Polish painting thrust back into the spotlight thanks to Lady Gaga". TVP World. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Critic reviews for Harlequin by Lady Gaga". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Critic reviews for Harlequin by Lady Gaga". Metacritic. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  24. ^ Murray, Robin (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga – Harlequin: A sly, subversive cinematic aperitif". Clash. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  25. ^ McCormick, Neil (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga, the cabaret queen – who would've thought it?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Cragg, Michael (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga: Harlequin review – Joker companion album does jazz standards with a gaudy grin". The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  27. ^ Brown, Helen (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga review, Harlequin: Few songs truly dial into her Joker character's twisted heart". The Independent. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  28. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga: Harlequin review – Joker companion album brings unsettling unpredictability to razzle-dazzle show tunes". The Irish Times. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  29. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga Harlequin Review: Mother Monster Lets Her Freak Flag Fly". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  30. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 27, 2024). "Lady Gaga's Joker: Folie a Deux is a Luxuriant Collection of Jazz Standards". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  31. ^ Harlequin (booklet). Lady Gaga. Interscope Records. 2024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ "Harlequin Standard Digital Album". Lady Gaga Official Shop. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  33. ^ Harlequin release formats in the United States:
  34. ^ Harlequin release formats in various regions:
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