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Little Monsters are currently being fed. Not only does Lady Gaga have a starring role in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she plays Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, but she has also just released a concept album in honor of the film. Titled Harlequin, the surprise record, made up of songs featured in the movie, was produced entirely by Gaga and her fiancé, Michael Polansky.
So, to celebrate the new release, who better than a serious Gaga stan (moi) to react to the album in real time? Below, my 15 takeaways from Harlequin.
1. Before we dive in, it’s worth setting up Gaga’s role in Joker a little bit. She plays Lee Quinzel, a deranged fan of the Joker’s who falls in love with him. A press release has described the movie as an “exploration of the raw, emotional complexity of a woman who thrives in chaos, a genre-defying force who cannot be contained.” I am predicting that the music will delve into this twisted love story—the tale of two lonely souls uniting. But who knows!
2. The first track is “Good Morning,” a cover of the Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed song written for the 1939 Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney film Babes in Arms, but popularized by Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds in 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. I’m greeted by a smooth jazz piano sound. I think we’re getting jazz Gaga on this record, a sound she explored on her albums Cheek to Cheek and Love For Sale with Tony Bennett.
3. She sounds great. Like, really great. She’s switched up some of the lyrics to the song. “When the inmates began to sleep, the stars were shining bright,” she sings. “Now the warden’s on his way, it’s too late to say goodnight.” In the film, she and the Joker meet as inmates at Arkham Asylum; this must be what plays during their meet-cute!
4. Next up is “Get Happy,” another Garland classic, this one from Summer Stock. Interesting—is the whole album covers?
5. “All you sinners, gather ’round,” she croons. “All you sinners—follow me. Forget your troubles, come on, get happy; get ready for the judgment day.” I can definitely see her singing this to some of her glam asylum friends. But the song is very swingin’—the type of song you’d want to hear in a luxe ballroom while dancing with a man in a tux.
6. Now Gaga is singing “Oh, When the Saints” an old spiritual popularized by Louis Armstrong. We’ve got a more groovy organ sound going on. “I talked to God about my heart,” she sings. “The devil plays some mean guitar.” (Cue: a mean guitar solo.) I can totally picture her in full Harley Quinn garb, rocking out. I think this will be a truly committed performance from Gaga—with both song and dance. Then again, does she ever do anything halfway? This is the woman who once wore a meat dress!
7. These song choices were very clever. All of the lyrics nod back to notions of love, pain, and the darkness of the world around us. On “That’s Entertainment,” also made famous by Judy Garland, Gaga sings: “The clown, with his pants falling down—that’s entertainment. The world is a stage; the stage is a world of entertainment.” In “The Joker,” a song popularized by Shirley Bassey in the late 1960s, Gaga sings: “There’s always a joker in the pack. There’s always a lonely clown.” Somebody clearly spent a lot of time googling songs that feature lyrics with clowns or jesters in them.
8. “The Joker” is a bop, though. Very rock-soul. This could have easily appeared 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 trills, “traipsin’ around this million-dollar chicken coop.” I’m guessing she sings this when Harley and the Joker break out of the asylum (?) together. The song is very, like, flapper-Gatsby-party vibes. Somebody get me a moonshine martini, stat!
10. Gaga’s cover of Nat King Cole’s “Smile,” however, is a little more sappy. “Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile, even though it’s breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by.” You can just hear the heartache in her voice. (Perhaps she and the Joker have just split up?) Can covers be nominated for best song? At the very least, I’m expecting a great Grammys performance out of this!
11. There are a lot of instrumental breaks on this album, too. The whole thing has heavy Theater Kid energy. To me, this suggests we are going to get a lot of large-scale dance numbers in the film. Put your paws up and get ready for that choreo!
12. It’s worth nothing that Gaga wrote some original music for this album—it isn’t all covers. On the string-heavy waltz-ballad “Folie à Deux,” she sings: “They might say that we’re crazy, but I’m just in love with you.”
13. On “Happy Mistake,” another acoustic original, she sings: “I can try to hide behind the makeup, but the show must go on. If I could fix the broken pieces, then I’d have a happy mistake.” I love when Gaga does stripped-back tracks that showcase her beautiful voice like this. Sure, I love freaky-deaky Mother Monster Gaga—but her flair for the dramatic can make you forget just how amazing a singer she is.
14. The album ends with “That’s Life,” a song made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1966. “That’s life—that’s what people say,” she sings. “As funny as it may seem, some people get their kicks stomping on a dream—but I won’t let it get me down.” Ain’t those some real words to live by. Don’t let life get you down, folks!
15. Will I now be learning all of these songs so I can scream-sing them in the theater come October 4, Joker’s release day? Absolutely.
