Another Lady Gaga shot from the New York Times Style Mag.
I’ll be dissecting Joanne song by song every day until November, which will bring a monster month of daily music and comics content with it.
I’ll admit, I’ve been somewhat dreading making it past “Million Reasons” in this track-by-track dissection. Maybe anything would seem like a comedown after such a phenomenal song, but I feel like the back third of Joanne is unremarkable and not as fully-baked compared to what came before.
Maybe Joanne should have been another 8-track EP masterpiece?
“Sinner’s Prayer” is the most alt-country of all the tracks on Joanne – even moreso than the title track. Where “Joanne” was an all-acoustic ballad that almost defied genre, “Sinner’s Prayer” has several signature elements, like a low, tremolo-fueled baritone riff and the simplistic kick-on-every-beat drums.
This lightweight song was co-written with Father John Misty. Gaga’s past co-writes haven’t had the feel of the feel of the co-writer overtaking Gaga’s own sound, but here that’s the case. The narrative is fractured, the first verse fights with itself, and a cheerful, major-key chorus and bridge that seem lifted from another tune entirely.
That misplaced, low-key chorus might be the best thing about the song. It shows off Gaga’s chesty, alto vocals clearer than any previous song in her repertoire. Unfortunately, there’s barely a hook in there, aside from the “good as, good as gold.” A final refrain takes the chorus up an octave to a more typical Gaga location, but other than selling the “gold” hook a bit harder it’s forgettable.
Hear my sinner’s prayer
I am what I am
And I don’t wanna break the heart of any other man but you, but you
Hear my sinner’s prayer
It’s the only one I know
It sure as hell don’t rhyme, but it’s as good as, good as, good as, good as gold
If some of the rest of the song was an introspective piece that matched up better with the concept of a repentant but unapologetic lover this could have been a subtle antidote to the whore complex Lady Gaga returned to on “Diamond Heart” and “John Wayne.