The Edge of Glory

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"The Edge of Glory"
Song

"The Edge of Glory" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Lady Gaga taken as the third official single[1] from her upcoming second studio album Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, "The Edge of Glory" was released digitally on May 9, 2011 and officially impacts US mainstream radio on May 17, 2011 as the first of two promotional singles before the album's release. Following the success of the song in digital outlets worldwide, it was announced that it would be given a full release.[2]

The song contains several qualities similar to that of electro-rock and, in particular, Synthpop musical works. Other notable features of the song include the use of synthesizers executed in a style heavily influenced by smooth jazz, and the use of a saxophone solo. The solo was performed by saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a prominent member of The E Street Band. Inspiration for the song came from the death of Gaga's grandfather, who passed away in late 2010. The song is notably upbeat and anthemic in contrast to the darker nature associated with many songs in Born This Way, as it features a number of influences from contemporary pop and jazz music of the 1980s and 1990s.

Background and release

"The Edge of Glory" was written and produced by Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow.[3] The origins of the song first came about in January 2011, when Gaga teased the fans with a preview of the lyrics.[4] Stephen Hill, the Music Programming VP of BET, later followed suit in regards to the song in the form of a tweet.[5] Hill regarded the song as "crazy" and "phenomenal" when first heard.[5] More information in regards to "The Edge of Glory" was revealed by Gaga, in an interview with Google. She stated that the song is "about your last moment on earth, the moment of truth, the moment before you leave earth." In the same interview Gaga stated that she wrote "The Edge of Glory" after the death of her grandfather.[6][7] On her Twitter account, Gaga confirmed the news the day before the scheduled release, and also revealed the cover for the promotional single.[4][8]

It was supposed to serve as the first song in the "Countdown to Born This Way" promotion on the iTunes Store, but due to its quick success it was confirmed to be the third official single from the album. The first promotional single, which was released on May 16, is "Hair".[9]

During the interview Musicians@Google Present: Google Goes Gaga she explains that "one of the songs on the album that is truly one of my favorites, it's called 'Edge of Glory' and it's kind of a sad story. Sorry to be a downer. But my grandpa died about five months ago, and my dad and I were going to say goodbye to him at the hospice, and I got out a big thing of agave tequila and my dad sat next to me at the piano and we started to doing shots back and forth, and I wrote 'Edge of Glory' on the piano and my dad and I cried. The song's about your last moment on Earth, the moment of truth, the edge of glory is that moment right before you leave the Earth. So that song can be played on the piano, but it's actually set to this giant, huge, techno rock, Springsteen-esque dance beat. I actually had Clarence Clemons from the E Street Band come in and play saxophone on it. It's fucking beautiful."

Composition

"The Edge of Glory"
A 28-second sample of "The Edge of Glory" featuring the end of the chorus and the beginning of the bridge which contains the saxophone solo.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"The Edge of Glory" is an upbeat song of synthpop and electro-opera tendencies. It is notable for the use of synthesizers executed in a manner highly influenced by smooth jazz,[10] as well as the inclusion of a saxophone solo. Gaga stated during her interview with NME that "I'm perpetually unhappy with what I create. Even though I might tell you that 'The Edge Of Glory' is a pop masterpiece, when it's all said and finished there will be things I dread, and every time I listen to it I'll hear them".[11]

Critical reception

An hour before kicking off the final leg of The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga sent four tracks to Rolling Stone magazine, including "Scheiße", "Yoü and I", and "Hair", to have an advance preview. Matthew Perpetua wrote a positive review of the song. "This one sounds crazy in print—it's a massive power ballad with heavy club beats that features Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band wailing on his saxophone—but somehow it all seems totally natural when you actually hear it. There's an element of cheesiness to it, but it's totally captivating and incredibly catchy. If any of these new Gaga tunes demands to be a big fat hit this is it. The inclusion of Clemons is an inspired touch that amplifies the song's Eighties stadium rock vibe, but his (Clemon's) actual performance is amazing and ranks among the best of his career."[7]

Since its release, 'The Edge of Glory' has received highly positive reviews from critics and fans alike. NME gave a positive review of the song, stating "It feels like a pop moment without her trying too hard." later adding "‘The Edge Of Glory’ is simple. And it is, quite simply a Great Pop Moment." Further, in his review of Born This Way, Dan Martin of NME praised "The Edge of Glory," describing it as "the most ecstatic pop serenade [Lady Gaga] has ever come up with."[12][13] In a review of the song, Popjustice stated "It is a beautiful song that made us almost cry a bit when we first heard it and we are looking forward to hearing it again."[14] Bill Lamb at About.com gave the song a 9/10, stating "'The Edge Of Glory' is a sweeping, anthemic dance-rock power ballad that truly cuts loose and feels free." going on to say it contains "bubbling and smoldering dance elements that will please core fans while rocking hard enough to convince skeptics that there is timeless talent here."[15] Billboard gave positive review of the song, comparing it to "Born This Way" saying "[it] leans upon sunny electronica that ramps up during its anthemic chorus" adding that "while [the song] also glorifies risk-taking, it's focused on romance rather than individual inspiration." [16]

Time Magazine, however, gave the song a mixed review, calling the song "Saxophoney! But, also, boring" and that the song was disappointing along with the first two singles from Born This Way.[17]

Chart performance

"The Edge of Glory" made its first chart appearance debuting at number 19 on the Finnish Singles Chart[18] and climbing then up to number 14.[18] In the United Kingdom the song debuted at number six on the issue dated May 21, 2011.[19] It debuted at number 31 on the US Pop Songs radio chart.[20] On the issue dated May 18, 2011, "The Edge of Glory" debuted at number two on Hot Digital Songs chart with 266,000 copies sold.[21] The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gaga's tenth consecutive top-ten single in the United States.[22]

Music video

At the 2011 BMI Pop Music Awards, Laurieann Gibson told Rap-Up TV that Gaga is getting ready to film the video for "The Edge of Glory". When asked about the concept of the video, Gibson replied: "I just know that we'll be feeling very fishy."[23]

Live performances

Gaga first performed an acoustic version of "The Edge of Glory" at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2011 in Carlisle along with a selection of past hits including "Bad Romance", "Just Dance", "Alejandro”, "Telephone" and "Poker Face", and new additions from the Born This Way album, "Judas", "Born This Way" and "Yoü and I".[24]

Track listing

  • Digital download[25]
  1. "The Edge of Glory" – 5:20

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[26] 11
Belgian Tip Chart (Flanders)[27] 1
Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia)[28] 1
Canadian Hot 100[29] 3
Finnish Singles Chart[18] 14
Irish Singles Chart[30] 10
Italian Singles Chart[31] 2
Netherlands Single Top 100[26] 9
New Zealand Singles Chart[26] 3
Spanish Singles Chart[32] 5
UK Singles Chart[19] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 3
US Pop Songs[20] 31

Radio and release history

Country Date Format
United States May 9, 2011 Digital download[25]
South Korea May 10, 2011 Digital download[33]
Italy May 13, 2011 Airplay[34]
United States May 17, 2011 Mainstream radio[35]

References

  1. ^ "Lady Gaga Makes 'The Edge Of Glory' Next Official Single". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ "Lady GaGa makes 'Edge of Glory' official single? - Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
  3. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (2011-05-09). "Lady Gaga releases new single 'The Edge of Glory': Listen here". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  4. ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (2011-05-05). "Lady Gaga Teases 'The Edge Of Glory' Release On Monday". MTV (MTV Networks). Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  5. ^ a b http://ksfm.radio.com/2011/01/26/new-details-for-lady-gagas-born-this-way/
  6. ^ Google Goes Gaga. Google. 2011-03-13. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b Perpetua, Matthew (2011-02-18). "Preview Six Songs From Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way'". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  8. ^ Martin, Dan (2011-05-08). "Lady Gaga to debut new song on iTunes Monday". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  9. ^ "Lady Gaga's 'Edge of Glory' Single Premieres, 'Hair' Coming Next Week". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  10. ^ "Lady Gaga 'The Edge Of Glory' Debuts (LISTEN)". The Huffington Post. May 9, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  11. ^ "Gaga NME Interview".
  12. ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/lady-gaga/12061
  13. ^ Elan, Priya (May 10, 2011). "Lady Gaga's 'Edge Of Glory' Is A Great Pop Moment — Track Review". New Musical Express. nme.com, IPC Media. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  14. ^ "Review by Popjustice".
  15. ^ "Lady GaGa - "The Edge of Glory"".
  16. ^ Billboard Reviews new Lady Gaga single :http://www.billboard.com/#/news/lady-gaga-s-edge-of-glory-single-premieres-1005175582.story
  17. ^ Gibson, Megan. "Hey Lady Gaga, Can You Please Go Back to Being Awesome?". Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  18. ^ a b c "Suomen virallinen lista – Lady GaGa: The Edge Of Glory" (in Finnish). Retrieved 2011-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  19. ^ a b "Archive Chart". UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  20. ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/news/chart-highlights-pop-dance-club-play-songs-1005185612.story
  21. ^ Caulfield, Keith (2011-05-18). "Lonely Island Sets Sail at No. 3 on Billboard 200, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  22. ^ a b Trust, Gary (2011-05-18). "Adele Stays Atop Hot 100, Lady Gaga Makes 'Glory'-ous Start". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  23. ^ [1]
  24. ^ [2]
  25. ^ a b "The Edge of Glory - Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  26. ^ a b c Steffen Hung. "Lady GaGa - The Edge Of Glory". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  27. ^ "Lady GaGa - The Edge Of Glory". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  28. ^ "Lady GaGa - The Edge Of Glory". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  29. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/charts/canadian-hot-100. Retrieved 2011-05-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ^ "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 12 May 2011". GFK Chart-Track. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  31. ^ http://www.fimi.it/classifiche_digital.php. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ^ "Promusicae". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 19, 2011. Note: User must click on "Top Songs".
  33. ^ "The Edge of Glory". Universal Music Korea. Universal Music Group. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  34. ^ "Playlist RDS Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory". RDS.it.
  35. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11.
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