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Speechless (Lady Gaga song)

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"Speechless"
Song

"Speechless" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her third EP The Fame Monster. The song was written by Gaga to convince her father, Joseph Germanotta, to undergo open-heart surgery, in order to repair his malfunctioning aortic valve, and as a reminder for her younger fans to appreciate their parents.

The 1970s rock music-inspired power ballad received mixed reviews from critics, who praised it for drawing influences from Queen "without once feeling like a gimmick,"[2] while criticizing it for "com[ing] off as a fraud."[3] "Speechless" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at ninety-four for the week of December 12, 2009. Gaga performed the song in a number of live appearances including the 2010 Grammys, 2009 American Music Awards, The 2009 Royal Variety Performance and The Monster Ball Tour.

Background

Gaga explained in a November 2009 interview that her father, Joseph Germanotta, had a heart condition for approximately 15 years. She explained, "He has or he had a bad aortic valve, and his body for a very long time was only pumping a third of the blood that you're supposed to get every time his heart beat." She added,

"My mom called me and I was very depressed. I was on tour and I couldn't leave, so I went into the studio and I wrote this song 'Speechless,' and it's about these phone calls. My dad used to call me after he'd had a few drinks and I wouldn't know what to say. I was speechless and I just feared that I would lose him and I wouldn't be there."[4]

The song was written as a plea for Germanotta to have the open-heart surgery he needed for his condition.[5] In October 2009, Gaga confirmed that Germanotta had undergone the surgery. "My Daddy had open-heart surgery today. And after long hours, and lots of tears, they healed his broken heart, and mine," she announced through her official Twitter account.[6] She stated that she hoped the song would inspire her younger fans to appreciate their parents. "I have a lot of fans who are really lovely, young, troubled fans, but I want to remind them that you only get one set of parents," she said.[6]

Composition

"Speechless"
A 25-second sample of "Speechless". The song draws influences from Queen and David Bowie while incorporating elements of glam rock and country music.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically, "Speechless" is a power ballad[7] with influences of 1970s rock,[8] blues-rock,[3] glam rock[9] and country music.[7] The song's musical style has drawn comparisons to David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust era,[9] Queen[2] and Pink.[10] It consists of vocal harmonies and guitar riffs which, according to PopMatters, are comparable to the work of Freddie Mercury and Queen.[2] The song was recorded with all live instruments, such as drums, guitars and bass with Gaga playing piano. It was produced by Gaga and engineered by Ron Fair.[11] The song is set in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 76 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C major, with Gaga's vocal range spanning between the high note of C5 to the low note of G3.[12] The song has a basic sequence of C–G/B–Am–G–F as its chord progression.[12]

Critical reception

"Speechless" received mixed reviews from critics. Kitty Empire of The Observer gave a negative review of the song, noting that ballads are Gaga's "weak point".[13] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters noted similarities between the song and the music of Queen, adding, "Although the resulting tune doesn't have the same driving oomph of a peak-era Queen number, the imitation is admirable if not just for the fact that it manages to rub shoulders with such sacred company without once feeling like a gimmick."[2] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the song the lone "dud" from The Fame Monster, "not because it's a bad song or poorly performed, but because, like on The Fame, when [Gaga] does try to show her softer side, it comes off as a fraud—at least alongside the rest of her material."[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic felt that the song had a "galvanized Eurotrash finish" to it, with the guitar playing being compared to the work of Noel Gallagher, the lead guitarist of Oasis.[1]

Chart performance

Although it has not been released as a single, "Speechless" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at ninety-four for the week of December 12, 2009.[14] After the medley performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards, "Speechless" topped the Hot Singles Sales chart, with sales of 7,000 units according to Nielsen Soundscan, becoming Gaga's third number-one single on this chart. It also shifted 13,000 digital downloads to bubble under the main Hot Digital Songs chart.[15] It has sold 197,000 downloads according to Nielsen Soundscan.[16] "Speechless" also debuted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 at sixty-seven on the same issue.[17] On the UK Singles Chart, "Speechless" entered the chart at number 106, due to downloads from The Fame Monster. It left the chart the following week but re-entered at number eighty-eight for the week of December 27, 2009.[18]

Live performances

Right profile of a blond woman in a black leotard sitting in front of a piano. Her left leg is on her right one and her face is partially obscured by her wavy hair.
Gaga performing "Speechless" on The Monster Ball Tour.

"Speechless" was performed for the first time at the 30th anniversary celebration for the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art on November 14, 2009. Gaga performed the song at a pink Steinway & Sons piano decorated with painted-on butterflies. The song was performed while ballet dancers from the Bolshoi Theatre, who danced alongside Gaga in a performance art number directed by artist Francesco Vezzoli and members of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet Academy, titled "The Shortest Musical You Will Never See Again."[19][20] It was performed at the 2009 American Music Awards. She coupled it with "Bad Romance" from The Fame Monster. Gaga was dressed in a flesh-colored bodysuit wrapped with white piping, embedded with flashing lights imitating ribs and a spine. The performance started with "Bad Romance"; then she segued into "Speechless" by using her microphone stand to break open a glass box with a piano inside. She sat on the piano bench and began the performance, while her piano caught on fire. Throughout the song, she continued to smash liquor bottles on the piano.[21] Both "Bad Romance" and "Speechless" were performed at The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 25, 2009.[22] Gaga performed the song at the Royal Variety Performance, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II. Gaga wore a red PVC dress inspired by the Elizabethan era, and played a piano suspended ten feet in the air that was supported by stilts.[23] The piano was inspired by the giant elephants in Salvador Dalí's 1946 painting, The Temptation of St. Anthony.[24]

Gaga performed the song during The Monster Ball Tour. On the tour's first show in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, her father was in attendance, and the song came after a cabaret performance of "Poker Face" with a freestyle rap from Kid Cudi.[25] She wore a dress with black shoulder pads and a black mask.[26] T'Cha Dunlevy for The Gazette noted that the performance was lacking—"The elements are there but they haven't all been brought together"—adding that the show never reached its peak until the end, when Gaga performed the "real rendition" of "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance". "Better late than never," Dunlevy concluded.[25] However Jane Stevenson from Toronto Star called the performance as the emotional high point of the show.[27] On December 8, 2009, Gaga performed the song live at the launch party of Vevo in New York. The musical accompaniment consisted only of Gaga on piano.[28] Gaga opened the 52nd Grammy Awards telecast with a performance of "Poker Face", immediately followed by a piano duet with Elton John of "Speechless" in a medley with "Your Song".[29]

Credits and personnel

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100[17] 67
UK Singles Chart[18] 88
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 94

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2009-11-23). "The Fame Monster > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  2. ^ a b c d Sawdey, Evan (2009-11-23). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster < Reviews". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  3. ^ a b c Cinquemani, Sal (2009-11-18). "Lady GaGa: The Fame Monster". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  4. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2009-11-23). "Lady Gaga Says She Wrote 'Speechless' As 'Plea' To Father". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ Reporter, NBC (2009-10-30). "Lady Gaga on Her Halloween Costume, Kanye West & Her Emotional New Album". NBC Los Angeles. NBC Universal, Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  6. ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (2009-11-27). "Lady Gaga Opens Up About Her Dad's Heart Condition". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ a b Farley, Christopher John (2009-11-23). "New Music Preview: Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment"; Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream"; Plus Shakira, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  8. ^ Price, Simon (2009-11-22). "Album: Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster (Polydor)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  9. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (2009-11-23). "Album review: Lady Gaga's 'The Fame Monster'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
  10. ^ Lester, Paul (2009-11-20). "Lady Gaga The Fame Monster Review". BBC. BBC Online. Retrieved 2009-11-23. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ Hiatt, Brian (2009-10-21). "Inside The Monster Ball: Lady Gaga Reveals Plans for Ambitious New Tour". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ a b "Digital Sheet Music – Lady Gaga – Speechless". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  13. ^ Empire, Kitty (2009-11-22). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  14. ^ a b Pietrolungo, Silvio (2009-12-03). "Jay-Z And Alicia Keys' 'Empire' Stays Put On Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  15. ^ Raymond, Ron (2010-02-15). "Ask Billboard: Energizer-Bunny Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  16. ^ Grein, Paul (2010-08-25). "Week Ending Aug. 22, 2010: Incarcerated And On Top". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  17. ^ a b "Canadian Hot 100: Week Ending December 12, 2009". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  18. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Lady Gaga". The Official Charts Company ChartStats.com. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  19. ^ Jackson, Candace (2009-11-15). "Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Christina Ricci, Lady Gaga Lend Star Power to MOCA 30th Anniversary Gala". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  20. ^ Vena, Jocelyn; Vaca, Damien; Elias, Matt (2009-11-16). "Lady Gaga Is 'Fantastic Creature,' Say Fellow Celebs". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-18. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  21. ^ Kung, Michelle (2009-11-22). "American Music Awards 2009: Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga Dazzle". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  22. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2009-11-25). "Lady Gaga Tells Fans 'It's OK' To Be A Freak". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-30. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ Lawter, Daniel (2009-12-08). "Lady GaGa meets the Queen at Royal Variety Performance". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  24. ^ Smith, Lizzie (2009-12-08). "Now Queen goes GaGa over Lady in red as she performs at Royal Variety show dressed as Elizabeth I in latex". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  25. ^ a b Dunlevy, T'Cha (2009-11-28). "Concert review: Lady Gaga romances Bell Centre crowd, Nov. 27". The Gazette. Canwest. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  26. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2010-01-21). "Lady Gaga Showered With Hometown Love At New York Show". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-02-15. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  27. ^ Stevenson, Jane (2009-11-29). "Lady Gaga puts on a Monster show". Toronto Sun. Sun Media Corporation. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  28. ^ Sandoval, Greg (2010-01-05). "CES: Lady Gaga can't get enough of tech". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  29. ^ Smith, Elizabeth (2010-02-02). "Elton John gets dirty with Lady Gaga as they duet at the Grammys". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-02-03.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Speechless_(Lady_Gaga_song)&oldid=413447487"