A-Yo (Lady Gaga song)

"A-Yo"
Promotional single by Lady Gaga
from the album Joanne
Released October 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)
Genre Country pop
Length 3:27
Label Interscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"A-Yo" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). It was released to digital outlets as the record's second promotional single on October 18, 2016 through Interscope Records. The single was written by Gaga, Hillary Lindsey, Mark Ronson and BloodPop, while production was handled by the singer and the latter two. A funky, "electro-tinged" and "rock-inspired" upbeat country pop track, "A-Yo" lyrically delves on "leaving our haters in the dust".

In order to promote the track's release, Gaga performed it on several concert venues of her Dive Bar Tour and on television. Commercially, "A-Yo" charted at number 66 on United States' Billboard Hot 100.

Background and release

Following the release of lead single "Perfect Illusion" on September 9, 2016, Gaga announced the Dive Bar Tour, a promotional concert series where the singer performed at various dive bars in the United States.[1] However, the venues for the concert series remained undisclosed to have a more intimate approach.[2] The campaign was sponsored by Bud Light, and premiered on October 5, 2016. Simultaneously, a live broadcast of the event was streamed on Bud Light's official Facebook page.[3] On October 2, 2016, several publications claimed that during the first show of the tour, a new song titled "Million Reasons" would be performed, in addition to "Perfect Illusion".[4][5]

During the Dive Bar Tour, Gaga recalled that she and Lindsey were seated in couches and having a back-and-forth conversation with guitar and piano. The singer asked questions about the men in her life, including her father and boyfriends, wondering why they would give her million reasons to leave them, but all she wanted was to have one reason to stay.[6] Lindsey, who previously had experiences in writing country songs in Nashville, was identified by Interscope as a potential collaborator on Joanne.[7] The label's A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck, who had heard the initial Joanne material, introduced Gaga and Lindsey. They bonded over drinks and Gaga also played initial demos of some of the tracks she had written.[8] Lindsey remembered that Gaga's personal experiences and stories resulted in many ideas for songs. "Million Reasons" was similarly picked from their conversations, including the title phrase. It was a straightforward songwriting session according to Lindsey, with Gaga using an old school typewriter.[7]

"A-Yo" was originally planned as the album's second single, but due to popular demand, "Million Reasons" was chosen instead. "A-Yo" was premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on October 18, 2016, and has since been made available for streaming and download.[9] She posted a link to the song on her Twitter account, while responding to Alex Pall of duo The Chainsmokers's critiques about "Perfect Illusion", writing "maybe u guys'll like this 1 better [sic]".[10] The single's cover art features Gaga topless and covering her chest with her hand, wearing a feathered hat that hides her eyes.[11]

Recording and composition

Mark Ronson co-wrote and co-produced "A-Yo".

"A-Yo" was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York City, by Benjamin Rice and assisted by Barry McCready. Joshua Blair continued the additional recording for the track at Shangri-La Studios, Malibu, California with David "Squirrel" Covell, and also at Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, California, assisted by Justin Smith. The mixing for "A-Yo" was performed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, with engineering for the mix by Josh Hanes. Other instrumentation for "A-Yo" included guitars and percussion by Gaga, bass and guitars by Mark Ronson, and synthesizer and organ by BloodPop. Tom Coyne and Randy Merrill completed the audio mastering at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[12]

"A-Yo" is a funky, "electro-tinged" and "rock-inspired" song.[13][11] Rolling Stone described "A-Yo" as an upbeat country pop track.[14] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, "A-Yo" is written in the key of A major in common time with a tempo of 150 beats per minute. The chords alternate between A7 and D7, and Gaga's vocals span two octaves from E3 to E5.[15] Michelle Lulic from Bustle felt that the lyrics seem to describe "things getting hot-and-heavy in her car": "I can't wait to rev you up /Faster than you can say "Ferrari" /Tearin' up the gravel, watching you unravel /Now it's a party".[16] During the chorus, Gaga sings "A-Yo, A-Yo, we smokin' 'em all", which according to her is about "leaving our haters in the dust".[17]

Critical reception

Tricia Gilbride from Mashable called "A-Yo" "ridiculously catchy" and "a futuristic country-rock song egging you on to have a good time over guitar solos and digital beats".[18] Bustle's Michelle Lulic noted that "this may just be one of Lady Gaga's most simplistic yet most visual songs yet" and thanks to its repetitive chorus, it was "near impossible not to start singing by the time you get to the end of your first listen of the song".[16] Larry Bartleet of British magazine NME commented that "the transformation might grate on fans of Gaga's past few albums of pop, but from these lyrics it looks like on fifth album ‘Joanne’ she really doesn't care what people think".[17] Andy Gill from The Independent complimented Josh Homme's "spiky but fluid breaks" on songs like "A-Yo" and "John Wayne", which were "undoubted album highlights".[19] Daniel Welsh from The Huffington Post said that "A-Yo" sounded like a cross between "Manicure" from Artpop and "Americano" from Born This Way, but with touches of country. He went on to compliment Gaga for pulling off "perfecly" her wish of Joanne having a "dive bar feel" with the song.[20]

Stereogum's Chris DeVille wrote, "Despite its funky digital beat, rap-inflected hook, and playfully tweaked guitar twang, it might actually go over pretty well on country radio if enough programmers gave it a chance. That said, this computerized juke-joint party track is far from M.O.R. by Nashville standards".[21] Carey O'Donnell from Paper magazine called it a "foot stomping, hand-clapping rock pop track", but said it sounded better live.[22] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called the song "riotous".[23] The New York Times's Jon Caramanica felt that "A-Yo" sounded like "a Britney Spears parody or a song drawn from one of those live musicals that have been littering network television" since Glee ended.[24] Maeve McDermott of USA Today was negative, saying "songs that sound most like Gaga's earlier hits" like "A-Yo" were Joanne's weakest moments.[25]

Live performances

Gaga has performed "A-Yo" on her Dive Bar Tour, a brief three-date promotional tour of dive bars in the United States.[11][26][27] Along with "Million Reasons", another song from Joanne, Gaga performed "A-Yo" live on network television for the first time, as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live dated October 22, 2016.[28] For "A-Yo" Ronson assisted Gaga by playing guitar, and the singer doing a honky-tonk and go-go dancing inspired performance. Rolling Stone's Daniel Kreps described it as intense singing, with Gaga "feverishly dancing and wildly shredding on her guitar".[29] Paste's Chris White called Gaga an "incredible performer and vocalist" based on the performances, adding "Gaga understands the stagecraft of playing live music on [the SNL stage]".[30] An isolated mic feed from the performances was also highly praised for Gaga's vocal prowess.[31][32] Three days later, she appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS Television City studios, and delivered the opening monologue, while also performing "A-Yo".[33]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Joanne.[12]

Management

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[34] 55
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[35] 93
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[36] 56
France (SNEP)[37] 167
Ireland (IRMA)[38] 67
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[39] 3
Portugal (AFP)[40] 92
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[41] 55
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[42] 58
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 62
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[44] 66
US Billboard Hot 100[45] 66
Venezuela English (Record Report)[46] 42

References

  1. ↑ "Watch Lady Gaga Tease Upcoming Dive Bar Tour as Part of Bud Light Campaign". Billboard. October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (October 2, 2016). "Lady Gaga to debut new song 'Million Reasons' on 3-date Dive Bar Tour". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Lady Gaga to Debut 'Joanne' Songs on Dive Bar Mini-Tour". Rolling Stone. October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ Gaca. Anna (October 2, 2016). "Lady Gaga Will Debut 'Million Reasons' at a Dive Bar on Wednesday". Spin. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ Lozano, Kevin (October 2, 2016). "Lady Gaga Will Debut New Song 'Million Reasons' at a Dive Bar". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ Stefano, Angela (October 6, 2016). "Watch Songwriter Hillary Lindsey Share the Stage With Lady Gaga in Nashville". The Boot. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Freeman, Jon (October 21, 2016). "Hillary Lindsey on Lady Gaga Collaboration: 'She Is a Badass Songwriter'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ Feeney, Nolan (September 30, 2016). "Inside the making of Lady Gaga’s Joanne". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ Havens, Lyndsey (October 18, 2016). "Listen to Lady Gaga's Hooky New Single, 'A-YO'". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ Redfearn, Dominique (October 18, 2016). "Lady Gaga Fires Back at The Chainsmokers' 'Perfect Illusion' Diss in One Perfect Tweet". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 "Lady Gaga Releases Funky New Single 'A-YO'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Gaga, Lady (2016). 'Joanne' digital booklet (Liner notes). Lady Gaga. Santa Monica, California: Interscope Records. p. 16. 2580102.
  13. ↑ "Lady Gaga releases new single "A-YO" — listen". Consequence of Sound. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  14. ↑ Spanos, Brittany. "Hear Lady Gaga's Catchy New Country-Pop Song 'A-Yo'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ Stefani, Germanotta. "Lady Gaga "A-Yo" Sheet Music in A Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Lulic, Michelle (October 18, 2016). "Lady Gaga's "A-YO" Lyrics Give Fans A New Kind Of Party Song — LISTEN". Bustle. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Lady Gaga's 'Ayo' Sees Her Giving the Finger to Her Naysayers - Review". NME. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  18. ↑ Gilbride, Tricia (October 18, 2016). "Listen to Lady Gaga's ridiculously catchy new song, 'A-YO'". Mashable. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  19. ↑ Gill, Andy (October 19, 2016). "Album reviews: Lady Gaga - Joanne, Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker, Pretenders - Alone, and more". The Independent. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  20. ↑ Welsh, Daniel (October 21, 2016). "Lady Gaga 'Joanne' Review: Our Track-By-Track Guide To Her New Album". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Lady Gaga – "A-YO"". Stereogum. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  22. ↑ O'Donnell, Carey (October 18, 2016). "[UPDATE] LADY GAGA RELEASES NEW 'JOANNE' SINGLE "A-YO"". Paper. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  23. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 21, 2016). "Joanne: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  24. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (October 20, 2016). "Lady Gaga’s Stripped-Down New Album Fishes for Inspiration". The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  25. ↑ McDermott, Maeve (October 18, 2016). "Review: Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' is a revealing triumph". USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Lady Gaga Shares New Song "A-YO": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  27. ↑ "New Music: Lady Gaga – "A-YO"". Spin. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Lady Gaga 'SNL' Performance of "A-Yo" – Watch Video". Gossip Cop Media. October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  29. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (October 23, 2016). "Watch Lady Gaga Bring 'A-Yo,' 'Million Reasons,' Mark Ronson to 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  30. ↑ White, Chris (October 23, 2016). "Saturday Night Live Review: 'Tom Hanks/Lady Gaga'". Paste. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  31. ↑ Hooton, Christopher (October 31, 2016). "Lady Gaga's 'Million Reasons' raw mic feed from SNL is absolutely flawless". The Independent. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  32. ↑ Viswanath, Jake (October 27, 2016). "Lady Gaga's Isolated 'SNL' Vocals Surface for Our Listening Pleasure". V. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  33. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (October 26, 2016). "Watch Lady Gaga Deliver Monologue, Join House Band on 'Corden'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Lady Gaga – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Lady Gaga. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  35. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201643 into search. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  36. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201643 into search. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Lady Gaga – A-Yo" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 43, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  39. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Lady Gaga – A-Yo". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-10-28". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  42. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201643 into search. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lady Gaga – A-Yo". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-10-28" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Lady Gaga – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Lady Gaga. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Top Anglo – Record Report" (in Spanish). Record Report. June 6, 2017. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017.
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