Lady Gaga surprised fans last week with a “Joker: Folie à Deux” accompaniment album. “Harlequin” is packed to the brim with energetic jazz that captures Harley Quinn quite well. Each song feels like you’re in a dream, seeing things the way you want to but not quite as they are. Most of the tracks are covers of songs released between the ‘30s and ‘60s with a little Gaga spice.
The first track is “Good Morning,” a title originally sung by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. It’s the perfect way to start the album, literally being based around a greeting. The song starts slow with Gaga singing softly about loving someone from afar, a touch that is absent in the original song.
Then piano, cymbals and horns blast open the music. In relation to Harley and the Joker, this song can be interpreted as early in their relationship. Harley is head over heels for the Joker and wants him to notice her.
The next track to discuss is “Oh, When The Saints,” a cover of a protestant hymn turned pop song by Louis Armstrong in 1939. The original is quite repetitive, but Gaga changes that.
Gaga creates a narrative in her version. She sings, “I talk to God about my heart / the devil plays some mean guitar / Oh, I would love to dance up in Heaven / when the saints go play their part.” Her story is confessional, implying that Harley wants to do something good but she’s tempted by darker desires.
This is one step further into the delusion present in the album, as this track is followed by “World on a String.” The original song, performed by Frank Sinatra, seems like love had made Sinatra light as a feather. However, Gaga is on the opposite side of the spectrum. The music is distorted and low, her singing is slow and sultry, almost as if she’s in a trance.
This makes sense for Harley Quinn, as she is manipulated by the Joker into becoming a villain. He uses her blind love for him to his advantage and leads her on, putting her in his trance so she may do his bidding.
Skipping forward, “The Joker” shifts gears from the jazz covers over to an original pop song. An electric guitar strums in the background as Gaga reflects on … wait for it, society. She points out how people will laugh at those deemed beneath them, seeing them as a fool. Not only does she recognize the Joker in this, but she relates as she repeatedly belts “the Joker is me.”
While the lyrics can be considered a little corny, her angry vocals make up for it. Plus, I have a prediction about the film based on the lyrics, “The king wears a funny suit, he’s a clown / the crowd rumbles with their roars / and everyone watches as he declines / the queen pierces him with a sword.” I think Harley might be crazier than the Joker in this movie and there will come a point where she overpowers him. Perhaps she’ll even become the manipulator herself.
Near the end of the album comes “Happy Mistake,” another original track on the album. Slow with an acoustic guitar, it appears Harley’s delusions have gotten the better of her and now she is dealing with a harsh reality. Her dream romance is just a dream as she sings, “I’m in a bad way / if I could fix the broken pieces / then I’d have a happy mistake.”
This was my favorite song on the album, with its haunting vocals. As she sings “I feel so crazy,” her voice takes on an echo and her pitch lowers, creating this feeling of despair. All she wants is to have some semblance of happiness, but judging by the rest of the song there is none to find.
The album ends with a cover of “That’s Life.” This song was present in “Joker,” as Arthur Fleck walks down a corridor of Arkham Asylum. Gaga’s rendition stays true to the original, but its placement is what really changes the meaning.
Being situated right after “Happy Mistake,” it is as if Harley’s progress has gone down the drain as she justifies everything that has happened, saying “that’s life.” This would match the character well, given Harley Quinn is known to keep falling for the Joker’s lies no matter how many times he hurts her.
This album continues to stir interest for the upcoming film and means so much to Gaga fans as she considers it a passion project. This Friday, I will be seeing “Joker: Folie à Deux,” so check back next week for my review. I’m interested to see if any of my predictions are right; it might be interesting to see Harley become a worse villain than the Joker.
5/5 stars
pbortner@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @ladygaga, instagram