March 16, 20223 yr 01. Diamond Heart (2016 August) I love Perfect Illusion to death but it was the wrong choice for Joanne's lead single. Joanne is tinged with different genres: country, rock, blues e.t.c., without fully delving into them but enough to be palatable commercially and I think DH is a great example of that. It's also coming back from the backlash of ARTPOP and her determination to succeed, despite her naysayers which is a great message. Additionally it references her broken engagement with Taylor Kinney and the diamond heart engagement ring at the time. I don't think it would've been a mega hit like Rain On Me/Shallow but certainly think it would've done better than PI and introduced the record to the public in the right way, whilst showcasing some of Gaga's best raw vocals so far. Premiering the song at the VMAs in 2016 could've helped also. 02. Million Reasons (2016 October) I think this was the right choice for second single and feels like the obvious hit of the record, providing a softer side to Gaga at this point in her career. The only ballad she'd released at this point was You And I. However I think the single was rolled out incorrectly. Originally A-YO was the second single and MR was only a promo single, but due to commercial success, MR was promoted to the second single which has become a tired trend in Gaga's career (Judas/TEOG, Venus/Do What U Want). This confused the public and explains MR's initial peaks. Secondly, the video is the worst of her career. MR is one of my all time favourite songs and I never tire of it but I haven't seen the video more than 5 times. I just can't believe this is the same woman that's delivered Paparazzi, Bad Romance, Judas and G.U.Y. I felt this is a huge factor in its failure to resonate originally. Still, the song has garnered over 600m streams despite no mainstream Spotify playlisting and limited radio play in the US. It's also eligible for 4x Platinum in the US and certified Gold here, which is impressive given its UK peak of #39. I think it could've been a lot bigger but thank to countless performances including the SuperBowl, Royal Variety, Victoria Fashion Show and X factor - the song has become an organic classic in her catalogue and is regularly covered on live singing shows. PS. Perfect Illusion (2016 October) As much as I don't think PI should've been a single, I do appreciate the video and its simple but effective approach. I'd release it a few days before the record drops just to add anticipation and a treat for the fans, but wouldn't expect it to smash. ALBUM RELEASE (2016 October) PS. John Wayne (2017 January) I'd release this on New Year's Day as a treat to fans, reminding them also the era is far from over. I think JW is majorly underappreciated and whilst I don't think the song would work as a single, I think a promo single would help promote the album whilst providing one of her best visuals of all time. I just love the video and so couldn't imagine her career without it. 03. Hey Girl (with Florence Welch) (2017 February) Personally I think Hey Girl is the worst track on Joanne and it's the only one I skip when I return to the album, it just doesn't go anywhere for me. Still, I think radio and the locals would eat it up and the sentiment would be well-received. All my friends love it and that's because of the song's message but I just hate it. Still, I think releasing it after the Super Bowl would ensure at least top 40 peaks and it would do pretty well here given the Florence feature. 04. The Cure (2017 April) As originally released, I'd surprise drop The Cure during Coachella, along with a video which could somehow die into the era? Perhaps a dream sequence she wakes up from?? Anyway, TC was a cute hit here, Australia and a few other countries but feel it could've been pushed more. I think she missed out on an easy hit. I'd later add it to a deluxe version of Joanne along with Joanne (Piano Version), Million Reasons (Andrelli Remix) and a few more work tapes, just to tie into the era more. With the right video and a performance or two here, I see it easily going top 5 in the UK. 05. Dancin' In Circles (2017 July) One of my favourite Gaga songs of all time, it's just so rich and feels a major injustice that she never gave it a single. Watching videos of her performing it on the JWT still gives me chills. I don't think this would've been a hit like Million Reasons/The Cure, but I think it could've been a cute top 40 hit world-wide and Gaga would've serve an iconic video - I imagine a Kesha 'Your Love Is My Drug' type video with lots of fire, facepaint and naked bodies. I just think it's so different for her and released in the summer, would've had a chance of smashing. 06. Joanne / Joanne (Piano Version) (2017 September) Along with the Netflix documentary 'Gaga Five Foot Two', I would've sent Joanne to radio worldwide and made it a single. Simultaneously I would've also released the grammy-award winning Piano Version too with a separate video. It feels appropriate to end the era with Joanne as it's the heart of the record. I think it's beloved by most fans the GP would adore it too. Given it's the sixth single, I doubt it would've been a hit but I could see it being a slow-burning hit and selling a lot over time, especially given ASIB would be released a year later. People who became fans due to ASIB may resonate with the single and check out the album. I just think it could've been pushed more, especially in the US had the original been sent to radio in oppose to the piano version.
March 17, 20223 yr I'd say MR is a catalogue classic because of its super relatable lyrics, not only because of the perfect performances. If you read the comments on Youtube, lots of people are saying that the song has helped them through "The darkest moments of my life" Edited March 17, 20223 yr by Sour Candy
March 17, 20223 yr I actually can see Diamond Heart as the lead in place of Perfect Illusion, but I think it would have done only a smidge better on the charts, better longevity, better peak, but would still fade to the wayside in terms of her singles discography. It’s just as high octane and definitely fit the concept of the era but idk how it would have done considering the current music market as of Fall 2016. It was a lot darker in comparison (I mean this was when we got Trump elected so I completely understand) and I wasn’t sure if anything from Joanne would have cracked that tbh. Maybe it could have been released in 2017 when music felt lighter and happier :P Can’t wait for Chromatica when I give this long laundry list as to why Sour Candy should have been a single
March 17, 20223 yr Author Love the detail you've included Stupid Love! Definitely agree with your first few picks but not sure about Hey Girl as a single. Adding The Cure as a bonus track after its release would've helped with streaming too! I hate that that isn't on an album.
March 17, 20223 yr The Cure was a cute hit because it was new.. I don't think it could've gone top 5 with any push. Agree, that it should've been attached to the album though. In general, ordinary post-album singles were dead in 2017 and they have only recovered last year (and most of them with remixes anyway). What happened with MR thanks to Super Bowl is a big once in a lifetime exception. Edited March 17, 20223 yr by Sour Candy
March 17, 20223 yr Love the detail you've included Stupid Love! Definitely agree with your first few picks but not sure about Hey Girl as a single. Adding The Cure as a bonus track after its release would've helped with streaming too! I hate that that isn't on an album. Thank you!!! Yes, exactly! I know it's not very Joanne but I just feel bad with it on its own. :lol:
March 17, 20223 yr Author All of this shade :o Let's hear your suggestions for how the era should've played out instead then :coffee:
March 17, 20223 yr 1. A-YO 2. Million Reasons Promo: Sinner's Prayer —ALBUM RELEASE— 3. Dancin' In Circles 4. Diamond Heart Perfect Illusion: should never have existed let alone released let alone as a lead single.
March 19, 20223 yr Author ^ I like this order although I feel like A-Yo would be hated by fans if it was the lead because I just could not see it being any sort of hit :') It underperformed as a promo single too didn't it compared to her other promo singles, at least in the US?
March 19, 20223 yr 1. A-YO 2. Million Reasons 3. Dancin' In Circles I do agree with this. Pop stans were always going to struggle with 'Joanne' so they should have just gone balls to the wall camp with 'A-YO' and a ridiculous video. It might have flopped but at least it was fun and representative of the era and the album. ^ I like this order although I feel like A-Yo would be hated by fans if it was the lead because I just could not see it being any sort of hit :') It underperformed as a promo single too didn't it compared to her other promo singles, at least in the US? I feel like it didn't really matter at that point — only something undeniable like 'Million Reasons' was going to do anything
March 19, 20223 yr Even though A-Yo wasn't officially a single, she used it to sell the album a lot - SNL, Victoria's Secret etc... so they took the advantage of it the best they could imo.
March 19, 20223 yr would be interesting to know if there were any plans to shoot a video for A-Yo and when did they decide to shoot one for John Wayne?
March 19, 20223 yr ^ I like this order although I feel like A-Yo would be hated by fans if it was the lead because I just could not see it being any sort of hit :') It underperformed as a promo single too didn't it compared to her other promo singles, at least in the US? I don't know what makes you think that A-YO would be hated by the fans, everyone hated PI, not A-YO, and A-YO didn't underperform as a promotional single. Turns out she and her messy team released the song on a Tuesday, so the song only had 3 days into the tracking week. In addition to not debuting on the Hot 100 that week, it missed its biggest selling days. The song didn't debut until the following week when she performed it and MR on SNL. The song debuted with digital sales only, no streaming promotion or radio release. There was demand for the song after the performance on SNL, Gaga had to tweet the correct name of the song to customers as they were looking for "Mirror On the Ceiling" on iTunes instead of A-YO (her manager/label could fix that just by adding "Mirror on the Ceiling” between round brackets in the song title since the album hadn't been released yet, but obviously they didn't give a damn). @791311595062173696 I have no doubt that this song would be the best shot to be the lead single, because, in addition to encapsulating the whole sound of the album, it is one of the most commercial songs on the album and was made for pop radio. She should have debuted this song at the 2016 VMAs. I can't guarantee it would be a #1 hit, but it would definitely be a Top 3 hit with simultaneous video release and VMA performance.
March 19, 20223 yr I do agree with this. Pop stans were always going to struggle with 'Joanne' so they should have just gone balls to the wall camp with 'A-YO' and a ridiculous video. It might have flopped but at least it was fun and representative of the era and the album. That's what I'm talking about, A-YO represents the album and the era as a whole, it's a funny and unpretentious song, while PI is noisy, very out of place from the rest of the album, it doesn't fit neither aesthetically nor sonically with the album, it was immediately rejected by both fans and gp and also turned potential customers away from purchasing the album. Remember, the first impression is what stays, something that starts out wrong has little chance of succeeding. It's clear to me that more than half of the people who were expecting a powerful pop song and video for Gaga's comeback after the pandemonium that was the ARTPOP era were extremely disappointed with Perfect Illusion and this had a very negative impact on the sales of the album and subsequent singles. The song is so noisy and the video is a $10 mess that goes nowhere, it's just Gaga having a psychotic breakdown in an inhospitable place, by far the worst single and video of her career.
March 21, 20223 yr I listened to Diamond Heart yesterday and I must say that it MIGHT have worked as an introductory single after all. So maybe something like: Diamond Heart A-Yo Million Reasons Joanne
March 21, 20223 yr Author Diamond Heart deserved to open the era. Smash or no smash it is THE song of the era in terms of sound, lyrics, personality, story everything :heart:
March 21, 20223 yr Diamond Heart would work best as the fourth and final single, just as it would be the best song to close the Joanne World Tour shows.
March 21, 20223 yr Author Diamond Heart would work best as the fourth and final single, just as it would be the best song to close the Joanne World Tour shows. You don't think it worked perfectly as a tour opener? :o I'd say tour opener for DH is a no brainer!!
March 21, 20223 yr You don't think it worked perfectly as a tour opener? :o I'd say tour opener for DH is a no brainer!! It worked well as an opener, but it would work even better as a show-closer. Closing the shows on high energy and not like a funeral with Million Reasons.
