“Joanne” by Lady Gaga Speaks to Generational Grief

The cover image for “Joanne” by Lady Gaga
Photo Credit: steveyb.co.uk

Lady Gaga’s life was deeply influenced by her aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, who died at age 19 from complications of lupus, years before the pop star was born. The entire family was deeply impacted by the early death of Joanne and has continued to grieve her in the decades that have followed, naming a restaurant after her, talking about her continually, and keeping pictures of her throughout the house. Lady Gaga, whose full name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta, was named after her, and has shared that despite never having met Joanne, she has been one of the most important figures in her life.

Gaga told E! News, “My connection to her has been strong my whole life. I always wondered what it was — the mystery of Joanne — this person that I never got to meet that was an absolute tornado of both love and tragedy. … She was a powerful, beautiful force in my family’s life and then it’s like a beautiful light that just goes out, so I’ve always used the fact that she didn’t get to live the rest of her life as a sense of strength and power within me that I have to go out and live the rest for her.” Gaga credits the spirit of her late aunt for helping pull her out of a deadly drug addiction by realizing that Joanne’s life was unwillingly cut short, but Lady Gaga was voluntarily wasting hers away on drugs.

Lady Gaga’s song, “Joanne,” is a beautiful tribute to her aunt, but is also broad enough to give voice to anyone’s grief. Written from the perspective of family members who knew Joanne, the song begins by begging her not to go:

Take my hand, stay Joanne
Heaven’s not
Ready for you
Every part
Of my aching heart
Needs you more
Than the angels do

Although on paper the lyrics could read as trite Hallmark lyrics too often thoughtlessly said to the bereaved, Gaga’s lived experience of her family’s grief and the emotion in her voice make the song a tribute to the pain of letting go.

The chorus hinges on the disbelief that Joanne is leaving them, questioning not so much where she is going, but how she could possibly leave:

Girl
Where do you think you’re goin’?
Where do you think you’re goin’
Goin’, girl?

The bridge of the song offers an answer to the question:

Honestly, I know where you’re goin’
And baby, you’re just movin’ on
And I’ll still love you even if I can’t
See you anymore
Can’t wait to see you soar

The song offers a simple but concrete look at the shock of having a loved one die. Gaga released two versions of the song, one a more upbeat guitar and the other with slower piano that is particularly emotional. Although the song is inspired by her own family’s loss, Gaga wrote the song in hopes of offering connection and resiliency to others who are grieving, telling E! News, “That’s what I want people to feel from Joanne, that you can go out and venture into new territory in your life and you can be vulnerable and you can connect more humanly with other people and you can do it in the name of those we left behind.”