I don't normally do this type of thing because it takes effort and time, but Lady Gaga is a little different. She's been a favorite artist of mine for quite some time and I think it's about time for her to finally get a present from me. Here's my compilation of her 28 best songs of all time. While it isn't the most ideal gift, it's one none the less. Also, this year marks something extra special. Just over 5 years ago (March 11th, 2009) I purchased
The Fame after hearing "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" on the radio. Thanks for making music and I hope you make more! Happy Birthday!
28. "Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #21 (-7)
27. "YoĂĽ and I"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #20 (-7)
The thing that keeps "YoĂĽ and I" on this list is its overall genre. The rest of Born This Way is club-y, thumping and all very dark and inspirational material. It includes elements of country, jazz and other sounds. It was one of the highlights from
Born This Way but it seemed a little too slow to be a single.
26. "Bad Kids"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #18 (-8)
"Bad Kids" was at first my favorite non single from
Born This Way. Since, it has crumbled quickly and tallies its worst year so far. It is the largest dropper on the countdown. My new favorite non single from the album will be revealed below.
25. "Marry the Night"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #19 (-6)
Though it's Gaga's least successful single to be released, "Marry the Night" explored the rich history of the singer and her experiences. The music video featured an inside look at the singer's rise from simple girl with a dream to iconic worldwide pop star. This year it falls 19-25 on the Best of Gaga countdown.
24. "Fashion"
Year: 2008
Album:
Confessions of a Shopaholic Soundtrack
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #17 (-7)
This track was written in 2007 for the 2008 movie
Sex in the City. It didn't make the film and remained unreleased until December 2008 when it was featured in a season 3 episode of
Ugly Betty. The track was included on the
Confessions of a Shopaholic Soundtrack released in early 2009. It is one of the hardest tracks to find, as the soundtrack is no longer pressing copies and you have to buy the whole album to get it on iTunes.
23. "Heavy Metal Lover"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #27 (+4)
I guess I never really noticed how much I liked this song. It has a fresh experimental sound combined with a smooth pop hook. Strangely, it was initially one of my least favorites on the album and now is one of my favorites from the album. It's possible that I thought it sounded similar to "Teeth" which was my least favorite track by Gaga for quite a while. "Teeth" is still one of my least favorite tracks by her (though it has some interesting elements). It is the only track in my extensive collection that has the word "heavy" in the title, and the also the only track with "metal" in the title.
22. "Venus"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x1)
Year: 2013
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
As the first Gaga song to be fully produced by herself, Gaga wanted "Venus" to be special. So she announced it as the album's second official single after "Applause". Unfortunately/fortunately, "Venus" was replaced by "Do What U Want" after it impressed worldwide as a promotional single. I was happy with the switch, but "Venus" was still a great song to me. It ended up hitting #1 in the 12th week of Gaga's 18 consecutive week #1 run with 3 tracks. It broke multiple records, and replaced "Do What U Want" at #1 before being knocked off the top by "Do What U Want" the next week.
21. "Born This Way"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x3)
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #16 (-5)
I don't know what to say about this track. I felt that it was very front loaded and overshadowed better songs on
Born This Way. While it successfully peaked at #1 on my list right after it was released, I felt that it was a sad start for the era. It made the era successful and memorable, but it wasn't the best choice for lead single.
20. "MANiCURE"
CDS Music Peak: #7
Year: 2013
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
Billboard hails it as her 2nd best "non single" off all time but really it's not quite that high. On "MANiCURE", Lady Gaga goes for a stomping rock and roll sound that is a major change from her previous styles. It's certainly one of
ARTPOP's brightest stars and has the potential to be the album's fourth single after "G.U.Y".
19. "So Happy I Could Die"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #15 (-4)
At one point I liked this track more than everything on
The Fame Monster except "Telephone". Since then, I've started to like it less and less. Now it is barely within the top 20. I guess my taste has just changed. Oh well.
18. "Paparazzi"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #14 (-4)
I initially though that "Paparazzi" was a very mediocre track, but the music video that accompanied the release of the track really proved me wrong. It brought a story and really explained another part of the song that I hadn't noticed before. Still, it is my least favorite of the singles from
The Fame that were released in the United States.
17. "G.U.Y (Girl Under You)"
CDS Music Peak: #15
Year: 2014
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
Though it has just been released as single, "G.U.Y" proved early on that it had some serious potential to become
ARTPOP's next big smash. It's catchy hook and clever lyrics set it apart from the rest of the album and was one of the few songs that scored as solid 10/10 off the album back in November.
16. "Reloaded"
Year: 2009
Album:
Unreleased
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #12 (-4)
"Reloaded" is an interesting case because it was slated to be the b-side on the vinyl version of "Telephone". Anticipation was high for this track because it had not appeared on the album alongside "Telephone". Unfortunately that plan fell through and this track was forgotten by most. Still, "Reloaded" lands at #16 on this list above other unreleased single "Fashion".
15. "Monster"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #11 (-4)
We finally make it to the top 15. "Monster" continued in the style of Gaga's other popular pop hits at the time (2009) and bared the most resemblance to her 'monstrous' hit single "Poker Face". It's a strong track, but unfortunately it was near the bottom of
The Fame Monster because nearly all tracks on that album were way above it in terms of standards.
14. "Mary Jane Holland"
CDS Music Peak: #3
Year: 2013
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
ARTPOP's best non single, "Mary Jane Holland" debuted at within the top 5 on the CDS Music Chart Top 50 and quickly reached a peak of #3. By the end of 2013, the track had become the #100 song of the year, scooping just under 200 points.
13. "Hair"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #9 (-4)
"Hair" was only released as a promotional single, but it quickly became a more interesting song than "Born This Way". Despite this, the track didn't reach the #1 position (its for sure peak isn't known). It still had a moderate run on my chart and is easily one of her better songs. It is the 2nd highest ranking promotional single on this list and 3rd highest non official single.
12. "Dance In the Dark"
Year: 2010
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #10 (-2)
Released as a "bridge the gap" track in a handful of countries, "Dance In the Dark" was a moderate hit in late 2010. It was the track that brought the
Monster era to an end before the official start of the
Born This Way era in early 2011. It never got a video and wasn't released in the United States; "Dark" was just a random track that got thrown under the bus and I liked it just the same.
11. "LoveGame"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #13 (+2)
While it was one of her most controversial tracks, "LoveGame" reinvented the sound of
The Fame and was another big win for Gaga worldwide (though some critics were against its release in some countries). The companion video was banned in almost all countries, and in others it was replaced by a more appropriate version.
10. "Alejandro"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x4)
Year: 2010
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #7 (-3)
Preceding the release of "Born This Way" was "Alejandro" the spicy summer track that spoke of a forbidden love with a person named "Alejandro" (or maybe "Fernando" or "Roberto" or whatever). "Alejandro" became Gaga's 7th consecutive top 10 single in the United States and her for sure 1st #1 on CDS Music Chart (all numbers before it reached #1 are unavailable).
9. "The Edge of Glory"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x3)
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #8 (-1)
It was even more impressive than huge hit "Born This Way", still it wasn't as popular overall. "The Edge of Glory" became part of the late night summer 2011 soundtrack. Occasionally, it would make me cry when it came on the radio (because Clarence Clemons died just a month after it was released).
8. "ScheiĂźe"
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #5 (-3)
While it was never released as an official single, "Schei
Ăźe" was easily a favorite when it was released in May 2011 alongside the rest of
Born This Way. It showed a huge increase in vocal ability for the singer and quickly was embraced by most of the Monster community and by random listeners around the world.
7. "Bad Romance"
Year: 2009
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #4 (-3)
"Bad Romance" followed in the footsteps of her other 2009 hits "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", and to date is her 3rd and most recent track to pass the 5 million United States download mark. It would have easily reached the #1 if the CDS Music Chart Top 50 had existed back in 2009. For quite a while it was my second favorite Lady Gaga track (in 2009, 2010, and 2012).
6. "Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly)"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x6)
Year: 2013
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
Following the success of "Applause", Gaga announced the release of "Do What U Want" as a promotional single before the album was released. On release day, the track broke the record for reaching the #1 position in the most iTunes stores around the world. The record was held previously by Adele's "Rolling In the Deep". Critics favored the track over previously announced single "Venus", but the song's run was cut due to a misfire with promotion surrounding the release of the track's video.
5. "Poker Face"
Year: 2008
Album:
The Fame
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #3 (-2)
Gaga's second single was a huge success and was an immediate favorite. It became the 2nd best selling single of 2009 worldwide (behind only The Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling") and has become one of the best selling songs of all time in the history of music. In addition, it has become the 7th best selling single in the history of the United States (with over 7 million) and one of the biggest sellers in worldwide history with over 13 million.
4. "Just Dance (feat. Colby O'Donis)"
Year: 2008
Album:
The Fame
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #6 (+2)
Lady Gaga's breakout hit single "Just Dance" was a huge success at the end of 2008 following a release months before. This track really got the entire world to listen to the then just starting out singer. To date, it still remains a favorite in most places. This year it jumps up 2 positions from #6 last year on the "Best of Gaga" list.
3. "Telephone (feat. Beyoncé)"
Year: 2010
Album:
The Fame Monster
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #2 (-1)
When
The Fame Monster was first released, "Telephone" was a standout. It eventually received single status in 2010 and quickly became a huge hit everywhere. It was an outstanding track in its day and still is, but unfortunately fell from #1 on the "Best of Gaga" list after the release of "Judas" and falls another space this year with the release of "Applause".
2. "Applause"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x11)
Year: 2013
Album:
ARTPOP
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: NEW
It wasn't quite enough to nail #1, but "Applause" is easily one of Gaga's major achievements. Unfortunately, its success was cut short by the constant competition with Katy Perry's "Roar", causing most listeners to completely disregard it in the United States. Still it is a triumph and an out of the box explosion of creativity that captured my heart and the hearts of many other true fans.
1. "Judas"
CDS Music Peak: #1(x6)
Year: 2011
Album:
Born This Way
Best of Gaga 2013 Rank: #1 (=)
We finally come right down to it. The best Lady Gaga song of all time. "Judas" was leaked right before it was supposed to be released (just a few days later) and was posted on iTunes on April 15th, 2011. I immediately fell in love with it. I mean, what's not to love? Though it's chart run preceded the inception of the CDS Music Chart Top 50, I went back and recalculated my #1's. Lady Gaga proved she had it all nailed down when this track came out. Hopefully she will release more music just like this in the near future.