Lady Gaga teased her new album “MAYHEM” throughout all of 2024. She released singles that would appear on the album, starting with “Die With A Smile” back in August of 2024. “Disease” came next in October of 2024, and then “Abracadabra” debuted during the 2025 Grammy Awards.
“MAYHEM” was finally released on Mar. 7. Like the name implies, the album is chaotic. It’s filled with a wide variety of song themes and genres, but all of them flow and connect together. This album gives us pieces of each era of Lady Gaga’s music career and journey through fame, relationships and finding her identity.
“Disease”
I love that “Disease” is the opening track of this album. It starts off the album showing listeners songs in Gaga’s older style, kind of reminding me of “Judas” and “Monster.” This track reflects a mood of internal conflict and the feeling of being consumed in a relationship.
Favorite lyric: “If you were a sinner, I could make you believe”
“Abracadabra”
I could really see this song being on the “Born This Way” album. I enjoy the upbeat and kind of whimsical feeling on this song.
Favorite lyric: “Hold me in your heart tonight / In the magic of the dark moonlight”
“Garden of Eden”
This song is more of an electro-pop feel. The “Garden of Eden” is referring to forbidden desires among people. It shows themes of how giving into temptation can also cause destruction.
Favorite lyric: “I could be your girlfriend for the weekend / You could be my boyfriend for the night”
“Perfect Celebrity”
This song is definitely one of my favorites on the album. “Perfect Celebrity” critiques the aspects that can follow along with fame. It critiques the idea that all celebrities are perfect and Gaga sings about the internal battles within fame.
Favorite lyric: “I’ve become a notorious being / Find my clone she’s in the ceiling now”
“Vanish Into You”
This was the first track that Gaga wrote for Mayhem. I really enjoy the kind of retro backgrounds of the song. During the Little Monster Press Conference, Gaga said, “I imagine that I just want to disappear into the person that I love the most.” She explores the theme of losing yourself in someone else due to love.
Favorite lyric: “Saw your face and mine in a picture by our bedside / It was cold in the summertime”
“Killah (feat. Gesaffelstein)”
Although I’ve seen a lot of negativity about this song, I really enjoy it. I like the bold and groovy feel. Gaga represents a character of herself having power and control.
Favorite lyric: “Lightin’ up my final cigarette / I’ll burn a hole right through your eyes”
“Zombieboy”
“Zombieboy” is a fun and upbeat song dedicated to Gaga’s late friend, Rick Genest, who Gaga has also collaborated with in the past. In the Little Monsters Press Conference, Gaga said that this song is “ultimately a big celebration song.” She sings about being out and partying knowing that the next day you will feel like a “zombie.”
Favorite lyric: “I could be your type from your zombie bite”
“LoveDrug”
This song explores the feeling of being both addicted to loving someone and craving the validation of being loved by someone. “LoveDrug” shows Gaga running from her emotions, but still craving love to avoid feeling lonely. I like this song, but it is one of the ones closer to the bottom of my list.
Favorite lyric: “I don’t wanna feel, I don’t wanna cry / So I’m gonna dance until I feel alright”
“How Bad Do U Want Me”
This song is my least favorite on the album, but I do appreciate the themes. The theme of this track is Gaga exploring the desire and tension between two people. She confronts her partner with the question “How bad do you want me?” while singing about how her partner is also thinking of a better version of Gaga.
Favorite lyric: “You hear my name but she’s in your brain / And I’m here to kiss you in real life”
“Don’t Call Tonight”
In this song, Gaga expresses to a past lover of hers to not call her because they do not actually care about her and her feelings. This song is softer than some of the previous songs on the album.
Favorite lyric: “Don’t call tonight, tomorrow you’ll desert me / I can hear everything you’re saying from here”
“Shadow Of A Man”
To me, this song, sound wise, feels a lot like “Don’t Call Tonight.” I think that’s why I’m not super drawn to it, but I do really like the chorus and the flow of it. This song shows that Gaga is reflecting on her identity and how others can play into that. It explores how a lot of the time, women can feel that they are just living within a “shadow of a man.”
Favorite lyric: “I don’t wanna fade into the darkness tonight / I don’t wanna be the one to fall on the knife”
“The Beast”
“The Beast” that is referred to throughout the track is Gaga’s other side of herself. The song explores how she is wanting to connect with that inner feeling. Gaga also stated that this song could have a second meaning of “the beast” being a lover turned werewolf. In the second meaning of the song, she dedicates it to her current lover.
Favorite lyric: “I wanna watch you turn tonight / I wanna feel the beast inside”
“Blade of Grass”
Throughout the album the songs seem to be shifting from pop and upbeat to more softer and ballad-like songs. “Blade of Grass” is the slowest song on the album, serving as a big contrast to the other tracks. This song is showing the theme of growth through nature. Within the chaos of this album, this track is a nice moment of calmness.
Favorite lyric: “Cuz even though the church burned down / I’ll be your queen without a crown”
“Die With A Smile”
This song was like a comeback for Gaga. Before releasing “Die With A Smile” in August of 2024, Gaga hadn’t released a song in a few years. I love this song so much. I think that everything about it is so beautiful. When this song first came out, Gaga collaborating with Bruno Mars was such a shock to me, but it worked so well. “Die With A Smile” won the award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Favorite lyric: “If the party was over and our time on Earth was through / I’d wanna hold you just for a while”
