A Lady Gaga record crawling with zombies, werewolves, and shadows — is it 2009 again? Last week (March 7), the pop maverick released her chimeric seventh album MAYHEM, unleashing a new cast of creatures upon her dance floor. It’s quite the departure from Gaga’s country-dusted record Joanne and 2020’s cosmic effort Chromatica, and instead embraces to the more macabre tendencies of her earlier work. And we’ve sussed through the spells to find the best tales of love, lust, and murder.
In honor of MAYHEM, we present seven of the best lyrics from LG7.
‘I can smell your sickness / I can cure your disease’ — from ‘Disease’
Imagine uttering that to a stranger at bar. This caliber of blood-curdling lines are the reason we initially called “Disease” a “hooky dose of darkness” last October, and months later, it still reeks of something gnarly. What exactly does a disease smell like, anyways? Old bandages? A festering wound? To quote the bridge of Gaga’s 2011 single “Judas”: “ew.”
‘Choke on the fame and hope it gets you high / Sit in the front row, watch the Princess Die’ — from ‘Perfect Celebrity‘
Behold, the holy grail of Gaga Easter eggs. In addition to the cultural commentary coursing through “Perfect Celebrity,” the second verse flaunts a nod to “Princess Die,” an unreleased song that Gaga often performed during the Born This Way Ball. Where “Perfect Celebrity” flirts with the idea of tragedy, “Princess Die” straight-up indulges in it, unraveling as a stoic suicide ballad. And while the latter tune will likely remain in the Haus of Gaga’s vaults indefinitely, it’s nice to see a nod to it among the gritty industrial texture of “Perfect Celebrity.” (Which, if not for this lyric, would still be on this list for the nauseating line “Tap on my vein / Suck on my diamond blood”).
‘I’m a killah / And boy, you’re gonna die tonight’ — from ‘Killah‘
Why dance around the fact that you’re out for blood when you can just blurt it over some Bowie worship? Even after performing the song last weekend on Saturday Night Live, “Killah” has proven to be one of the most polarizing songs from MAYHEM, dividing the fanbase over the twitchy Gesaffelstein collaboration. But love it or loathe it, you really have to appreciate the frankness of our pop succubus here. If only all dates could be this straightforward.
‘I could be your type / From your zombie bite’ — from ‘Zombieboy’
Is this the same creature who wolfed down Gaga’s heart on The Fame Monster? With “Zombieboy,” Gaga resurrects two of her past themes — the supernatural, and, um, consuming flesh — to create a glimmering disco ass-shaker. Gaga previously covered the CHIC staple “I Want Your Love” for Nile Rodgers’ record It’s About Time, and here she summons a similarly immaculate groove for her paranormal romance. It’s worth noting that Gaga previously tapped the late model Rick Genest — nicknamed Zombie Boy — to appear alongside her in the “Born This Way” music video.
‘I taste the last words that you spoke to me like wine’ — from ‘LoveDrug‘
Well, that hurt. You can’t enjoy a high without bracing for the comedown, and “LoveDrug” is pop pendulum that swings between love’s rushing — and crushing — qualities. On the latter end, Gaga finds herself “mumbling alone” and savoring final those words in a bittersweet trance. It’s a line that’s as devastating as it is needy, begging for another hit in spite of whatever emotional fallout follows. We’re absolutely hooked on it.
‘I won’t go home without a fight / Already whet my appetite’ — from ‘Kill For Love’
It’s all about the delivery, kids. The way Gaga enunciates the pre-chorus of “Kill For Love” (a bonus track exclusive to the Target edition of MAYHEM) is an eyebrow-raiser that you have to hear to “get.” It might just be one of the best “gotchas” in pop lyricism since the bridge of Kesha’s grungy 2010 party anthem “Sleazy.”
‘A legend in your neighborhood / Last week you left somebody dead / You’re so misunderstood‘ — from ‘The Beast’
It takes a very special kind of person to link a sexually-charged song about werewolves to the trial of Luigi Mangione, but here were are. Multiple fans have connected lyrics from “The Beast” — an achingly lustful ballad, mind you — to Mangione, joking that he is the misunderstood murderer the song describes. (One post on X goes as far as saying “Italians support each other!”) There’s a 0.005 percent chance that the two entities are related, but the fact that Gaga’s deep cuts can creep into current events is quite the testament to her impact, albeit a comical one.