For the Little Monsters, “Harlequin” is something of a curveball. In August, Lady Gaga dropped the soft rock duet “Die with a Smile” with Bruno Mars all the while teasing an upcoming project tentatively titled “LG7.” Then out of the blue last week, she announced “Harlequin,” a jazzy companion album that speaks to the character of Harley Quinn, the DC Comics villain she portrays in the upcoming film “Joker: Folie à deux.” Composed of 11 covers and two original songs, “Harlequin” builds on Gaga’s previous genre-bending work while suggesting she isn’t quite done with traditional pop.
Gaga first stepped into the world of jazz back in 2014, recording a new rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” with jazz legend Tony Bennett. Bennett and Gaga worked together again on 2021’s “Love For Sale,” Bennett’s final album before his passing in 2023. “Harlequin” recalls these previous forays into jazz while sprinkling in some more modern pop tunes to pad out the album.
The first half of the record contains covers from the Great American Songbook, mainly musical theater cuts from the 1930s to the 1960s. Gaga sings over upbeat jazz instrumentals, often incorporating electric guitar, organ, soaring brass sections and swelling strings. Despite the intriguing blues and doo-wop elements that find their way into these tracks, the first half of “Harlequin” can feel a little homogenous. After six upbeat jazz numbers, we’re ready for something new.
The emotional heart of the record shows itself around track six, “That’s Entertainment.” Written for the 1953 musical film “The Band Wagon” and later popularized by Judy Garland, the track alludes to Harley Quinn’s character while simultaneously speaking to Gaga’s relationship with the spotlight. Then on “Smile,” a song from Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 “The Modern Times,” the album slows down. Gaga’s voice feels intimate but strong, dancing over the soft textures of piano and muted cymbals. Though the title and Gaga’s melancholic delivery allude to the painted smile of the iconic DC villain the Joker, the track also succeeds in paying homage to early Hollywood.
The second half of the record is admittedly more interesting. Track eight, “The Joker,” hails from the 1964 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd,” although Gaga and producer Benjamin Rice modernize the tune. Her vocal delivery resembles that of her earlier pop projects, with a soaring hook where Gaga repeats: “The joker is me!” Sure, it’s a little corny, but with the pulsing instrumental and evocative delivery, it’s chill-inducing. At the end of “The Joker” her voice breaks into grimy screams, reflecting the internal struggle of her character.
The following track, “Folie à deux,” is one of two originals written for the record, with the name invoking her upcoming film and translating to “shared psychosis.” Musically, the song is a waltz, fitting in smoothly alongside the album’s other jazz standards. Lyrics like “Take my hand, stay here, my friend” and “I know where we’re going” recall Gaga’s 2016 country LP “Joanne” and its quiet, understated title track. Might “Folie à deux” be drawing a parallel between Harley Quinn’s psychosis and the trauma Gaga’s family experienced after her aunt’s death? Outside this intriguing allusion, there’s not much to chew on lyrically. The song is sparse and lines like “They might say that we’re crazy / But I’m just in love with you” feel somewhat uninspired.
My personal favorite track is “Close to You,” a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song popularized by the Carpenters in 1970. While Gaga sounds amazing on this song and it certainly fits Harley’s obsessive longing for a man just out of reach, the soft-pop instrumentation does feel slightly out of place on a jazz record.
The penultimate track “Happy Mistake” is the second original, produced alongside longtime collaborator BloodPop. “Happy Mistake” is a downbeat and melancholy pop song that simmers below the surface, threatening to erupt into chaos but never reaching the boiling point. Acoustic guitar drives the track forward, as Gaga laments about performance, insanity and addiction. Her light falsetto on the earworm chorus solidifies “Happy Mistake” as an album highlight. Gaga then closes out the record with a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life.” The song feels grandiose, from its crashing cymbals, piano stabs and lush strings to its aspirational lyrics that champion positivity.
On “Harlequin,” Gaga places herself at the unique intersection of two powerful U.S. mythologies. First, she’s entered the canon of U.S. superhero movies, playing a notable sidekick in a sure-to-be blockbuster film. But she’s also solidifying her role among the musical greats by bringing beloved jazz standards to a new audience.
Although Gaga and Bennett covered a number of musical theater greats and jazz standards on their previous LPs, several tracks on “Harlequin” suggest she isn’t done with traditional pop. Above all else though, I think “Harlequin” is proof of Gaga’s diversity and willingness to adapt. She debuted with “The Fame” 16 years ago, an electronic dance album that channeled 1980s synth pop. Over the next decade, she explored gothic pop, electronic rock, techno, EDM, country, folk and house music.
The key to sustaining a career in the music scene and in Hollywood is that kind of extensive repertoire, one that keeps the audience asking “What’s next?” As she continues to surprise the Little Monsters with “Harlequin,” it would seem Lady Gaga possesses the magic to keep generating public interest in her art for years to come.
