Ever felt intimidated by a musician’s extensive back catalog? Been trying to get into a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, providing a clearcut entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom — now all you have to do is take it.
In many ways, Lady Gaga’s presence in the pop culture history books feels inevitable.
In 2008, when she burst onto the scene with the back to back smashes of “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” Lady Gaga already felt like a fully-formed revelation. She embodied “pop star” in all its forms; massive choreography, grandiose (and often controversial) music videos, and a commitment to theatrics became hallmarks of her performance style. Of course, Gaga had been scraping by for years as Stefani Germanotta, everyone’s favorite Italian girl from New York — but to most of us, the Mother Monster simply appeared one day, ready to usher us into a brighter, wilder, and more adventurous way of living.
Naturally, Lady Gaga’s story began with pop music domination and has since seen her transcend genre, channel her penchant for the theatrical into a thriving career on the screen, and cemented her as an essential artistic influence. Her discography is simply massive. Here at Consequence, we considered celebrating the release of “Hold My Hand” this week by rounding up her 10 “best” songs, and found the task impossible. There’s too much goodness here.
Instead, the below timeline is a series of windows into the endless well of talent packed into the 5’2″ artist. Call them starting points; call them highlights. Just remember: There can be 100 Lady Gaga songs in the room, and all it takes is one to become a Little Monster.
— Mary Siroky
Contributing Editor
