Lady Gaga's next 'Chromatica' single should be "Free Woman"

[Jordan Miller]

 

Lady Gaga's "Free Woman" off her new No. 1 album, Chromatica, deserves to stand alone.

I gotta admit, "Free Woman" was not a song I played often upon first diving into Chromatica, but over the last few days I've found myself falling in love with it more than the bangers, like "911" and "Alice." 

"Free Woman" details Gaga's experience of shedding the shame and shackles after being ******** assaulted by a music producer when she was younger. Before I share my two cents, here's what Gaga had to say about the track:

"I tend to aspire for things to be genderless, just because I think that it's significant," Gaga told Apple Music's Zane Lowe. "But with that song in particular, I felt a need to reference my gender. Because even though I really have a tremendous disdain for people that attribute a gender, or ****** identity to your personality…it was so important for this to be 'Free Woman,' because I was assaulted by a music producer."

"I was ******** assaulted by a music producer. It's compounded all of my feelings about life, feelings about the world, feelings about the industry, what I had to compromise and go through to get to where I am. And I had to put it there. And when I was able to finally celebrate it, I said, 'You know what? I'm not nothing without a steady hand. I'm not nothing unless I know I can. I'm still something if I don't got a man, I'm a free woman.' It's me going, 'I'm free,' but it's not just because, 'I'm a free woman. Look at me. I found gratitude and everything is zen.' It's, 'I no longer am going to define myself as a survivor, or a victim of ****** assault. I just am a person that is free, who went through some ****ed up ****,'" she said. "I say, 'This is the dance floor I fought for. That's what I'm living for. Light up my body and kiss me too hardly. I walk the downtown, hear my sound.' This is my way of saying, 'I'm making a dance record again, and this dance floor, it's mine, and I earned it. And all that stuff that I went through, I don't have to feel pain about it anymore. It can just be a part of me and I can keep going.'"

"I can't tell you how healing this was [to] me. I could cry about it, except I'm actually feeling so much more healed now that that laugh-away-from-the-tear feeling is not even as much there. When I first started talking about this album, I would cry in between every interview. And now I go, 'Well, it turns out if you believe in yourself, sometimes you're good enough.' And it turns out that's possible. And I would love for people that listen to this record to feel and hear that."

One of the most powerful emotions a human can express is vulnerability. When you're vulnerable, shame can't survive. I love that she's willing to wear her heart on her sleeve and let us in on something that haunted her, and likely will here and there for the rest of her life. 

I also love the line, "This is my dance floor I fought for." Gaga is a fighter. Her rise to fame has been unimaginable. She earned the right to release music like Cheek To Cheek and Joanne because she created a body of dance music first, then explored new sounds before circling back to her origins (tbh her singing jazz was more of an origin than Just Dance is but you know what I mean). 

I also love the independent woman flex.  

Quote

I'm not nothing without a steady hand
I'm not nothing unless I know I can
I'm still something if I don't got a man
I'm a free woman, oh-oh (Be free)

"Free Woman" deserves to be the next single off Chromatica because it's a beacon of light in a time where there is still so much inequality. The theme of freedom deserves the spotlight, and while Gaga identifies this song as an act of freedom from the trauma from a ****** assault, the listener - no matter how they identify - their gender, ***, race - can use the lyrics as a source of strength. 

There's a reason why people who commit crimes are imprisoned - because freedom is the ultimate act of being human. When your freedom is compromised, so is your humanity. I think we could use a little reminder that we're all inter-connected, and "Free Woman" does just that. 

Thoughts on "Free Woman?" Should it be the next single? Sound off. 

 

Related:

[redacted statement]

I mean, the message is powerful, but that's not really what artists release singles for.  The only other song on the record that strikes me as single-worthy is "Alice". 

Edited June 7, 2020 by iAlwaysSingLive
maybe "Replay" too, idk

[armrunner1998]

Free Woman does have a powerful message, but musically I would definitely say that there are better songs from the album to be released as early singles. Alice, 911, Sine From Above, etc. Replay also has a really good message about toxic relationships, in addition to a unique type of beat/production.

Hopefully she releases lots of singles from this album, it's definitely a surprisingly good one! 

[Towelney]

Babylon or Alice should be the next single in my opinion. 

And the emotes stopped working again 😭

 

[Deyonce]

The demo was better...

[Isla]

Oh I have to agree with this I think. Alice would make a good single too. 

[2K16NEY]

Replay for third single! 

[Codemysta90]

Over repeated listens (and listening through the album in order as Mother Monster intended), I have grown to love Free Woman, even though as a man I don’t identify with it as much. I used to skip it frequently since I didn’t feel like the song or message applied to me, but I do agree with the fact that this song is so important for Gaga and with all the inequality that has saturated the cultural landscape, not giving this song the shine it deserves would be a shame. Do I enjoy other songs on the record more? Absolutely. But Free Woman is a message that is so crucial to now it needs to be heard, no matter how redundant it might be. 
 

This is wishful thinking, but it would have been really cool if she released 3 films to make up an entire visual album: Chromatica I, Chromatica II, and Chromatica III - each film starting with its coinciding interlude and covering each of the songs in each Chromatica chapter. (i.e. - The Chromatica I film would be 1) Chromatica I 2) Alice 3) Stupid Love 4) Rain On Me 5) Free Woman 6) Fun Tonight and then etc. with Chromatica II and III)

But since that obviously won’t happen, my personal pick for the next single is 911 (with the Chromatica II interlude in the video obviously) or Replay, which is a super catchy and underrated gem IMO. I honestly don’t see Gaga leaving this era without a Sine From Above single treatment because of Elton John, so that to me should end the era. But no matter what she decides, I’m just happy we all have pop Gaga back to slay our lives. ⚔️💓

 

 

[Retrojusticeb]

[MissSpearsSaysSo]

I think her label will release Sour Candy next. They don’t seem to give GaGa much control over their promo selections. 

[theannehedonia]

Alice >>>>>>>>

[PokemonSpears]

As someone said, as good as the message is, I think sound wise, is one of the worst along with Fun Tonight.

I don't love the album, so ultimately I really don't care what she does next , but to me the best songs were Replay, Plastic Doll, Sine from Above and maybe Alice.

[xzede25]

WHta are you on Jordan?

If anything Sour Candy, Sine From Above or Alice should be next.

I doubt Alice will make it single.

I think they will go the feat route for this era.

[PokemonSpears]

1 hour ago, Codemysta90 said:

This is wishful thinking, but it would have been really cool if she released 3 films to make up an entire visual album: Chromatica I, Chromatica II, and Chromatica III - each film starting with its coinciding interlude and covering each of the songs in each Chromatica chapter. (i.e. - The Chromatica I film would be 1) Chromatica I 2) Alice 3) Stupid Love 4) Rain On Me 5) Free Woman 6) Fun Tonight and then etc. with Chromatica II and III)

That actually feels like the kind of thing she would pull, but I lost faith ever since she said she was gonna do a video for every song, which if I'm not mistaken was supposed to be ARTPOP, wasn't it? I really don't remember, since I'm not stan of her, but I do remember reading something about her wanting to release some sort of app / platform to promote the album and kinda engage with the fans or something ? Or did I dream all of that?

[Britney'sBish]

No, it is literally one of the most boring songs on the album. To pick a single simply based on a message is always a terrible choice. As Til It Happens To You showed us, no one likes being preached at.

 

If you want something uplifting without being a preach fest 1000 Doves is a much better choice. It doesn't shove it down your throat.

 

That said Gaga coming off a #1 album/single combo needs to keep up the momentum with the bop train.

 

Sour Candy is the logical choice, but I don't know how they could make a video happen at this point.

 

That would leave Alice, Replay, and 911 as the most bop worthy.

[Midnight]

I would pick Alice 

[Midnight]

4 hours ago, Towelney said:

Babylon or Alice should be the next single in my opinion. 

And the emotes stopped working again 😭

 

Same, those are literally the only two songs I like from the album.

[icybaby]

I think the song is really cool and should be a single. I am just not sure if next 1. Bc she already had girl power song with Ariana. Maybe they need to put up smth else first and free woman next. 

[Thecodeman25]

Alice and free woman are trash. Tbh I don’t know if she has another hit single on the album. Sine from above is actually bomb tho. 

[Blackout2006]

6 hours ago, Towelney said:

Babylon or Alice should be the next single in my opinion. 

And the emotes stopped working again 😭

 

Maybe try using a different device