Pop Perspective: Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” Rated & Reviewed

Mike Wass | October 6, 2016 4:03 pm
Pop Perspective: Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion"
Is Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" a return to form? We rate and review the single.

At Idolator, the editors share a passion for high-quality pop. Occasionally, our tastes align. Other times, not so much. So, in the spirit of debate (and online drama), we’ve developed a recurring feature called Pop Perspective. In a nutshell, our editors dissect a particularly noteworthy pop-event, and give it a rating out of 10.

That way you’re getting a full spectrum of views and we can all vent. (It’s cheaper than therapy!) The latest track to be dragged under the Idolator microscope is Lady Gaga’s stripped-back Joanne buzz track, “Million Reasons.” Is it a return to form after “Perfect Illusion” or another stinker? Read our thoughts below.

Robbie Daw — 8/10

I actually wish Gaga had kicked off the whole Joanne campaign with “Million Reasons” rather than “Perfect Illusion.” This song is pretty fantastic. It sounds like what you’d hear if Bruce Springsteen met up with the Indigo Girls on a dusty, lonely stage somewhere out west, with The Killers on tap as the backing band. As I pointed out in my write-up of “Million Reasons” earlier today, this isn’t the slick, super-produced country-pop of Born This Way’s “You And I.” Instead, the track plays more like tried and true, folky Americana. It’s not exactly what you’d expect from Gaga, but then again, what ever is?

Rachel Sonis — 8.5/10

Agreeing with Robbie’s original post, this song does feel like a raw, gritty homage to Bruce Springsteen. To me, “Million Reasons” can be likened to the Boss’ “I’m On Fire” — simple, sweet and one of those song’s that’ll melt your heart whether you want it to or not. Its warmth is endless.

Carl Williott — 4/10

Look, I’ll always support pop stars going against the grain, so in theory I’d take this over another lukewarm dance cutout. But doing a spiraling psych-pop strut is one thing; doing a quasi-country crossover, there are comparison points for that so you gotta bring it. In other words, Beyoncé did it better. JT did it better. The Killers did it better.

I dunno, I’m just confused about the Joanne era. I’m rooting for it, but none of this has grabbed me the way her prior singles did. We get it, you can sing, and you can sing personal shit. Now remind us that you have songs.

Mike Wass — 4/10

This era is shaping up to be even worse than I imagined.

AVERAGE SCORE: 6.1/10

What do you rate the song out of 10? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!