Lady Gaga’s newest single, “The Cure,” was announced last weekend amongst the fanfare of a roaring Coachella crowd and subsequently released overnight with nothing more than a digital whisper. With its tropical house minimalism reminiscent of Justin Bieber’s string of hits — such as “What Do You Mean” — dominating airwaves in 2015, the song sits comfortably on a road trip playlist and proves one of Gaga’s most radio-friendly hits. Additionally, the song’s minimalism, combined with its reliance on conventional tropical house production, illustrates an interesting trend towards traditionalism in Gaga’s recent career.
What’s most interesting about “The Cure” is it sounds little like anything else in Gaga’s current catalogue of dance pop hits, in terms of lyrics or production. The song doesn’t immediately surge towards the dancefloor, nor does it contain the metaphoric balladry associated with songs like “Dope” or “Speechless.” The lyrics are reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Fix You” but the song refuses to be as abstract or verbose. It’s most comparable to her recent “Million Reasons,” but in this song Gaga trades her usual vocal prowess for a gentler tenderness, most apparent as she breathes out the pre-chorus, “So baby tell me yes / And I will give you everything.”
While “Million Reasons” embraced the pastiche of country crooning, “The Cure” absorbs the recent radio obsession with house music but doesn’t seek to revolutionize the genre. It moves away from the country persona of “Joanne” but offers few clues as to where Gaga hopes to go next in her career as a pop chameleon.
Gaga’s Super Bowl performance in February, while reminding the world of her progressive ideology and pop dominance with songs such as “Born This Way,” was also a surprisingly conservative step away from her more elaborate persona. Her performance refused to harken back to her extravagant, tabloid-obsessed costumes or sexualized imagery she embraced during her “Artpop” tour. In the past year, Gaga seems to have shed the groundbreaking and controversial pop image she’s crafted, choosing instead to settle into her own artistry and depend less on spectacle to sell music. “The Cure” continues this trend, with lyrics offering nothing steamier than a foot rub. Instead, the song remains sweet and romantic, with a rousing chorus aiming to become an anthem in its own right.
Despite her history of shocking and avant-garde antics, Gaga is not an artist especially known for surprise singles, and therefore the out of the blue debut of “The Cure” is puzzling. The song could signify extra bonus tracks to follow “Joanne” or perhaps a soon to be released EP. Alternatively, “The Cure” may be Gaga’s attempt to capitalize on burgeoning beach week playlists with summer inching its way closer. Regardless of its unexpected appearance, “The Cure” proves a more restrained song from the usually grandiose Gaga and provokes listeners to think about how she will shape her artistry going forward.
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