{"id":364060,"date":"2026-03-29T10:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/364060\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T10:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:26:09","slug":"her-best-songs-from-just-dance-to-oscar-winning-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/364060\/","title":{"rendered":"her best songs from ‘Just Dance’ to Oscar-winning hits"},"content":{"rendered":"

When \u201cJust Dance\u201d was released in 2009, the world was introduced to Lady Gaga<\/a> for the first time. With a video depicting a wild, provocative party and lyrics promising everything would be OK, she quickly became impossible to ignore. It marked the starting point of her career and, in hindsight, one of the defining songs of 2009\u2019s \u201crecession pop\u201d \u2014 escapist and maximalist as the United States grappled with an economic crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust Dance\u201d captured youth, hedonism and pure enjoyment, and Gaga has since continued to set the tone in pop without pause. But at 12, I thought I understood music and predicted her downfall. I remember hearing the song in the car with my mother, when it was on constant rotation on Army Radio, and telling her: \u201cMom, listen carefully. In a year, no one will know who Lady Gaga is. She\u2019ll be a one-hit wonder and disappear.\u201d I did not realize she was not a passing trend, but a force of nature that would reshape the global music scene. I have happily eaten my words ever since. \u2014 Shira Naot<\/p>\n

You do not truly become a pop star until you have something to say about life as a pop star. Sounds like a chicken-and-egg question? Lady Gaga can play both roles \u2014 and be the entire coop if needed. That is exactly what this hit from her debut album, \u201cThe Fame,\u201d set out to explain in its playful, sly and addictive way, much like the chase for likes: it was never a question of if Gaga would become an icon sustaining paparazzi for decades, only when. And the answer came very quickly: now. \u2014 Einav Schiff<\/p>\n

Say Lady Gaga, and you say \u201cBad Romance.\u201d Released on the reissue of her debut album, the song perfectly defined her artistic line: strange, frightening, ridiculous, shocking and irresistibly addictive \u2014 and you will love it. The combination of a driving beat, metallic synths, a French middle section (why not?) and nonsensical syllables that lodge in your brain made \u201cBad Romance\u201d not only one of Gaga\u2019s best songs, but one of the best songs of the century. Try arguing with that. \u2014 Omer Tessel<\/p>\n

From a cynical perspective, \u201cBorn This Way\u201d is a bit kitschy. A bombastic empowerment anthem celebrating sexual, gender and ethnic diversity with a direct, almost childlike message does not exactly fit the definition of high art. But that is precisely its magic. The title track of her second album, written during a tour and recorded between European cities, is in many ways her magnum opus: radical self-acceptance, a bridge between God and the LGBTQ+ community and powerful, joyful dance pop.<\/p>\n

The song defined Gaga, its era (2011) and an entire generation of fans who followed her. It played everywhere, \u201cGlee\u201d was television\u2019s biggest show and people posted #bornthisway on Facebook. At the time, few foresaw the darker side of social media or the resurgence of global extremism targeting the very community that found joy in the song. It has since become a staple of LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, with countless covers and tributes, and many fans will say it changed their lives and gave them hope. Some songs capture a moment in the global mood \u2014 you can hear the wings of history in them. Cynicism aside, this is one of them. \u2014 Shira Naot<\/p>\n

The runaway success of her debut album and the formation of a loyal fan base \u2014 the \u201cLittle Monsters\u201d \u2014 pushed Gaga to go even harder, like a bulldozer in heels. \u201cJudas\u201d is a perfect distillation of that approach: a dense pop hammer, like an over-the-top hotel breakfast, flirting with religious imagery and paired with an extravagant, excessive video. Gaga wails about loving a toxic yet irresistible man, casting Norman Reedus of \u201cThe Walking Dead\u201d as the archetype. The vocal shift between the pounding verses and softer chorus releases such a rush of endorphins it feels like salvation is just around the corner. \u2014 Einav Schiff<\/p>\n

When you think of Gaga, you think drama, glamor and power. But she is also one of pop\u2019s funniest performers, capable of turning herself into the joke and viewing her larger-than-life persona with sharp self-awareness. You could see it on her latest tour, when she surprised fans each night by weaving in a chorus from \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d and turning its camp into a comedic highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchei\u00dfe\u201d \u2014 her pseudo-German track written after visiting Berlin \u2014 is another such moment. The song made its way to a Thierry Mugler fashion show, in a classic Gaga fusion of high and low: invented German alongside couture, a light chorus against heavy, techno-influenced verses. Its iconic status has endured, helped by a memorable performance in which she brought a fan onstage to dance the choreography flawlessly alongside her troupe. An iconic moment, an iconic song, an iconic artist. \u2014 Shira Naot<\/p>\n

From the moment she burst onto the scene, it was clear Lady Gaga understood the world she was entering \u2014 and how to bend its rules. After \u201cBorn This Way,\u201d she returned somewhat to the familiar territory of her debut, but in true Gaga fashion, with something fresh to say. \u201cApplause\u201d is not just about craving attention, but a tribute to fans who gave their all during her tours. The result is a frenetic, infectious anthem of clapping that, even if it did not top certain charts, deserves its own spotlight. \u2014 Omer Tessel<\/p>\n

Expectations were high for an album featuring collaborators like Mark Ronson and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, but \u201cJoanne\u201d is unlikely to be remembered as a peak in Gaga\u2019s career. Unlike \u201cArtpop,\u201d it has not gained cult status among fans, and many seem content to forget it. Still, \u201cPerfect Illusion\u201d stands out as a bright moment \u2014 an attempt to channel Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cBeat It\u201d for the 21st century. Even a perfect illusion counts for something. \u2014 Einav Schiff<\/p>\n

What is a cover of one of the most beloved songs in history doing in a list celebrating one of pop\u2019s most original artists? Mainly, it highlights Gaga\u2019s vocal ability and her interpretive skill with material she did not write.<\/p>\n

Her version of \u201cYour Song,\u201d originally written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin in their 1970s heyday, appeared on a 2018 tribute album. While many contributors \u2014 including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Pink \u2014 delivered predictable, overly polished takes, Gaga stood out. Her rendition begins modestly with piano, strings and even a fleeting harp. Then, around the 2:20 mark, something shifts: she begins to improvise, moving up and down her vocal range with control and emotion, delivering perhaps the finest cover of the song since the \u201cMoulin Rouge!\u201d soundtrack version. \u2014 Amir Schwartz<\/p>\n

At a certain point, Lady Gaga decided to become a movie star. Many people make similar declarations in their youth \u2014 she actually did it. And not only with her standout performance in \u201cA Star Is Born,\u201d but by emerging from the project, directed by Bradley Cooper, with one of the biggest hits of her career. \u201cShallow\u201d earned her an Academy Award for best original song \u2014 and an equally important prize: an all-time karaoke staple. \u2014 Einav Schiff<\/p>\n

In an era of overlapping crises, it is easy to forget the moment when the world came to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, a few months into it, in May 2020, Gaga teamed up with Ariana Grande for \u201cRain On Me,\u201d a global mood-lifter. Both artists, familiar with public personal struggles \u2014 especially Grande \u2014 turned tears into dance beats and pain into an empowering anthem. It reminds listeners that even in the storm, clearer skies are ahead. \u2014 Omer Tessel<\/p>\n

It is no coincidence that Gaga signed with Interscope Records, a label known since the 1990s for blending metal, alternative rock, gangsta rap and pop. Gaga can inhabit all those spaces, but it took years until \u201cMayhem,\u201d where she fully embraced her fandom of Nine Inch Nails.<\/p>\n

On \u201cGarden of Eden,\u201d she immerses herself in metallic sounds, industrial textures and a dungeon-club atmosphere. If Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden for succumbing to temptation, Gaga suggests the way back is through surrender to it. With a chorus more tempting than the serpent itself, even God might find it hard to resist. \u2014 Einav Schiff<\/p>\n

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in summer 2024, which ran nearly four hours, required nearly as long to recover from \u2014 partly because of Gaga\u2019s performance along the Seine. At times, her stage presence veered into the bizarre; with Gaga, even when she is not the main focus, she will try to steal it.<\/p>\n

In that sense, her latest album, \u201cMayhem,\u201d offered a kind of correction \u2014 not by redefining pop, but by placing her firmly within it. While not a groundbreaking masterpiece, it includes strong tracks, led by the playful \u201cKillah.\u201d Featuring French Jewish DJ and producer Gesaffelstein (Mike Levy), the song channels the swaggering groove of mid-1980s Prince and makes you want to get up and dance. \u2014 Amir Schwartz<\/p>\n

Listeners who played \u201cMayhem\u201d in order discovered that as soon as \u201cKillah\u201d ends, another treat begins. \u201cZombieboy\u201d is a well-crafted chaos: it opens with a call to the dance floor and blends classic European electro in the spirit of Giorgio Moroder with early Madonna, topped off with flamboyant guitar flourishes from the same era.<\/p>\n

Beyond the sheer fun it delivers, the track highlights Gaga\u2019s uniqueness in today\u2019s crowded pop landscape: an artist who not only focuses on herself, but skillfully situates her present moment by engaging with those who came before her. \u2014 Amir Schwartz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When \u201cJust Dance\u201d was released in 2009, the world was introduced to Lady Gaga for the first time.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364061,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":{"0":"post-364060","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}