A Very Gaga Holiday

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with A Very Gaga Thanksgiving.

A Very Gaga Holiday
Jazz pop
Length14:21
Label
Lady Gaga chronology
Born This Way: The Collection
(2011) 		A Very Gaga Holiday
(2011) 		Artpop
(2013)

A Very Gaga Holiday is a live

Amazon, and on November 26 in the rest of the world. The EP is made up of jazz covers of the songs "Orange Colored Sky" and "White Christmas", the latter featuring an extra verse added by Gaga herself, and acoustic versions of "You and I" and "The Edge of Glory", both songs originally from the singer's second studio album, Born This Way
(2011). A recurring theme on the EP is Gaga stopping midway through singing to talk about background information on the songs with her listeners.

Following its release, A Very Gaga Holiday received mixed reviews from

Allmusic
, listed "White Christmas" and "Orange Colored Sky" as highlights. A Very Gaga Holiday entered the album charts of Canada, France, and the United States, while "White Christmas" entered the single charts of Belgium, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Background and recording

Gaga covered "

Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City.[5]

On November 22, 2011, A Very Gaga Holiday was released as a digital EP. Both "Orange Colored Sky" and "White Christmas" were included in the release, along with two other tracks which were also performed: minimalist versions of Gaga's 2011 singles "The Edge of Glory" and "You and I", both songs which originally featured on Gaga's second studio album, Born This Way.[6] Interscope Records announced the release after the opening of the Holiday Wonderland Gaga Workshop at Barneys New York.[4] It was released in the United States to the iTunes Store and Amazon and had a worldwide release to iTunes after four days.[6][7]

Composition

Gaga's cover of "White Christmas" is a "jazzy rendition" and features an extra verse about a snowman.[8] Halfway into the cover, before beginning the new verse, Gaga says, "So as you can tell, I'm very outgoing and a little bit shy, but I've decided that this song is just too short. It's such a beautiful Christmas song but it's only one verse, so I added an extra one."[9] "You and I" is devoid of the musical arrangements from the version in Born This Way, and features instrumentation from a piano and a trumpet, which is played halfway through the song. From time to time, Gaga shouts the word "America" while singing the song.[10][11] Her acoustic version of "The Edge of Glory" begins with a monologue, explaining her dedication of the song to her grandfather: "It's the second Thanksgiving I'm spending without my grandpa, and I wrote this song about him, so here it is. So Grandma, if you're watching at home, this one's for you."[4] Following the first chorus, Gaga stops playing her piano and tells a story about Italian cookies. A recurring theme for the songs is Gaga stopping midway through singing to engage in conversation with the listeners.[12]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Entertainment WeeklyPositive[14]
Evigshed MagazinePositive[15]

In the United States, the EP debuted at number 52 on the

SNEP Download Albums Chart at number 26.[23]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic awarded the EP three out of five stars, saying that the release was an "attractive holiday bauble" and that although Gaga's main persona was about authenticity, she appeared to "push her affectations" much more than required on the songs. Erlewine picked "White Christmas" and "Orange Colored Sky" as his top choices from the EP.[13] Evigshed Magazine's Sylvia Lesas complimented the musical arrangement of the tracks, saying that Gaga's vocals were a highlight of the EP and adding, "'The Edge of Glory' featuring beautiful piano line gives me chills. It is a truly moving version. [Gaga] makes every song special."[15] Erin Strecker from Entertainment Weekly gave a glowing review of the release, explaining that Gaga's fans might have been expecting a release like A Very Gaga Holiday which gave prominence to the singer's vocals. She added that the songs showed "how much her voice really is well-suited for the big-band and jazz-era stylings on these tunes".[14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."
Milton DeLugg
  • Willie Stein
    		• 2:33
    3."You and I"Lady Gaga3:34
    4."The Edge of Glory"
  • DJ White Shadow
    		• 4:52
    Total length:14:21

    Personnel

    Credits and personnel adapted from digital booklet.[5]

    Charts

    Release history

    Release dates and formats for A Very Gaga Holiday
    Country Date Format Label Ref.
    United States November 22, 2011 Digital download Interscope Records [6]
    Worldwide November 26, 2011 [4]

    References

    1. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (January 6, 2011). "Lady GaGa performs at the Oak Room". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
    2. ^ Sexton, Paul (January 6, 2011). "Lady Gaga Sings Jazz Standards During Surprise N.Y. Set". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
    3. MTV Networks. Archived
      from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
    4. ^
      Idolator. Buzz Media. Archived
      from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
    5. ^
      ASIN B006CUI7UW.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
      )
    6. ^ a b c "A Very Gaga Holiday (Live) – EP by Lady GaGa". iTunes Store. November 22, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
    7. ^ Greenwald, David (November 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga Releases Holiday EP". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
    8. ^ Hogan, Marc (November 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga Is Totally Feeling the Holiday Spirit". Spin. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
    9. ^ "Lady Gaga's cover of 'White Christmas' emerges online – audio". NME. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
    10. Viacom. Archived from the original
      on November 29, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
    11. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (November 11, 2011). "Lady Gaga: 'You and I' from 'Gaga Thanksgiving'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
    12. ^ Itzkoff, David (November 25, 2011). "10 Things That Really Happened on 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
    13. ^
      Rovi Corporation. Archived
      from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
    14. ^ a b Strecker, Erin (November 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga announces release of surprise holiday EP: Hear a new track here". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
    15. ^ a b Lesas, Sylvia (November 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga's A Very Gaga Holiday EP Released now – Review". Evigshed Magazine. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
    16. ^ Grein, Paul (November 30, 2011). "Week Ending Nov. 27, 2011. Albums: Buble Wins A Squeaker". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
    17. ^ a b Trust, Gary (December 1, 2011). "Chart Moves: Lady Gaga's 'Marry' Moves Up, Michael Jackson Misses With 'Immortal', Divas Duke It Out". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
    18. ^ Hampp, Andrew (April 17, 2016). "Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga's Sales & What's the Longest Streak for Americans Atop the Hot 100?". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
    19. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    20. ^
      Ultratip
      . Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    21. ^ a b "Lady Gaga Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    22. ^ a b "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    23. ^
      Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. November 27, 2011. Archived from the original
      on September 28, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
    24. ^ "Database Top of the Music" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
    25. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    26. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
    27. ^ "Chart History Lady Gaga". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Very_Gaga_Holiday&oldid=1218933495"