Maps of Music

Joanne (2016)

Where the lyrics of Joanne take you, and where it was really made.

The title honors an aunt Gaga never met: Joanne Stefani Germanotta, who died in December 1974 at age 19.

Key places

Where Hey Girl took shape (2016)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Gaga and Florence Welch developed the concept of their duet Hey Girl during a meeting at this New York studio, and the song later appeared on the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Six months at Shangri-La (2016)

Recording site Shangri-La — Gaga and Ronson worked for six months at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La recording studio in Malibu, and they wrote the song Joanne there on their first day. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A London session studio (2016)

Recording site 123 Studios — MusicBrainz lists 123 Studios in London as a recording location for this album, and recording continued until the final mastering session. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A Los Angeles recording studio (2016)

Recording site Electro-Vox Studios — MusicBrainz lists Electro-Vox Studios in Los Angeles as a recording location for this album, and recording continued until the final mastering session. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Joanne is the fourth solo studio album by Lady Gaga and her fifth overall
• Released October 21, 2016 by Streamline and Interscope Records
• Produced by Gaga, Mark Ronson and BloodPop
• Other collaborators include Kevin Parker, Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker and Josh Homme
• Musically a stripped-down, dance-pop, soft rock and Americana record with country elements, focused on Gaga's vocals
• Lyrical themes are family and the emotions of life
• The death of her aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, deeply influenced the record

Background

• Gaga's previous album Artpop (2013) received mixed reviews
• Her work on the television series American Horror Story influenced the creative process
• Gaga and Ronson grew up near each other on the Upper East Side of New York City
• Gaga stated she wanted the album to be a deeply revealing account of her life

Recording

• Gaga and Ronson worked for six months at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La studio in Malibu
• They wrote the song Joanne on their first day at Shangri-La
• Gaga and Florence Welch developed their duet Hey Girl during a meeting at Electric Lady Studios in New York
• Recording continued until the final mastering session

Cover

• The cover shows the singer's left profile in a pink, wide-brimmed hat against a blue background
• The hat was designed by milliner Gladys Tamez, who also named it Lady Joanne

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in Manhattan, New York City.
• Signed with Interscope Records in 2007; Streamline Records was an Interscope imprint.
• Debut album The Fame (2008) and reissue The Fame Monster (2009) brought global recognition.

Career

• Born This Way (2011) debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 1.1 million first-week sales in the US.
• Expanded into jazz with Tony Bennett on Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021).
• Acting: American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), A Star Is Born (2018), House of Gucci (2021).
• Chromatica (2020) and Mayhem (2025) returned to pop; the Mayhem Ball concluded in April 2026 as her highest-grossing tour.
• Estimated sales of 124 million records; 16 Grammy Awards; 22 MTV Video Music Awards.
• Philanthropy and activism focus on mental health and LGBTQ rights; founded the Born This Way Foundation in 2012.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 27 critic scores
• Critics praised Gaga's musical direction, vocals, production and lyrical content
• Some critics found the album lacked cohesiveness
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as more earth-bound than Gaga's earlier work
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it an old-school soft rock album
• The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan gave it 3 out of 5 stars
• Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot gave it 2 out of 5 stars, writing that Gaga sounds like she is trying too hard

Reappraisal

• Billboard ranked it the 32nd best album of 2016
• Digital Spy's Lewis Corner placed it ninth on his year-end list
• NME ranked it 20th best album of 2016
• Rolling Stone ranked it the seventh best pop release of 2016
• Joanne was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards
• The piano version of the title track won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards

Records

• United States: debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 201,000 album-equivalent units, 170,000 of them pure sales
• Canada: debuted at number two; certified Gold in November 2016
• United Kingdom: debuted at number three with 26,694 first-week sales; certified Gold by the BPI
• France: debuted at number nine; earned a Gold certification two years after release
• Australia and New Zealand: both debuted at number two
• Certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA in October 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Gaga named the album after Joanne Stefani Germanotta, her father's sister, who died on December 18, 1974 at age 19.
• After Gaga and Ronson wrote the song Joanne, they decided to use the name as the album title as a tribute to her aunt.
• Gaga tattooed the date of her aunt's death on her left biceps.
• The album's booklet includes Gaga and her father's pictures, and Joanne's driving license and handwriting.
• The deluxe edition adds three extra tracks: two bonus songs and a demo.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact