Aura (song)

"Aura" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, taken from her third studio album, Artpop (2013). She co-wrote the track with Zedd and psychedelic trance duo Infected Mushroom. The song was performed live during Gaga's iTunes Festival headlining and it was used in the trailer for Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills, in which Gaga co-stars. Even though it was not released digitally, nor to the radio, "Aura" managed to enter the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs.

Background and development

Development of Lady Gaga's third studio album, Artpop, began shortly after the release of her second one, Born This Way (2011), and by the following year, the album's concepts were "beginning to flourish" as Gaga collaborated with producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow.^[1][2][3] As Gaga embarked on her Born This Way Ball tour, she also started collaborating with DJ Zedd. In October 2012, when asked by DJ Calvin Harris about her work with Zedd, Gaga sent a cryptic Twitter message saying: "Were all good [Zedd] miss you buddy been listening to **rq* all day". The abbreviated word was assumed as referring to the title of a song. Around a year later, a demo of Gaga's Artpop sessions leaked, revealing the title to be "Burqa". The song was also inferred to be a dual record, with the actual version present in the album.^[4]

"Aura" was based on a demo by Israeli musicians Infected Mushrooms, who later were given cow-writer and producer credits on the song

The actual name of the track was revealed to be "Aura" and originated from a demo by Israeli psychedelic musician duo, Infected Mushrooms.^[5][6] In an interview with Israeli weekly newspaper, B'Sheva, the duo detailed the conception of the song. Gaga had come to Zedd's studio while he was working on some music with Infected Mushrooms. She fell in love with one of the first demo heard, which was for "Aura". Zedd later called the duo saying that Gaga wanted the song for Artpop. They deliberated for sometime, torn between keeping their artistic integrity by not collaborating with mainstream artists, and the feasibility of a "lifelong pension" generated from the royalties off the song. They ultimately decided to give it to Gaga, but desired to be signed under a secret name. However, Gaga was against it and wanted the group's original name to be listed in the credits.^[7] According to Gaga, she wrote the song as an accompaniment to the app being developed for Artpop, and explained the main inspiration being the different facets of the singer.^[8]

So this song is about me basically saying that just because all of those things are there [it] doesn't mean that there is not sort of the same person underneath. And then, also that these veils, they are really just protecting me from the thing that I held the most sacred, which is my creativity. (...) My Aura is the way that I deal with my insanity and I feel quite insane, so this song sounds very insane. (...) Everyone thinks that everything I do is a statement but some times I'm just moved by something passionate and I want to express it.^[8]

To promote the 2013 American action-comedy film Machete Kills, in which Gaga starred in the role of La Chameleón, the creators used the song in a promotional commercial. They also decided to create a lyric video for the song, which was uploaded on Vevo and YouTube on October 9, 2013. The lyric video contains various images and clips from the film itself.^[9]

Recording and composition

After recording started, Zedd was not happy with the initial outcome of the songs and so he suggested Gaga to re-do the whole process. Gaga's idea of recording the songs with Zedd was to not limit themselves with the intention of creating a staple radio hit, instead be creative in whichever way they wanted. He explained to Rolling Stone that they did not "try to make an EDM album — but, at the same time, we didn't try not to make an EDM album. I've done a lot of stuff that's really outside of what I usually do. There was one song that started from her just giving me, like, 10 words to describe an emotion, and then I had to make this into music. It's been a very experimental way of approaching music."^[10]

Zedd co-wrote and produced the track, as well as mixing it

"Aura" shares songwriting and production credit by Gaga, Zedd and Infected Mushrooms. The song was recorded at Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, California, by Dave Russell with assistance from Benjamin Rice. Zedd did the mixing of the track at Zeddl. Assisting with the whole process was Ryan Shanahan and Jesse Taub. Finally, Rick Pearl did the additional programming and Gene Grimaldi did the audio mastering at Oasis Mastering Studios in Burbank, California.^[11] Zedd noted that "Aura" was the most interesting track on Artpop due to its usage of oriental music and multiple guitars combined with the electronic beats, leading it to be able to "cross over" multiple genres.^[12]

A mariachi and EDM song,^[13] "Aura" begins with Gaga's filtered vocals along a Western style guitar, uttering the first lines "I killed my former and left her in the trunk on highway ten", followed by a dissonant sound of laughter.^[14] It was compared by Sam Lansky from Idolator as a "terrible Nancy Sinatra affectation". A big sounding EDM production then follows suit, the beats reminiscent of Gaga's 2011 song, "Government Hooker", as the singer belts out in "garbled" voice.^[15] As the song reaches a crescendo, Gaga sings the actual hook asking, "Do you wanna see me naked, lover? Do you wanna peek underneath the cover? Do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura, behind the aura?" with sparse backing track.^[14][15] The song is written in the key of F major and composed in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. Gaga's vocals range from F₃ to E♭₅, and the song follows a basic sequence of F–G♭–F–G♭–E♭m₇–F as its chord progression.^[16] Described by Michael Cragg from The Guardian as a "slightly muddled insight into gender politics", "Aura" has a sudden ending with Gaga uttering the words "Dance. Sex. Art. Pop. Tech".^[13]

According to James Montgomery from MTV News, the lyrics equated celebrity and stardom with religious oppression and subjugation. The beginning implies she destroyed her old self to become Gaga the artist, and talks about the loss of private life, constant media scrutiny though clarifying that they are by choice. The central metaphor of the track compares wearing a burqa as a "veil of fame", but also sexualizes it with the line "Do you wanna see me naked, lover?". Montgomery noted that criticisms towards Gaga's usage of the word burqa are further refuted in the lyrics when she sings "Enigma popstar is fun, she wear Burqa for fashion". Ultimately "Aura" was a statement song, about solidarity for Gaga, and the central idea to her Artpop app, where she had spoken of developing a similar named internet community.^[17]

Critical reception

Critics were divided in their reviews of "Aura". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was positive in his review of the song, favoring it over the album's lead single, "Applause", adding that "Aura" is "everything we've come to expect from Gaga: messy, self-absorbed, overly ambitious, and downright weird—while still being undeniably infectious".^[18] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard believed the song positioned the album as a whole "with ambitious ideas and breakneck electronic passages".^[19] Three years later, in another article for the publication listing "Lady Gaga's Top 10 Most Daring Songs", Dan Weiss called "Aura" as the singer's unquestionably "boldest moment particularly as an album opener... [It's] a dizzying roller coaster ride of a tune and its presumed intent—to get inside the head of a woman from a completely different walk of life and find a kindred spirit in sexual repression—is not without merit".^[20] Helen Brown from The Daily Telegraph listed "Aura" as the most interesting track on Artpop commending the Middle Eastern production, Gaga's characteristic repeated syllables and the "clever sonic shapeshifting".^[21] A detailed review of the song was given by Mike Diver from Clash who wrote:

"Aura", this set's opener, manages to be a multitude of songs at once, jumping from nosebleed bass to (Middle) Eastern-coloured tones, a Spaghetti Western monologue to a stars-bound middle-eight, from quite-deliberately provocative talk of slavery and the meaning of the burqa to mindless cosmic love waffle. "Do you want to see the girl who lives behind the aura?" Lady Gaga asks us. Sure. A little of the real would go a long way after the smoke and mirrors defining her career to date.^[22]

Lansky was disappointed in the track, and wrote in his article for Idolator that "Aura" consisted of all "the best and worst things about Lady Gaga amplified". He added that the track sounded "weird and frustrating and great and terrible and brilliant and a failure all at once".^[15] Umema Aimem of The Washington Post was critical towards the song's lyrical content, stating that "[t]he song actually started out well [...] but then you lost me when you proceeded to turn such a sacred symbol of [Islam] into an exotic costume. It is not something you can wear to your Halloween party".^[23] Mark Hogan from Spin called the song "a grasping EDM mess" and "all over the place", panning the lyrics talking about burqa "along with plenty of moments that bring to mind all the 'blog house' producers following in the path of Crystal Castles or Simian Mobile Disco circa 2007".^[14] Max Kessler of Paper gave a mixed review, stating the song had "all the classic Gaga attributes", including "controversial and mildly clever lyrics set to a throbbing, almost-grating dance beat that's at times great and at times horrible".^[24] The mention of the burqa made the song controversial, with some Muslims accusing Gaga of degrading their garment by sexualizing it. Aimem wrote that the lyrics of "Aura" openly implies that women would want to be flirtatious with men, thus contradicting Gaga's lyrics of the song "Monster", where the singer had condemned date rape.^[25][23]

Live performances

Gaga performing "Aura" during ArtRave: The Artpop Ball in 2014.

On September 1, 2013, Gaga opened the 2013 iTunes Festival in London, at Roundhouse, performing a few songs from the confirmed track list of Artpop. She opened the show with "Aura", wearing a black suit with a black scarf and a knife that wrote "HOLLYWOOD", in reference to the lyrics of the song.^[26] The singer was hoisted above the crowd during the performance in a metal cage, described by the BBC as a "medieval torture device".^[27] Commenting on the performance, Ashley Percival of The Huffington Post wrote, "Arriving onstage a fashionable 26 minutes late, Gaga opened with previously leaked track 'Aura', which sounded more pulsating and crazed than the unfinished demo. (...) she belted out from a cage suspended above the audience, her lyrics setting the tone for the rest of her set."^[26] Gaga next performed "Aura" at (Le) Poisson Rouge music venue in New York City, where she held a fête for V magazine's editor, Stephen Gan. She played a 45-minute set list, wearing a seashell bra and thong. David Lipke from Women's Wear Daily believed that Gaga had lip-synced the song.^[28]

On November 8, 2013, Gaga held the ArtRave one-off concert at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in honor of Artpop's release, and performed a number of songs from the album, led by "Aura" as the opening number. The singer dressed in a clown-like white mask and white-and-black buoy like attachments, described by Andrew Hampp from Billboard as a mascot for Jack in the Box.^[29] The dress was also compared to the Michelin Man by Marissa G. Muller from Rolling Stone, "complete with white water wings, a mask, and a pointed cap".^[30] She started the performance from across the room and weaved through the crowd to reach the Jeff Koons sculpture of herself, and belted the track.^[30][31]

Another performance took place at the 2013 Jingle Bell Ball on December 8, 2013, where she sang "Aura" along with other songs from her discography.^[32] At the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) show, Gaga wore knee-length blond dreadlocks and opened her set list with "Aura", announcing "I've been having such a good time I didn't even shower".^[33] "Aura" was regularly performed as part of Gaga's 2014 ArtRave: The Artpop Ball concert tour, after the performance of "Judas" ended. She dressed in a green bob wig and leather hot pants while performing the track.^[34]

Credits and personnel

Management

• Recorded at Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, California
• Mastered at Oasis Mastering Studios, Burbank, California
• Stefani Germanotta P/K/A Lady Gaga (BMI) Sony ATV Songs LLC/House of Gaga Publishing, LLC/GloJoe Music Inc. (BMI)
• Zedd Music Empire (ASCAP), All rights administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing.
• Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Infected Mushroom Publishing (ASCAP)

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Artpop.^[11]

Charts

Due to streaming activity, the song debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs for the week-ending October 26, 2013.^[35] Following the release of Artpop, "Aura" again re-entered the chart at a higher position of number 14.^[36] "Aura" was present for a total of six weeks on the chart.^[37]

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• Lady Gaga – Aura (VEVO Presents) on YouTube