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So Happy I Could Die

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"So Happy I Could Die"
Song

"So Happy I Could Die" is a song from American singer Lady Gaga, taken from her second major released and her third extended play, The Fame Monster (2009). It was written by Gaga, RedOne, and Space Cowboy, with production helmed by RedOne. Inspired by Gaga's fear of what she described as the "Alcohol Monster", the song is about the "happy place" people go to when under "the influence". Aside from the prevalent ideas of alcoholism, "So Happy I Could Die" also explores several sexual themes in its lyrics.

Musically, it is a Europop song. "So Happy I Could Die" received mostly positive reviews, with critics complimenting its sexual nature. The song charted in Hungary, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Performances for the song transpired during The Monster Ball Tour.

Background

Lady Gaga collaborated with RedOne and Space Cowboy in writing "So Happy I Could Die", while RedOne produced the track.[1] An occasional drinker, the song represents Gaga's fear of what she describes as the "Alcohol Monster", as evident of several lyrics in the song, such as the chorus; "Happy in the club with a bottle of red wine, stars in our eyes and we're having a good time."[2] In an interview with MTV, Gaga professed that the song is about the euphoric effects of alcohol—the so-called "happy place"—and explained that her fear is split between two songs. "My fear of alcohol. My fear of drugs... fear of addiction. [...] But alcohol is funny because it takes you down to this very happy place and just like forgetting all your problems and for just a minute you're so happy, and then all of a sudden, [your] stomach turns and go way down... And that's my relationship with consumption and abuse."[2] The singer also acknowledged on her Twitter account that while writing the song she was inspired by English singer Lily Allen.[3]

Composition

"So Happy I Could Die" is a mid-tempo Europop song.[4][5] The song is drenched with Auto-Tune, giving it an echoing effect.[4] According to the music sheet published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing on the website Musicnotes.com, the song is written in the time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of A minor with a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[6] Gaga's voice ranges from the tonal nodes of A3 to A4 and the song follows a basic sequence of F–G–Em–Am as its chord progression.[6] As Gaga sings the chorus, its melodic structure emulates that of Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine" (2008).[7] Paul Lester of BBC suggested that "So Happy I Could Die" is reflective of the LGBT themes common in Gaga's songs,[4] while Slant Magazine journalist Sal Cinquemani asserted that it telegraphed the "instructive" execution of the singer's rejection of "any and all intimacy with others".[8] "'So Happy I Could Die' is a love song," he remarked, "but the object of her affection is herself—looking at herself, drinking with herself, dancing with herself, touching herself."[8]

Comparisons between the song and Britney Spears's "Touch of My Hand" were made by music critics. However, a writer of the music website MuuMuse remarked that its lyrics and music were "too dark to place [it] in the same realm as Spears' ode to self-exploration".[9] After singing the song's verses, Gaga sings the chorus "Happy in the club with a bottle of red wine / Stars in our eyes 'cause we're having a good time / Yeah, yeah / So happy I could die."[9] Melinda Newman from the website HitFix compared the song's sound with Madonna while also noting similarities in the refrain containing the lines "hey-ey-hey-ey" to Rihanna.[10] Tony Hardy from the website Consequence of Sound described "So Happy I Could Die" as a "chilled" song with lyrics open to interpretation. He felt that potential themes of the song may be Sapphic desires, the singer's alter ego and "transient" effects of wine and fame.[11] A writer of Popjustice compared the song's "ravey" beats with work by DJ Tiësto.[5]

Reception

Gaga performing "So Happy I Could Die" on The Monster Ball Tour

Describing it as a "pop fluff" song, Simon Price of The Independent wrote that "there's always a suggestion of something interesting going on behind those glitter-encrusted eyes".[12] NME's Ben Patashnik applauded the song's suggestive nature; "'So Happy I Could Die' perfectly evokes the feeling of being alone in a crowded room with its icy beats, suggesting Gaga takes refuge in masturbation as the only way to retain control."[13] "So Happy I Could Die" was declared as the twenty-seventh best Lady Gaga song by Rolling Stone, who concluded: "Gaga exults in the pleasures of club-hopping, drinking and bi-curiosity."[14] Under the Radar columnist Nick Hyman avouched that "So Happy I Could Die" was an uninspiring track,[15] while Evan Sawdey of PopMatters felt that Gaga's vocals were the worst out of any of her songs. "It's a bit of a disappointment, too, because for someone who is so painfully deliberate in crafting their unique visual image, it’s a let down to see that some of that quality control couldn’t be applied to the song selection that will ultimately define their legacy."[16]

Bradley Stern of MuuMuse felt that the song was a continuation to Gaga's own "Starstruck" from The Fame, as they had the same "squeaky synthesizers and urban flavoring to engage in some self-indulgence". He went on to describe its music and lyrics as "dark" while also calling the song "[m]inimal and moody".[9] Digital Spy's Nick Levine described the singer as "titillating" in the song while singing about "'touching herself' at the sight of a 'lavender blonde'".[17] Melinda Newman from the website HitFix felt the song gave a chance to Gaga to explore her singing talents and concluded, "Hypnotic and a fun sing-along, this could be a single."[10] Tony Hardy from Consequence of Sound noted that the song, which had a "promising" title was "not that bad".[11] An editor of Popjustice felt that the song was not suitable for a single release but noted it was important to "the whole 'Fame Monster' thing".[5] A more mixed review came from a writer of the website musicOMH who felt that the pace of The Fame Monster "slowed slightly" with "So Happy I Could Die". He went on to described its lyrics as "too contrived" and added that it "lacks the fizz of the earlier tracks".[18] Similarly, Andrew Ryce from Beats per Minute felt that the song was an "unconvincing anthem for hedonism, sounding more like a wistful lament than a party track".[19]

Upon release of the album, "So Happy I Could Die" garnered minor commercial success. It attained its highest position in Hungary, where it peaked at number ten on the Hungarian Singles Chart on the chart issue dated November 23, 2009.[20] In Europe, it managed to debut in musical charts in Sweden and the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number fifty-three and eighty-four, respectively.[21][22] In the US, the song charted at number thirty five on the Billboard component chart Dance/Electronic Digital Songs for the issue dated April 3, 2010.[23]

Live performances

"So Happy I Could Die" was part of the setlist of The Monster Ball Tour. During the pre-revised version of the tour, Gaga performed the song alongside "Teeth", wearing a black leather corset.[24] After she initiated the revamped version of the tour, Gaga belted the song in the "Living Dress", a white costume that moves on its own accord, complete with wings and a long train.[25][26] Erik Maza writing for The Baltimore Sun felt that the song was one of Gaga's less known catalog performed during the concerts.[27] A writer from the website 4Music felt that the performance of "So Happy I Could Die" was the concert's highlight and noted that the singer "really outdoes herself".[28]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from The Fame Monster album liner notes.[1]

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[20] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 53
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 84
US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs (Billboard)[23] 35

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Swedishcharts.com – Lady Gaga – So Happy I Could Die". Singles Top 60. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Lady Gaga: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

es:So Happy I Could Die

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