Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (bor… Read Full Bio ↴Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (born March 28, 1986 in New York, NY) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution, in 2007. Gaga had her breakthrough the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro".

Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016). She ventured into acting, winning awards for her leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and the musical film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Grammy Award in one year. Gaga returned to dance-pop with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biopic House of Gucci, both in 2021.

Having sold an estimated 170 million records, Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the only female artist to achieve four singles that each sold at least 10 million copies globally. Her accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, 18 MTV Video Music Awards, awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and recognition as Billboard's Artist of the Year (2010) and Woman of the Year (2015). She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list. Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights; she has her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which supports the wellness of young people. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Labs, a vegan cosmetics brand launched in 2019.

Lush Life
Lady GaGa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingué traces
That used to be there you could see where

They'd been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clocktails

Then you came along with your siren's song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for a while that your pointed smile
Was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me
Ah yes, I was wrong
Again I was wrong

Life is lonely again
And only last year
Everything seemed so assured
Now life is awful again
A thoughtful of heart
Could only be a bore

A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will
Oh yet you are still
Burning inside my brain

Romance is mush
Stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush
Life in some small dive
And there I'll be

While I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too

Overall Meaning

The song "Lush Life" by Lady Gaga is a cover of a jazz classic originally recorded by Billy Strayhorn. The song tells the story of a person who used to enjoy going to lively places where they would relax and unwind, but now feels lonely and disillusioned. The lyrics describe the sad and sullen faces of the people they used to spend time with, who were once full of personality but washed away by the monotony of their daily routines. The singer then meets someone who tempts them with their charm and smile, but ultimately realizes that their love is unrequited, and they are left feeling lonely once again.

The lyrics of "Lush Life" are full of regret, as the singer looks back on their past and realizes how much they have lost. The repetition of the phrase "I was wrong" emphasizes their disappointment and sense of betrayal, as they place their trust in someone who does not reciprocate their feelings. The final lines of the song convey a sense of resignation, as the singer accepts their fate and chooses to live a lush life in a small dive, rather than striving for something more.

Overall, the song is a poignant commentary on the highs and lows of life, and the importance of cherishing the moments of joy and connection that we are fortunate enough to experience.

Line by Line Meaning

I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to go to places where people were carefree and happy.

Those come what may places
Those places where anything could happen.

Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
Where someone can take a break and observe life’s moments.

To get the feel of life
To experience life as it is.

From jazz and cocktails
Enjoying jazz music and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The girls I knew looked sad and depressed.

With distingué traces
With remains of where their beauty used to lie.

That used to be there you could see where
You could tell where their beauty used to lie.

They'd been washed away
Their beauty had been lost.

By too many through the day
By the stress of daily routine.

Twelve o'clocktails
Drinks at midnight.

Then you came along with your siren's song
Then you appeared, luring me with your music.

To tempt me to madness
To drive me crazy with temptation.

I thought for a while that your pointed smile
I believed for a moment that your smile was meaningful.

Was tinged with the sadness
Was stained with sadness.

Of a great love for me
Of a deep affection for me.

Ah yes, I was wrong
But I was mistaken.

Again I was wrong
Yet again, I was mistaken.

Life is lonely again
My life is lonely once more.

And only last year
And just last year.

Everything seemed so assured
Everything seemed certain and secure.

Now life is awful again
Now my life is terrible once more.

A thoughtful of heart
Someone sensitive.

Could only be a bore
May be viewed as dull.

A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
A trip to Paris might relieve the pain.

All I care is to smile in spite of it
All I want is to smile despite the pain.

I'll forget you, I will
I'll forget about you, I swear.

Oh yet you are still
But yet, I still feel.

Burning inside my brain
Burning in my mind.

Romance is mush
Love is a cliché.

Stifling those who strive
Hindering those who try to move forward.

I'll live a lush
I'll live a luxurious lifestyle.

Life in some small dive
A simple life in a modest place.

And there I'll be
And that's where I'll stay.

While I rot with the rest
While I decay like everyone else.

Of those whose lives are lonely too
Of those who share the same loneliness as me.

Lyrics © K SMITH MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Strayhorn

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS