A-Yo

Album: Joanne (2016)
Charted: 66 66
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This foot-stomping rocky hoedown was penned by Lady Gaga with Nashville songwriter Hillary Lindsey ("Jesus, Take The Wheel," "Girl Crush") and produced by Mark Ronson and BloodPop.
  • Mark Ronson is on bass, and BloodPop on organ, while Gaga plays drums with Este Haim. Other musicians on the track include Queens Of The Stone frontman Josh Homme, who contributes the twangy guitar solo and The Roots' Ian Hendrickson-Smith on sax and jazz musician Brian Newman on trumpet.
  • Gaga's dip into Nashville waters is no surprise to those who know her. She told Rolling Stone Country in a 2016 interview that she is a big fan of country music, especially Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks. "When I was little, my father used to play 'Friends In Low Places' really loud in the basement, and I'd catch him down there dancing by himself, screaming real loud," she recalled. "I thought it was cool."
  • The rootsy outlaw track is about doing your own thing and spitting in the face of those who don't like it.

    A-YO, A-YO we smokin' 'em all

    Gaga tweeted the chorus is about celebrating while "leaving our haters in the dust."
  • Gaga performed a spirited version of this song on the October 24, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live, as Mark Ronson and BloodPop jammed along with her backing band.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.