Die With a Smile
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars just dropped their first duet this Friday, and it’s an instant classic. The two 21st-century pop legends have teamed up for a timeless ballad that narrates a love story set against the backdrop of the world’s end. The song perfectly blends Mars’ soulful style with Gaga’s powerhouse vocals and is accompanied by a mesmerizing vintage music video, where the singers play instruments and exchange heartwarming looks in a ‘70s country atmosphere.
“I just woke up from a dream where you and I had to say goodbye.” These are the first verses with which Bruno Mars introduces listeners to the dreamy melodies of Die With A Smile. Starting gently with the warm strumming of a guitar, the song gradually builds into a skin-crawling pre-chorus that crescendos into a soulful, retro chorus reminiscent of Mars’ past musical experience with Silk Sonic (with “Leave The Door Open” being a close example). Lady Gaga beautifully intertwines her voice with Mars’ in the second verse, turning the song into an emotional embrace. Gaga’s subtle soprano melts into Bruno’s strong tenor voice in a crescendo that aligns with the romantic and tear-jerking lyrics: “If the world was ending I’d wanna be next to you.”
The multi-Grammy-winning duo (with a combined total of 28 Grammy Awards) left no room for doubt when they announced the song. We could have expected nothing less than a hit from two pioneers of 2010 music, whether it was a ballad or a pop anthem. As a matter of fact, the track reached the number one spot on the US iTunes chart in just 1 hour and 58 minutes, becoming the fastest song to achieve this milestone this year, and it’s already challenging the top position on the Billboard Top 200 as well. However, although Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are definitely a guarantee in the industry, “Die With A Smile” diverges from what one might expect from a hit song in 2024. In an era where music often caters to TikTok algorithms, where songs are typically under 2 minutes and 50 seconds to avoid penalties from streaming platforms, and where one-hit wonders quickly fade, the duo has broken records with a 4-minute and 12-second long ballad that certainly does not wink at particular stratagems.
Moreover, the collaboration was not even teased until just a few days before its release. Lady Gaga posted a short video at the beginning of the week, playing a mysterious snippet at the piano while wearing Mars’ merch. Bruno, in turn, shared a photo of himself in a Gaga t-shirt. Only ten hours before its official release, the Bad Romance singer announced the title track and its cover art on her Instagram account with the caption: “While you wait till LG7… Die With A Smile, a duet with @brunomars.” According to Lady Gaga, this duet does not introduce her forthcoming album, but appears to be a standalone project. Some fans speculate that the song might be a preview of the much-anticipated soundtrack for Joker: Folie à Deux. The highly awaited film is set to premiere in a few weeks at the Venice Film Festival and is officially coming to theaters on October 4. The title “Die With A Smile” could indeed hint at the movie's plot, where Gaga herself plays Joaquin Phoenix's love interest—plus, Joker is obviously known for his enigmatic slasher grin. However, these speculations have not been confirmed. The two artists have, on the contrary, recounted that the song emerged from a simple yet pure musical connection. In an interview with Variety, Gaga explained: “I was finishing up my own album in Malibu, and one night after a long day Bruno asked me to come to his studio to hear something he was working on. It was around midnight when I got there, and I was blown away when I heard what he had started making. We stayed up all night and finished writing and recording the song. [...]” Putting aside all kinds of speculations, the song is the product of a beautiful and genuine musical encounter that eventually resulted in a timeless piece.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars release 'Die With A Smile'. Credit: Press via NME
All things considered, it seems to be an exciting second half of the year for Little Monsters (Lady Gaga’s fans). With three different projects under her belt, the pop star is making a flamboyant comeback after her last release, which was “Sweet Sound of Heaven” with the Rolling Stones, another demonstration of her versatility. After “Die With A Smile”, next in line is the above-mentioned sequel to “Joker”, where Gaga will both dominate the screen as the main actress and contribute to the soundtrack, which will include 15 cover songs and possibly original tracks. What fans are the most excited about, however, is the awaited seventh album, which is likely to be released in 2025. Gaga has been teasing it for months, and what we know so far is that it will certainly feature dark vibes and dance rock sounds—quite different from the dreamy melodies of her latest release with Mars. So far, the singer has shared some snippets that increased her followers' curiosity and excitement: at the end of her “Chromatica Ball” film, she included a 7-seconds teaser with the caption “GAGA RETURNS”. A few weeks ago, after her appearance at the Olympics Inauguration Ceremony, she gifted her French fans with previews of two songs. These snippets evoke the glam rock vibes of the “Born This Way” era, but also the eccentricity of “Artpop”. In any case, we can certainly expect an album that will once again affirm Lady Gaga's talent as an artist who continuously reinvents herself while leaving her unique mark. And even if some may already be looking for the new pop icon of the ‘20s, to this day, Lady Gaga remains the defining artist of our generation: absolutely ahead of her time, unique and legendary.
