Lady Gaga draws inspiration for her pop masterpieces from the strangest of places. In the case of her latest single "The Edge of Glory", she used her grandfather's passing last year as a reference.Being inspired by death isn't strange; in fact, it has helped create some of pop music's most moving works (see Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" or Elton John's "Candle in the Wind"). What is strange, yet incredibly poignant, is that her grandfather's death inspired her to write the most meaningfully joyful pop song of her career.
"The Edge of Glory", just like Born This Way's opening track "Marry The Night", is a full-on stadium rock epic, with some pretty smart dance-pop sensibilities and a killer sax solo from Clarence Clemons (get well soon!). Gaga sing about being "on the edge of something final we call life", with all of the passion and energy you wouldn't expect from a song about death. But "death" is oversimplifying the message of the song. It is really about accepting life's final moments, where everything comes full circle and peace can be found. It is clear how much this song means to Gaga, since she delivers an absolute breathtakingly powerful vocal, the best she has ever done. Sitting at the end of an album that traverses everything from religion to equality, it is an incredible theme to send it off.
All in all, "The Edge of Glory" is a grandiose song that is genuine, which is something coming ffrom a woman often accused of being fake. Maybe this song will calm those naysayers, although its unlikely. Regardless, "Edge" is a true highlight from one of this year's best albums.
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