"911" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga recorded for her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020). It appears as the album's eighth track, preceded by a string arrangement titled "Chromatica II". It was written by Gaga together with Justin Tranter, BloodPop, and Madeon, with the latter two also producing along with Benjamin Rice. It is a Eurodisco, synth-pop, and electropop song with influences from techno and funk. Gaga sings in monotonous, robotic vocal effects for most part of the track. Lyrically, "911" talks about mental health and the antipsychotic medication Gaga takes.
Numerous music critics called the song one of the best from the album, praising both its production and songwriting. The "seamless" transition between "Chromatica II" and "911" was also highlighted and was turned into several memes upon the album's release. "911" was serviced to French and Italian radios as the third single off the album on September 18 and 25, 2020, respectively. The track had minor chart placements in a few countries, and in the United States, it reached a peak position of number 10 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
The accompanying music video was directed by Tarsem Singh and features a surreal dreamscape and a twist ending. It was largely inspired by Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov's 1969 Soviet art film The Color of Pomegranates. The song received several remix versions, including one by Charli XCX and A.G. Cook on Gaga's remix album, Dawn of Chromatica (2021). Gaga performed "911" at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards and The Chromatica Ball concert tour (2022).
Recording and release "911" was written for Lady Gaga's sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020) by Gaga, Justin Tranter, BloodPop, and Madeon; production was done by the latter two, along with Benjamin Rice. The song started off as a demo from BloodPop and Tranter's sessions together. Madeon, who previously worked with Gaga on her 2013 album Artpop, first recommended other producers who he felt to be a good fit for the song, but ultimately BloodPop invited him directly. Detailing his involvement in the project, he said:
Madeon further explained that Gaga was determined that everyone who started working on the track focused on the message of the song, so that it did not get undermined by the production. Their goal was keeping the production "quiet" as "there's so much life and impact in those lyrics that you want to let them breathe. You don't need to drown them." According to BloodPop, while Gaga was recording "911", she insisted that the studio be near pitch-black and that she wear a wig in order to feel like someone else as she wanted to "relive everything she was talking about in the song with every take".
Universal Music Group issued the song to French and Italian radios on September 18 and 25, respectively, as the third single off Chromatica.
Lyrical content and composition A Billboard article described "911" as "a song about when your brain and your body feel at war with each other." The track details Gaga's relationship to her antipsychotic medication, olanzapine, which she takes for neuropathic pain and regular trauma responses, as she is not permitted to turn to pain medications in fear of addiction. Gaga said: "It's about an antipsychotic that I take. And it's because I can't always control things that my brain does. I know that. And I have to take medication to stop the process that occurs." In the chorus, Gaga acknowledges her mental illness and her high reliance on the antipsychotic with the line "My biggest enemy is me / pop a 911", with 911 both referring to the emergency phone number and her medications. Vulture, an online blog associated with New York Magazine, opined that "911" captures "the inside of Gaga's brain as if it's a sci-fi construct, where neurons fire and spark chain reactions beyond her control. [...] Gaga depicts popping a pill as a mostly positive, necessary act — but every day remains a struggle." AllMusic referred to the song as a "cry for help". Talking with Entertainment Weekly, BloodPop further elaborated on the track's background:
"911" is largely a Euro disco, synth-pop and electropop song, which includes industrial synthesizers, a techno-funk groove, and a "trippy" chorus. Simon K. from Sputnikmusic believed that its "pulsating groove [...] brings a cold and clinical feeling to the track". The Observer Emily Mackay highlighted how the pace of the music is in harmony with Gaga's lyrics, writing "the beat jackhammers, driving her up to a Donna Summer trill, then slows to a more comfortable groove as she regains perspective and control". Gaga sings in monotonous, robotic vocal effects for the majority of the song, though she switches to a "higher, more vulnerable" voice at the pre-chorus. According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com, "911" is written in the time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of B-flat major with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The vocals range from the tonal nodes of F3 to D5.
Entertainment Weekly Leah Greenblatt and NME Hannah Mylrea compared "911" to the work of French electronic music duo Daft Punk, with Greenblatt also noting the contrast between the "playful" funky melody, and the lyrics, which involve "darker allusions to manic moods and pharmaceuticals". Jem Aswad from Variety found a "vocal nod to Lipps Inc.'s 1980 smash 'Funky Town' in Gaga's trademark robo-dominatrix voice." Nick Smith of MusicOMH noted similarities to Kylie Minogue's "Speakerphone" (2007), while Slant Magazine Alexa Camp deemed "911" reminiscent of Gaga's past singles, "LoveGame" (2009) and "G.U.Y." (2014). Similarly, Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times felt that "911" harkens back to Gaga's earliest hits, and wondered if nostalgia for the late 2000s music "is already a thing".
"Chromatica II"
"911" is one of the three songs on the Chromatica album which are preceded by an orchestral interlude. Gaga wanted to emphasize the "cinematic" feeling of the record and felt that it had distinct acts, "such as the sharp right turn it takes when '911' kicks in." The interludes were composed by musician Morgan Kibby, who assembled a 26-person orchestra to record the string arrangements. Talking about the creative process of "Chromatica II", the interlude preceding "911", she explained:
Upon the album's release, the seamless transition between "Chromatica II" and "911" became a fan-favorite and was discussed as an album highlight. It generated several memes, with people editing the transition into scenes from various films and television series, and recreating it with similar sounding songs, most notably with Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (2001). Annie Zaleski of Time magazine found the strings of "Chromatica II" a "delight", as they "crescendo and swerve" into "911".
Canadian singer and producer Grimes was set to remix the interlude for Gaga's third remix album Dawn of Chromatica, as well as "Chromatica I" and "Chromatica III"; however, her contributions did not make the final cut.
Critical reception "911" was named one of Chromatica strongest tracks by various publications, such as The Washington Post, The A.V. Club, and Beats Per Minute. Finding it a "standout moment" on the album, The Atlantic Spencer Kornhaber described it as a "playfully robotic" song which "reveals new intricacies with each listen." Stephen Daw of Billboard ranked the track as the third best from the album, with "deeply satisfying production" and "some ridiculously clever songwriting", while saying that Gaga "is in her element when she is delivering camp." Kory Grow from Rolling Stone thought the song "splits the difference between the Buggles and Kraftwerk, filtered through Gaga's kaleidoscope" and noted that "she's at her best... when taking musical risks", like with "911". Tom Johnson from The Line of Best Fit also found it an album highlight, saying that along with another track, "Replay", they are both "honest and thoughtful, brilliant dance music." Caryn Ganz of The New York Times listed the "winking monotony" of "911" as one of the moments she enjoyed from the album.
At Uproxx, Caitlin White said "911" is a standout where Gaga "manages to expertly balance her suffering and self-frustration with the dancefloor freedom that defines the album". BuzzFeed News Alessa Dominguez argued that "only Gaga could write a danceable bop about taking antipsychotic medication." Writing for PopMatters, Evan Sawdey thought that even though "Gaga is still hiding behind vocoders and numerous filtered vocal effects", the song is one of the best moments of the album as her "real life and experiences are seeping through the gaps in the 4/4 rhythm chains". Los Angeles Times Mikael Wood called it a "catchy, fist-pumping song". According to Slant Magazine Sal Cinquemani, Gaga's "distorted vocals" and the "euphoric swoon of the track's pre-chorus" create an "effective contrast". Dan Weiss from Spin criticized the song for being "so breathlessly wordy you can't remember (or even find) the hook". Mark Richardson from The Wall Street Journal felt that "911" along with another song, "Enigma", "find Lady Gaga deploying the more bombastic style of her earlier hits to lesser effect."
Chart performance Upon the release of Chromatica, "911" debuted on several world charts. In the Billboard issue dated June 13, 2020, "911" debuted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number one, and on the Hot Dance/Electronic Digital Songs at number ten. In Canada, the song charted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 85 in the issue dated June 13, 2020. On the UK Singles Downloads Chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), the song entered at number 98. Further chart placements of the track include a number 76 position on the Australian Singles Chart, number 54 in Croatia, number 141 in France, and number 64 in Scotland. In Italy, the song charted at number 92, and later it was certified Gold by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) for selling over 35,000 units.
Music video Background and production
The music video was directed by filmmaker Tarsem Singh and was shot in August 2020 in Valencia, a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, California. The sand dunes for the opening scene were photographed at San Luis Obispo by Tarsem, who removed the sea and changed the color of the sand to white in post-production. He originally wanted to shoot the desert scenes in New Mexico, and use a real city location instead of a backlot for the final scene, but they didn't get the necessary permissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic, every one present on the filming location in Valencia were required to take COVID-19 tests and stand completely away from each other. The shooting was also made difficult by wearing tight clothes in the desert, with 118 °F (47 °C) heat, which caused some of the people to pass out. Nicola Formichetti outfitted the video, with many pieces designed by Russian-Armenian artist Karina Akopyan.
The concept for the story of the video came from Tarsem, who shared the more than 25-year-old idea with Gaga as her "life story spoke so much to him." He once considered using the idea for a video to Massive Attack, but that did not work out due to scheduling conflicts. According to Gaga, she felt the most "alive" while making the video, compared to any of the other Chromatica projects. She also disclosed with Tarsem that filming required her to "revisit the kind of dark hole she was in when she wrote it", though in the director's opinion, "she didn't slip back down; she shook it off and went back to work". Gaga later posted the following on her Instagram: