“911” by Lady Gaga, Tuesday, September 10, 2024

When Lady Gaga returned to dance-pop on 2020’s Chromatica, she didn’t shake off substance from her lyrics. The music of Lady Gaga’s fifth album seems carefree, but on a deeper listen, the singer bears her sole, revealing aspects of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who lies beneath the surface of the persona. The album is divided into three acts, separated by three instrumental string interludes. As listeners get deeper into the sixteen-track album, Gaga gets more and more honest. One of her most personal moments on the album is “911,” a song that details the singer’s struggles with substances, medicine, and mental health.

MY BIGGEST ENEMY IS ME. In “911,” Lady Gaga examines her mental state when she uses the antipsychotic Olanzapine. In a similar way that Americans can dial 9-1-1 to receive emergency services, Gaga refers to the drug as her means to escape her “biggest enemy.” When speaking with Zane Lowe for an Apple Music interview promoting Chromatica, Gaga said of “911,” “I can’t always control things that my brain does, and I have to take medication to stop the process that occurs." The highly symbolic music video directed by filmmaker Tarsem Singh has been said to be an allegorical description of Gaga’s altered sense of reality without the aid of Olanzapine. Singh and Gaga created a music video interweaving Gaga’s message with Southwestern Spanish-Catholic and Native American religious symbolism and the style of the 1969 Armenian film The Color of Pomegranates. Singh’s filmmaking career began with music videos in the ‘90s, notably directing R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,”  but began working exclusively in advertising and movies. Gaga’s “911” was the first music video the director made in twenty-six years. Though having limited knowledge of Gaga’s music, Singh was able to capture the essence of Lady Gaga's visual representation. 


CAN’T SEE ME CRYING, THIS IS THE END. Lady Gaga began experiencing chronic pain after suffering a significant hip injury in 2013. During her Born This Way Ball tour, she had to cancel the remaining shows due to a labral tear in her right hip, which required surgery. This injury marked the beginning of her struggles with chronic pain. Following the surgery, Gaga developed fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and other symptoms such as sleep, memory, and mood issues. She has spoken about the intense, debilitating pain that comes with fibromyalgia, describing it as something that affects both her body and her mind. Lady Gaga has not publicly specified exactly when she began taking Olanzapine. However, she first mentioned her use of the medication during her promotion for her 2020 album Chromatica. The song "911" from Chromatica references her experience with Olanzapine, indicating that she had been on the medication for some time leading up to the album's release. While she hasn't provided a precise timeline, it is clear that Olanzapine became part of her treatment regimen as she worked on her mental health in the years preceding the album. By sharing her experiences with Olanzapine and mental health in general, Lady Gaga has aimed to destigmatize the use of psychiatric medications and encourage open conversations about mental health challenges.


 


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