I'm not sure whether Lady GaGa's decision to write a song for Michael Bolton was from her wear-a-suit-of-Kermits, do-anything-to-get-people-talking-about-how-crazy-I-am side or born out of a genuine interest in making a great song that she thought would work really well with his voice and a willingness to ignore usual rules of cool for the sake of achieving something good, but whatever her reasoning, "Murder My Heart," the result, means that whether or not she intended the latter, she's done it.
The melody--which would have been perfect for an '80s film--and piano-meets-synth backing are strong enough that I would most likely have enjoyed the song regardless of who was singing it, but there's a roughness in Michael's voice--not wholely unexpected given that he was never the smoothest of the power ballad crooners, but that earlier trait has been mangified; Michael Bolton meets...age--that makes it stick in your mind just that bit more.
GaGa on backing vocals, as on Britney Spears's "Quicksand," makes me appreciate her voice in these small, pathos-inducing cameos just as she did on that earlier Britney song. I've never been fully sold on any ballad (or half-ballad, as "Murder My Heart" is) she's sung by herself, but boy, can she take one to the next level when used in that capacity.
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In your long absence i have worked out that it is actually Lady Cuckoo who irritates me, not so much her music (which I like well enough but am not crazy over). Her kermit costume was the living end for me. Just ridiculous. Or brilliant depending on which side of the fence you are sitting. Anyway, I like this song. A lot. god help me :)
Yeah, the whole "GaGa + Bolton" thing is very "of the kermits" .. LOL. Who in the world would have ever thought to pair these two up?
Paul, I'm generally less a fan of her than I am her music, but her music I truly love is thus far fairly limited. It's when she does these co-writing and backing vocal roles that I really gain an appreciation for what she brings to the table musically. I love her on backing vocals on a half-ballad, apparently, but not so much with her front and center...thus far.
The Kermit thing...strange. I should have probably mentioned the possibility that it was just for money, I guess! I know, so random, right?
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