Speechless

Album: The Fame Monster (2009)
Charted: 94
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Songfacts®:

  • This ballad was written by Gaga for her father, Joseph. In the song she hopes he'll be convinced to seek the medical treatment he needs for his heart condition. "I've known about my father's condition for about 15 years. He told me whatever happens, happens," she told New York's Z-100 radio station. "I was getting ready to lose my dad and I wrote this song."
  • Joseph finally undertook a heart operation a few months before the release of The Fame Monster.and Gaga twitted to her fans to let them know that all was well with him. "My Daddy had open-heart surgery today. And after long hours, and lots of tears, they healed his broken heart, and mine. Speechless," she wrote. "At the hospital. Giving daddy a foot rub while he falls asleep. He's my hero."
  • Unusually for Lady Gaga, this Ron Fair produced track features a guitar.
  • As with the other songs on The Fame Monster, Gaga is fighting a monster of some sort, in this instance her fear of death - specifically her father's. "My mom called me and I was very depressed. I was on tour and I couldn't leave, so I went into the studio and I wrote this song 'Speechless,' and it's about these phone calls," she recalled. "My dad used to call me after he'd had a few drinks and I wouldn't know what to say. I was speechless and I just feared that I would lose him and I wouldn't be there."
  • Lady Gaga struggles with bouts of depression when touring, but out of her sadness came this song. Jam! Music asked the singer what was her lowest point of 2009? She replied: "The lowest point was in Australia in May. I was overwhelmingly sad, and I didn't know why, because I had all these things to be happy about. I went to the studio and played for hours, and I wrote what is going to be the greatest record of my career, a beautiful song about my father. I remember watching the mascara tears flood the ivories and I thought, 'It's OK to be sad.' I've been trained to love my darkness."
  • GaGa discussed this song with The Sunday Times December 6, 2009: "It's very loving in one sense, but in another sense it's quite ruthless. I think my favourite lines on the whole album are —
    'And I know that it's complicated
    But I'm a loser in love
    So baby, raise a glass to mend
    All the broken hearts
    Of all my wrecked-up friends.'
    So I'm writing about my dad, but not only from my perspective, from the perspective of my mother, and women and men all over the world whose hearts are broken for whatever reason. For me, the whole album lives in that lyric."

Comments: 4

  • Sean from Altoona, WiSounds like a Elton John themed song!!!
  • Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnSuch a beautiful song, Lady Gaga has an amazing voice, chills!
  • Ryan from London (y), United KingdomThis really shows off L-Ga² singing ability! I dont think people knew how well she could sing and the fact that it was written for her Father and gave him the inspiration to get help is just amazing. x
  • Tabitha from Lake Havasu City, AzSo far, this is one of my favorite songs by her. When I heard her perform it at the AMA's, i think the most shocking about it was it was a serious song. Nobody expected it from Lady Gaga. It is a good song though...very profound...
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