Lady Gaga - A Very Gaga Holiday
A Very Gaga Holiday is a four-song live EP drawn from Lady Gaga’s 2011 ABC holiday television special, A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. The set showcases her masterful interpretations of “White Christmas” and “Orange Colored Sky,” performances that firmly establish her as a vocal jazz genius and a true master interpreter of the Great American Jazz Songbook. Gaga also delivers two powerful originals — “You and I” and “The Edge of Glory” —presented in intimate piano-and-vocal arrangements, each performance equally emotive, personal, and commanding.
4) White Christmas
Lady Gaga brings a fresh and soulful spin to the song with her impeccable, jazzy vocal vibrato. She deeply understands the ink of the song — the original notes and emotional intention — carrying them within her body while freely making subtle melodic and harmonic shifts that feel completely natural. Gaga even adds an inspired original second verse about a snowman, making the performance uniquely her own. A true pioneer and original artist, jazz suits her perfectly. She performs as an open channel, allowing the music to move through her with honesty and grace.
3) Orange Colored Sky
This beloved standard was first made famous by Nat King Cole in 1950. Gaga opens the performance by recalling how she used to sing the song at the Oak Room with her friends. She delivers the tune with complete freedom, proving herself a master interpreter of the Great American Jazz Songbook. Just the phrase “Orange Colored Sky” conjures vivid imagery, and Gaga shades every hue of orange throughout the performance with nuance and joy. It’s a stunning interpretation — one that Nat King Cole himself would surely be proud of.
2) You and I
This is a very cool version of “You and I,” performed with just piano and vocal. With her newly honed jazz power and style, Gaga subtly weaves jazz-inflected melodic phrasing into her own song, giving it fresh depth and elasticity. She repeats the word “something” across four different lyrical lines, yet through her vocal nuance she shifts the meaning each time —a true mark of interpretive mastery. Standout lyrics like, “We got a whole lot of money, but we still pay rent, ’cause you can’t buy a house in Heaven” land with extra weight in this stripped-down setting. The performance closes with a swinging groove and a tasteful trumpet solo that beautifully rounds out the arrangement.
1) The Edge of Glory
Gaga dedicates the song to her grandmother at the beginning of the performance, while the song itself was written for her grandfather —capturing that sacred edge between life and death. She lays everything on the line here, baring her soul with raw honesty and emotional courage. One of the most moving moments comes midway through the song, when she stops to speak about her grandfather making Italian cookies, a memory that instantly evokes Thanksgiving and Christmas for her. It’s a deeply human pause that makes the performance feel intimate, timeless, and profoundly real.
