Template:Infobox Single"Million Reasons" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016). Initially released as a promotional single, it was released to radio stations on November 8, 2016, as the album's second single. The track was written by Gaga, Hillary Lindsey and Mark Ronson, and produced by Ronson, Gaga and BloodPop. It grew organically from the conversations that Lindsey and Gaga were having one day, with the title phrase lifted from the singer's musings about the men in her life.
The track is a pop song with country influences. It lyrically delves on "heartbreak and hope" during a relationship, as well as Gaga's religious faith during the chorus, ultimately making it a song with a positive message. Critics appreciated the track's simple production and lyrics. Commercially, "Million Reasons" reached the top 10 of the charts in Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland, the United States, and Venezuela as well as the top 20 in Canada, Italy, and Scotland.
An accompanying music video was directed by Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin, and continues from where the video for previous single, "Perfect Illusion", had ended. It shows Gaga singing in a white studio, and also her in a desert breaking down and finally being rescued by her friends. In order to promote "Million Reasons", the singer performed it at her Dive Bar Tour (2016), multiple television appearances, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2016, the Super Bowl LI halftime show and the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It also serves as the encore to Gaga's ongoing Joanne World Tour (2017–2018). Cover versions of the song were recorded by singer Kelsea Ballerini, Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Phish's Trey Anastasio.
"Million Reasons" is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background[]
Following the release of lead single "Perfect Illusion" on September 9, 2016, Gaga announced the Dive Bar Tour, a promotional concert series where the singer performed at various dive bars in the United States. However, the venues for the concert series remained undisclosed to have a more intimate approach. The campaign was sponsored by Bud Light, and premiered on October 5, 2016. Simultaneously, a live broadcast of the event was streamed on Bud Light's official Facebook page. On October 2, 2016, several publications claimed that during the first show of the tour, a new song titled "Million Reasons" would be performed, in addition to "Perfect Illusion".
During the Dive Bar Tour, Gaga recalled that she and musician Hillary Lindsey were seated in couches and having a back-and-forth conversation with guitar and piano. The singer asked questions about the men in her life, including her father and boyfriends, wondering why they would give her million reasons to leave them, but all she wanted was to have one reason to stay. Lindsey, who previously had experiences in writing country songs in Nashville, was identified by Interscope as a potential collaborator on Joanne. The label's A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck, who had heard the initial Joanne material, introduced Gaga to Lindsey. They bonded over drinks and Gaga also played initial demos of some of the tracks she had written. Lindsey remembered that Gaga's personal experiences and stories resulted in many ideas for songs. "Million Reasons" was similarly picked from their conversations, including the title phrase. It was a straightforward songwriting session according to Lindsey, with Gaga using an old school typewriter.
"Million Reasons" was made available as a promotional digital download to those who pre-ordered Joanne through iTunes on October 6, 2016. However, following the song's commercial surge when Gaga appeared on the Carpool Karaoke segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden, "Million Reasons" was selected as the second single from Joanne. It was released to American contemporary hit radio stations on November 8, 2016.
Charts[]
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
 Australia |
34 |
 Austria |
52 |
 Belgium (Wallony) |
32 |
 Canada |
16[1] |
 Germany |
85 |
 France |
29 |
 Hong Kong |
1[2] |
 Italy |
12 |
 Portugal |
53[3] |
 Spain |
22 |
 Sweden |
71 |
 Switzerland |
7 |
 United Kingdom |
39[4] |
 United States |
4[5] |
External links[]
- Official audio video at YouTube