Sine from Above
"Sine from Above" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga and English musician Elton John from the former's sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020).
"Sine from Above" marks the second studio based collaboration between Lady Gaga and Elton John, following their duet "Hello, Hello", which appeared in the 2011 animated film Gnomeo & Juliet.
As they had a close deadline to finish everything, the recording sessions took place via Skype, with Elton in a studio in Australia and the rest of them in Los Angeles.
"[4] In an interview with American Songwriter, Gaga said "I wanted this song to have a range, where it began in a very organic, melodic way and then it ended in some sort of cacophony.
"[16] "Sine from Above" is one of the three songs on the Chromatica album which are preceded by an orchestral interlude, transitioning directly into the track, as Gaga wanted to emphasize the "cinematic" feeling of the record and felt that it had distinct acts.
The key piece of "III" for the strings was definitely the long note that sweeps and swells to honor the concept of a sine wave, and I think the additional production serves to highlight that idea.
[17] "Chromatica III" was later featured in the music video for the song "911", playing in the background in a scene which shows Gaga crying after being involved in a car accident.
"[9] Hannah Mylrea from NME called the song "brilliantly bizarre" saying it "is basically what a heady night out at Glastonbury's Shangri La[a] with Elton and Gaga would sound like".
"[22] Jem Aswad Variety thought that John gives a "stately vocal performance" as the sole male voice on the otherwise "very female and feminine" album.
[23] Vulture, an online blog associated with New York Magazine, found "Sine from Above" "as grand a track as Gaga has ever recorded", and highlighted the "frenetic drum-and-bass breakdown that you wish went twice as long".
"[15] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine thought that "Sine from Above" was the most experimental track on Chromatica with its sudden drum n' bass drop, but opined that it's "a trick Björk pulled off to more dramatic effect on her 2011 single 'Crystalline'.
"[17] Simon K. from Sputnikmusic while complimented the production in the song, thought that the "track which once displayed real potential [is] completely stained by fundamental, asinine errors", and called John's contribution "godawful".
[40] The video includes the motto "My voice, My strength" by Gaga, who explained why she chose "Sine from Above" for the campaign: [It] is about the passion I feel, when I manifest the sounds that I hear in my head.
[41]For Gaga's third remix album, Dawn of Chromatica, "Sine from Above" was reimagined by Chester Lockhart, Mood Killer and Lil Texas.
"[42] The remix was described as "dubstep-meets-punk" by Entertainment Weekly's Joey Nolfi,[43] while Pitchfork's Jamieson Cox found "a bit of Artpop in its flatulent digital provocation.
[45][46][43][47] Writing for Gigwise, Alex Rigotti likened it to "a haunted house on acid" and called it the best track on the Dawn of Chromatica album, saying: "This remix is so expressive, experimental, and ballsy, straining Gaga and Sir Elton John's vocals to the very limit, until it all comes crashing down.
"[45] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic thought it was the "most chaotic remix" on the record with "a crushing breakdown that finally delivers on the surprise drum'n'bass outro of the original.
[42] Conversely, Robin Murray from Clash found it one of the missteps of the album, saying that "the dense effects seem to distort the song, and it’s perhaps a case of too-many-cooks.
"[48] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine called the remix "a Frankensteinian abomination that chops up and distorts guest Elton John's vocals, making an even bigger mockery of the legendary musician than the original did.
"[49] On the day of Dawn of Chromatica's release, Gaga posted a video of herself with cartoon filters through her social media, which included a snippet from the breakdown of the "Sine from Above" remix, along with a message encouraging her followers to "smile and dance through the pain".
