by Lady Gaga is renowned for her energetic and theatrical live shows filled with elaborate costumes, impressive choreography, and powerhouse vocals. However, there are a number of songs in her extensive discography that she has only performed live a handful of times, if at all. While Gaga’s concerts showcase her biggest hits and fan favorites, some deep cuts and album tracks have remained largely untouched on stage. Let’s take a look at a selection of Lady Gaga songs that are rarely, if ever, performed during her concerts and tours.
Speechless (The Fame Monster, 2009)
The emotional ballad “Speechless” closes Gaga’s 2009 EP The Fame Monster. A stripped-back piano ballad, the song sees Gaga singing about losing her voice in the face of heartbreak. Its vulnerable lyrics and restrained instrumentation make it a stark contrast to Gaga’s typically bombastic live performances. While a beautiful song, “Speechless” lacks the theatricality and energy that Gaga’s concerts are known for. As such, it has never been fully performed on a Lady Gaga tour. The closest fans have gotten is brief snippets of the song incorporated into medleys or transitions between other tracks during her Monster Ball Tour in 2009-2011. The raw emotion of “Speechless” works best in the recording, so it remains unsuited for Gaga’s typically high-octane live shows.
Scheiße (Born This Way, 2011)
The title track from Gaga’s third studio album Born This Way is another deep cut that has yet to see a full live rendition. “Scheiße” is an avant-garde industrial track featuring German lyrics that directly translate to “shit.” Unsurprisingly, its provocative title and subject matter have likely contributed to it never being performed for live audiences. While pushing boundaries is part of Gaga’s artistic ethos, the explicit nature of “Scheiße” may cross too far for some venues and festivals. Snippets of the song have been soundtracked during transitions at some shows, but fans are still waiting for Gaga to fully unleash the track’s abrasive electronic textures and German vocals during a concert. Its unorthodox style simply doesn’t gel with Gaga’s typically crowd-pleasing live sets.
Swine (Artpop, 2013)
“Swine” is another left-of-center Artpop deep cut that divides fans in its experimentalism. An avant-garde electronic track featuring pig-like squeals and grunts, “Swine” pushes sonic boundaries but lacks a traditional song structure. Its bizarre soundscape works well on the Artpop album but seems ill-suited for live performance. Like “Scheiße,” Gaga has soundtracked snippets during show transitions but never fully performed the track for audiences. Its unconventional qualities simply don’t translate to the live format where crowd engagement is key. Fans are unlikely to ever hear “Swine” in its entirety at a Gaga concert given its alien sonics and lack of a clear vocal/chorus structure for audiences to latch onto.
G.U.Y. (Artpop, 2013)
Another Artpop album cut that divides fans, “G.U.Y.” (which stands for “Girl Under You”) is a sexually-charged electronic track featuring rapper Too $hort. With its explicit lyrics about submission and dominance, “G.U.Y.” pushes boundaries in a similar vein to “Scheiße” but with a hip-hop influenced beat. While pushing limits is Gaga’s style, the graphic nature of “G.U.Y.” may be too risqué even for her typically boundary-pushing concerts. Like “Swine,” only brief snippets of the song have ever been included during live show transitions, but fans are unlikely to ever witness a full performance given its unabashedly sexual subject matter. For all its artistic merits on the Artpop album, “G.U.Y.” simply doesn’t translate to Gaga’s family-friendly live spectaculars.
Venus (Artpop, 2013)
Closing out Artpop is the cinematic track “Venus,” a sweeping orchestral number inspired by Greek mythology. With its epic scope and grandiose instrumentation, “Venus” works beautifully as an album closer. However, its nearly seven-minute runtime poses challenges for live performance where high-energy is key to keep crowds engaged. Gaga has soundtracked portions of “Venus” during some show closings, but a full rendition would be difficult to pull off concisely in a live setting. Its sprawling soundscape is better appreciated in a recorded format. Additionally, the song’s mythological themes don’t gel as naturally with Gaga’s typically anthemic live performances. Fans are therefore unlikely to ever witness the track performed to completion on stage.
Diamond Heart (Joanne, 2016)
The country-tinged “Diamond Heart” was one of the standout tracks from Gaga’s 2016 album Joanne but has remained untouched during her subsequent tours. With its laidback Americana instrumentation, “Diamond Heart” provides a welcome change of pace amongst Gaga’s typically bombastic pop anthems. However, its more subdued folk-inspired sound lacks the energy required to captivate stadium crowds accustomed to Gaga’s high-octane choreography and powerhouse vocals. While a beautiful song, “Diamond Heart” simply doesn’t fit the theatrical live show format. Fans can only continue hoping Gaga might someday treat them to an intimate acoustic rendition of the track, perhaps as part of a one-off performance. But for now, its low-key vibe remains unsuited for Gaga’s typically over-the-top concerts.
In summary, while these deep cuts showcase different sides of Lady Gaga’s artistry on record, their experimentalism, graphic content, or subdued nature pose challenges for live performance where crowd engagement is paramount. It’s important to note that “rarely performed” doesn’t necessarily mean “never performed” – some songs like “Speechless” have seen brief snippets live. Keen-eyed fans have also documented one-off live performances of tracks like “Swine” and “Scheiße” at special events. However, for the reasons outlined above, songs like “Venus,” “G.U.Y.,” and “Diamond Heart” are unlikely to ever see a full rendition in Gaga’s typically high-energy concert format. They remain best appreciated in the recorded studio versions. While disappointing for completist fans, it’s a testament to Gaga’s artistic range that some songs simply don’t translate from album to stage. Her concerts instead focus on crowd-pleasing hits and fan favorites to keep audiences dancing through each theatrical spectacle.
