Million Reasons

The harmony relies on the four primary chords of the C major scale, a hallmark of country-pop songwriting. Its effectiveness stems from the structural reordering of these chords between sections: the verse is grounded by the tonic (I), while the chorus gains momentum by emphasizing the subdominant (IV). This arrangement highlights the vocal performance by providing a familiar, uncluttered harmonic backdrop.

The song emerged from a series of conversations between Lady Gaga and songwriter Hillary Lindsey. Gaga was introduced to Lindsey by Interscope A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck. During the session, the two sat on couches and engaged in a back-and-forth dialogue using guitar and piano. Gaga used an old-school typewriter to document the lyrics during the process.

This standout track from the album Joanne signaled Lady Gaga's transition from dance-pop spectacle to raw, Americana-influenced storytelling. Co-written with Nashville hitmaker Hillary Lindsey, the song achieved massive commercial longevity following a high-profile performance at the Super Bowl LI halftime show.