"The Edge of Glory" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Lady Gaga, from her second studio album Born This Way (2011). The song was released digitally on May 9, 2011, and was added to the United States mainstream radio playlists on May 17, 2011. Initially released as one of two promotional singles for Born This Way, it shortly became the third single for the album following its success in digital outlets worldwide. The song was produced by Lady Gaga and Fernando Garibay. "The Edge of Glory" is a dance song that speaks of the very last moments of life. According to Gaga, lyrical inspiration came from the death of her grandfather, who died in September 2010. Alongside a saxophone solo played by Clarence Clemons, the melody of the song resembles much of the musical works of Bruce Springsteen, and contains several qualities similar to that of 1980s adult contemporary musical works.

The song received critical acclaim, with many critics deeming the song as an album highlight. Much of the praise went to the song's chorus and the musical production. Reviewers also complimented Gaga's vocals, describing it as "soulful". The song was an international hit, charting in the top ten in several major music markets, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gaga's tenth consecutive top-ten single in the United States.

A music video for the song was filmed in late May, co-directed by the singer and her production team, Haus of Gaga. The video is simple in contrast to much of Gaga's previous work, and portrays her dancing on a fire-escape and walking on a lonely street. Differences include the lack of intricate choreography and back-up dancers, as well as using only one outfit designed by Versace. Critics complimented the simplicity of the video, while comparing it to the works of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Madonna. Gaga has performed the song in award shows, music festivals and events.

Background and inspiration[link]

"The Edge of Glory" was written by Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, and was produced by Gaga and Garibay.^[3] The origins of the song first came about in January 2011, when Gaga released part of the lyrics on her Twitter account.^[4] White Shadow revealed that before they returned to Europe for the 2010 dates of The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga had taken leave for few days to be with her ailing grandfather. After he died, Gaga told White Shadow that she wrote a song about her grandfather's death, detailing the impact the event had on her.^[5]

My grandpa died about five months ago, and my dad and I were going to say goodbye to him at the hospice, and I got out a big thing of agave tequila and my dad sat next to me at the piano and we started to doing shots back and forth, and I wrote 'Edge of Glory' on the piano and my dad and I cried... [That] song can be played on the piano, but it's actually set to this giant, huge, techno rock, Springsteen-esque dance beat. I actually had Clarence Clemons from the E Street Band come in and play saxophone on it. It's fucking beautiful.

—Gaga talking to Google about "The Edge of Glory".^[6]

More information in regards to "The Edge of Glory" was revealed by Gaga, in an interview with Google where she explained the song as being about one's final moments on earth, before a person dies.^[6][7] Another inspiration for the song was actor Sylvester Stallone's 1976 film Rocky, which being Gaga's favorite film, she felt that the song was about looking at life directly, with the feeling that he or she is a champion—like the emotion displayed by the character Rocky Balboa in the film.^[8]

On May 5, 2011, Interscope sent out an e-mail to radio stations across the United States, which stated that "The Edge of Glory" was to be released on Monday, May 9, 2011, as the first of two promotional single for Born This Way.^[9] It was to serve as the first song in the "Countdown to Born This Way" promotion on the iTunes Store.^[9] However, after its release to the digital stores, "The Edge of Glory" started selling a considerable amount of digital downloads, prompting Gaga to make it the third single from Born This Way.^[10][11] On her Twitter account Gaga revealed the cover for the single.^[4][12] It showed Gaga topless with her mouth open, wearing her facial prosthetics from the "Born This Way" cover, and her hair wildly cascading around her.^[4][13]

Recording and composition[link]

	"The Edge of Glory" noicon A 32-second sample of "The Edge of Glory" featuring the end of the chorus and the beginning of the bridge which contains the saxophone solo. Kevin O'Donnell of Spin compared the composition of the song with Pat Benatar's songs, Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1983) and Laurie Anderson's "O Superman" (1981).[14]
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

"The Edge of Glory" is an upbeat dance-pop and synthpop song.^[15] The song features synthesizers executed in a style influenced by smooth jazz, as well as the inclusion of a saxophone solo.^[16] The song is less electronic and more straightforward pop, and the lyrics deals more of romance than individual inspiration.^[11][17] Garibay revealed that the song was recorded in Gaga's natural vocal tone, and required just one take. She requested him to add the sound of heartbeat at the start of the track.^[18] Garibay said that the decision to add a saxophone solo was a "bold move" for Gaga, since contemporary hit radio did not have any song with a saxophone solo on their song playlists.^[18]

Clarence Clemons from E Street Band played saxophone on "The Edge of Glory".

"The Edge of Glory" opens with Gaga's vocals over a keyboard, singing the line: "There ain't no reason you and me should be alone tonight, yeah baby, tonight, yeah baby."^[17] According to MTV's Jocelyn Vena, the song's production harkens back to late '80s, early '90s adult-contemporary pop, when big choruses were the norm for songs.^[17] Jason Lipshultz from Billboard described it as "sunny electronica" that sounds big on the chorus, where Gaga sings "I'm on the edge of glory and I'm hanging on a moment of truth".^[19] Evan Sawdey of the website PopMatters found several rock elements in the composition of the song.^[20] Vena also felt that what made the song stand out from others on the radio was the saxophone solo by Clemons right in the middle of the track, as Gaga belts out, "I'm on the edge with you."^[17] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy said that the musical composition is a mixture of loud-sounding electric guitars and club-beat influenced synths.^[21] The song ends with a long coda, with the sound of the saxophone fading out.^[2] Gaga stated during her interview with NME that she is perpetually unhappy with what she creates. Even though she felt that "The Edge of Glory" is a pop masterpiece, when the recording and mixing of the song was completed, there were things in the composition that she dreaded, and every time she listened to it, she would hear them.^[15] Peter Robinson, who interviewed Gaga, clarified the song as a mixture of dance-pop and electro-rock elements, which he believed was enhanced by Clemons.^[15] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "The Edge of Glory" is written in common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. Set in the key of A major, it follows the basic chord progression of A–E♭–D, while Gaga's voice spans from A₃ to D₅^[22]

Gaga's references for the saxophone solo was E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen and for her it represented "the isolation in the music dichotomy, [representing] the whole spectrum of music."^[18] She ultimately decided to ask Clarence Clemons from E Street Band to play the instrument.^[23] Clemons told Rolling Stone that in January 2011, he was putting together an exercise machine in his Florida house when his wife told him that Gaga's people were on the phone, and they wanted him to play on her upcoming album.^[23] Since the call was on a Friday, Clemons replied that he could record it on the coming Monday or Tuesday, but Gaga was adamant to have him at the New York recording studio on that day itself. Clemons flew from Florida to New York, and reached the recording studio in Manhattan in midnight.^[23] Gaga wanted him to play saxophone on multiple tracks, one of them being "The Edge of Glory". She simply told Clemons, "We'll put the tape on and you just play. Play from your heart. Play what you feel." The recording concluded by three o'clock in the morning after a few takes. Clemons added that he was surprised for "getting paid for this." He added, "I would have done it for free. I can never believe something that feels so good earns me money."^[5][23]

Critical reception[link]

An hour before kicking off the final leg of The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga sent four tracks to Rolling Stone, including "Scheiße", "You and I", and "Hair", to have an advance preview. Matthew Perpetua wrote a positive review from the song: "This one sounds crazy in print [...], but somehow it all seems totally natural when you actually hear it." Perpetua added that there is an element of cheesiness in the song, but nevertheless, it is captivating and catchy when one listens to it. He complimented the inclusion of Clemons as an "inspired touch that amplifies the song's eighties stadium rock vibe," and Clemons' actual performance was described as amazing and among the best of his career.^[7] In another review, Perpetua noted that "The Edge of Glory" is "an immediate pop anthem, with soaring hooks and romantic, life-affirming lyrics." He also theorized that the song had potential to be a huge summer hit.^[25] Fellow Rolling Stone journalist Jody Rosen complimented the hook, the chorus and Clemens' saxophone playing on the song.^[26] Jocelyn Vena from MTV asserted that the song showed a softer side to Gaga, as opposed to her previous singles for Born This Way.^[17] Willa Paskin from New York was impressed with the track, saying: " If the first two tracks off the forthcoming Born This Way were all jangly dance-rock, this is as smooth as an eighties jam straight off the Flashdance soundtrack, and it has the saxophone breakdown to prove it." Paskin also believed that the song had potential to be a summer hit, but could face competition from Katy Perry's single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".^[27]

Gaga performing "The Edge of Glory" in a black two-piece outfit during the Born This Way Ball

Rick Fulton, while writing in the Daily Record, compared it to Dr. Alban's 1992 single "It's My Life" and called it as power-pop with influences of Gaga's previous single "Alejandro" (2010).^[28] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard wrote that "The Edge of Glory" "glorifies risk-taking, [but] it's focused on romance rather than individual inspiration."^[19] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy awarded the song with five out of five stars and wrote:"'I'm on the edge of glory/ And I'm hanging on a moment with you,' GaGa belts over a chorus tastier and more filling than a meatball sub – stuffed with stadium-sized beats and massive techno synths; while the side of sax solo courtesy of the late Clarence Clemons is bound to seduce many a clubber into bringing out their rarely-used-nowadays air sax. Unlike the LP's trailer, GaGa has created a heartfelt club anthem loaded with enough raw emotion to outweigh her current Euro-cheese leanings – shame about the video, though."^[29] Kevin O'Donnell of Spin noted that in the song, Gaga "goes back to basics."^[14] He also called the song a "four-on-the-floor anthem with loads of references to '80s pop music" and concluded "Thankfully, 'Edge of Glory' proves Gaga hasn't let her global celebrity get the best of her art, and she's still capable to cranking out straightforward, dance-ready jams like 'Just Dance' or 'Poker Face.'"^[14] Both Andy Gill of The Independent and James Reed of The Boston Globe praised Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo in "The Edge of Glory".^[30][31]

Nardine Saad from Los Angeles Times asserted that "The Edge of Glory" was less shock-provoking than her previous releases. Saad also felt that the track was slower and less electro in its composition than "Judas", her then current single.^[32] Amy Sciarretto from Artistdirect.com gave a positive review saying that the song will push the listener to the edge of the dancefloor. She complimented Gaga's vocals, saying that she "[filled] the room with her voice, her spirit and her danceability."^[33] Likewise, Priya Elan of NME wrote that the song felt like a "pop moment" without Gaga trying too hard to address social issues or religious conflicts; Elan also complimented Clemons' saxophone addition.^[34] Similar sentiments were expressed by fellow NME writer Dan Martin, who found the track to be gleaming, calling it the "most ecstatic pop serenade" Gaga has ever come up with.^[35] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy commented that the song is a "straight-up fists-in-the-air feel-good anthem that is less cheesy than 'Born This Way' but equally (if not more) euphoric." However, he found similarity in the opening bar of the song with that of Cher's 2002 single "Song for the Lonely".^[21] Megan Gibson from Time was disappointed with the single, feeling that it was not "particularly good". Gibson added that the song was not on par with Gaga's previous releases, and called the music as trite, uninspiring and bland.^[36] Matthew Cole from Slant Magazine was polarized with the song, stating that while it lowered his expectations for the album, he expressed that the saxophone solo was "admittedly a high point, and one of the more original ideas that Gaga has had of late."^[37] Sal Cinquemani, from the same publication, felt that the song "isn't retro so much as retrograde, starting off with some crafty Art of Noise synth tones before morphing into what sounds like the theme song to an early-'90s sitcom, or an inspirational sports flick, as sung by Bonnie Tyler."^[38] Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, also gave a mixed review about the song, calling it a "Springsteen-on-steroids bombast" and adding that it features "Clarence Clemons doing almost a parody of a Clarence Clemons sax solo."^[39] "The Edge of Glory" is nominated in the category for Song of the Year at the 38th People's Choice Awards.^[40]

At the end of 2011, Slant Magazine listed "The Edge of Glory" as the eighth best song of the year, with Ed Gonzalez from the website commenting that the song is "a study in radical contrast that, once you sift aside its deliberately dated effects and the legacy of the late Clarence Clemons, is deep down an incredibly delicate ballad. Yes, everyone expects Gaga to make her confessions on the dance floor, but who knew she could make her shouts whisper?"^[41] It was placed at the same rank by Billboard, and at position seven by Rolling Stone.^[42][43]

Chart performance[link]

Gaga performing an acoustic version of "The Edge of Glory" on Europride 2011

In the United States, "The Edge of Glory" debuted at number 31 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, for the issue dated May 28, 2011.^[44] It also debuted at number two on the Hot Digital Songs chart, with sales of 266,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[45] The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number three, and the Radio Songs chart at number 54, with 20 million audience impressions. Gaga became the first artist since Mariah Carey to have her first ten singles enter the top ten of the Hot 100.^[46] The next week, "The Edge of Glory" moved up to number 18 on Pop Songs, becoming the greatest gainer of the week.^[47] However, digital sales dropped by 64% to 98,000 copies, hence the song fell to number 19 on the Hot 100. Nevertheless as the song rose to number 37 on the Radio Songs chart, airplay increased to 30 million audience impressions.^[48] In its third week on the chart, "The Edge of Glory" was again the greatest gaining song on the Pop Songs chart and reached number 14, while debuting at number 33 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.^[49] It was also the greatest gaining digital song, selling 165,000 copies, with overall airplay increasing to 39 million audience impressions, subsequently resulting in the song re-charting of the top ten spots of the Hot 100 at number eight.^[50] "The Edge of Glory" continued its rise in airplay by moving to number 15 on Radio Songs chart with 51 million impressions, while becoming her second fastest rise to the top ten in Pop Songs chart, following the title track from Born This Way. It sold another 166,000 digital downloads, moving up to number seven on the Hot 100 and number 14 on Adult Pop Songs, while debuting at number 46 on Hot Dance Club Songs.^[51][52] The song has reached a peak of number four on Radio Songs, number three on Pop Songs, number one on Hot Dance Club Songs, number 11 on Adult Contemporary and number two on Adult Pop Songs.^[53] "The Edge of Glory" has sold 2,325,000 digital copies in 2011 and became the 29th best-selling song of the year in the United States.^[54] As of March 04, 2012, it has sold 2,440,000 digital downloads in the US.^[55]

"The Edge of Glory" debuted at number three on the Canadian Hot 100 and entered on the Canadian Hot Digital Songs chart at number two, selling 26,000 digital downloads. It was the top debuting song on the contemporary hit radio chart of Canada, at number 42.^[56] After four weeks, the song re-entered the top ten of the Canadian Hot 100, and reached the top ten of the contemporary hit radio chart chart.^[57] In the United Kingdom, "The Edge of Glory" debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart.^[58] After fluctuating down the charts for few weeks, the song rebounded in the top ten on June 26, 2011. Its digital sales increased by 89.1%, helped by the performance of the song on Paul O'Grady Live, which was telecast on three occasions. The telecast also helped in the radio airplay of the song, where it moved up the chart to reach a peak of eleven.^[59] In Australia, it debuted at number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart and in New Zealand it debuted at number three on the RIANZ Singles Chart.^[60] After eleven weeks, the song was certified two-times platinum and gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for shipment of 140,000 and 7,500 copies of the single, respectively.^[61][62] In Ireland, "The Edge of Glory" debuted at number 10 on the Irish Singles Chart, on May 13, 2011, and reached a peak of four.^[63][64] It also debuted at number 19 in Finland,^[65] and at number five on the Spanish Singles Chart.^[66] In France, the song debuted at number seven on the French Singles Chart.^[67] In Germany, the song debuted on the Media Control Charts at number 28, and reached a peak of three.^[68] "The Edge of Glory" sold 44,176 digital downloads in South Korea, to debut at number two on the Gaon International Online Chart on May 22, 2011, and moved to the top of the chart the next week, with further sales of 48,937 copies.^[69]

Music video[link]

Background[link]

At the BMI Pop Music Awards, Gaga's choreographer Laurieann Gibson said that they would be filming the music video for "The Edge of Glory" soon. While she did not reveal much about the music video concept, she added: "I just know that we’ll be feeling very fishy."^[70] Gaga told MTV UK that she had already written the treatment for the video, adding that it's her favorite; she concluded by saying her that production team was not ready for shooting yet.^[8] E! Online reported that a casting call for the video was made, where the agents looked for a Puerto Rican or Dominican origin male. Other roles included a male or female on-air reporter, a doctor role reminiscent to the one in the American show Dr. 90210, and a group of military men for scenes involving rifles.^[71] The music video director was confirmed as Joseph Kahn, but Interscope Records confirmed that Kahn and Gaga parted ways due to collaborative misunderstandings. Gaga's creative team, Haus of Gaga, directed the video instead. Gibson confirmed that there was "some issue in the sets", due to which Kahn was replaced as the director.^[72] Lady Gaga replaced him as the only director: "One canvas, one paintbrush. Respect the art. Very simple rule with me."^[73] Chancler Haynes, Kahn's on-set editor revealed that the mermaid-themed performance of the song, on Le Grand Journal was the actual theme of the video, and included sets built for a hospital scene, Brooklyn Bridge, and a big underwater mermaid scene.^[73] However, at the last minute before shooting, Gaga changed her mind regarding the whole concept, leading to a disagreement with Kahn, and hence it was cancelled. She then shot the scenes with Clarence Clemons in the New York City set.^[73] The music video premiered on June 16, 2011, at the eighth season of US reality television show, So You Think You Can Dance.^[74] During a promotional campaign for Born This Way in Singapore, Gaga talked about the inspiration behind the video:

I wanted to create my sweater set of a video. I wanted to create something that was truly indicative of how I feel about my life right now, which is only after being out for two to three years. I used to dream when I was twelve or thirteen years old that someday I would get to wear Gianni Versace. I would look on the walls at the posters of all the legends that I worshiped and that I could someday make an impact on the Universe the way they did. And I had a fire-escape! Outside my teeny-tiny apartment in New York, and I would put on all my clothes, and go outside on the fire-escape and I would dance. I would play David Bowie, and The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Madonna etc. So I had this whole elaborate video planned for 'The Edge of Glory', but once I got out on the fire-escape and I danced in that one outfit, I realized that it was time to just have a moment to acknowledge myself, as a 25-year old who has been working so hard from the bottom of my heart. What does it feel like to be on your edge of glory?^[75]

Synopsis[link]

Her wardrobe throughout the entire video primarily consists of only one outfit which was designed by Gianni Versace. The dress consists of a S&M inspired outfit, with heavy gold jewelry, studs on the leather, and vibrant nail polish and lipstick. Notable in the video is the absence of back-up dancers, elaborate choreography, or a symbolic plot: components that have all been predominant in Gaga's other music videos. Aside from Gaga herself, Clemons is the only other person to appear in the video.^[76]

It begins with Gaga slowly appearing from behind a building on a deserted street corner. The whole scenario is bathed in red and violet lights, coming from the windows of the buildings and alleyways as smoke billows out from the drains. When the first verse of the song begins, Gaga emerges from the window of an apartment onto the fire escape. A long take follows, of Gaga strutting through the red-lit district singing the line "I got a reason that you should take me home tonight", and a shock of black hair falls in her eyes. Gaga does not remove it and the shot spans to her walking backside, gesturing the viewer to follow.^[76] The video consists mostly of interchanging shots of Gaga dancing and singing on the street, on the fire escape, and on the steps in front of the apartment building with Clemons. Near the end of the video, after Clemons' saxophone solo, Gaga crouches in front of the building's steps and kisses the sidewalk. The video concludes with a close-up of Gaga's face, before she re-enters through the window into her smokey apartment.

Reception[link]

Several critics opined that some scenes in the music video were reminiscent to Madonna's (left) music video for "Papa Don't Preach", and Michael Jackson's (right) music video for "Billie Jean".

Both Jocelyn Vena from MTV and Christian Blauvelt from Entertainment Weekly commented on the similarity of the music video with the Broadway musical, Rent.^[77] Vena also compared the visual aspects of the video with those for Madonna's 1986 single "Papa Don't Preach" and Michael Jackson's 1984 single, "Billie Jean". She concluded by saying that the music video "still manages to shine, mostly because of its simplicity."^[77] In another review, James Montgomery from MTV, also found similarities between the video and the musicals Rent and West Side Story.^[78] Blauvelt was initially surprised to see the simplistic approach Gaga undertook in the video, since her previous videos have been provocating in one way or another. Comparisons ranged from the music video of Gaga's 2009 single "LoveGame" to the eighties revues. Blauvelt added in the end that the video seemed a clear homage to Gaga's inspirations like Madonna, concluding that "all the references in 'The Edge of Glory' are so overt, there’s no way it could be shameless cribbing. It has to be a winking homage to the artists, songs, and videos that meant a lot to Gaga growing up—like a college-student who brings his action figures to his dorm."^[79] The Daily Mail was more critical of the video, feeling that Gaga had again copied Madonna's look, this time the imagery she adorned in the 1987 film, Who's That Girl. They also compared the scenes, where Gaga lies on the pavement while arching her body outwards, to the 1983 musical, Flashdance.^[80] Jarett Wieselman from New York Post tried to understand what actually went wrong with the production, and came to the conclusion that the mutual disagreements between Gaga and Kahn led to the video being a "piece of rubbish". He deemed the whole issue surrounding the production as "foolish", in the end agreeing that "it was foolish of us to expect that GaGa would never stumble because, despite the preternatural image constantly presented, she is only human after all."^[73]

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the video a positive review, calling it a "visual triumph," with "breathtaking" art direction, and a "gray-blue-black color palette carefully calibrated by Gaga's vibrant lipstick and nail polish, a red painted stripe on the curb, and the gold of her jewelry and the studs on her leather, not to mention Clarence Clemons's brass." The video was compared to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You" and "The Pleasure Principle", and the film, Crimes of Passion, all of them being 1980s videos and films. He did, however, criticize Gaga's "half-convincing" lip-synching.^[76] Writing for The Washington Post, Sarah Anne Hughes called the video "shockingly simple".^[81] Rolling Stone's Daniel Kreps gave a mixed review of the video, calling the song "over-the-top" with a "lackluster" and "understated" video. He complimented the 1980s visual feel to the video, but criticized that "there's not much more to the video", and felt that it spent far too much time lingering on shots of Gaga dancing around on a fire escape and prancing down the street. Clarence Clemons' limited role in the video was also criticized, especially since according to him, Gaga and her fans love Clemons.^[82] Peter Robinson of Popjustice gave the video a negative review, stating that it was "complete shit" and that "we just need to accept that Gaga has released an awful video."^[83] Dose magazine's Leah Collins was more neutral in her review, questioning if Gaga was simply "swooning with nostalgia for other pop culture nuggets that have featured the same NYC backdrop of fire escapes and brown-stone steps" or just attempting to "be saving a metric buttload on the budget."^[84] Collins commented on the missing sets for a hospital scene, Brooklyn Bridge, and a big underwater mermaid scene, feeling that it would have made the video definitely better.^[84] While reviewing the video for The Vancouver Sun, Collins compared Gaga's look in the video to a "hooker" from the 1982 American science fiction film, Blade Runner.^[85] Amos Barshad from New York liked the straight approach Gaga took with the video, and although he called it boring compared to Gaga's previous efforts, he felt the video worked well because of the simplicity.^[86]

Live performances[link]

Gaga performing "The Edge of Glory" at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards

Gaga performed an acoustic-jazz version of the song at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Carlisle, Cumbria on May 15, 2011. During the song, she revealed that her record company had told her to keep new material to a minimum, but she said she wanted to air the track in full.^[87] "Well, I was told not to do this, but I don't give a shit. We put this new song out just as a surprise to give you a little taste of the album before it comes out [...] because i want everyone to hear that the album's very deep," she added.^[88][89] Another piano version of the song was performed on May 21, 2011, at the season finale of Saturday Night Live, where Gaga wore a metallic black dress, knee-high boots and a semi-circular metallic headdress.^[90] The full version was performed at the final show of American Idol on May 25, 2011, where she was joined by Clemons in person. Gaga appeared perched atop a mountain top on the "Idol" stage, dressed in a long cape and a bedazzled headpiece draped with hanging chains. A trio of dancers were at the base of the set performing choreographed dance steps while Gaga belted high above them.^[91] She removed the cape and headpiece after the song's first verse, revealing a bikini ensemble, with a flowing blond wig and an oversize cross on her head. The stage was bathed in deep blue light, and she played a piano.^[91] She was joined on top by So You Think You Can Dance contestant Mark Kanemura, who appeared on the edge shirtless, as Clemons started playing the saxophone.^[92] Gaga and her dancer friend, who were laid out at the top of the set during Clemons' sax intermission, rose to their feet during the song's final chorus.^[91] As Gaga sang, "I'm on the edge of glory/ And I'm hanging on a moment with you," they held hands as they moved to the edge of the platform. They embraced, took a breath and then jumped off the edge of the stage, landing out of sight, behind a bed of fake rocks. Steam shot up high in the air and the curtain closed with the end of the performance.^[91] Len Melisurgo frm The Star-Ledger felt that the performance was too "sexually suggestive" for the audience of American Idol and wondered whether Gaga "went just a little too far for a family-oriented show that's geared toward a younger audience?"^[93] Conversely, Adam Graham from MTV News listed it as one of Gaga's most memorable television performances.^[91] Monica Herrera from Billboard listed it as the fourth best performance of the night, and felt that Gaga "channeled Bruce Springsteen" in her personality.^[94]

On May 27, 2011, Gaga performed "The Edge of Glory" on Good Morning America as a part of their "Summer Concert Series". She wore a black ensemble, a black masquerade mask and black lace veil. In the middle of the song she removed the veil, displaying her patterned leather jacket and spikes on her shoulder.^[95] At the sixth cycle of Germany's Next Topmodel, Gaga performed the song on the final show. She was dressed in fishnet tights, knickers, a teal colored bob-cut wig and an asymmetric cape billowing behind her. The performance included a segment where Gaga was portrayed as getting beheaded in a guillotine. Gaga then jumped up with a prosthetic head held aloft, before snarling towards the judges, including Heidi Klum: "I would kill for fashion".^[96] The whole show was broadcast worldwide on the internet.^[97] An acoustic version was later performed at the Europride 2011 in Rome, along with "Born This Way".^[98] At the X Factor show in Paris, Gaga performed it along with "Judas". She wore a fringed dress with long hair extensions and a long blue wig, while playing a keytar.^[99] At the French television show, Le Grand Journal, a mermaid themed performance of "The Edge of Glory" was televised.^[73] Gaga re-created the New York City fire escape sets for the performance of the song on the Paul O'Grady Live show. Ryan Love of Digital Spy had an advance preview of the recording of the show, and complimented the choreography by Gaga and her dancer, during the saxophone interlude.^[100] Gaga opened the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards with a performance of the song, sporting a bejeweled catsuit and a bob teal colored wig.^[101] While on tour in Japan, Gaga performed "The Edge of Glory" and "Born This Way" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan. Gaga was dressed in a sparkly sequined bra and long skirt with a split up each thigh. Her hair was braided and put into two buns atop her head. She started the performance while hanging from a giant spider web, with her aquamarine hair extensions stuck in it. Beginning to sing, Gaga pulled and tugged at the web, and ultimately broke free to join her dancers as she finished the performance.^[102] On October 16, 2011 she performed the song during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for the Clinton Foundation.^[103]

Cover versions[link]

American pop singer Nick Jonas sang an acoustic version of the song in July during his concert at the Westfield Century City in Los Angeles.^[104] Before the performance Jonas announced: "Do you guys mind if I play a couple of songs I like from pop radio right now? Would that be OK? The only problem is, I don't know all the words. So if you know them, sing along."^[104] After watching the performance online, Gaga posted his cover on her Twitter account along with the words "Swoon! Nick Jonas singing The Edge of Glory. On my way to press conference in Taichung, listening to it. So dreamy! X."^[104] British band Friendly Fires covered the song during BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.^[105] Kevin O'Donnell of Spin praised their cover writing: "Gaga's original showcases the pop star's gale force pipes, and Friendly Fires frontman Ed Macfarlane doesn't try to match that energy. Instead, they offer a lovely, cinematic take on the song: Macfarlane croons with the heart-on-sleeve sensitivity of an emo-boy over cascading synth melodies and a breezy funk pulse. Nice!"^[106]

Naya Rivera, Amber Riley, Dianna Agron, and Jenna Ushkowitz cover the song on a season 3 episode of Glee; the song will be available on Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album.

Track listing[link]

• Digital download^[107]

1. "The Edge of Glory" – 5:20

• German CD single^[108]

1. "The Edge of Glory" (Radio Edit) – 4:20
2. "The Edge of Glory" (Cahill Club Mix) – 7:26

• The Edge of Glory – The Remixes^[109]

1. "The Edge of Glory" (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix) – 6:34
2. "The Edge of Glory" (Funkagenda Remix) – 7:53
3. "The Edge of Glory" (Bare Noize Remix) – 3:48
4. "The Edge of Glory" (Porter Robinson Remix) – 6:40
5. "The Edge of Glory" (Cahill Club Remix) – 7:27
6. "The Edge of Glory" (Foster The People Remix) – 6:10

Credits and personnel[link]

• Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriter, producer, keyboards, background vocals
• Fernando Garibay – songwriter, producer, programming, keyboards
• DJ White Shadow – songwriter and drum programming
• Clarence Clemons – saxophone
• Kareem "Jesus" Devlin – guitars
• Dave Russell – recording at The Living Room Studios, Oslo, Norway; audio mixing at Germano Studios, New York, New York
• Gene Grimaldi – audio mastering at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, California
• George Tandaro – assistant
• Ken Knapstad – assistant
• Kenta Yonesaka – assistant
• Kevin Porter – assistant
• Al Carlson – assistant

Credits adapted from Born This Way album liner notes.^[110]

Charts and certifications[link]

Radio add and release history[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance singles of 2011 (U.S.)
• List of number-one international songs of 2011 (South Korea)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mapes, Jillian (2011-05-22). "Lady Gaga Has 'Threeway' With Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg on 'SNL' Finale". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/column/viralvideos/lady-gaga-has-threeway-with-justin-timberlake-1005196352.story#/column/viralvideos/lady-gaga-has-threeway-with-justin-timberlake-1005196352.story. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 

The Edge
Background information
Birth name	David Howell Evans
Born	(1961-08-08) 8 August 1961 (age 50) Barking, Essex, England, United Kingdom
Origin	County Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Rock, post-punk, alternative rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, activist
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, keyboards, piano, bass guitar
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Island, Mercury
Associated acts	U2, Passengers
Website	www.u2.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Explorer Fender Stratocaster Gibson Les Paul Fender Telecaster Gretsch Country Gentleman Gretsch White Falcon Rickenbacker 330/12

David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), more widely known by his stage name The Edge (or just Edge),^[1] is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record. As a guitarist, The Edge has crafted a minimalistic and textural style of playing. His use of a rhythmic delay effect yields a distinctive ambient, chiming sound that has become a signature of U2's music.

The Edge was born in England to a Welsh family, but was raised in Ireland after moving there as an infant. In 1976, at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, he formed U2 with his fellow students and his older brother Dik. Inspired by the ethos of punk rock and its basic arrangements, the group began to write its own material. They eventually became one of the most popular acts in popular music, with successful albums such as 1987's The Joshua Tree and 1991's Achtung Baby. Over the years, The Edge has experimented with various guitar effects and introduced influences from several genres of music into his own style, including American roots music, industrial music, and alternative rock. With U2, The Edge has also played keyboards, co-produced their 1993 record Zooropa, and occasionally contributed lyrics. The Edge met his second and current wife, Morleigh Steinberg, through her collaborations with the band.

As a member of U2 and as an individual, The Edge has campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes. He co-founded Music Rising, a charity to support musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has collaborated with U2 bandmate Bono on several projects, including songs for Roy Orbison and Tina Turner, and the soundtracks to the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and the Royal Shakespeare Company's London stage adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine placed him at number 38 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Personal life[link]

The Edge at a U2 concert in Anaheim (2005)

David Howell Evans was born at the Barking Maternity Hospital,^[2] Essex, England to Welsh parents Garvin and Gwenda Evans.^[1] When he was one, his family moved to County Dublin, Ireland where he attended St Andrew's National School. He received piano and guitar lessons and often performed with his brother Dik Evans before they both answered an advertisement posted by Larry Mullen, Jr. at their school, Mount Temple Comprehensive School, seeking musicians to form a band.^[3] The band accepted both of them. This band went through several incarnations before emerging as U2 in March 1978 (Dik Evans left the band just before the name change).^[3] U2 began performing in various venues in Ireland and eventually began developing a following. Their debut album, Boy, was released in 1980.

In 1981, leading up to the October tour, Evans came very close to leaving U2 for religious reasons, but he decided to stay.^[3] During this period, he became involved with a group called Shalom Tigers, in which bandmates Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. were also involved.^[4] Shortly after deciding to remain with the band, he wrote a piece of music that later became "Sunday Bloody Sunday".^[3] The Edge married his high school girlfriend Aislinn O'Sullivan on 12 July 1983.^[5] The couple had three daughters together: Hollie in 1984, Arran in 1985 and Blue Angel in 1989.^[4] The couple separated in 1990, but were unable to get officially divorced because of Irish laws regarding marriage annulment; divorce was legalised in 1995 and the couple were legally divorced in 1996.^[4]

In 1993, The Edge began dating Morleigh Steinberg, a professional dancer and choreographer employed by the band as a belly dancer during the Zoo TV Tour. They had a daughter, Sian (born 1997), and a son, Levi (born 25 October 1999),^[4] before marrying on 22 June 2002.^[4] He appeared in the 2009 music documentary film It Might Get Loud.^[6] The Edge has been criticized for his efforts to build five luxury mansions on a 156 acre plot of land in Malibu, California.^[7] The California Coastal Commission voted 8-4 against the plans, with the project described by the commission's executive director, Peter Douglas, as "In 38 years...one of the three worst projects that I've seen in terms of environmental devastation...It's a contradiction in terms – you can't be serious about being an environmentalist and pick this location."^[7] The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy agreed to remain neutral on the issue following a $1 million donation from The Edge and a commitment from The Edge to designate 100 acres of the land as open space for public footpaths.^[7]

Music style[link]

Guitar playing[link]

As a guitar player, The Edge has a sound typified by a low-key playing style, a chiming, shimmering sound (thanks in part to the sound of VOX AC-30s) that he achieves with extensive use of delay effects and reverb. The feedback delay is often set to a dotted eighth note (3/16 of a measure), and the feedback gain is adjusted until a note played repeats two or three times.^{[citation needed]}

On 1987's The Joshua Tree, The Edge often contributes just a few simple lead lines given depth and richness by an ever-present delay. For example, the introduction to "Where the Streets Have No Name" is simply a repeated six-note arpeggio, broadened by a modulated delay effect. The Edge has said that he views musical notes as "expensive", in that he prefers to play as few notes as possible. He said in 1982 of his style,

"I like a nice ringing sound on guitar, and most of my chords I find two strings and make them ring the same note, so it's almost like a 12-string sound. So for E I might play a B, E, E and B and make it ring. It works very well with the Gibson Explorer. It's funny because the bass end of the Explorer was so awful that I used to stay away from the low strings, and a lot of the chords I played were very trebly, on the first four, or even three strings. I discovered that through using this one area of the fretboard I was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way."^[9]

Many different influences have shaped The Edge's guitar technique.^{[citation needed]} His first guitar was an old acoustic guitar that his mother bought him at a local flea market for only a few pounds; he was nine at the time. He and his brother Dik Evans both experimented with this instrument.^[9] He said in 1982 of this early experimentation, "I suppose the first link in the chain was a visit to the local jumble sale where I purchased a guitar for a pound. That was my first instrument. It was an acoustic guitar and me and my elder brother Dik both played it, plonking away, all very rudimentary stuff, open chords and all that."^[9] The Edge has stated that many of his guitar parts are based around guitar effects. This is especially true from the Achtung Baby era onwards, although much of the band's 1980s material made heavy use of echos.

Vocals[link]

The Edge in June 2005

The Edge also supplies the backing vocals for U2. U2's 1983 live album and video release, Under a Blood Red Sky and Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky are good reference points for his singing (as are the live DVDs from the Elevation Tour, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle and Elevation 2001: Live from Boston). For example, he sings the chorus to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Bono harmonizes on the final 'Sunday'). U2 used this tradeoff technique later in "Bullet the Blue Sky" as well. His backing vocals are sometimes in the form of a repeated cry; examples of songs that use this approach include "Beautiful Day", "New Year's Day" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". Another technique he uses in his backing vocals is the falsetto, in songs such as "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", "A Man and a Woman", "The Wanderer", live versions of "The Fly", and "Window in the Skies".

The Edge sings the lead vocal on "Van Diemen's Land" and "Numb", the first half of the song "Seconds", dual vocals with Bono in "Discotheque", and the bridge in the song "Miracle Drug".^[4] He also sings the occasional lead vocal in live renditions of other songs (such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" during the PopMart Tour and "Party Girl" during the Rotterdam Zoo TV show when it was Bono's birthday).^[10] He also plays a solo acoustic version of the song "Love is Blindness" that is featured in the documentary film From the Sky Down.

Other instruments[link]

He has played piano and keyboards on many of the band's songs, including "I Fall Down", "October", "So Cruel", "New Year's Day", "Running to Stand Still", "Miss Sarajevo", "The Hands that Built America", and "Original of the Species" and others. He plays the organ on "Please". In live versions of "New Year's Day", "The Unforgettable Fire", "Your Blue Room", and "Moment of Surrender", he plays both the piano and guitar parts alternately. In most live versions of "Original of the Species," piano is the only instrument played during the song. Although The Edge is the band's lead guitarist, he occasionally plays bass guitar, including the live performances of the song "40" where The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton switch instruments.

Solo recordings[link]

In addition to his regular role within U2, The Edge has also recorded with such artists as Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Tina Turner, Ronnie Wood, Jay-Z, and Rihanna. The Edge connected with Brian Eno and Lanois collaborator Michael Brook (the creator of the infinite guitar, which he regularly uses), working with him on the score to the film Captive (1986). From this soundtrack the song "Heroine", the vocal of which was sung by a young Sinéad O'Connor was released as a single.

He also created the theme song for season one and two of The Batman. He and fellow U2 member, Bono, wrote the lyrics to the theme of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. The Edge, along with bandmate Bono, recently composed a musical adaptation of Spider-Man. On May 25, 2011, a single titled Rise Above 1: Reeve Carney Featuring Bono and The Edge was released digitally.^[11] The music video was released on July 28, 2011.^[12]

Musical equipment[link]

Edge's 1964 Vox AC30 on stage in Foxborough for the U2 360° Tour.

The Edge plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar (on "40" and "Race Against Time") and lap steel guitar. Compared to many lead guitarists, The Edge is known for using many more guitars during a show. According to his guitar tech Dallas Schoo, a typical lead guitarist uses four or five different guitars in one night, whereas The Edge takes 45 on the road, and uses 17 to 19 in one 2.5-hour concert. He is estimated to have more than 200 guitars in the studio.^{[citation needed]}

Philanthropy[link]

In 2005, The Edge along with Bob Ezrin and Henry Juszkiewicz co-founded Music Rising, a charity that helped provide replacement instruments for those that were lost in Hurricane Katrina. The instruments were originally only replaced for professional musicians but they soon realized the community churches and schools needed instruments as well. The charity's slogan is "Rebuilding the Gulf Region note by note" and has so far helped over a hundred musicians who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Edge also serves on the board of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving global health by advancing angiogenesis-based medicine, diets, and lifestyle.^[13]

See also[link]

• Timeline of U2
• List of people on stamps of Ireland

References[link]

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (October 2011)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Edge

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Edge

• U2.com, official U2 site
• Music Rising
• The Edge at the Internet Movie Database
• The Edge – Album Credits
• A Study of The Edge's Guitar Delay
• The Edge: 'It's all about the vision'
• Food Bank For New York City public service announcement
• Comment on the mathematical analysis of The Edge's guitar sound