Love for Sale

Gaga and Bennett put together a nostalgic tribute to Cole Porter

By Sanjali Roy

“Love for Sale” is a collaborative album between Tony Bennett (who is 95 years old!) and Lady Gaga. The album is a time machine that transports you to the 1930s. The jazz record is a tribute to composer and songwriter Cole Porter; all the songs are covers. 

The album starts off with the lively “It’s De-Lovely,” which is full of tempo changes and trumpets. The title track starts with an upbeat melody that contrasts with the commentary on how love is used as a commodity in our society. “So In Love” is the closest to sounding sinister in this album—it talks about love that borders on obsessive. The following “Let’s Do It” stands in sharp contrast because it’s hilarious, light-hearted, and reckless. Its witty lyrics are characteristic of Bennett: “Birds do it, bees do it / Even educated fleas do it.” The album ends with “Dream Dancing,” which sounds exactly as it should: it paints a picture of a couple swaying back and forth slowly “between a sky serene / and fields of green.” 

I think the reason behind the album title is that every song represents a different kind of love. When taken all together, they represent a market of different kinds of romantic relationships—from flings like in “Just One of Those Things” to the kind where the other person is phenomenal, like in “You’re the Top.” Gaga and Bennett prove that age isn’t a barrier. True love connects us all—and it’s the only kind that’s not for sale.