Sabienna Bowman of Bustle magazine felt that although Wayne did not have any connection with Gaga, his films served as the "perfect metaphor" for the song's protagonist and her craving for wild men. The song derives its title from John Wayne, an actor who starred in Western films. In an interview with Zane Lowe at Beats 1, Gaga revealed that with "John Wayne" she explored her constant need to chase wild men, and how she keeps getting "bored of the same old John". The track's lyrics allude to smoking cannabis, and dating working-class men from Republican states, rather than urban men. The track has "tongue-in-cheek" lyrics, referring to a cowboy in the opening verse: "I just love a cowboy, I know it's bad, but I'm, like, can I just hang off the back of your horse and can you go a little faster?" According to Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times, classifying the genre of the song is difficult as it combines "tinny Euro-house synths, slowed-down funk drums and a boot-scooting bass line straight out of Nashville". Gaga's vocals span the nodes of A 4 to D 6, and its chord progression follows a basic sequence of B 5–A 5–E–B 5–A 5.s It is a pop rock song, which has influences of other genres including country, disco, funk, and house music. "John Wayne" is composed in the key of B minor with a tempo of 92 beats per minute. Homme added a guitar part to the song after Ronson reached out to him. Other personnel included Mark Ronson, who played bass and guitar for the song, BloodPop, who processed the rhythm track and synthesizers and Josh Homme, who played drums and guitar. Tom Elmhirst mixed the song at Electric Lady Studios, with assistance from Joe Visciano and Brandon Bost. Recording concluded at Dragonfly Recording Studios, in Malibu, assisted by Charley Pollard. He continued recording at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, assisted by Barry McCready. They also recorded the song at Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, California, with Justin Smith.
She began recording at Shangri-La Studios, in Malibu, California, with Joshua Blair, assisted by David Covell. Lady Gaga recorded "John Wayne" at four locations in the United States. Gaga performed "John Wayne" as part of her set at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2016, the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and at the Joanne World Tour (2017–2018).Īmerican actor John Wayne, the song's namesake, in 1961 The clip received positive feedback for hearkening back to Gaga's older videos, and taking inspiration from action films. It continues a storyline that started with the videos for singles " Perfect Illusion" and " Million Reasons", and portrays Gaga in different action-packed sequences.
Jonas Åkerlund directed the song's accompanying music video released on February 8, 2017, through Apple Music. The song had minor chart placements in Hungary and the United Kingdom. Reviewers noted the song's tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and some of them criticized its musical composition. Some critics felt that "John Wayne" might portray Gaga's relationship with her ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney. The lyrics talk about Gaga's romantic craving for a wild, blue-collar man and smoking cannabis. It derives its name from American actor John Wayne, who was known for his roles in Western films. "John Wayne" is a pop rock song that features elements of country, disco, funk, and house music. Gaga co-wrote and co-produced the track with Mark Ronson and BloodPop, with additional writing from Josh Homme who also played guitar. " John Wayne" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga, for her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016).