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Cheek to Cheek (2014)

Where the lyrics of Cheek to Cheek take you, and where it was really made.

Lady Gaga's first jazz album was announced in January 2013, but it took about twenty months and several delays before it reached stores.

Key places

Recording site in Astoria (2014)

Recording site Kaufman Astoria Studios — Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, New York, is credited on the album as one of its recording sites. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording site in Manhattan (2014)

Recording site Manhattan Center Studios — Manhattan Center Studios in Manhattan is credited on the album as a recording site, alongside Kaufman Astoria Studios. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Live taping at Lincoln Center (2014)

Live show Atlantic Studios (New York City) — "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" was recorded live during the taping of the duo's show at Lincoln Center, without rehearsal. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Cheek to Cheek: the first collaborative album by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
• Released by Columbia, Streamline and Interscope Records
• First released in Australia and Germany on 19 September 2014; US release date set at 23 September 2014
• Consists of jazz standards by composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin
• Made to introduce these standards to a younger generation, since the artists believed the songs have universal appeal

Background

• Bennett and Gaga first met at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City in 2011
• They recorded "The Lady Is a Tramp" together, which led to plans for a jazz project
• Bennett had asked Gaga to sing a duet with him on his album Duets II
• In January 2013 both artists announced the album
• Recording began after Gaga recovered from hip surgery
• Gaga said her earlier pop albums, including The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way, did not let her reach her full vocal potential
• Gaga described the album as a "rebellious" and "liberating" record for her

Recording

• Recorded over a year in New York City with a live band and jazz musicians associated with both artists
• Recording started in spring 2013, delayed by Gaga's hip surgery and the cancellation of her Born This Way Ball tour
• Bennett's quartet took part, including Mike Renzi, Gray Sargent, Harold Jones and Marshall Wood, along with pianist Tom Lanier
• Songs were recorded live with the band
• Gaga sang the solo "Lush Life"

Cover

• Photographer Steven Klein shot the album covers and shaped the packaging ideas
• Gaga revealed the official cover on 18 August 2014
• The standard edition shows Bennett and Gaga in a New York newspaper with the album name above the image
• The deluxe edition uses the same image without the newspaper

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in Manhattan, New York City.
• Signed with Interscope Records in 2007; Streamline Records was an Interscope imprint.
• Debut album The Fame (2008) and reissue The Fame Monster (2009) brought global recognition.

Career

• Born This Way (2011) debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 1.1 million first-week sales in the US.
• Expanded into jazz with Tony Bennett on Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021).
• Acting: American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), A Star Is Born (2018), House of Gucci (2021).
• Chromatica (2020) and Mayhem (2025) returned to pop; the Mayhem Ball concluded in April 2026 as her highest-grossing tour.
• Estimated sales of 124 million records; 16 Grammy Awards; 22 MTV Video Music Awards.
• Philanthropy and activism focus on mental health and LGBTQ rights; founded the Born This Way Foundation in 2012.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Generally positive reviews on release, with critics praising the vocal chemistry between Bennett and Gaga
• Metacritic: average score of 64 from 12 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• MTV News, Gil Kaufman: praised the album, calling Bennett and Gaga "a match made in heaven"
• The Guardian, Caroline Sullivan: four out of five stars, saying "Gaga is a wonder"
• The Times, Will Hodgkinson: four out of five stars
• Chicago Tribune, Howard Reich: favorable review, saying the album serves up the real thing from start to finish
• Daily Beast, Ted Gioia: said any singer matching up with Tony Bennett needs to get loud and assertive
• Digital Spy, Lewis Corner: four out of five stars, praising the vocal mix
• Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan: three out of five stars, praising Gaga's vocals
• AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine: mixed review, saying the personalities sit ahead of the music
• Slant Magazine, Alexa Camp: two out of five stars, criticizing the vocals
• Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood: complimented Gaga's vocals but criticized the project as a whole

Reappraisal

• Billboard, July 2019: named it the fourth most successful collaborative album of all time in the United States, across all genres

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 131,000 copies in its first week
• Won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards
• Sold more than 773,000 copies in the United States as of February 2019; RIAA gold certification for over 500,000 shipped copies
• Debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart; Music Canada Platinum for 80,000 shipped copies
• Debuted at number ten on the UK Albums Chart; BPI silver for over 60,000 copies in November 2015
• Debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart; ARIA Gold for 35,000 copies
• Debuted at number seven on the Oricon albums chart in Japan; won Jazz Album of the Year at the 2015 Japan Gold Disc Awards
• Debuted at number nine in France; sold 40,000 copies according to SNEP

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Bennett and Gaga announced the title on Twitter in January 2013, after she performed with him at the final inaugural ball of President Obama's second inauguration.
• The final release date was announced on The Today Show on 29 July 2014.
• Gaga had carpets placed on the studio floor during recording, so the room looked like a film set and could be photographed.
• "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" was not rehearsed; the piano arrangement was made the night before the Lincoln Center taping and the song was recorded live in front of the audience.
• Three songs from the album were used in ESPN's advertising for the 2014 US Open tennis tournament.
• Bennett said he and Gaga might record a follow-up album soon, and that they were also inspired by Cole Porter's 1936 musical Red, Hot and Blue.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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