Lady Gaga Vs. Bruno Mars: Who Mas More No. 1 Songs?
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are two 2010s icons who collaborated on a new song called “Die with a Smile.” Maybe that song will become a No. 1 single in the United States and maybe it won’t. What we do know is that both Mother Monster and the “Grenade” singer have topped the charts many times.
Lady Gaga’s released 5 No. 1 songs so far
So far, Gaga has given us five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles. The first two, “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” came from her first album, The Fame. The fact that her first two singles reached No. 1 signaled the arrival of a bold new talent in pop music. The songs were both fun dance-pop tracks, but “Poker Face” was a bit darker. “Poker Face” really paved the way for Gaga to go in more experimental directions.
Her next album, The Fame Monster, produced zero chart toppers, but the title song from the album Born This Way reached No. 1. It reached the pinnacle of the chart for six weeks, making it her longest-lasting No. 1 song. While “Born This Way” is not one of Gaga’s more impressive tunes, it has become a lasting anthem for the LGBTQ community. You can bet on hearing it played at least once at every pride parade in the Western world until the end of time.
Gaga’s next two chart-toppers were “Shallow” and “Rain On Me.” The former was a duet with Bradley Cooper while the latter was a duet with Ariana Grande. As compositions, the two tracks could not be more different, as the former was a rock ballad while the latter was an up-tempo house track. Regardless, it seems like Gaga is starting to lean on other stars to find success, including Cooper, Grande, Mars, and Joker: Folie à Deux star Jared Leto.
Bruno Mars had even more No. 1 hits
Mars, on the other hand, was even more successful on the charts than Gaga. He’s released eight Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles thus far. The tracks in question are “Nothin’ on You,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man,” “Uptown Funk!,” “That’s What I Like,” and “Leave the Door Open.”
While Gaga gave us four chart-topping dance tracks alongside a chart-topping rock ballad, Mars’ biggest hits are more musically eclectic. Just by listening to his big hits, you can hear that he’s dabbled in rap, funk, reggae rock, piano ballads, and pop.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars both changed music
The real question is this: who had the better run of No. 1 singles? That depends on personal taste. Someone who loves club music will probably gravitate toward Gaga’s music while an R&B fan will gravitate toward Mars’. Either way, it’s obvious that both singers had a significant impact on popular culture. We might not have Kesha, Halsey, or Ava Max without Gaga and we might not have Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, or some of BTS’ funkier stuff without Mars.
We don’t know if Gaga and Mars are going to top the charts again with their new single but there’s a good chance they are going to release more audio magic for years to come.
