“Hey Girl” [ft. Florence Welch]

“Madonna and I are very different. Just saying.” This might as well be written on Lady Gaga’s tombstone. Instead, it’s the diplomatic answer she’ll be forced to give again and again—to fluffy interviewers like Zane Lowe, even, as she did last night. It’s these kinds of frustrating lady-on-lady comparisons that Gaga fights on “Hey Girl,” the highlight of her new album, *Joanne. *With Florence Welch by her side, Gaga rejects the commonly held belief (particularly in pop) that only one woman can reign.

Now, there’s every reason to be skeptical of Top 40’s trend towards feminism in the years following Beyoncé’s wide-armed embrace of the F-word. The similarities between being a pop star and being a political activist start and end at attempting to win over the world. As such, empowerment pop from the major labels often feels defanged.

What makes “Hey Girl” work, despite all this, is that instead of simply *telling *listeners that successful women can be supportive friends, Gaga *shows *it—throws a groovy party for that revelation, really. She weaves her voice together with Flo’s atop relaxed-fit space-funk that benefits from Welch’s signature harp/strings and the start-stop pacing of “Bennie and the Jets.” Their voices sound different but ultimately better together than they do alone, which is the entire point: This is feminist shine theory on pop’s main stage, Lenny Letter in song form. “We don't need to keep on one-in’ up another,” Gaga declares confidently in the chorus. “If you lose your way/Just know that I got you,” Flo counters.

The song’s title might bring to mind (if not the Ryan Gosling meme) something resembling the Flight of the Conchords paying homage to Prince. Sonically, that’s not so far off from the realities of “Hey Girl,” and though it seems a strange mix of laidback levity for a message song, the two hit the right notes nonetheless. Lest we forget that Gaga can be quite good with a duet partner. Just don’t compare them.