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Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory’ Inaugurates the Summer of Sax

And, third time is a charm! Following the release of “Born This Way” and “Judas,” two overstuffed singles that didn’t really hit it out of the Song of Summer ballpark (and the Song of Summer is really what’s up for grabs here), Gaga has gone and rushed out her third single, “Edge of Glory,” and, boy, if it doesn’t go down relatively easy. If the first two tracks off the forthcoming Born This Way were all jangly dance-rock, this is as smooth as an eighties jam straight off the Flashdance soundtrack, and it has the saxophone breakdown to prove it. (At this point, it should be clear this is the song Gaga recorded with Clarence Clemons, of the E Street Band.) The presence of a sax on this track raises the very real and very awesome possibility that there will soon be a saxophone battle going down on the pop charts in this, the year 2011. Katy Perry’s next single, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F),” another Song of Summer contender, also has a saxophone breakdown. (The Killers might want to consider rereleasing “Joy Ride,” off 2008’s Day & Age, if they want to capitalize on this new “trend.”) If for no other reason than that “sax” is an extremely fun, extremely juvenile word to make puns out of, we would be pro this development, but there is, of course, an even better reason — and that is that saxes are awesome. More sax please. More sax for everyone.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory’ Inaugurates the Summer of Sax