"John Wayne" is a genre-bending track that fuses with elements of country, disco, funk, and house .

Fans and critics often link the lyrics "He called, I cried, we broke" to Gaga's 2016 breakup with actor Taylor Kinney . Musical Composition and Production

The track features high-profile production from Mark Ronson , BloodPop , and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, the latter of whom contributed the song's signature gritty guitar and drums.

"John Wayne" by Lady Gaga , a standout track from her 2016 album Joanne , is a high-octane exploration of Americana, toxic masculinity, and the personal cycles of attraction.

Gaga has revealed that the song's exploration of "wild men" is rooted in her relationship with her father, Joe Germanotta. She described her father as a "wild man" who used recklessness to cope with the early loss of his sister, a cycle Gaga finds herself mirroring in her romantic life.