Lady Gaga, “The Edge Of Glory”

A five-minute album closer dominated by an extended saxophone solo from the E Street Band‘s Clarence Clemons may not be most pop stars’ idea of a hit single, but for Lady Gaga, it’s practically conventional. On “The Edge of Glory,” the third proper single from Gaga’s much-touted sophomore album, “Born This Way,” highbrow European electronica finds a home alongside ’80s power ballads, with the two styles melded seamlessly by glorious synthesizers. Clemons’ standout sax solo is, in fact, the highlight of the uplifting track, but it’s also the curveball element that nestles the track among the burst of weirdness that is “Born This Way.” Not only is “The Edge of Glory” a stronger single choice than misguided predecessor “Judas,” it’s a club-ready anthem ripe for fist-pumping glorification all summer long.