Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is absolutely amazing and I'd say she's the one pop star that not only has the looks and the hooks, but has the throat and the heart to back it up. Gaga has a great voice and she truly loves her fans. She's not just some vehicle manfactured by the industry to sell albums and digital singles; she's been on the music scene for a long time and has been playing gigs and clubs since her mid-to-late teens. The girl has been working hard for a long time, and it's about time that her persistence has paid off. She's an inspiring person and performer, and has given me more inspiration than I ever would have imagined. This might sound cheesy, but the lessons I learned from Gaga is that you should be proud to be you and to look how you want to look and to wear what you want to wear. Turn everything into fashion. Stay humble, be assertive, and have fun! Or, in my case, unapologetically wear sleeveless t-shirts and pink belts, sing "Poker Face" at karaoke with all of my heart, and grow a mohawk.

The Fame is almost tame in comparison to The Fame Monster, but both albums are pretty f---ing awesome. I mean, how can you compare songs like "Boys, Boys, Boys" and "Eh, Eh, (Nothing Else I Can Say)" to tracks like "Dance in the Dark" and "Bad Romance"? Completely different realms of pop. While both albums are brilliant in their own way (Fame is more lightly produced and almost happy while Fame Monster has more twists and turns and some darker tunes), I prefer The Fame Monster for several reasons, the least of which isn't "Telephone", the album's blockbuster track that I knew would be huge the first time I heard it. (Don knows what I'm talkin' about!) I can't recommend one over the other, the same way that I wouldn't be able to recommend having only one side of a coin. The Fame has her breakout hits, some amazingly produced and fun songs ("I Like It Rough" = 2009 anthem) and shows where she started with her pop music, and The Fame Monster takes it a step further and shows a darker side with less focus on fun and fame, and more on the less attractive things about life ("Monster" = 2010 anthem).

Anyway. Lady Gaga is f---ing incredible, puts on one hell of a show and is my number one artist. ROMAAA RRRAA MAA MAAAA!!

EDIT: I fully realize that half of this post is Youtube-comment-quality fan jibberish, and I am 100% OK with it.

Last edited by Zane (Jan 24, 2010)

Been checking out some of the remixes now, and the Chew Fu ones definitely appear to be the best.  Bad Romance and especially Paparazzi are awesome.

Zane wrote:

Anyway. Lady Gaga is f---ing incredible, puts on one hell of a show and is my number one artist.

Were you ever able to see her in concert?  She played the Monster Ball tour in Boston late last year, right?  Sort of wished I'd discovered her sooner, as I would have loved to take in one of the Radio City Music Hall showings here in NYC this past week.  (I think Don was talking about attending.  Wonder if he made it?)

Ramza wrote:

3) all of her performance art seems to be a game for the observant follower. Is she REALLY obsessed with fame? Is she making a critique about the world around her, or is the critique made of herself, or BOTH? Or is this NOT a critique at all, but just a simple expression of life as-is?

If what I said in point 3 has any bearing to reality, Gaga is either criticizing or else LAMENTING the rise and fall of people like Britney Spears.

I would say that was the point of The Fame Monster. Deliberately creating the dichotomy I referenced earlier. The thematic elements present in said album appear to back that inference up.

I do agree on the overt sexual themes. I think that's why I had such a hard time getting into her music originally.

All this talk about Gaga, and I still don't feel at all like checking her music out. None at all, no idea why.

Am I the only one who can't stop calling her Lady-O Gaga?

I remember seeing her on TV a few years ago and thinking that she was a Swedish import, so I think the Ace of Base and ABBA comparisons are apt. I enjoyed her performance but thought she had no chance of mainstream success in the US because she just sounded so European. Shows how much I know. She remained off my radar after that, aside from the ubiquitous "Just Dance" and "Poker Face," which were fun but nothing extraordinary. I finally decided to check out her albums recently and was pleasantly surprised that her non-single tracks were much more to my liking.

Do yourself a favor and track down some of the remixes. The Pet Shop Boys remix of "Eh, Eh" is Eh-mazing, as are her acoustic performances.

Angela wrote:

I'm still absorbing the entirety of the two-in-one album, but my favorites so far are the La Isla Bonita-inspired Alejandro,

My first thought was ABBA's "Fernando" because of the lyrics, but musically it sounds more like Ace of Base's "Don't Turn Around." I'm not the only one who thought that, it seems. There's a mash-up of all three up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtk15cHRs84

Edit: And make sure you don't miss Lady Gaga's Christmas album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsnat7Wv--A

Last edited by shdwrlm3 (Jan 26, 2010)

Oh snap, Paper Gangsta blew out my iPod docking station's left speaker. o_O  But it was worth it, because that bassy backbeat is just too dope.  Teeth has also quickly risen up the ranks as one of my all-time personal favorites.

That MTV Boiling Point episode..... it's surreal seeing her as a brunette. ;)

Zane wrote:

My man DJ Dan Alcala just released his remix of "Bad Romance"

Light on the fluff, slick on the electronics, and clean, meaty accentuation on the backdrop and main vocal performance -- very cool.  I only wished he held back a little more on the reverb/flange that starts up at 1:26. (On the Youtube version.  It does sound more subdued and better implemented in the MP3 itself.) 

I liked the way he goes against conventions and held back on the "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh" chorus at 2:11 that usually follows "I want your loving and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance."  And that synthy accompaniment that comes in at 3:41?  Awesome sauce.

Adam Corn wrote:

But just heard Telephone today and it is epic.  I read it charted even without a proper single release; now that that's out and with Japan-favorite Beyonce co-starring it's gonna be huge here.  Already is back home I suppose.

Speaking of, the much anticipated music video for Telephone finally debuted this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ95z6ywcBY

It's a nine minute smorgasbord of cheeky fun pop-culture references, homages, and guest appearances.  Hey, Jai Rodriguez!

Terrible, just like all her other songs.   Greatest pop star my ass.  RIP Michael Jackson.

jb wrote:

Terrible, just like all her other songs.   Greatest pop star my ass.  RIP Michael Jackson.

I love Michael and Gaga, but come on, man. That's like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari.

Some of her B-side tracks are incredible.  I'm really hoping songs like No Way, Reloaded, and Second Time Around see official releases someday.

I don't know if I've heard anything else by her, but "Poker Face" is so f---ing horrible I wish whoever came up with that shit drinks a bottle full of poison or, better yet, kills itself by running head first into a brick wall.