Jordan is correct.
― Tim F, Friday, 13 November 2009 02:46 (3 years ago) Permalink
I agree.
― LeRooLeRoo, Friday, 13 November 2009 02:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
Alejandro = Ace of Base redux. I still think most of her music is strictly for tacky queers, but her acoustic sets are her only redeeming quality and deserve their own album.
― Spinspin Sugah, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:08 (3 years ago) Permalink
I don't understand the "biggest melting pot" thing...sure there are a couple different things going on in her music at once, but that can be said of virtually everything else on the pop charts.
― some dude, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:09 (3 years ago) Permalink
"tacky queers"... wow :|
― The Brainwasher, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:09 (3 years ago) Permalink
I'm a queer, if that helps.
― Spinspin Sugah, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
helps explain why you're tacky enough to like Lady Gaga?
― some dude, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:16 (3 years ago) Permalink
wow, you're a GENIUS...who obviously can't read.
― Spinspin Sugah, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:20 (3 years ago) Permalink
so like my aptitude is mainly in math or something?
― some dude, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:21 (3 years ago) Permalink
remember that you also speak 5+ languages
― see-those-tit-ies (J0rdan S.), Friday, 13 November 2009 03:24 (3 years ago) Permalink
and also fluent in talking shit....don't forget that.
― Spinspin Sugah, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:27 (3 years ago) Permalink
If Gaga makes tacky queer music then I think it's impressive that she's managed to impact the mainstream charts as she has. All social implications aside it's certainly unusual, considering that hip-hop/rnb have dominated the charts for so much of the decade. Is this a harbinger of things to come?
(I know she has been called rnb but personally I file her squarely under pop)
― musically, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
All I needed to know about the popularity of "Bad Romance": the emo-loving anti-pop/anti-life recruitment editor at the newspaper has been humming the chorus all day, and sheepishly apologizing each time.
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 13 November 2009 03:37 (3 years ago) Permalink
I fucking love her videos, and thought her MTV Awards performance was fantastic, but not one of her songs has been worth a crap yet. "Paparazzi" comes closest to being good, but even that falls flat for me. The melodies and choruses just aren't strong enough, and they're musically very ordinary. They have to be worthy of the videos, and so far they're not.
― neither good nor bad, just a kid like you (unperson), Friday, 13 November 2009 03:45 (3 years ago) Permalink
if u think theres no 'tacky queer music' in mainstream r&b youre kidding yourself
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 03:46 (3 years ago) Permalink
finally gave in and listened to 'bad romance'. she's still a regrettable being but it's easily the best song i've heard from her. faint praise, but it's a decent song
― k3vin k., Friday, 13 November 2009 03:47 (3 years ago) Permalink
i'd love to know who in mainstream r&b makes "music strictly for tacky queers" so i can buy their album
― musically, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:55 (3 years ago) Permalink
ne-yo?
― see-those-tit-ies (J0rdan S.), Friday, 13 November 2009 03:56 (3 years ago) Permalink
when I think of rnb for tacky queers I think of something like Boom Boom Pow, except better.
― musically, Friday, 13 November 2009 03:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
It's hardly new or surprising that she's as successful as she is...even among the TACKY QUEERS. She wrote for Britney and obviously can write annoyingly catchy, disposable pop, but it's still pretty impressive how we're talking about her in the context of competing with hip hop/r&b....or rather, you are. I loathed even hearing people say "GaGa" up until I saw her acoustic performance of Poker Face, which was beyond entertaining. I think she's purely a spectacle at this point, with the potential to be more later. It's like, I'm reluctant to give her ANY credit, but you can't deny the obvious "Gaga Effect" that's taken place in music since her arrival. For better or for worse, she is going to be referenced for a while.
― Spinspin Sugah, Friday, 13 November 2009 04:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
i think what annoys (annoyed? havent decided if im indifferent yet) is that it came across as so obviously trying hard to be exactly that.
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:03 (3 years ago) Permalink
Ne-Yo? Queer, certainly. Tacky...isn't that sort of the opposite of how he tries to code? His music's all buttoned-up class most of the time.
I won't deny that GaGa plays to the cheap seats and the trashiest common denominator, but there are enough redeeming qualities buried underneath all the bullshit that my attempts to write off or ignore her altogether have been unsustainable. What bothers me most about her at this point is that she has a half-decent idea of a commentary on the state of music, fame and celebrity in the 21st century, as well as raw musical chops (plays a decent piano, has a decent voice, knows her way around a hook or two) but somehow manages to (either through lack of effort or lack of experience) only release half-assed product most of the time. Like...the videos and the music and the performance art are all strike as if they were made by someone who had a really brilliant idea once but doesn't quite remember what it was.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:03 (3 years ago) Permalink
i wasn't serious about ne-yo
― see-those-tit-ies (J0rdan S.), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:04 (3 years ago) Permalink
boo!
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
im just thinking mostly of
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:06 (3 years ago) Permalink
so obviously trying hard to be exactly that
OTM. There's something I find very grating about music or art or whatever that seems to be calculatedly designed to appeal not to me as a person, but instead as a demographic. Like women who insist that they "love the gays", there's an air about it all that makes (made?) me want to run for the hills.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:06 (3 years ago) Permalink
So...um. At this point I guess I love the idea of her and hate the reality of her. Or grudgingly tolerate it.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:07 (3 years ago) Permalink
I'm not trying to position her as some sort of rnb/hip hop conquerer, her producers and collabs and overall sound certainly make it an undeniable aspect of her career and that's how she's managed to be so successful, by straddling the genres and capturing as many music demographics as possible. I think Just Dance with the Akon and Colby O'Donis (?) guest spots was very strategic in that regard. But she has veered away from that since. She has managed to use that opening to take some things to the top of the chart that aren't typical of what's commonly been reigning, and as you said she's going to be referenced for a while, and nobody loves to reference hit songs like wannabe hit songwriters.
― musically, Friday, 13 November 2009 04:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
lol @ this being yet another gaga analysis thread
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
I'm genuinely surprised by the resistance and negativity. She's only occasionally GREAT (Pokerface, duh), but is generally at least decent and, it seems to me, deserves a lot of credit for authoring her own music and image in a field usually attaches "stars" as decoration to other people's work. Plus she's kinda subversive, in a dumb/funny garishly contrived way that's both grating and perversely appealing. I can't say I LOVE her, cuz the material's way too uneven so far, but I'm more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for a while.
Why all the hate?
― from alcoholism to fleshly concerns (contenderizer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
because ppl give her backhanded compliments like "subversive, but i dont really like most of her songs"
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:16 (3 years ago) Permalink
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:15 PM (30 seconds ago) Bookmark
how could it not?
― from alcoholism to fleshly concerns (contenderizer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:17 (3 years ago) Permalink
I like her Queen-sounding ballads, but I want to LOVE them.. I think if she perfected her songwriting further she could nail these.
― billstevejim, Friday, 13 November 2009 04:20 (3 years ago) Permalink
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:16 PM (40 seconds ago) Bookmark
Are you saying that people (like me) who are intrigued by her image/style and maybe like a couple songs are the reason that other people get all irritated by her? I'm not sure I understand...
― from alcoholism to fleshly concerns (contenderizer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:21 (3 years ago) Permalink
I can't say I LOVE her, cuz the material's way too uneven so far, but I'm more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for a while.
I think it's a combination of this with the out and out pretension displayed from the outset? When first presented with GaGa, a hitherto unknown pop artist who dresses fairly garishly, rambles on about Andy Warhol and how her project is a deconstruction of fame, but whose music does nothing to follow through on her stated goals, gut reaction is to write her off as the celebrity equivalent of an undergrad student babbling about post-modernism to sound intelligent. It was all a bit too calculated to feel genuine, a bit too 'quirky' for its own good.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:22 (3 years ago) Permalink
i dont think anyone here is saying they 'hate' her really tho
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:23 (3 years ago) Permalink
is it like totally lame and old-fashioned to ask that someone make some decent songs before they get credit for having a persona or whatever?
the gaga songs i've heard are boring, hookless, rote pop exercises. they are so dour and un-fun.
― omaha deserved 311 (call all destroyer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:23 (3 years ago) Permalink
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:24 (3 years ago) Permalink
It's a question of - what is she: musicians or performance artist? And she scans initially and presents herself as a pop star (i.e. musician first and foremost). So while the image and so forth might be interesting, the central part of the package (the music) is sometimes good but never great.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:24 (3 years ago) Permalink
Re the quality of her songs overall:
One of the problems with having written one incredible, indelible, perfect pop hit along with all your other perfectly decent journeyman work is that it tends to make the rest look like, well ... like perfectly decent journeyman work. You know?
― from alcoholism to fleshly concerns (contenderizer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:24 (3 years ago) Permalink
poker face is 'incredible' 'indelible' 'perfect'??
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:25 (3 years ago) Permalink
what is this indelible perfect pop hit you speak of
― omaha deserved 311 (call all destroyer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:25 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah she could really be more show-not-tell instead of just going "this is post-modern! it's pop art! it's very gay and transgressive, can you handle it america!?"
― windows XD (some dude), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:26 (3 years ago) Permalink
If she were just an entertaining persona - a self-aware Paris Hilton writ large, lampooning our fucked up and strange relationship with the concept of celebrity fame and money I would be totally down with her. But her shtick includes videos, albums, and songs. So the middling quality of those necessarily have a bearing.
― wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a donk on it (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:26 (3 years ago) Permalink
its super great but i prefer the song when presented by the avant-pop artist nosferatu
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:26 (3 years ago) Permalink
now thats subversive
― hoos-kingofthedrugs (deej), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:27 (3 years ago) Permalink
@Alex in Montreal: you phrase that as if performance art/musicianship are mutually exclusive?
― musically, Friday, 13 November 2009 04:27 (3 years ago) Permalink
i kinda feel like if you look back at some of the more high concept or kind of subversive stars in pop history, probably most of them made a big impact well before they really got credit for exactly what they were doing or started to really spell it out for people
― windows XD (some dude), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:27 (3 years ago) Permalink
lol criss angel poster
― omaha deserved 311 (call all destroyer), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:28 (3 years ago) Permalink
Pop star fails to sufficiently satirize pop music for non pop music fans shocker
― Death to False Meta (Noodle Vague), Friday, 13 November 2009 04:28 (3 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, fuck you too.
― StanM, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 15:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
hey now, little monsters. Gaga does not stand for that shit.
― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Wednesday, 20 July 2011 16:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
I had Fame Monster on repeat all weekend. So much better than The Fame. I think I like it more than Born This Way too. BTW is v patchy for me.
Dance in The Dark KILLS.
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 18 February 2013 18:35 (3 months ago) Permalink
When is she going to have a new song? Kind of depressing to see Rihanna and Katy Perry pump out track after track while LG had zero charting singles in 2012.
― skip, Monday, 18 February 2013 18:38 (3 months ago) Permalink
Wow, fun coincidence, I just broke these albums out again last night to introduce my lady acquaintance to the album cuts. Fame Monster still sounds great the entire way through.
I'm happy to see her taking a little time though to be honest - as I've said elsewhere (maybe in this thread) I feel like most of BTW's issues stem from just being generally underwritten between all the touring and appearances and costumes and shows and everything. Which were a key part of the Imperial Gaga Experience, but meant a loss in the details on record. IMHO!
― Doctor Casino, Monday, 18 February 2013 19:00 (3 months ago) Permalink
katy perry hasn't really pumped out any tracks though? everything has been essentially album leftovers. (but judging by the leaks of late I am perfectly fine with her not releasing any new songs at the moment)
― katherine, Monday, 18 February 2013 19:01 (3 months ago) Permalink
well skip was contrasting with "LG had zero charting singles in 2012" -- KP had three song in the top 10 in '12
― weed, tumblr whites and wein (some dude), Monday, 18 February 2013 19:19 (3 months ago) Permalink
songS
yes, that's true, looking at her discography KP has milked the Teenage Dream sessions for for all they're worth. For the listener who's only exposed to the tracks from radio play, though, that's less important, and doesn't alleviate the ubiquity of it all...KP hasn't had a song miss the top 3 since 2009 - eight consecutive top 3's starting with California Gurls, including five consecutive #1's. Gaga hasn't had a top 3 since May 2011 (Edge of Glory).
― skip, Monday, 18 February 2013 20:34 (3 months ago) Permalink
taking a little timeshe's been on tour for the last year
― fit and working again, Monday, 18 February 2013 21:28 (3 months ago) Permalink
I think she'll get things done quicker now that she's cancelled her tour to recover from muscle problems or whatever.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 18 February 2013 21:38 (3 months ago) Permalink
gaga's tendency to do most of her touring, especially in the US, between album cycles when no singles are out, is odd
― weed, tumblr whites and wein (some dude), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:43 (3 months ago) Permalink
yeah she's really kinda evaporated from pop culture, it's weird
― J0rdan S., Monday, 18 February 2013 21:44 (3 months ago) Permalink
what, more than any other artist who's between albums and hasn't put out new material in 1.5 years?
this assumption that pop stars have to be in the headlines or active at all times is odd, and it's impt to remember, quite recent, and the unrelenting ubiquity of rihanna is still the exception not the rule
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 09:38 (3 months ago) Permalink
really read gaga's last rites if she drops a single/album and then no one cares
I think in her case her constant touring and apparent off-cycle touring is a practical compromise. She's truly a global star, so she has to constantly tour to meet demand. Someone like Rihanna seems to be doing the same thing, down to recording on the road (which Gaga did for "Born This Way"). I'm sort of intrigued that Taylor Swift isn't touring until summer. That's a long time from now, and I know she's about to release her third single, but none of them so far seem strong or ubiquitous enough to carry her all the way to July. Lex will have an opinion on that, I'm sure.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 12:48 (3 months ago) Permalink
is that a zing or something? i don't really.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 12:55 (3 months ago) Permalink
It was only 5% zing, but I am genuinely curious if you think the Swift "Red" train is traveling fast enough to carry her to mid summer.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 12:57 (3 months ago) Permalink
imo you need to get over your odd concern with the levels of enthusiasm people display in the taylor swift threads. oh no, people being excited about an artist, how awful.
really not into fans/critics talking like record label executives and poring over sales figures and whatnot just to declare that x or y has "flopped", though it's pretty obvious this is swift's most commercially successful era to date, which isn't necessarily good news, as it means she's wheeling "22" out as the next single :(
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 13:02 (3 months ago) Permalink
why does everyone hate 22, it's so joyous.
― monotony, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 13:38 (3 months ago) Permalink
I don't have any concern whatsoever, Lex. I was simply impressed that she was touring football arenas (capacity: 65,000 or so), which is enough of an anomaly these days that I was wondering if she could fill it. Straight curiosity. Swift will do just fine with or without my support.
The only enthusiasm I've made fun of on the Swift thread is the squeeeee!-like levels of over-enthusiasm, imo. Which isn't even necessarily unwarranted, just easy to make fun of.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 13:45 (3 months ago) Permalink
i don't think it really matters if a really huge artist tours late in the album cycle -- if anything it matters more when tickets go onsale, in terms of whether they're trying for a quick sellout, or if they want to sell tickets quickly enough that nobody considers moving it to a smaller venue. the Gaga thing is unique just because she only seems to be in America in off-cycles, seemed to be off the road or out of the country the entire time Born This Way was actually selling and spinning off hits.
― some dude, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 13:56 (3 months ago) Permalink
I did think that was weird, but I think it's be because she simply can't tour behind the album all the time, everywhere. She was touring the US right before it came out; when I last saw her, she encored with "Born This Way," which was then all over the place. That was indeed about a year and a half ago, to the month. But she's been touring non-stop ever since. Looking at her setlist, the US dates would have still gotten a "Born This Way"-heavy show. It's weird to be at the end of a tour cycle for an album, but I suppose that's how everyone else feels most of the time!
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:01 (3 months ago) Permalink
This is not a recent assumption at all. Michael Jackson sang lead on a single, either solo or with the Jackson 5, every year between 1969 and 1975, then did it again between 1991 and 1997. Madonna released at least one single every year between 1982 and 1994. Prince released at least one single every year from 1976 to 2001. The Beatles released a single every year that they were together as a band. Celine Dion released at least one single every year from 1981 through 2008. etc etc etc
― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:18 (3 months ago) Permalink