The Case of Lady Gaga

Er, why single out this chick?

I don't get it, what's this thread about anyway? I don't listen to her music (I'd rather listen to stuff like Royksopp or Capsule if I'm gonna listen to pop) and I frankly don't care who she is personally. She could as well be a chimp with a robotic brain shooting lazers for all I care, it still doesn't anything to me.

This thread honestly could've been as well a post in that old pop thread I made, since honestly what's there to discuss? It's some chick writing pop music for MTV success that dresses funny. Next.

PS: oh gently caress the famous gaga, check this scraggy out!

I can get behind this 10000% more.

Er, why single out this chick?

I don't get it, what's this thread about anyway? I don't listen to her music (I'd rather listen to stuff like Royksopp or Capsule if I'm gonna listen to pop) and I frankly don't care who she is personally. She could as well be a chimp with a robotic brain shooting lazers for all I care, it still doesn't anything to me.

This thread honestly could've been as well a post in that old pop thread I made, since honestly what's there to discuss? It's some chick writing pop music for MTV success that dresses funny. Next.

PS: oh gently caress the famous gaga, check this scraggy out!

I can get behind this 10000% more.

WHOA, YES! :w00t: WOW!

I think "Famous Gaga" is a pretty decent example of social reflection in the form of art. Her videos and music sell, which is a pseudo-representative commentary on what society (at least those members of it who buy her music, millions worldwide) consumes in the form of "cultural" forms of expression.

There's not much to over-think here. She's a cultural phenomenon because she shouldn't be doing well if culture rejects her outright "freakishness" and vulgarity. Not only does the culture around Gaga overlook it, they practically go "Gaga" for it. They buy it largely because of its freakish vulgarity, because this personae she creates with her music and her appearance appeals to some people. And these people are influential in turning other people on to her music (and perhaps onto the culture it appeals to), thus the huge following she has now.

But I think it's mostly the cultural aspect that interests me most. If you reject the culture or the values presented therein, you're likely to find "amateur Gaga" more appealing. Either way, she has tremendous talent and does an outstanding job of connecting her music to the culture that she appeals to in society. I think this is what's important to understand about her. She's not some cheap parlor trick to appeal to an audience like so many other pop artists tend to be. She's genuinely skilled, genuinely appealing within the culture that consumes her work and understands her, and that should be a pretty good measure of her influence in the broader context. I happen to think that if you identify yourself with the culture Gaga appeals to, you're represented well by her. There's nothing wrong with that.

I feel the same way about Lady Gaga that I did for Justin Timberlake when he came out with album FutureSex / LoveSounds. At the beginning, I thought that he was just writing some cheap pop music, completely commercial without any soul or integrity. Once I listened to the album, I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Sure, there were a couple tracks that I could do without, but overall, it was a really good album.

I don't feel as strongly about Lady Gaga but she does surprise me now and then with her inventiveness. I haven't heard her piano remixes but I am interested.

Peace on Earth,

-John

Y'all really should come to New York City - you will find several such talented singer songwriters (just hit the greatly diminished cabaret circuit or even go to someplace like Waltz Cafe in Astoria, http://www.waltz-astoria.com/id13.html or more famous Roulette in Manhattan http://www.roulette.org/ ). Now I understand why Lady Gaga did what she did - PR. If she is smart, she will put out an album such as what she did at NYU after she puts out another album of pop candy.

Lady Gaga's music is infinitely more complex than 99% of the music I've seen posted on this site. There's a reason she is a millionaire and you all just copy paste early period Beethoven sonatas

Lady Gaga's music is infinitely more complex than 99% of the music I've seen posted on this site. There's a reason she is a millionaire and you all just copy paste early period Beethoven sonatas

I'm sure you've obtained a rather solid grasp of what this site is about while posting the 5 other posts in the two weeks you've been here.

:whistling:

I think lady gaga is basically amazing. She's very talented, and she's very genuine compared to a lot of artists you see today. Sure she's not exactly the most well rounded musician ever, but compared to other pop artists, she beats them by landslides! I think it's also great how quickly she became so popular! I just hope she is able to maintain her mainstream status and not become a fad like previous artists. Oh, and here's a clip from my favorite internet celebrity with her interpretation of Gaga!

(PS. Especially irritating to hear non- musicians say - oh Lady Gaga is so talented she plays piano and sings! Ahem, I know a ton of church musicians who in one service play a Bach prelude and Fugue, or can pull off a decent version of the Widor Toccattas or a Dupre piece, conduct Rennaissance motets and 20th century choral works as well as the old classical standards as well as Gospel/jazz influenced choral works, plus sing Gregorian chant all very very well!)

Yuck, Gregorian Chant... *goes away to listen to really dissonant modern jazz, then some 7-EDO music.* :P

Aah, I feel better now.

I don't hate her as much as I used to. Used to I absolutely despised her without having heard a note, simply because she's so popular and her songs are all about partying, sex, bad relationships, etc. etc.

Then the Bad Romance music video came out.

I was like "wow, this is badass!" and then they turned the volume up and I could actually hear the lyrics. Didn't like it anymore.

I like the music, but I hate the lyrics. And I'm not too keen on her, especially not now that she has an agenda of her own. Celebrities with agendas make me want to gag.

I just hate how people who supposedly look down on the state of society actually enforce how awful it is.

I don't really like her, but almost all my friends do. I don't know why she's so big. Even pitchfork gave her a good review, and they're hipsters.

wether you like her or not - let's admit one thing: she doesn't leave us indifferent. basically that is what pop stars long for today.

I didn't post anything here until now, because she is basically indifferent to me. And so my post is not going to be long.

The 'o' in pop music becomes longer and longer, designating both the age and the evolution of pop music. Thus, at roughly the middle of the 90s it started to evolve into poop music, and this cycle ended with the end of the previous century. There is no doubt that there will be tripple 'o' soon. Fortunately or unfortunately, Lady Gaga is a child of this particular period, marked by cheaper composing / songwriting and cheaper arranging. Finally, we have the loudness war to make it flatter and more plastic (over-compressing and killing dynamics, ultimately distortion due to artifical pumping and clipping in some albums). So there are such pieces inside her case as well.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of pop. It's not bad, but it all sounds the same to me.

Simple, straight-forward rhythms, lyrics about sex, etc, etc. It's not bad, but it isn't what some would call, "difficult music."

That being said, read this article about Lady Gaga.

Hasn't she studied music at the Tisch Shool of Arts?

Hasn't she studied music at the Tisch Shool of Arts?

Yes, she studied there briefly then left to pursue her career. I like that this thread keeps popping up. Maybe we'll have more to talk about once Born This Way is released.

I just hate how people who supposedly look down on the state of society actually enforce how awful it is.

I actually like that, when it is done PROPERLY. Like a true POWERFUL drive towards that awfulness, which makes people see what it is clearly, hence clearing the way for a proper unclouded process of choice in their minds as to how they want to live and what they want to do in society.

Having said that, Lady Gaga is a waste of freaky looks.

First time I saw her without listening to her music I was like "whoa, she's completely nuts, this must sound completely freaky."

I went to check the songs and...

... pop music.

Not just pop, BANAL pop!

I say gently caress that.

I have nothing against pop, I like quite a bit of it (not today's, though), but she is just being a clown for no reason. She is definitely a walking overkill.

and daaaaNNNgggg can she play that piano

No, she can't. Her piano skills are meh. And they got worse from the times of those early videos at talent shows.

Want a good singer/pianist? Regina Spektor.

No, she can't. Her piano skills are meh. And they got worse from the times of those early videos at talent shows.

Want a good singer/pianist? Regina Spektor.

You're right, and now that I've had time to think about it, I was just totally surprised by the fact that she could play an instrument at all :lol:

Thanks for the suggestion, by the way, I always like to discover new talent :happy:

Oh yeah, Regina Spektor's quite good. Lady Gaga's good at getting people to dance and ripping off other peoples' music (although maybe that's part of the fun, picking up on the references to other pieces).

I thin her music is ok, but people go on about her like she is doing something extraordinarily original/different.

Which is kind of annoying, she's good, just not "AMAZING!!!!!!1111"

to me "lady" gaga is a piece of scraggy.

"her" music it's nothing but a bad copy/paste of others like madonna or so.

nothing new and that's way she desperate attempts to be a different by licking her own vagina in music videos.

and above all she is so ugly that her mom first named her scraggy Happens.

Her music isn't that amazing. It's her personality that captures her audiences.

So, Born This Way is out, and I, being too curious for my own good, got the album (you can't really beat the $1 deal that was on Amazon.com).

Anyone have thoughts on the religious slant of the album? It's rather odd, although the creepy electronic chanting on tracks like "Government slaw" works. And just about every track features some weird scream or squeal from Gaga.

I really like this one:

But I find myself angered at the lyrics around 2:53. "Dum dum da di da." Really? REALLY? You couldn't think of something more substantial? Maybe it's a commentary on the way that some people mindlessly follow religion :P I could also do without the chanters saying "Gaga." Excellent, excellent dance/pop song otherwise, from the artsy distorted backgrounds and vocals to the twisted mythology, cryptic lyrics, and relaxed tempo. Lady Gaga meets the Bible meets Steampunk. I'm pretty sure she says Punk-tius instead of Pontius too (although the booklet that comes with the CD lists it as Pontius). Is this song about Jesus' mother (there seems to be a reference to some pietà in France)? Mary Magdalene? Mary I of England? Love it.

Thanks for reviving this topic. I was reading it and all of a sudden saw a post by me. Freaked me out for a second there.

I think Lady Gaga needs to show off her talent a bit more in her singles, instead of camping on one note for a while (as I've noticed she tends to do...)

She writes a lot of her music, and I definitely respect her for that. Also, I feel like she's been pretty instrumental in the explosion of female-led songs that dominate pop stations now, which is good.