It only takes a single glance at the Billboard Hot 100 to know who the newest princess of pop is. Unseating Britney and Beyoncé at the throne of pop royalty, Lady Gaga has swept the nation with two singles from her debut album, “The Fame.” Indeed, if you haven’t heard of “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” by now, you must be living under a rock.
This past week, Lady Gaga became the first musical artist in nearly ten years to have two number one hits from her two debut singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Gaga is the music industry’s smoking hot item as of late, and it doesn’t seem like her infectious beats will be cooling off any time soon.
Inspired by music legends Queen and David Bowie, Lady Gaga is an outrageous pop star. With funky electro-beats, a unique and defining fashion style and a playgirl attitude, Lady Gaga is bringing back performance pop.
However, while her flamboyant nature might raise some eyebrows, what’s really interesting about Gaga is her unabashed adoration of a materialistic lifestyle.
When talking about her first album, Lady Gaga explained that “’The Fame’ is about how anyone can feel famous. Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle.”
Lady Gaga basks in the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. Actually, the song before “Just Dance” that put her on the music industry’s map was none other than “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich,” an anthem for those looking for the easy path to the life of exorbitant wealth and all the perks that come along with it.
Take a look at some of the lyrics:
Our hair is perfect
While we're all getting shit wrecked
It's automatic, honey
But we got no money
Daddy I'm so sorry, I'm so s-s-sorry yeah
We just like to party, like to p-p-party yeah
Bang bang, we're beautiful and dirty rich
The song depicts a life of no worries, no cares where "we" can get wasted in the morning and party all night. It’s a life where pleasure comes solely from money, honey. And Lady Gaga's welcoming you to join in the fun.
The music video only supports Gaga’s materialistic message. Filmed in a posh mansion, Gaga and her friends sneak around like intruders in the aristocratic lifestyle, rolling on piles of money and lighting joints made of hundred dollar bills. It’s overtly sexual and money-oriented, and unashamedly so.
Contrasted with the current US economic crisis, Lady Gaga’s music is surprisingly popular. People simply can’t get enough of “the fame” that Gaga promises to deliver in the synthesizer heavy songs that dominate the airwaves today.
While these themes have long been present in American popular music, they have rarely been this obviously supported in such hard times. Plus, the fact that Gaga’s music is a huge success despite her somewhat eclectic style makes her popularity all the more impressive, if not baffling.
So, what does this say about Gaga’s main audience, the American youth? Is Gaga’s music nostalgic? A form of escapism? A way to connect with the times when money wasn’t the big issue it is today? Or does it say that we’ve learned nothing from the greedy actions that got us into this financial mess in the first place? Have we been taught to be so materialistic that we simply connect to Gaga’s message? Or do we wish that we were as carefree as Gaga presents herself to be?
Honestly, it’s probably a combination of all of this. But, as families struggle to pay mortgages and credit card debts, it’s ironic that this is what we choose to listen to. We’re helping to bring Lady Gaga, the music industry’s poster girl for materialism, the fame she so craves.
We’re gaga for Gaga. And that might not be a good thing.
“Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” Music Video:
http://www.ladygaga.com/player/default.aspx?mid=3133
All Quotes from:
Lady Gaga: Biography. “Bio.” Lady Gaga, http://www.ladygaga.com/bio/ (accessed on April 8, 2009).
Billboard Facts:
“Lady Gaga Scores Hot 100 Milestone with ‘Poker Face’.” Billboard, 2 April 2009, http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/lady-gaga-scores-hot-100-milestone-with-1003958324.story (accessed on April 8, 2009)
Reception of “The Fame” (Aggregate scores of reviews):
“The Fame by Lady Gaga.” Metacritic, http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/ladygaga/fame?q=lady%20gaga (accessed on April 8, 2009)
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I agree that Lady Gaga’s work tends to depict an extremely materialistic culture. However, I’m not convinced that the lyrics and the content of the song have all that much to do with her success. I think that the way that we listen to music today is more of a distraction than an entertainment experience. From my experience the average students don’t listen to music for the sake of the music.
ReplyDeleteJust looking around on the paths between classes everybody seems to have headphones on. How much can you truly enjoy a song during the few minutes between classes? Most people probably don’t even get through one whole song because they keep switching from track to track. The music serves as a distraction during a relatively short walk. Furthermore, ask one of these headphone toting students what they are listening to and they’ll do a double take. Not only do they not know what the song is about, they don’t even know who the artist is.
Also, a whole lot of people listen to music while studying or doing homework. There is no way that you can comprehend your Shakespeare reading and the underlying message of a song at the same time. Unfortunately, our minds can’t truly multitask. Instead we just jump back and forth from one task to the other. Therefore, we don’t truly understand our music or our homework.
Finally, I have no idea why Lady Gaga is a success. I’m not a music analysts. Nonetheless, I do believe that a hefty percentage of music listeners, myself included have no idea what they’re listening to most of the time.
-MEK
This isn't a legitimate posting, but as a music enthusiast, I would like to put out there that Lady Gaga is extremely good at making catchy pop music, regardless of the lyrics. Her beats, as you mentioned, are infectious; this means that they will be played on the radio, played in the clubs on Saturday nights, and played on people's iPods.
ReplyDeleteBut if people are actually looking for songwriting with a message that was really worth hearing, I doubt they would be searching the pop charts, which are more focused on mu$ic than music.