Why was The Fame so successful?

[Ty3009 232]

The Fame is very underrated album on this board.  It's a great pop album.  People like to write it off as "basic" like it's so ****ing easy to create.  But that album was carefully crafted.  Nearly every song feels like it could have been a hit in 2008 - 2009.  I'd get rid of Money Honey and that's about it.

Everything during the Fame era was synergistic.  The music, the clothes, the visuals, the concept, the performances, the technology.  She channeled the iconic past of 70's and 80's superstars while still being forward thinking.  She was a new artist that felt like she was already a super star before she hit it big.  And she hustled her ass off during that era.

[Schwerk 7,350]

She was visually innovative, had great catchy songs and backed it up with actual vocal power, dance skills, songwriting abilities and 'shocking' performance art. People back then may have thought she was manufactured, but they couldn't deny her talent. Her strange and mysterious beauty was also enthralling. She was a true oldschool popstar, not the girl nextdoor.

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

Was it the music, the promotion, the singles, her costumes, her performances?? 

I'm confused as to why this album is Gaga's best-selling album.

Maybe because it's so basic that the GP bought it.

​You must be like 17 years old or something. The new gaga fans (2011 to 2015) are so weird and use childish ebonic phrases like "basic"  You werent even a fan during the fame era. She was different than what anyone else was doing. 

[Serendipity 7,821]

​You must be like 17 years old or something. The new gaga fans (2011 to 2015) are so weird and use childish ebonic phrases like "basic"  You werent even a fan during the fame era. She was different than what anyone else was doing. 

​This

I hate how people bash music they don't seem to like

You may not like it, but others have sentiments attached to them and cherish them

[giskardsb 12,565]

Her Image as much as her music, maybe even more so.     Which kind of put her in a trap she's been trying to work out of ever since.   I do believe Gaga is a multi-media artist, and I believe the original FameGa was largely self created, but I don't think she wants that to overshadow her musicality.  

Bad Romance is a great song, but I think Alejandro Video and her going dark started turning off a lot of original TF fans.  BTW era shifted from a "Ziggy" style Gaga to the next Gaga incarnation, which was darker and participated in humanity rather than being more "alien" and standing apart from humanity as she did during TF/M.

 

 

[Versace 8,021]

I honestly 100% believe that it's the effect of THE FAME (album) that Gaga intended to reach audiences. Before The Fame us mere human beings could not relate to the likes of Beyoncé , Britney and Christina (the dominating pop force back then) they were way up there, their fame built up naturally , Beyoncé got her fame from her band, Brit and Chris were America's it girls, they built them up at a very young age (mickey mouse club, talent shows). Also back then we didn't have social media so connecting with the likes of the girls I mentioned seemed impossible. Here comes an ordinary girl from New York who calls herself Lady Gaga who worked her ass off for ages and puts her all out there, literally for us ordinary non-celebs to experience. The videos, the looks, it was all there for us to take and make our own. The idea Gaga's debut album bought along was surreal that fame is internal , we create fame, we are all famous on the inside, we can all live a glamorous life, we can turn 5 dollars into 5 grant. Gaga never came off as the perfect American Girl unlike the other girls. She came off as Crazy, wild and edgy something us teens can relate too. Gaga built a connection with us, she was looking out for us as if we are all in it together she made us feel as if we are famous with her, she tweeted us. All these things that the other girls didn't do , all they did was wave and smile and remind us how we are never gonna be as great as they are. Music was so restricted at the time Gaga striked, popular music had to have an r&b and hip-hop factor to it this by itself shut out so many people as those genres could not be enjoyed by many communities, cultures, nationalities due to it probably being unfamiliar in their region or again unrelatable. Gaga fixes this issue with pure infectious pop hooks, that can easily be remembered and that can enjoyed any day any time with anyone all took was to JUST DANCE. You didn't have to dress a certain way to be cool like the top artist, you didn't have to have the perfect body to be beautiful like the top artist. All you had to do was Just Dance and be yourself which at the time was seen as a sin that no one shall dare commit , Gaga does it, gets away with it, changes music forever. All good.

 

[Serendipity 7,821]

I honestly 100% believe that it's the effect of THE FAME (album) that Gaga intended to reach audiences. Before The Fame us mere human beings could not relate to the likes of Beyoncé , Britney and Christina (the dominating pop force back then) they were way up there, their fame built up naturally , Beyoncé got her fame from her band, Brit and Chris were America's it girls, they built them up at a very young age (mickey mouse club, talent shows). Also back then we didn't have social media so connecting with the likes of the girls I mentioned seemed impossible. Here comes an ordinary girl from New York who calls herself Lady Gaga who worked her ass off for ages and puts her all out there, literally for us ordinary non-celebs to experience. The videos, the looks, it was all there for us to take and make our own. The idea Gaga's debut album bought along was surreal that fame is internal , we create fame, we are all famous on the inside, we can all live a glamorous life, we can turn 5 dollars into 5 grant. Gaga never came off as the perfect American Girl unlike the other girls. She came off as Crazy, wild and edgy something us teens can relate too. Gaga built a connection with us, she was looking out for us as if we are all in it together she made us feel as if we are famous with her, she tweeted us. All these things that the other girls didn't do , all they did was wave and smile and remind us how we are never gonna be as great as they are. Music was so restricted at the time Gaga striked, popular music had to have an r&b and hip-hop factor to it this by itself shut out so many people as those genres could not be enjoyed by many communities, cultures, nationalities due to it probably being unfamiliar in their region or again unrelatable. Gaga fixes this issue with pure infectious pop hooks, that can easily be remembered and that can enjoyed any day any time with anyone all took was to JUST DANCE. You didn't have to dress a certain way to be cool like the top artist, you didn't have to have the perfect body to be beautiful like the top artist. All you had to do was Just Dance and be yourself which at the time was seen as a sin that no one shall dare commit , Gaga does it, gets away with it, changes music forever. All good.

 

​

[XoXoJoanneGaga 629]

​You must be like 17 years old or something. The new gaga fans (2011 to 2015) are so weird and use childish ebonic phrases like "basic"  You werent even a fan during the fame era. She was different than what anyone else was doing. 

There is an irony to it since, technically The Fame is probably her least "basic" (for lack of a better word) work from both a conceptual standpoint and in the sense that it cribs the least from obvious musical influences.