HolyDelRey 21,101 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Why the general public didn’t like this wonderful album is beyond me. I thought we were over this, but Elton John’s comments reminded me of a post I had intended on making back in 2013 when the backlash started. Basically, ARTPOP is ****ing amazing. Here’s why: You have Aura, which opens with a lyric about Born This Way Era Gaga’s ‘death’ (”I killed my former and…” is literally the first lyric of the first song) which then transitions to the 'birth’ of ARTPOP Era Gaga with Venus (get it? birth of Venus… btw, an A+ song for talking about both the planet Venus as well as the goddess Venus, and also vaginas), followed by G.U.Y. which deconstructs the terms “guy” and “girl” and re-defines them in terms of the other (G.U.Y. = Girl Under You, G.I.R.L. = Guy In Romantic Love) while making a brilliant CEO-type analogy in the music video and using a sexual metaphor to call out the music industry’s need to put everything in a top 10 chart (”I don’t need to be on top to know I’m wanted”). Additionally, Gaga included, not random references, but in-context references to Greek and Roman mythologies in the following songs: Aura (the goddess Aura), Venus (self explanatory), G.U.Y. (Himeros, Aphrodite, etc.) Sexxx Dreams (”You could turn to stone or the color of man petrified by a woman” = Medusa), and Mary Jane Holland (the second verse directly mentions Apollo and the whole song sort of mirrors the story of Apollo and Daphne). And in terms of literature…an “1984" reference in Sexxx Dreams (”we could be caught, we’re both convicted criminals of thought”) that fits thematically with what the song is about, and a “Lord of the Flies” reference in Swine, a song that many people still don’t realize is about rape, In the aforementioned novel, to explain it lightly, a group of boys are stranded on an island and start to succumb to animalistic behavior, painting their faces and later even putting a sow’s (female pig! swine!) decapitated head on a stick (a very important part of the story and a very iconic part in the film adaptations). Hence the lyric in Swine, “Pain your face and paint his face and catch the beat.” Then you have the brilliance of the tracks that explore contrasting ideologies. For example: Mary Jane Holland vs.Dope (one very much being a marijuana anthem and the other essentially being a huge “Don’t do drugs, kids!” ballad) and, of course, Donatella vs. Fashion! (the first talking about fashion in the shallowest manner possible, and the latter from a purely artistic perspective). Plus, not to mention the amazing Bowie shout out in Fashion! (”There’s life on Mars, where the couture is beyond!”) Don’t even get me started on how brilliant Do What U Want‘s lyrics are. It’s literally a big middle finger to the haters and critics. The single cover is literally her saying KISS MY ASS. Lol. It’s not even about sex, although upon first listen you think it is, which is actually the point the song is trying to make about media sensationalism. By proclaimed “do what you want with my body,” she’s telling the public to do what they want with her body of work - i.e. choosing to ignore the symbolic, metaphorical, and artistic implications of a particular outfit or performance. With lyrics like ”Write what you want, say what you want about me” and “I stand up and then I’m okay, but then you print some **** that makes me wanna scream,” it’s difficult to understand how some people STILL think this song is about sex. On that note, a lot of people fail to see the double entendre in MANiCURE too. It is not about literal MANiCUREs. She needs to be “man-cured.” Whether that means she’s craving a man’s touch and needs to be cured, or she’s replacing male intimacy with female-female relationships and that’s the cure is entirely up to the listener’s discretion. One thing’s for sure though: it’s not about actual MANiCUREs!!!Literally so many people I’ve talked to have not noticed this. Lastly, the way art talks to pop in the first verse of the song ‘ARTPOP’ ("come to me, in all your glamour and cruelty”) and the way pop talks to art in the second verse (“come to me, with all your subtext and fantasy”), and the way they end up coming together in the chorus (”a hybrid can withstand these things”), is one of my favorite things Gaga has ever done as a songwriter. Also, the fact that ARTPOP is not the opening track or the last track on the CD. It’s right in the middle. It’s the heart of the project. A lot of thought went into ARTPOP. You’re entitled to dislike the album because it may not be your cup of tea or because you enjoyed TFM and BTW significantly more, but don’t you dare say it was stupid or bad when in fact it was freakin’ remarkable. P.S. I didn’t even talk about Gypsy but it’s, without doubt, one of the best love songs Gaga has ever written. Watch these two performances: this one and this one. P.P.S. How cool is it that the album cover is Renaissance art (Birth of Venus) and a baroque art (Apollo and Daphne) with contemporary art (Jeff Koon’s gazing ball) and pop (Gaga).in front? The only prisons that exist are ones we put each other in.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkTheFunk 124,496 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicka 2,385 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I think all of this might be why the general public didn't accept ARTPOP. People got confused about it and didn't want to learn all of the meanings and metaphors. I'm a fan, so I loved it. People who weren't fans didn't bother. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her 130 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisGuyTony 31,013 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I don't know if serious or not... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltaire 4,531 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 There are some phenomenal songs. As an album of work, it could have been better. When you have the fame level of someone like Gaga, a great album WILL rise to the occasion. This one didn't, and its OK. Anyone still has permission to love it, have it as a favorite etc. Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 ARTPOP sucked. It's just an opinion. Mother Monster is rising and wil slay again.... just wait.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuki Bakugo 9,788 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 But that is your opinion... and like most well they aren't factual. If All You Ever Do Is Look Down On People, You Won't Be Able To Recognize Your Own Weaknesses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 2 minutes ago, DeathofSamantha said: But that is your opinion... and like most well they aren't factual. Right. Everyone is entitled to one. So there's no use in having this topic open again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradley 59,200 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I just got slain reading this: Lastly, the way art talks to pop in the first verse of the song ‘ARTPOP’ ("come to me, in all your glamour and cruelty”) and the way pop talks to art in the second verse (“come to me, with all your subtext and fantasy”), and the way they end up coming together in the chorus (”a hybrid can withstand these things”), is one of my favorite things Gaga has ever done as a songwriter. Also, the fact that ARTPOP is not the opening track or the last track on the CD. It’s right in the middle. It’s the heart of the project. BRILLIANT interpretation! Thank you so much for this. Also the rest of the post is well written as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradley 59,200 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 2 minutes ago, BoysBoysBoys652 said: Right. Everyone is entitled to one. So there's no use in having this topic open again You're contradicting yourself. First you said everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, and then you do not allow the OP to make a thread about his. So what are you trying to prove? Basically you're telling the OP to shut up and keep his opinion to himself? Maybe you shouldn't have come into a thread you're not interested in and telling him that his thread is pointless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyDelRey 21,101 Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 9 minutes ago, BoysBoysBoys652 said: ARTPOP sucked. It's just an opinion. Mother Monster is rising and wil slay again.... just wait.... Why woud you use your pic, into the ARTPOP concept cover, if you think that the album sucked? The only prisons that exist are ones we put each other in.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judas Oyster 1,915 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 You should have written this in a GP forum so that they could be educated about the album. I think, like me, most of us the fans know about these facts your talking about I didn't know the Bowie reference tho'. Anyway, glad that you liked it. I have never said it was a bad album but I have said it was weak to my ears, and at some times boring. I think this was just a project that Gaga wanted to make, a nerdy ass project, for herself... I really don't think she was trying to make the GP and the fans happy, she just did whatever without thinking about the reception at all (free my mind, ARTPOP) :P But she can do whatever she wants haha. I'm just excited for the new chapter now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PartySick 161,233 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I'm not sure where people get that the GP didn't like ARTPOP. Every time Fuse or iHeart Radio posts something about Gaga and ARTPOP comes up there's always people saying "I'm a casual listener, etc, ARTPOP was awesome". It gets defended daily Sonically, it's a good album. Coherent, driven, intense, and calm where it needs to be. Deeply and personally (for those that care) it's exceptional. Each song is personal and can take you on a journey through Gaga's life and your own. The only people who don't like it are the ones that don't like how it sounds, they're nostalgic for classic Gaga sound, or they just don't like her. There's nothing wrong with the album itself and there's nothing wrong with the people who just don't fancy it :yes: You're stinky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradley 59,200 Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 18 minutes ago, PunkTheFunk said: Not trying to be rude but this is not responding to his interpretations in any way. If we are allowed to talk about Gaga on this site, ARTPOP is definitely one of the possible topics. Everyone is entitled to discuss anything about Gaga here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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