3 years ago Gaga announced Perfect Illusion

[Miel 15,009]

I remember being in my summer lab when I first saw the announcement, and being in the middle of a sorority party when I first heard it.

Ah, summer 2016.

[ralloz 781]

1 hour ago, RAMROD said:

I remember there was fans from Europe iirc, who promoted the song by driving around and playing it loudly from their car stereo

Cannot find the video now. But that was fun

 

[RAMROD 96,167]

13 minutes ago, ralloz said:

 

Yesssss!!

[TheSlash 14,539]

I remember that it premiered at 5am German time and I woke up extra early to not miss it ( I literally sat like  in my bed  ). Then I heard it, was kinda bummed, listened to it 3 more times ( bc, you know, it's Gaga  ) and it grew a lot on me  . I'm still mad on her how short it is and how rude that was after a 3 year break .

[Smother Em Eh 6,824]

I remember when she announced it! 

I was shook when I heard it for the first time! I was like “Wow, this is soooo different for Gaga”. I did have some mixed feelings about it though but it did grow on me! 

[joannesrats 26]

Her best lead. 

[Hurem 17,797]

3 years ago Gaga announced Perfect Illusion

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

In a few days it will be 3 years since this tweet.

So it's not 3 years ago.

[FfFfFfFF 54,014]

I remember listening to it after it was uploaded just a few days after listening to ARTPOP on repeat.  It somehow makes me feel like I was here since the start of Joanne era even though I became a full on stan after the Superbowl.

[Weasel 12,525]

I remember when her website showed the date before the announcement and everbody freaked out. And the random born this way mp3 file that was suddenly on her site. Ahh the memories 

[AmericanxDream 2,049]

You can imagine my excitement thinking that she was about to make her chart comeback with a Top 10 debut at the very least. Then the release happened and I was just like...

[Stephen 29,379]

5 hours ago, Hurem said:

 

 

So it's not 3 years ago.

Want a cookie?

[JustJames 669]

Can anyone provide some insight into what happened regarding its chart performance? I know charts are not the most, or one the, important metrics of a singer's success but seeing so many replying that PI was their favorite LG lead shouldn't have resulted in a #15 peak. By the time of PI, LG had already completed her image transformation. ASIB has elevated her to a new - and different - level, but new release from her should have performed much better in 2016/7. Applause was a total bomb for hardcore fans when it released. Yet, at #4, it also became her biggest radio hit. 'PI' is no less GP-friendly or off-trend and rather than coming at a peak of oversaturation, it was released when everyone was ready for her comeback. #15 just doesn't match up to all of this. 

I also never knew that 'Million Reasons' had peaked outside the top 20 and reached #4 only after her Super Bowl performance. Considering how that song has ended up on pretty much every list of LG's best and iconic songs, that hit hard. Did LG seriously transform her singing and persona through her country style (songs and appearance), wardrobe choices, and behavior.... for 2 singles that peaked outside the top 10? And, after all of that work, she dropped the album totally instead of tweaking that look and persona on more singles?

In preparing for LG6, I had pretty much convinced myself that it would be a blend of Joanne and ASIB. But, I didn't realize just how badly Joanne had been received. As much as I dislike the era, she at least took a risk during it, something she didn't do musically on ASIB. I love the soundtrack, but it follows a pretty safe model for making hit songs for that genre of movie - thus the comparisons to Whitney, etc. I really, really do not want a formulaic album from LG. But, given how quickly she tossed her Joanne transformation away after it underperformed, it makes the abandonment of the ARTPOP era seem more of a trend than an anomaly.

Both eras - AP and Joanne - took serious work and yet who in the GP even knows the lady seashell-bikini/Aphrodite look even exists? Besides its cameo in the final seconds of the Applause video, it was essentially a nonstarter. After the G.U.Y. underperformance, why not try something like a brief hiatus and re-release with an emphasis on that look and theme: Aura to kill the 'former' ARTPOP and give official birth to the Aphrodite character once and for all, Venus which epitomizes the era, MANiCURE for a crazed version (like the Muppets performance), and Gypsy for a totally unhinged adieu. But, no. Like Joanne, it feels like the real AP era never actually happended.

Disclaimer: I know I am in full-blown #LG6PANIC mode. But, aside from the paranoia of the last 2 paragraphs, I am genuinely confused by Joanne's performance and reception.