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What Was Supposed To Be BTW's 3rd Single?


Isidro Guevara

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JustJames

I have asked this question 100x! TEOG is CLEARLY one of the top 3 songs from the album and from the core of 'BTW' with MTN and BTW. One of the best tracks with the best commercial appeal that Gaga and Interscope had to work with post-Judas. By releasing it and Hair as promo singles, that indicates that they never had the intention of using either as true singles, which is just insane. The mishandling of 'BTW' is so unforgivable because, despite so many mistakes, the songs still managed to perform well -- imagine if it were planned like a TSwift or KPerry era, with 5 singles chosen beforehand and fully backed/promoted? 

EVERY major popstar has at least 1 era of 5+ singles in their peak; does anyone remember Hummingbird Heartbeat, Birthday, This is How We Do from 'Teenage Dream' or 'PRISM'? No, and their performances on the chart were pretty bad. However, the overall rollouts of those albums and eras were planned and they stayed committed to the plan.

There were SO many problems with the rollout of 'BTW,' that I'm not sure where to start. Despite TOO long before the lead single, and between it and the album drop, a consistent and digestible narrative and promo strategy was never provided. The fact is, we never heard about her use of religious metaphors, fashion and art, and empowering anthemic messages to catalogue her evolution and journey. An album that began Gaga's legacy of blending genres by bleeding rock into dancehall beats led to the GP feeling exhausted before it was even released.

Her team should have had a plan for how to market her evolved sound, the message of the album, and the rollout of all singles and visuals to tell the story cohesively. Without it, they continuously made changes that just compounded the damage. 

IDEAL CHOICE

#1: Marry the Night (11/2010); #2: Born This Way (01/2011); PROMO: Heavy Metal Lover (03/2011); #3: Edge of Glory (04/2011); ALBUM (04/2011); PROMO: Hair (05/2011); #4: Scheisse + #5: Judas (07/2011); #6: You & I - Remix ft. __ (10/2011)

ALTERNATIVE 1

#1: Marry the Night (01/2011); #2: Born This Way (03/2011); PROMO: You & I (04/2011); #3: Edge of Glory (06/2011); ALBUM (06/2011); #4: Heavy Metal Lover (08/2011); PROMO: Hair (09/2011); #5: Scheisse (10/2011)

ALTERNATIVE (BTW Lead and Religious Metaphors)

#1: Born This Way (01/2011); PROMO: Electric Chapel (02/2011); #2: Edge of Glory (03/2011); #3: Marry the Night (06/2011) + ALBUM (06/2011); #4: Judas (08/2011); PROMO: Scheisse (09/2011); #5: You & I (10/2011); #6: Heavy Metal Lover (01/2011)

THE ACTUAL

The Lead Single

By releasing BTW the track as the lead single without providing context for its place on the album, they allowed it to be seen and consumed as only a collective anthem rather than as a statement of personal triumph. Marry the Night would have been the perfect lead single, providing a GP-friendly introduction to the rock-inspired sounds of the album, but also setting up BTW's victorious proclamations with a more humbling speech about the failures that inspired it. 

Judas

BTW as released provided no momentum for the album itself. It gave no indication to the sound we were to expect, as again, in isolation it sounds very much like all of her previous dance-floor smashes. It was infectious, so much so that its weight overshadowed any and everything that came after it. To follow it up with Judas was never even given an attempt in terms of how the two songs related and were leading up to the album. 

There is no logical explanation for releasing Judas as the 2nd single, other than generating controversy and/or the label balking at any and all other choices to rely on a beat that was most similar to past hits. Otherwise, the last thing she needed post-BTW was ANOTHER predictable beat or ANOTHER controversy. Two songs in, and Interscope sank to these tactics? It doesn't add up when EOG, MTN, and the safer Hair and You & I still remained.

An Alternative: 'Bloody Mary'/'Electric Chapel' promo 

Regardless, had a song like Bloody Mary/Electric Chapel been released as a promo single around this time, it would have introduced the GP to the use of religion on the album for less gimmicky purposes, and set up Judas for a later release as the sequel to Electric Chapel or prequel to Bloody Mary. Either song would've been a nice breather, while EC would have been a good intro to the rock sound.

'Edge of Glory'

After BTW was met with a bit of confusion (as to what it meant for the album's message and sound) and Judas was seen as a stunt, yet both hit #1 and #10 in their debuts due to the Gaga craze of the time, Interscope would have no doubt been looking to release a single that really showed off the best parts of the album, and ensured a perfect rollout to capitalize on the remaining hype and harness it as the album drop approached. Serving up TEOG as a full single, with proper MV, radio delivery, and promo/performances of both the original and acoustic versions to generate buzz for the rock-inspired, "journey of glory through the highs and lows of life, love, and music" would have hit #1 for weeks.

Alternative 3rd/4th Single: 'Marry the Night'

Back on track, MTN could have been released closely following the album since it very much is the 'before' to TEOG's 'after.' If not the lead single, MTN would have made most sense paired with the album and album promotion and would have smashed off the heels of TEOG's easy run. At worst, it would have had Judas-like / #10 success. At best, it would have been close to #1 as Judas may have been had it had a full week of tracking. 

Alternative Additional Singles

3 full singles, 1 promo single into the era and with the album having been released, the 4th single could have debuted at the VMAs. A performance with a Bloody Mary intro before a Scheisse / Judas mashup could have transitioned into the album's portrayal of her defiance of love in her life. Release Scheisse as the full single if an edited intro would allow it to receive USA airplay; otherwise, release Judas with Scheisse as a promo single with MV. 

Extending the Era: 'Heavy Metal Lover,' 'You & I'

Meanwhile, around the holidays, integrate Heavy Metal Lover and You & I into performances. Depending on how the Scheisse/Judas scenario played out, release Heavy Metal Lover if the era were still on track and save You & I as either a new-year single, or scrap it and leverage it as a well-known ballad from the album due to being scene so often by the GP. Ideally, HML > You & I would end the era on a lighter, rock-fused, love-themed and "hopeful" note for the new year of 2012. 

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Madame Goo Goo

The lead single could literally not be anything but Born This Way, you guys are so delusional. The only misstep in the Born This Way era was making Judas the second single. Second single should have been The Edge of Glory - and it would have hit number one, too. Four out of five singles from Born This Way were Top 10 hits, the fifth one "flopped" (still a top 30 hit) because she was overexposed at the time. Imagine this rollout:

1. Born This Way

2. The Edge of Glory

3. Judas (not on Easter weekend so less controversial too)

4. You And I (performed well, people still recognize this song and remember it fondly. Also Gaga LOVED this song And was definitely excited that Interscope let it be a single)

5. Marry The Night (moderate chart performance, but we would still get the iconic video)

Lady Gaga doesn't owe us anything
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It's so so so sad to see that Gaga's vision of her work was constantly denied. MTN would be a f****ng banger if it was released as first single. It would be an amazing intro to the era and that song is pop masterpiece at its finest. However, BTW was also a sure shot as 1st single, and that's why it pretty much became Gaga's anthem from there on. But then again, I feel like BTW aged on the last years, and MTN continues fresh and amazing. I know that TEOG was a single on the first concepts, but her team decided not to release it. With the Judas mess, TEOG and Hair were released as promo singles before the album and then MTN was to be released after. But TEOG performed so well that they decided to release it as single. And thus what we now know as history. I also remember she was supposed to release a video for Bloody Mary a few months before all the ARTPOP talking, but I don't know if that's true or just myth. Legend says it even had a mv recorded on London.

 

They had such good choices with that album, and they still managed to mess it up. They should've trusted Gaga. I feel that nowadays she doesn't try as hard as she did back them, and I do believe it is because of this problems she had early on. I mean, I remember clearly that Yoü and I was not supposed to be a single (I was actually really confused when it was released, despite being one of my favorite songs) and yet she did all that promotion and work and that beautiful mv. She even reused some of the concepts from the original TEOG mv and simply made it happen. I don't see her doing it anymore.

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Judas is not a good idea in any dimension whatsoever. dated, in-your-face, not original, no emotions. TEOG should have been the second single, followed by You and I. Three stellar singles that would become classic in ehr catalogue and also singing competitions darlings: 

1. Born this Way

2. TEOG

3. Y&I 

4. Possibly HML to close the era with a dark, gay, anthem that would have solidified her gay and club culture icon status

 

MTN is also not a good idea for a single. although i adore the message and lyrics 

Also yall saying that BTW should not have been the 1st single are uneducated. Are you out of your mind??? It gave her the gay icon and lgbtq2+ activist status that she has now, it carried the whole album with its message. People saying MTN should have been the 1st single is like saying Dua Lipa should've have released Hallucinate as 1 st single I cant . 

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Hello the zouzou
57 minutes ago, Madame Goo Goo said:

The lead single could literally not be anything but Born This Way, you guys are so delusional. The only misstep in the Born This Way era was making Judas the second single. Second single should have been The Edge of Glory - and it would have hit number one, too. Four out of five singles from Born This Way were Top 10 hits, the fifth one "flopped" (still a top 30 hit) because she was overexposed at the time. Imagine this rollout:

1. Born This Way

2. The Edge of Glory

3. Judas (not on Easter weekend so less controversial too)

4. You And I (performed well, people still recognize this song and remember it fondly. Also Gaga LOVED this song And was definitely excited that Interscope let it be a single)

5. Marry The Night (moderate chart performance, but we would still get the iconic video)

I think TEOG could have been the lead too. Anyway, any song would have been #1 for AT LEAST 4 weeks

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InstantDejavu
20 hours ago, Gracious Gaga said:

I believe she said it herself she wanted 6+ singles.

katy perry teenage dream and Taylor Swift 1989 had LOTS of singles with LOTS of radio play 

Yeah but singles are based on the sales of an album and the already released singles. The more it sells, the more singles the label execs orders. The artist has got less to no say in it as it's the label that pays the music vids and such. It's all about money. Teenage Dream and 1989 were like the BEST performing albums those artists have released so far without mentioning the many records both broke.

Even if Gaga wanted 9 or more singles, this would have never happened.

Now I don't know how BTW performed as I became a fan after Applause.

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20 hours ago, herassisfamous said:

But she was insistent on having visuals for Scheiße so she did the Fame commercial

And that’s the music video for Scheiße, it was going to be released as the official music video if the commercial and Fame did well :classy:

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Ziggy
7 hours ago, Why am I on GGD said:

In her Google interview she even plainly said that some songs on the album would be similar to some of her previous work. I think that was a direct yet subtle reference to Judas :laughga:

“You gotta count your stripes” lolol I remember when she said that and was like oh no you can’t be referential to something that *just* happened :laughga:

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Ziggy
4 hours ago, deh said:

It's so so so sad to see that Gaga's vision of her work was constantly denied. MTN would be a f****ng banger if it was released as first single. It would be an amazing intro to the era and that song is pop masterpiece at its finest. However, BTW was also a sure shot as 1st single, and that's why it pretty much became Gaga's anthem from there on. But then again, I feel like BTW aged on the last years, and MTN continues fresh and amazing. I know that TEOG was a single on the first concepts, but her team decided not to release it. With the Judas mess, TEOG and Hair were released as promo singles before the album and then MTN was to be released after. But TEOG performed so well that they decided to release it as single. And thus what we now know as history. I also remember she was supposed to release a video for Bloody Mary a few months before all the ARTPOP talking, but I don't know if that's true or just myth. Legend says it even had a mv recorded on London.

 

They had such good choices with that album, and they still managed to mess it up. They should've trusted Gaga. I feel that nowadays she doesn't try as hard as she did back them, and I do believe it is because of this problems she had early on. I mean, I remember clearly that Yoü and I was not supposed to be a single (I was actually really confused when it was released, despite being one of my favorite songs) and yet she did all that promotion and work and that beautiful mv. She even reused some of the concepts from the original TEOG mv and simply made it happen. I don't see her doing it anymore.

I think it was more that she *thought* Interscope wouldn’t want you and I as a single because at the time it was so far from her brand. I think she was more than happy to have it be one. She even said when she premiered you and I that it probably wouldn’t be on Born this way and that’s why she played it. It’s clear she loved the song but doubted the label would want it on a Gaga album which is a fair apprehension to have.

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Jose P
3 hours ago, InstantDejavu said:

 

Now I don't know how BTW performed as I became a fan after Applause.

Well it’s pretty much common knowledge that BTW was a big success.

From Wikipedia:

Born This Way debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 after having sold 1,108,000 copies during the first week, making it the seventeenth album to sell over a million copies in one week. Born This Way was Gaga's first number-one album and the highest first-week total since 50 Cent's The Massacre (2005) sold 1,141,000 in its first week. Gaga was the fifth woman to sell one million copies in a week, after Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard Soundtrack, 1992), Britney Spears(Oops!...I Did It Again, 2000), Norah Jones (Feels Like Home, 2004), and Taylor Swift (Speak Now,2010). 

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