A Retrospective Review: ARTPOP

[NotMyFlop 1,979]

Please read my Retrospective Reviews of The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way.  Since this is a direct continuation of my last post, "A Retrospective Analysis: The Fall Before ARTPOP,"  please read that. All of these will help contextualize some of my comments and help build a cohesive narrative as I build toward review of Chromatica. 

ARTPOP is the epicenter of Lady Gaga's career. In retrospect, every decision (and controversy) was seemingly building to a brutal pitfall of the world's most prolific celebrity; and her stunning reclamation of her reputation post-ARTPOP almost feels as if the failures were intentional. If the slow-burn approach to releasing this album was her method, it was utterly misguided. In 2012, tweets began to solidify that her ideas were fermenting. It would take over 1.5 years until the ambitious concept haphazardly landed in November 2013. 

In 2012, that wasn't the only thing fermenting: an overly negative narrative was designed; built on overexposure, low-performing singles and controversies. People seemingly wanted the fall. When Applause debuted at #4 on Billboard Hot 100, it was deemed a "flop". Instead of people discussing the conceit of fame and validation as was very explicit in the single, it was instead lamented for being a petty shot at Katy Perry's very-anticipated lead single. As sexism in the industry goes: two powerful women can't exist at once. 

Gaga was unfairly treated post-Applause. While there is no denying Roar, it's competition, was more empowering and fit the times better, the outright dismissal of Applause's more ambitious, honest and creative premise was dubious to the success of the album. It would eventually become her longest-running Top 10 on the chart and was fairly successful, but the subtext surrounding its "failure" was too potent. We'll call that a motif for the ARTPOP era. 

Gaga relies heavily on the conceit and pathos of her albums. What is exactly the record about and what does she want us to feel? For her previous entries, they were very straightforward. ARTPOP and the infamous "reverse Warholian" ideology was too confusing for the general public. To be frank: what the hell does it even mean now? To bring "art into pop music" sounded too pretentious. On technicality alone, any music is art. It was no doubt extremely campy, extremely Gaga and extremely ambitious (even for her standards). Gaga had built her fame off of incredibly catchy music that was simple enough to understand. No one wanted something dense. 

In September (two months before the album) she performed a whopping six songs off ARTPOP (and one scrapped song). Shortly after, as was typical at the time, there were a slew of promotional singles (Dope peaking at #8 for it's emotional vulnerability unseen in any of Gaga's previous efforts). If you were a Little Monster, the name "Boris" should mean something: it was Gaga herself leaking her own material. It was an extremely messy, inconsistent and hard-to-track release trajectory. 

By the time ARTPOP dropped in November, fans and the curious public could only be disappointed as there wasn't much "new" to listen to. It was dead-on-arrival (as coined by @PerfectGUY) because there was nothing to be excited about. Most people had formed their opinions on the offerings given to us, and there wasn't enough material (good or bad) to sway opinions. 

As for ARTPOP itself: it's actually a solid EDM record. It's both clever in lyricism and production. It has a contagious, explosive energy compared to her previous entries (and, arguably, one that has been unmatched since). Despite operating in more abstract ways, there was still "classic" Gaga written all over it. Aura, Venus, G.U.Y and Sexxx Dreams is her strongest one-two-three-four punch since The Fame, and Dope, Gypsy and Applause all the close out the album in such a clever narrative way that you can really tell an effort was put in. 

ARTPOP is messiest at it's center, both figuratively literally. Besides MANiCURE, none of the middle songs really capture the magic that the rest of the album has. It's hard not to think Fashion!, Mary Jane Holland and Donatella are one massive song when listening casually. Where Jewels N Drugs, Swine and ARTPOP will at least capture your attention, it's hard to think they are top-tier songs from the album.

In reality, the worst part about ARTPOP is the way Gaga tried to convince the world it is deeper than it was. It's not extremely deep, besides Swine, but that's okay. Pop music doesn't always need to be deeply personal or philosophical. These songs all loosely tied to how fame was affecting her, in a clever narrative build from The Fame and The Fame Monster. They're fun. It's what pop music is and sometimes need to be. 

When Gaga tried to sell the world something so deeply conceptual, they looked and judged the album for it. While some keen listeners and dedicated fans could draw deeper meaning from the lyrics in relation to her experiences, most people aren't dedicated fans. It built reviews that the album was pretentious, confusing and downright bad. In all reality, if you were to strip subtext from the record, it's actually one of her most rewarding. 

Unfortunately, the subtext surrounding it was too potent... remember that motif? On the second week on Billboard's Hot 200, it began it's rapid descent. Enter the angry mob that will never forgive it for being a "flop". 2.5 million records, three Top 15 hits and millions of singles sold couldn't even redeem it. To make matters worse, two more massive controversies (that now are unspoken about) were brewing. 

Do What U Want, the ill-advised collaboration with R.Kelly was slowly climbing the charts. While his vocal talents definitely suited the bonafide hit, you just couldn't remove the potent subtext around him. Accusations (and now, proof) that he was a sexual predator were not uncommon. Instead of forgoing promoting the single, the duo doubled down with some raunchy performances. With snippets of an unconscious Gaga in the music video being touched began swirling around, it was the guillotine. Despite being one of her best collaborations to date, and pure electric to listen to, it was the black sheep of her catalogue. In January 2019, over five years after release, the single was wiped from existence on streaming platforms. 

To (somehow) make matters worse, there was the ARTPOP app. Promised to a revolutionary tool in music consumption, Gaga had equally ambitious plans there. Most notably, releasing unheard songs from the album. If you wondered where "I Wanna Be With You" from the iTunes Festival went, this was the likely destination. Songs like Tea, Brooklyn Nights, Stache, Princess Die and Partynaseous were either confirmed to exist on the app or were performed live. Since the era was sideways in virtually every possible way, the countdown hitting 0:00:00 and nothing happening was equally heartbreaking as was expected. 

As those songs (except Tea) leaked (or performed) over the years, the heartbreak from the failed ARTPOP  app was more realized as they are some of the best, most unique songs to date. Her final single, G.U.Y., was released in March 2014 (five months after the album) and it's failure to break ground despite the song and video being some of her best work, was the final nail in the very condensed era. Within the same month, her extremely controversial SXSW performance in which she made a model stick their fingers in their mouth and puke on her, was the final nail in her reputation. 

ARTPOP  was undoubtedly a cursed era. Even her most supportive fans couldn't defend how bad she had fallen. A promised "ARTPOP Act II"  seemed about as ill-advised as anything from this era. This was her last era with her former manager, Troy Carter. Her entire management had a radical shake-up. Instead of attempting to propel herself to new heights, Gaga needed to do the least-expected thing: recede from the spotlight for the first time in nearly five years. In what could be viewed as a failure of a celebrity who was obsessed with the idea of the celebrity, it ultimately was closing the door on the first half of her career.

If there is a "Lady" and a "Gaga" side to this performer, the end of this brutal era represented closing the door on the "Gaga". If viewing her career into two halves, this was the end of the first half. Now it was time to introduce the "Lady" to the world. If you were to define a "reverse Warholian" experience as "putting art into pop", than her the "Lady" half of her career is the true reverse Warholian experience. By stripping her persona down to the skin and bones, proving her artistic merits, building momentum and eventually steering back into pop music in celebratory fashion on Chromatica, than maybe the pain of ARTPOP was worth it. Where "Gaga" represented starting at the top and gradually decreasing, the "Lady" represents starting at the bottom and gradually re-preaking. 

It's always been one to question: was all of this intentional? Is her career an overarching statement on the celebrity? Her ability to get to such bleak lows, and her ability to re-peak is one for the history books. How does a star make herself born again (as she did in 2018; pun very much intended)? 

Lastly, ARTPOP represents what Chromatica is about: how being a celebrity has affected her. Whereas Chromatica is very personal, deep and specific, ARTPOP is not. Chromatica was once described as "ARTPOP's little sister". The statement holds true in several regards, even if Chromatica is answering more of the manifestos presented in The Fame and The Fame Monster. Most of the lyrical content; the pain, anxiety and sadness can all be traced be back to this infamous record. While it may never have the best reputation for the music, ARTPOP will forever remain the most important era in her career for a million other reasons. 

Now, it's time to introduce the "Lady"... 

Coming Tomorrow: 'A Retrospective Review: Cheek to Cheek". Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and any discussion(s) that come from it! 

[NotMyFlop 1,979]

@pop ate my heart, @Salvador Sequea, @Alex Spade, @ARTGOD, @Thomas P, @Quartz & @Esme Squalor.

Thank you all so much for the continued support!  It really does mean alot you want to read my words. I hope you enjoy! 

[Leeskizz 19]

Nice piece. 

 

lol "the most important era in her career for a million other reasons."

[NotMyFlop 1,979]

2 minutes ago, Leeskizz said:

lol "the most important era in her career for a million other reasons."

It's hard not to make those puns. 

[ElektrikUniCorn 468]

23 minutes ago, NotMyFlop said:

Where "Gaga" represented starting at the top and gradually decreasing, the "Lady" represents starting at the bottom and gradually re-preaking. 

It's always been one to question: was all of this intentional? Is her career an overarching statement on the celebrity? Her ability to get to such bleak lows, and her ability to re-peak is one for the history books. How does a star make herself born again (as she did in 2018; pun very much intended)? 

Lastly, ARTPOP represents what Chromatica is about: how being a celebrity has affected her. Whereas Chromatica is very personal, deep and specific, ARTPOP is not. Chromatica was once described as "ARTPOP's little sister". The statement holds true in several regards, even if Chromatica is answering more of the manifestos presented in The Fame and The Fame Monster. Most of the lyrical content; the pain, anxiety and sadness can all be traced be back to this infamous record. While it may never have the best reputation for the music, ARTPOP will forever remain the most important era in her career for a million other reasons. 

Again Gaga should read your reviews.

[BustA911 502]

It’s so well-written. I’m looking forward to the review of yours! 

[Thomas P 18,377]

I think you’re absolutely right in saying ARTPOP is her most important era. 
If it would’ve been the smash fans were hoping for at the time, her career path would’ve looked so different. The Fame may have introduced her and TFM and BTW may have cemented her commercial and celebrity status, but ARTPOP’s legacy will always be that it is the one that humbled the gargantuan mega star that is Lady Gaga. Rebuilding her career after this has been a really fun journey to follow. 

[ARTGOD 3,266]

I love love love your thoughts on the album .

I think one of the many many reasons why ARTPOP underperformed was that the songs weren’t relatable. Her lyrics up to that point had been more general and vaguer, tackling more universal topics through her own unique lens. We got some more personal and specific material once in a while, but a lot of her music can be easily stripped away from her persona and not much changes.

ARTPOP is so tied to Gaga as a character and as an artist, that unless you care deeply about her struggles and her artistry, the album doesn’t have that much to offer in terms of relatable content.

A big thing people had wanted to see in her first couple albums was the real person behind the Gaga character, the girl behind the Aura if you will . I think ARTPOP delivers greatly in that regard, but at that point the hate train was so unstoppable that making her music so uniquely her and so particularly self-centered only added to people’s inability to connect with the material.

The music in ARTPOP is tied to the narrative, people hated the narrative, so people hated the music. If ARTPOP had been more general and relatable maybe it would’ve had more of a chance, but an album that is basically all about Gaga’s struggles and her reflections about being an artist and making art is only asking to be hated when people are also starting to hate the artist.

ARTPOP being about Gaga from beginning to end was one of the reasons why it was doomed, but it’s now also one of the reasons why it’s so interesting to revisit. It offers so much insight into her state of mind at the time, so for Gaga historians like us it’s just a goldmine.

Gaga up to that point felt like an inaccesible character, an untouchable goddess. ARTPOP, through the music itself and everything that happened around it, showed her vulnerability and her insecurities for the first time. At the time it was only fuel for the hate train, but now that people are in love with her again, an album like ARTPOP is much better appreciated and understood.

[GreenDiamond 6,286]

1 hour ago, NotMyFlop said:

Please read my Retrospective Reviews of The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way.  Since this is a direct continuation of my last post, "A Retrospective Analysis: The Fall Before ARTPOP,"  please read that. All of these will help contextualize some of my comments and help build a cohesive narrative as I build toward review of Chromatica. 

ARTPOP is the epicenter of Lady Gaga's career. In retrospect, every decision (and controversy) was seemingly building to a brutal pitfall of the world's most prolific celebrity; and her stunning reclamation of her reputation post-ARTPOP almost feels as if the failures were intentional. If the slow-burn approach to releasing this album was her method, it was utterly misguided. In 2012, tweets began to solidify that her ideas were fermenting. It would take over 1.5 years until the ambitious concept haphazardly landed in November 2013. 

In 2012, that wasn't the only thing fermenting: an overly negative narrative was designed; built on overexposure, low-performing singles and controversies. People seemingly wanted the fall. When Applause debuted at #4 on Billboard Hot 100, it was deemed a "flop". Instead of people discussing the conceit of fame and validation as was very explicit in the single, it was instead lamented for being a petty shot at Katy Perry's very-anticipated lead single. As sexism in the industry goes: two powerful women can't exist at once. 

Gaga was unfairly treated post-Applause. While there is no denying Roar, it's competition, was more empowering and fit the times better, the outright dismissal of Applause's more ambitious, honest and creative premise was dubious to the success of the album. It would eventually become her longest-running Top 10 on the chart and was fairly successful, but the subtext surrounding its "failure" was too potent. We'll call that a motif for the ARTPOP era. 

Gaga relies heavily on the conceit and pathos of her albums. What is exactly the record about and what does she want us to feel? For her previous entries, they were very straightforward. ARTPOP and the infamous "reverse Warholian" ideology was too confusing for the general public. To be frank: what the hell does it even mean now? To bring "art into pop music" sounded too pretentious. On technicality alone, any music is art. It was no doubt extremely campy, extremely Gaga and extremely ambitious (even for her standards). Gaga had built her fame off of incredibly catchy music that was simple enough to understand. No one wanted something dense. 

In September (two months before the album) she performed a whopping six songs off ARTPOP (and one scrapped song). Shortly after, as was typical at the time, there were a slew of promotional singles (Dope peaking at #8 for it's emotional vulnerability unseen in any of Gaga's previous efforts). If you were a Little Monster, the name "Boris" should mean something: it was Gaga herself leaking her own material. It was an extremely messy, inconsistent and hard-to-track release trajectory. 

By the time ARTPOP dropped in November, fans and the curious public could only be disappointed as there wasn't much "new" to listen to. It was dead-on-arrival (as coined by @PerfectGUY) because there was nothing to be excited about. Most people had formed their opinions on the offerings given to us, and there wasn't enough material (good or bad) to sway opinions. 

As for ARTPOP itself: it's actually a solid EDM record. It's both clever in lyricism and production. It has a contagious, explosive energy compared to her previous entries (and, arguably, one that has been unmatched since). Despite operating in more abstract ways, there was still "classic" Gaga written all over it. Aura, Venus, G.U.Y and Sexxx Dreams is her strongest one-two-three-four punch since The Fame, and Dope, Gypsy and Applause all the close out the album in such a clever narrative way that you can really tell an effort was put in. 

ARTPOP is messiest at it's center, both figuratively literally. Besides MANiCURE, none of the middle songs really capture the magic that the rest of the album has. It's hard not to think Fashion!, Mary Jane Holland and Donatella are one massive song when listening casually. Where Jewels N Drugs, Swine and ARTPOP will at least capture your attention, it's hard to think they are top-tier songs from the album.

In reality, the worst part about ARTPOP is the way Gaga tried to convince the world it is deeper than it was. It's not extremely deep, besides Swine, but that's okay. Pop music doesn't always need to be deeply personal or philosophical. These songs all loosely tied to how fame was affecting her, in a clever narrative build from The Fame and The Fame Monster. They're fun. It's what pop music is and sometimes need to be. 

When Gaga tried to sell the world something so deeply conceptual, they looked and judged the album for it. While some keen listeners and dedicated fans could draw deeper meaning from the lyrics in relation to her experiences, most people aren't dedicated fans. It built reviews that the album was pretentious, confusing and downright bad. In all reality, if you were to strip subtext from the record, it's actually one of her most rewarding. 

Unfortunately, the subtext surrounding it was too potent... remember that motif? On the second week on Billboard's Hot 200, it began it's rapid descent. Enter the angry mob that will never forgive it for being a "flop". 2.5 million records, three Top 15 hits and millions of singles sold couldn't even redeem it. To make matters worse, two more massive controversies (that now are unspoken about) were brewing. 

Do What U Want, the ill-advised collaboration with R.Kelly was slowly climbing the charts. While his vocal talents definitely suited the bonafide hit, you just couldn't remove the potent subtext around him. Accusations (and now, proof) that he was a sexual predator were not uncommon. Instead of forgoing promoting the single, the duo doubled down with some raunchy performances. With snippets of an unconscious Gaga in the music video being touched began swirling around, it was the guillotine. Despite being one of her best collaborations to date, and pure electric to listen to, it was the black sheep of her catalogue. In January 2019, over five years after release, the single was wiped from existence on streaming platforms. 

To (somehow) make matters worse, there was the ARTPOP app. Promised to a revolutionary tool in music consumption, Gaga had equally ambitious plans there. Most notably, releasing unheard songs from the album. If you wondered where "I Wanna Be With You" from the iTunes Festival went, this was the likely destination. Songs like Tea, Brooklyn Nights, Stache, Princess Die and Partynaseous were either confirmed to exist on the app or were performed live. Since the era was sideways in virtually every possible way, the countdown hitting 0:00:00 and nothing happening was equally heartbreaking as was expected. 

As those songs (except Tea) leaked (or performed) over the years, the heartbreak from the failed ARTPOP  app was more realized as they are some of the best, most unique songs to date. Her final single, G.U.Y., was released in March 2014 (five months after the album) and it's failure to break ground despite the song and video being some of her best work, was the final nail in the very condensed era. Within the same month, her extremely controversial SXSW performance in which she made a model stick their fingers in their mouth and puke on her, was the final nail in her reputation. 

ARTPOP  was undoubtedly a cursed era. Even her most supportive fans couldn't defend how bad she had fallen. A promised "ARTPOP Act II"  seemed about as ill-advised as anything from this era. This was her last era with her former manager, Troy Carter. Her entire management had a radical shake-up. Instead of attempting to propel herself to new heights, Gaga needed to do the least-expected thing: recede from the spotlight for the first time in nearly five years. In what could be viewed as a failure of a celebrity who was obsessed with the idea of the celebrity, it ultimately was closing the door on the first half of her career.

If there is a "Lady" and a "Gaga" side to this performer, the end of this brutal era represented closing the door on the "Gaga". If viewing her career into two halves, this was the end of the first half. Now it was time to introduce the "Lady" to the world. If you were to define a "reverse Warholian" experience as "putting art into pop", than her the "Lady" half of her career is the true reverse Warholian experience. By stripping her persona down to the skin and bones, proving her artistic merits, building momentum and eventually steering back into pop music in celebratory fashion on Chromatica, than maybe the pain of ARTPOP was worth it. Where "Gaga" represented starting at the top and gradually decreasing, the "Lady" represents starting at the bottom and gradually re-preaking. 

It's always been one to question: was all of this intentional? Is her career an overarching statement on the celebrity? Her ability to get to such bleak lows, and her ability to re-peak is one for the history books. How does a star make herself born again (as she did in 2018; pun very much intended)? 

Lastly, ARTPOP represents what Chromatica is about: how being a celebrity has affected her. Whereas Chromatica is very personal, deep and specific, ARTPOP is not. Chromatica was once described as "ARTPOP's little sister". The statement holds true in several regards, even if Chromatica is answering more of the manifestos presented in The Fame and The Fame Monster. Most of the lyrical content; the pain, anxiety and sadness can all be traced be back to this infamous record. While it may never have the best reputation for the music, ARTPOP will forever remain the most important era in her career for a million other reasons. 

Now, it's time to introduce the "Lady"... 

Coming Tomorrow: 'A Retrospective Review: Cheek to Cheek". Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and any discussion(s) that come from it! 

tag me pls, wanna read later!

[Agunimon 20,249]

[PrincessDiez 532]

Wow love this threads! Honestly❤️
Please tag me in the next ones to come

[PerfectGUY 7,822]

Thank you for writing that! very interesting

I somehow even find beauty in the mess that was ARTPOP

the era is a beautiful mess that somehow is the most interesting to look back to. How things went down tell so many things about both Gaga and the industry

As you said it's the epicenter of Gaga's career. Everything before ARTPOP was leading to ARTPOP and everything happening after is heavily linked to what happened during ARTPOP.

The music in itself is perfectly imperfect too. 

I still consider the album to be the best she has made. When played loud on speakers from start to finish, it feels like an excruciating yet liberating experience which is unmatched  

[DiamondAngel 5,044]

Been loving these analyses. Can you add me to the tag list?  

[ImTired 3,955]

Some points were made. 

[Butters Stotch 4,500]

5 hours ago, NotMyFlop said:

In reality, the worst part about ARTPOP is the way Gaga tried to convince the world it is deeper than it was.

This sums it all up. ARTPOP was actually a license for doing anything she always wanted to do in the name of art. But the way she talked about the album made it look like it was gonna be something else. Can I please be tagged when you release the next parts? Thank you, I love your reviews!!