What Was Supposed To Be BTW's "Biggest Hit"?

[RudraCNG 14,285]

She was referring to Judas. She compared it to Bad Romance.

[KORG 4,756]

She orignally wanted MTN as the lead, but the label chose BTW. She finally got her wish at the end to close out the album but she was overexposed and it died a death that bled its disease into ARTPOP.

So she was talking about MTN. Definitely.

[pop ate my heart 2,720]

I'm just glad she learned from her mistakes on BTW and ARTPOP and doesn't overhype her albums like this anymore. She used to claim and promise a lot of things that, at the moment, she was def not sure if they were going to happen, which led to a LOT of let-downs afterwards. Keeping it all a secret and behind the scenes makes the whole experience of the era more enjoyable. 

[Noir 14,789]

I’d say they expected Born This Way, TEOG and You + I to be “the hits”.

They probably thought Judas, Hair and MTN would be smaller hits.

[Biggest Bitch 5,230]

Born This Way 

[Knife 6,639]

Born This Way?

I still remember the promo ramp up for The Edge of Glory with the mermaid treatment with the surgeon/operator's room..and then the swap to the set that we got with Clarence Clemons. ..And then Clarence Clemons dying not long after the video was released. I feel like the excitement for this track fizzled out quickly.

Those were dark times. Actually, most of the BTW era were dark times. The wait for the MTN video was excruciating.

[Monsterxo 1,499]

Probably Marry The Night since she wanted it to be the first single.

[JustJames 688]

This era was a disaster; the biggest star on the planet was set to release new music that evolved her famous dance-pop sound into a genre-bending album with unique song structures and her most personal lyrics wrapped inside bangers about overcoming setbacks (MTN), inclusion (BTW), and legacy (EOG). It was commercial AND experimental, had incredible highs, but also had rest-stops.

The criticism of Gaga was that she was a gimmick who wouldn't progress beyond the type of music of TF/M. The lineup of singles did nothing but exacerbate these; how do BTW (single) and Judas preview songs like HML / Electric Chapel? How would the GP know Scheisse and Govt. Hooker existed? 

I struggle to see the logic behind BTW's singles. Marry The Night would've been the best lead; it was VERY Gaga with a more personal storyline and interesting production that started as a ballad before transitioning into a rock-dance climax. Released as single #5 during the holiday season was doomed.

Marry The Night, Born This Way, and Edge of Glory were all HUGE songs with deeply personal messages; she was definitely referring to 1 of these. That EOG missed #1 because they released it as a promo single is insane. BTW debuted #1, Judas debuted #10 w/ 3 days of tracking, and EOG debuted #3 w/ only digital sales. She very nearly got three #1s even with major promo problems. 

11/2010: Marry The Night (single #1)

02/2011:  Born This Way (single #2)

04/2011: Hair (promo #1) + Electric Chapel (promo #2)

05/2011: Edge of Glory (single #3) + Born This Way (album)

08/2011: Scheisse (limited market single #4) + Government Hooker (limited market single #4)

09/2011: You & I (single #5) 

MTN, BTW, EOG all would've gone #1; Electric Chapel would've teased the rock vibes and religious metaphors of the album as a promo single without the risk of releasing a song called Judas on Easter.

She could've then given the experimental core exposure by releasing 1 or 2 / performing a medley at the VMAs without worrying about commercial performance. You & I, which was a single only because it was the safest choice as the era unraveled, could've closed out as a nice Top 10. 

 

[vinster13 3,545]

you and I should’ve smashed 

[Cherry Blues 349]

Marry the Night was planned as the first single, so they saw a lot of potential here.

Government Hooker as a erotic club track and clever metapher about society had also lot of potential. Very tasty and artful.

Edge of Glory became big.

Unfortunately the hypnotic dance piece Heavy Metal Lover couldn't shine commercially as a single ): This piece is pure modern electronic art. 

[Monzter 182]

Judas or The Edge of Glory

[MelbHawker 6,583]

They should’ve released TEOG as the second single if they wanted a HIT bigger than Born This Way. 

 

[Isidro Guevara 821]

5 hours ago, KORG said:

So she was talking about MTN. Definitely.

I kinda agree here. She was very passionate about MTN since the beginning. 

[KORG 4,756]

5 hours ago, Knife said:

Born This Way?

I still remember the promo ramp up for The Edge of Glory with the mermaid treatment with the surgeon/operator's room..and then the swap to the set that we got with Clarence Thomas. ..And then Clarence Thomas dying not long after the video was released. I feel like the excitement for this track fizzled out quickly.

Those were dark times. Actually, most of the BTW era were dark times. The wait for the MTN video was excruciating.

....who?

[Isidro Guevara 821]

5 hours ago, pop ate my heart said:

I'm just glad she learned from her mistakes on BTW and ARTPOP and doesn't overhype her albums like this anymore. She used to claim and promise a lot of things that, at the moment, she was def not sure if they were going to happen, which led to a LOT of let-downs afterwards. Keeping it all a secret and behind the scenes makes the whole experience of the era more enjoyable. 

It was understandable with BTW because it had many potential and great songs. If I was Gaga and had songs like the title track, Marry The Night, The Edge Of Glory, and Yoü And I on my album, I would've thought I made the greatest pop album of the decade also. But I agree she should've dialed down a bit and let the music talk. I think she was excited during BTW era and nervous/insecure during AP.