NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Welcome back! Thank you all who has been continually reading, and if this is your first review, I hope you enjoy. This has been a series of essays opted to review Chromatica in the light that all of her musical efforts - or eras - are extremely interconnected and they are all represented (conceptually or explicitly) in her current album. I have written Retrospective Reviews on: The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born This Way, The Fall Before ARTPOP, ARTPOP and Cheek To Cheek. Coming off her transcendental era of Cheek To Cheek, Gaga was at an awkward fork in the road. In a bold move - if you could say that - she decided to lend her talents to the prolific anthology series American Horror Story: Hotel. It was another venture that avoided releasing a solo record; arguably still too hurt from the ARTPOP era. While there was never true album avoidance, the career liberation awarded from her new management proved that any new path beyond pop music could be a fruitful endeavor. American Horror Story, as it turns out, would establish the notion as a pattern. Earning a Golden Globe for her role as The Countess, she forayed into territory with shocking ease. As it turns out, Gaga refocusing the spotlight on what she could do was equally as exciting as the persona the donned a dress made of Kermit the frogs. On the same night as her Golden Globe win in early 2016, she touted that a new album was forthcoming. Promised to be inspired by The Countess, Gaga explained it would really dig into her fascination of the art of darkness, as if she hadn't done that before. For veteran fans, this return-to-form was going to be monumental. Instead of reveling in the excess teases that dominated the pre-ARTPOP era, there was a cold silence from anyone in her team. This isn't an issue perse, as the unknown definitely works in favor of albums, but it revealed that the rules of this album cycle would be different than what fans had come to expect. In a broader schism, a reputation was brooding; her Sound of Music tribute the prior year, Cheek to Cheek, tribute performances and even something as small as attending a NASCAR proved there was a palpable Americana image that could be attained. Shortly after, it was revealed eight songs produced by Redone had been scrapped. Devastation aside, this was the first sign that something had radically changed in terms of approach. Bloodpop and Mark Ronson were soon brought in, rumors swirled of a Florence Welsh collaboration and Father John Misty all but confirmed that this was not going to be standard pop. As an artist who operated on being unconventional, this was both promising and daunting. After a grueling seven months of virtual silence, the Joanne era was born. Perfect Illusion, the lead single, was a sonic explosion. It's catchy hooks and chorus begged audiences to scream; but there was no denying this was radically different than the highly-favored Born This Way. Instead of clever lyricism and eye-raising production, it was exchanged for on-the-nose lyrics and straightforward production. This isn't inherently bad; it makes the music clear in its intention and ambitions, but Perfect Illusion, and the subsequent second single, Million Reasons, relied too heavily on repetition of lyrics. Had listeners not caught on to the Americana-influence that would dominate Joanne, her insanely unique and ever-so-clever Dive Bar Tour would establish that. There was something personable and somber about seeing one of the largest stars in a cramped bar. Debuting Million Reasons, A-Yo and Sinners Prayer all helped establish those influences and helped really let audiences grasp was she was entering: the stripped-back "authentic" era. Minimalism was the driving force here, and you would oftentimes see Lady Gaga in a t-shirt, shorts and her signature hat. There was nothing campy about the presentation, and the pathos of the album being about generational trauma through the use of her dead aunt was compelling and emotional. It's a somber theme that most families could relate to, but quickly the same pathos people had clung to unravelled itself in presentation. Joanne, as a whole, is an extremely impressive body of work. The raw (or minimally edited) vocals soared on each of the tracks, showcasing Gaga's very impressive range. Beyond the single choices, the lyricism was both deep as they were unique. John Wayne and Dancin' In Circles showcased a balanced approach to pop and country. Sinner's Prayer, Come to Mama and Grigio Girls were very compelling listens. Just Another Day, a sonic outlier on the album, had so much fun sonically referencing The Fame and Cheek To Cheek that is became forgivable. Had it not been for the confusing pathos, this would've solidified at Gaga's best album. As we learned with ARTPOP, albums are immeasurably affected by the exterior (or presentation) of them. When Gaga started clinging to the catchphrase "Call me Joanne," it came across as gimmicky, and oftentimes creepy considering the moniker was supposed to be about how she is Joanne. While it is her middle name, that's not what she clung to. She is not her dead aunt, and the homages to her beyond the title track were slim. If Gaga was aiming for a self-titled moment, she knew calling the album Lady Gaga and having that sound would not match up. Joanne is more personable and had the ability to strip back any connotation her stage name had. Even more, as she doubled down on the ideology that she was her father's daughter, mother's daughter, sister's sister, etc, it began to beg the question where Dancin' In Circles, a climatic song about masturbation, had a place on an album about her family and dead aunt. When discussing authenticity, there was scrutiny of the idea Joanne was wholly authentic. It became trendy to lean back a country, more conservative style to showcase your natural self (Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake are just two examples). In all reality, this album represents a transitional era in her album; Joanne linked to the desire to heal her family, Dancin' In Circles represented a sexual desire all humans have, Grigio Girls honored her terminal friend Sonja. The music itself is personable, very good and something that is just as universal, if not more so, than The Fame. Joanne helped widened her audience appeal. While pop music oftentimes appeals to teens and young adults, and jazz to the older generations, this all-American appeal showed her colors to that same conservative audience who wrote her off after Alejandro's music video or Judas. As if oftentimes overlooked as themes explored in her albums, religion was dominant. It was a strong juxtaposition to who she was, and as if she was an onion, it peeled yet another layer. With the praise she earned from Cheek to Cheek to now, this only accelerated it: she landed the superbowl. Even if she wanted over-the-top antics, it was well-known it would be a disaster. When she sung God Bless America and This Land is Your Land at the top of her show, it was a powerful political statement and showing an impressive self-awareness to what her image had morphed into. Despite ignoring most of her current Joanne album, the safe choices in her music, outfits and everything else made for one of the most well-received performances in quite a bit of time. This was no mistake. She was already coming into it as the most well-received pop artists of the time. As revealed later down the line, Bradley Cooper personally wanted Lady Gaga for the role in A Star Is Born as soon as 2015. The Joanne era may not have made it possible, but it sure as hell helped convinced the general public she could assume a leading role in a surefire attempt for Oscar glory. In truth, as most of her albums are, the legacy is carries lies outside of the music. Where ARTPOP destroyed her career, Joanne was good enough to restore - but not entirely fix - it. Whether or not Joanne was just another (successful) gimmick or was actually genuine is up to personal opinion. The same specific, on-the-nose lyricism that was offered here would become the new standard that would be seen on Chromatica. While there is no denying Chromatica is a different beast, there were lessons learned about singing specifically; making sure everyone knew what you meant. Would the pain in Fun Tonight or 1000 Doves have translated as well if she used more conceptual lyrics as she did in The Fame Monster? Joanne would go on to be a short-lived favorite amongst the general public before A Star Is Born's ruthless power was unleashed into the world. It helped continue her rebranding that Cheek To Cheek started and the fantastic - but sometimes confusing - music helped solidify Gaga as a truly well-rounded performer. Lastly, and most importantly, the surrounding "activities" that Gaga did all worked in cohesion to help strip-down her image further to leave her in a quiet position before her next movie/soundtrack era. Five Foot Two showed her in a more wholesome light, her collaboration with Metallica showed her versatility and her Coachella performance showcased how she would forever love her roots. Coming Tomorrow: "A Retrospective Review: A Star Is Born" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 @pop ate my heart, @Salvador Sequea, @Alex Spade, @ARTGOD, @Thomas P, @Quartz, @Esme Squalor, @GreenDiamond, @PrincessDiez, @DiamondAngel, @GGVS , @Steven, @EuphoricVibez & @spamuelbtanner. Thank you all again. I cannot express my appreciation enough. I hope you all love it. (I personally think it's one of my better ones). I ended up scrapping one of the ones I was going to write and will incorporate it into Joanne's (as you can tell) and A Star Is Born's. So I have only have THREE left now! I am so excited for you all to see it through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladygagalover 604 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 I think this is a great analysis. I also think that it’s worthwhile to mention that her acclaimed performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 2016 and the death of David Bowie definitely impacted LG5. The concept that she was crafting with Redone was scrapped afterwards for Joanne. I think this was a decision in order to make Gaga more accessible to the public and create a more universal appeal for her super bowl halftime show in 2017 and later A Star Is Born. I also think it was a way to improve her legitimacy as an artist in America after the criticism she received for her David Bowie tribute. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsches 17,387 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 the past participle of catch is caught Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 24 minutes ago, Ladygagalover said: I think this is a great analysis. I also think that it’s worthwhile to mention that her acclaimed performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 2016 and the death of David Bowie definitely impacted LG5. The concept that she was crafting with Redone was scrapped afterwards for Joanne. I think this was a decision in order to make Gaga more accessible to the public and create a more universal appeal for her super bowl halftime show in 2017 and later A Star Is Born. I also think it was a way to improve her legitimacy as an artist in America after the criticism she received for her David Bowie tribute. OMG. You're 100% right. I don't even know why it skipped my mind. I will always have a morbid curiosity about what those scrapped songs sound like though. With Gaga's (and I'm assuming Redone's) artistic growth, it's scary to think what they could have created. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladygaga1984 175 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 I loved it. You have a talent for writing kid! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numb the flame 7,321 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 16 minutes ago, NotMyFlop said: OMG. You're 100% right. I don't even know why it skipped my mind. I will always have a morbid curiosity about what those scrapped songs sound like though. With Gaga's (and I'm assuming Redone's) artistic growth, it's scary to think what they could have created. Gaga wrote Angel Down with RedOne, I think he may have produced the work tape even? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 23 minutes ago, ladygaga1984 said: I loved it. You have a talent for writing kid! Thank you. I appreciate it so much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 20 minutes ago, spamuelbtanner said: Gaga wrote Angel Down with RedOne, I think he may have produced the work tape even? I believe you are right about the work tape, but I don't think it was within those eight songs. I could be wrong (I tried searching the internet just now), but I thought he shaded Gaga at one point for scrapping the songs? Or did I just make that up? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn MonHoe 9,869 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Loved this review! Y’all need to stop disrespecting Joanne and put some respect on her name! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvador Sequea 813 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Joanne will have a special place in my heart forever. I started to love her again because of that album. It's truly wonderful. Yeah, maybe I don't listen to it often but I love it anyways. Perfect Illusion is my second favorite song from hers, and I really loved the look she showcased there. Maybe it wasn't the "comeback" we expected. But cmon, what can you expect from Lady Gaga if not the unexpected? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyFlop 1,979 Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 30 minutes ago, Marilyn MonHoe said: Loved this review! Y’all need to stop disrespecting Joanne and put some respect on her name! Joanne will likely be more rememebred than ARTPOP to the general public, so. 27 minutes ago, Salvador Sequea said: Joanne will have a special place in my heart forever. I started to love her again because of that album. It's truly wonderful. Yeah, maybe I don't listen to it often but I love it anyways. Perfect Illusion is my second favorite song from hers, and I really loved the look she showcased there. Maybe it wasn't the "comeback" we expected. But cmon, what can you expect from Lady Gaga if not the unexpected? Her minmial look almost made me straight. I loved the fashion, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numb the flame 7,321 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 40 minutes ago, NotMyFlop said: I believe you are right about the work tape, but I don't think it was within those eight songs. I could be wrong (I tried searching the internet just now), but I thought he shaded Gaga at one point for scrapping the songs? Or did I just make that up? I think Angel Down was one of the 8 songs created with RedOne, 7 of which were scrapped. Angel Down was revised by Mark Ronson and Bloodpop and is the version that we got on Joanne. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn MonHoe 9,869 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 19 minutes ago, NotMyFlop said: Joanne will likely be more rememebred than ARTPOP to the general public, so. Failing that it’s undeniable that Joanne gave her respect from the general public that ARTPOP never did Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvador Sequea 813 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 3 hours ago, NotMyFlop said: Her minmial look almost made me straight. I loved the fashion, too. I loved the PI mini era with the crop top and the tail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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