Are underwhelming first singles the new trend?

[vyniildisk 12,689]

1 hour ago, PsychoMaxcara said:

I see where you're coming from, but what hasn't been done already? You can take pretty much anything released today whether it be a book, movie, or a song, and trace it back to something else in the past. I think the experimental aspect of Chromatica (for me anyway) is the fact Gaga took 90s House and tried to create a current sounding record reminiscent of that genre in 2020. I can totally see how that might not feel experimental to you though (and other people here) so I get what y'all are saying.

Btw, I'm one of those people who prefer the demo versions of many songs before BloodPop ""polished"" them but that's a whole another topic. I just feel like the rough versions had more attitude and were far more promising as far as the concept of the album is concerned 

Well put! I totally agree with many of your points.

I do feel like we're in a transitional period of sorts right now where many Pop music consumers (myself included) are still sort of 'stuck' in the past lead single = strongest single mindset back when physical album sales were still of utmost importance and either made or broke the era.

I honestly don't know if I like the new (streaming) philosophy behind lead singles, or if I'll ever get used to it.... we're kind of lucky in that we stan an artist who has existed & released new music during both pre-streaming AND streaming ages, so we can compare the individual eras. Imo, The Fame with leads like Just Dance & Poker Face, and The Fame Monster (Bad Romance) felt like huge events in Pop music because the songs were so strong. I don't think Gaga would achieve the same magnitude of interest and commercial success if she opted for some of the album tracks (The Fame, Paper Gangsta, etc) instead. 

BUT I will say that it does lead to a somewhat mixed reaction (to a degree) when you have an album with such glorious international smash hits and then listen to it only to find out said hits were really the highlights of the album and there's nothing left. So I can also see how getting rid of the bad apples first may work.

I agree about your evaluation of the single choices during Born This Way as well! I actually wanted to go off on a tangent about that, but then decided to keep things more general. But yeah, the discrepancy between the singles and the actual sound of Born This Way was too big for the GP to receive well. I had a hard time, myself! And then she's repeated it that again with ARTPOP by releasing Applause first (the safest most radio friendly choice not at all reflective of what the rest ARTPOP sounds like) which I think further contributed to the divided messy reception by the public.  

 

 

Haha love that gif 

Well, isn't Korean pop like its own genre? I often hear K-pop artists/idols define it in different ways, but most of the time it's usually interpreted as more than just Pop music sung in Korean. The music itself differs from American pop in some ways, there's also the visual aspect, the fashion, every song having a unique visual theme with its own signature dance. I personally tend to think of J-pop and K-pop as being different from ordinary pop music, but I'm neither Japanese nor Korean so it's possible said nationalities might view it all as just Pop music.

 

 

The producers were BURNS and bloodpop  and it was a sample from a eurodance bop from the 90s

[vyniildisk 12,689]

43 minutes ago, xoxo Craig said:

It did! 

[Catnikko 11,548]

8 hours ago, Bambino said:

Excuse you but SL is never underwhelming. I think it's a matter of individual taste. There is no law about this. That being said, it's easy to detect an uninspired and repetitive works, such as Ariana's and Lana's recent singles, but you may still like them anyway.

not you high key contradicting yourself in 2 sentences  

[Red Velvet 10,973]

8 hours ago, PsychoMaxcara said:

Seriously when was the last time?

I honestly don't know but if Ava actually did what Katy did and made the lead single the first single after having an album finalised, then Kings & Queens could've been what it is.

[Red Velvet 10,973]

BLACKPINK: Underwhelming first and second singles, third is the actual treat.

[Riley 1,294]

I agree on some of the points - I think now a days, lead singles are more for buzz and to create hype for the album vs. being the strongest/best song on the album. (And I think artists like Ariana, Taylor, Justin, etc. who have been used as examples in this thread can afford to release a song that isn't THEE best song on their projects because there's going to be hype either way.)

I think lead singles have become more of a strategic way to give a taste/teaser to the project, give an otherwise B-worthy song a chance to shine before it's overwhelmed by A-list songs, introduce the theme/ideas/aesthetics of the album cycle, etc. 

[Bambino 23,630]

41 minutes ago, PlasticWeave said:

not you high key contradicting yourself in 2 sentences

I also said that "you may still like it" because it's a matter of an individual taste. Even though it may be uninspired and repetitive.

[Guest Adarsh]

Uh oh guys the experimentation police is here 

[Bradley 54,988]

If an album truly has more than one great song, then why don't just release all the great songs as singles? It's not like we're in a shortage of it. There really is no reason to release underwhelming songs as lead singles just for the purpose of impressing when the record is dropped.

I think the reason why some of the lead singles are underwhelming is not because the label wants it to be purposely mediocre, but that some of the 'great tracks' dont' have lyrics and themes that resonate as well on the radio. Take Chromatica for example, almost all of us agree that songs like 911, Enigma, Replay, Alice are better than Stupid Love, yet Stupid Love seems like the most straightforward answer to radio and streaming success. It requires no brain cells to bop to it, it's just catchy, fun, infectious and is a club banger. Compare it to 911 and Replay where Gaga talks about cutting herself and downing medication pills, and also how the video requires like 3 hours of analysis.

It is the commercial-driven nature of lead singles that make them lead singles, not their quality.

[Bradley 54,988]

9 hours ago, Riley said:

I agree on some of the points - I think now a days, lead singles are more for buzz and to create hype for the album vs. being the strongest/best song on the album. (And I think artists like Ariana, Taylor, Justin, etc. who have been used as examples in this thread can afford to release a song that isn't THEE best song on their projects because there's going to be hype either way.)

I think lead singles have become more of a strategic way to give a taste/teaser to the project, give an otherwise B-worthy song a chance to shine before it's overwhelmed by A-list songs, introduce the theme/ideas/aesthetics of the album cycle, etc. 

But it's literally the first impression of an era you give to the audience. For people who pay attention to music, they might very well be turned off at the first single and assume that your subsequent singles will be the same.

Sam Smith's lead singles always don't impress me and make me have no interest in checking out the rest of his record.

Besides, if the lead single is fire, doesn't that make people more excited for the second? Adele's Hello, When We Were Young, Send Your Love, etc. kinda complemented each other in that they're all good, same with Shallow, ARUTW, INLA which all supported each other and of course the entire record as well.

P/S: Riley I'm such a big fan of your work! I work out to your studio version of Gaga songs like all the time.  I hope you get to work on Chromatica some day.

[KORG 4,756]

Because of streaming, the artists often need gentle reintroduction with an inoffensive, generic lead. Its bland and sad.

[thatfoxyfeeling 11,998]

I was literally thinking the same thing before I come across this thread. Shawn Mendes - Wonder, Lady Gaga - Stupid Love, Ariana Grande - Positions, Justin Bieber - Yummy, Taylor Swift - ME! The Weeknd - Heartless the list goes on and on. It's like the new trend is to release the "hit" of the album as the second single. 

[March34th 1,973]

13 hours ago, swooning said:

Wait, what is experimental about Chromatica?

it's not. it's a pop album

[March34th 1,973]

12 hours ago, HotLikeMexico said:

Someone else already said it perfectly. Chromatica isn't "experimental," it's all been done before. All the songs are inspired by 90's House Music.The Sine From Above outro seems to reference a similar sound that Bowie and Nine Inch Nails explored in their work as well. Lot's of artist the past couple of years have been inspired and referencing 90's music.

exactly. it's pop that pushes boundaries, and gaga always does that, but she's never not made pop music and she's been aware of that. even joanne was still a pop album but she adopted visuals and instrumentation that mirrored music she grew up listening to for the theme of the album which introduced some fans to those styles of soft rock and country inspired pop music. chromatica incorporates house music and k pop as well as has a ton of samples hidden in the tracks (such as the It's My House sample in Replay, which was genius). But anyone calling it experimental would be exaggerating imo. there's plenty of albums even by pop/rock acts that are more off the wall and experimental (Dead Petz comes to mind)

[Rogacz 33]

15 hours ago, Amphetamine said:

Also to add...

 

 

Holy is the official first single of the new era, not Yummy