CEREMONY | artRATE: the ARTPOP rate

[Auralegends 3,147]

1 minute ago, Cruelty said:

5 G.U.Y. – average 8.43

The highs: 11 x 9 [ @Sherry @Vertisharr @Riley @n1kos @Levine @Auralegends @dimitristhe @ARTGOD @RudraCNG]

The lows: 2 x 1 [ @ARTPOPe]

It’s a power bottom anthem! That’s not just my opinion – let’s turn to the words of The Lady Gaga herself, who said “I’m a power-bottom, I like to be underneath… the record’s all about being comfortable being underneath, because you’re strong enough to know that you don’t have to be on top to know you’re worth it”. I’m sure we can all relate. Built on a spiky, yelping synth riff, ‘G.U.Y.’ was produced by Zedd, who remembers Gaga as “for sure the most opinionated musician I’ve ever worked with”. A tale of sexual empowerment, the track was the subject of a sumptuous, lavish video filmed at the Hearst Castle estate, which kickstarted the second half of the ARTPOP era after Gaga spent a few months off recovering from… well, the pressures of being Lady Gaga. It’s tightly constructed & packed with hooks, if just a little bit vanilla, & in the final days of voting this underrated gay anthem vaulted into the top 5!

Comments:

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@Poltergeist Deserved way more love than it got. The synths in the beginning and vocals in the bridge are everything. Also, the music video is one of my favorites in Gaga's videography!

@Werewolves Wanted Such a sexy song, the bridge is incredible.

@27monster27 A very intense and very Lady Gaga song. The triple entendre of bottoming, feminism, and not needing to always be the most successful popstar are all very empowering. This combined with the usage of orchestral elements makes for an amazing and diverse song.

@allanrocks One of my favourite songs. One of her best videos. So underrated.

@Julien Lockhart That intro ? She was crazy

@Head Empty From the bridge onward it's stunning, but the rest is a little too generic and clunky for my taste. 

@JazzGa Great witty lyrics, amazing over the top underrated music video. What a fashion feast that was! The Zedd production is a little overwrought IMO

@Gangie It’s a BOP!

@huttont Ironically, it deserved to top the charts.

@TwistedTeeth Possibly one of the most whimsical songs from 2013. The Greek mythology, the sexual innuendos all tying in with Zedd's heavy EDM sound. G.U.Y is executed perfectly and every listen feels like I'm being transported to rave on Mount Olympus to have an orgy with Eros and Apollos.

@whoresup I think this is slightly overrated in the fanbase, I don’t think it is particularly original and just very Zedd 2013 EDM with any artist doing it. This wasn’t the right choice of single to turn the album campaign around. 

@Tobcho sleek, sexy, a grower. Gets the job done. Disliked in 2013 - it came across as basic, to Britney somehow. And does the chorus even have a melody? However, 10 years down the line, it has become a fave. 

@ARTGOD This is pop perfection. I didn’t love this song at first but through the years it’s only grown on me. The lyrics are so fun, the production is so thick and aggressive, and the melodies are otherworldly.

@Ophelia So loud and so goooood. The wordplay is weird and very ARTPOP, but I think we all got used to it.

This low placement is a crime

[Ivy 11,021]

5 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

Before we go any further, it’s time for a little surprise…

A few months ago when I was working on this rate, I decided to get in contact with some of the figures involved in making ARTPOP, to see if they had any treasured memories to share from the making of the album. To my surprise & delight, I got a reply!

So here is ARTPOP producer Madeon’s exclusive message for Gagadaily!

I love this!!

[heygurlhi 3,200]

I wonder if vote was super polarised and thats why more generic (and better songs ) got an average higher score

[Nite 3,278]

Wonder what version of DWUW everyone went with, didn't expect it to still be in with how everything went

[ARTPOPe 9,984]

2 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

Finally!

Such an annoying and grating song

[Donatellah 930]

DWUW ft. Xtina is the superior version wbk

[Cruelty 5,887]

4 DO WHAT U WANT – average 8.46

The highs: 11 x 16 [ @Blackout19 @heygurlhi @SharkmanthaC @The Z @Guigaga @allanrocks @Alfonso @Anderson123 @holy scheisse @Ororo Munroe @phantasmas @JustTea @SpadesToStart @Agunimon @Scar97 @Pictures]

The lows: 1 x 3 [ @The Fame Monster @SimonBaetens @bionic]

Here we go then. DJ White Shadow’s favourite track on ARTPOP, ‘Do What U Want’ originated as a Tchami beat from 2011. It’s a gorgeous, clean production; a chugging groove with a fierce chorus and clear R&B influences. Gaga & DJWS expanded the track in late 2012, & then legendary 90s R&B hitmaker & convicted child sex offender R. Kelly was added as a featured artist just a few weeks before ARTPOP came out (both DJWS & Gaga claim to be the one who reached out; personally I find DJWS’ claim more persuasive). Gaga says it’s both a sex jam—“it’s kind of like one of the greatest gifts you can give to a man that you love, is just like ‘do what you want with me, I don’t care’”—and also a song about the media: “it’s about becoming more and more famous, & really needing to figure out a way to… handle all of those things”. She explained that ‘Do What U Want’ is therefore about keeping a part of yourself private, inviolable, safe from the attentions of the press. I’m not 100% convinced by how well these themes intertwine… but to be honest, we have a bigger elephant in the room to address.

Simply put, ‘Do What U Want’ was a mistake. I love this song to pieces, it’s one of my favourite Gaga beats ever, but I couldn’t give it my 11 because… it was a mistake. Inviting R. Kelly onto a song with THAT chorus lyric, hell, inviting R. Kelly onto a song at all in 2013—when his crimes were long known—was unacceptable. Gaga even gave a weird interview where she implicitly questioned the validity of the accusations against her collaborator, essentially saying that R Kelly was defined by who people thought he was, & how she wanted ARTPOP to teach people to be more critical about things like that. However, to her credit, Gaga acknowledged her wrongdoing & apologised. She has since disowned how she was thinking at the time. The R. Kelly version of the song does not exist anymore. But as many voters pointed out (& I encourage you to read the full version of everyone’s commentary when I post it after the ceremony), as much as we all love jamming to ‘Do What U Want’, the song is irrevocably tainted. I think that if R. Kelly had never been invited onto the track, this would have won the rate. As it is… who can say?

Comments:

Spoiler

@Bronco Feels out of place on ARTPOP to me personally, lacks the same level of maximalist EDM that I love the album for.

@ALittleMonsta its kinda overrated imma be honest and i dont like r kelly and it was apart of the messy things of the ARTPOP era and it had great potential but i get why many people cant stop listening to it

@HeavyMetal Halcyon We were robbed

@Born This Way I’m rating this as the solo version. It’s such a personal account of her touring the Born This Way Ball, I like the song just being her.

@Ultimecia Would have been a 10 if she had kept it solo, without all of the baggage the song now has.

@27monster27 Another (and rather controversial) R&B feature on the album. Even in solo form, the song still empowers through a sense of strength. Lady Gaga reminds the press that no matter what they say about her body, they will never have her heart or mind. Lady Gaga reinforces this statement with some of her fiercest career vocals ever.

@allanrocks One of my favourite songs from her entire career. Such a shame R. Kelly was featured here. The Xtina version doesn’t do much for me.

@Riley Such a shame the history of this song, was always my favorite song from the album! DWUW Solo Version is fabulous and Christina Remix was an incredible mini era itself!!! Justice for DWUW 

@Head Empty Solo version is a stand-out in her discography. Perfect in many ways, but sadly tainted by the way it was created.

@ImMatt Music critic Jason Lipshutz once said he wished Miguel had sung R Kelly's verse. I guarantee if he had, Gaga would still perform it today as his verse is actually good. Sadly, one of Gaga's best ever songs ruined by the R Kelly scandal.

@Gangie Bop above bops. One of her best songs. They should've stayed with the solo version for the album. Too bad the whole song got cancelled

@TwistedTeeth A song clouded with controversy. This song would've been absolutely perfect if R. Kelly hadn't touched it. Do What U Want has a classy and fresh sound, you can play it on repeat and doesn't get old. You couldn't tell me that Gaga and Xtina didn't hit it out of the park when they performed this together. However, the songs message is most impactful when it's Gaga by herself.

@Helxig 10 if it's the solo or Xtina version. 7 if it's the R Kelly version. Right from the first listen I felt his verse tarnished the meaning of the song. Her verse about her bones hurting but giving her body to her fans was 1000x better

@Auralegends Great song, such a shame of the controversy. ARTPOP's biggest commercial song.

@whoresup Apart from the obvious it was a great song and a nice step into RnB pop for Gaga. 

@Zeitgeist one of her best songs, if only certain ppl didnt ruin it

[heygurlhi 3,200]

 

[Donatellah 930]

12 minutes ago, Donatellah said:

DWUW needs to be at least Top 3, otherwise...
 

[heygurlhi 3,200]

Just now, Cruelty said:

4 DO WHAT U WANT – average 8.46

The highs: 11 x 16 [ @Blackout19 @heygurlhi @SharkmanthaC @The Z @Guigaga @allanrocks @Alfonso @Anderson123 @holy scheisse @Ororo Munroe @phantasmas @JustTea @SpadesToStart @Agunimon @Scar97 @Pictures]

The lows: 1 x 3 [ @The Fame Monster @SimonBaetens @bionic]

Here we go then. DJ White Shadow’s favourite track on ARTPOP, ‘Do What U Want’ originated as a Tchami beat from 2011. It’s a gorgeous, clean production; a chugging groove with a fierce chorus and clear R&B influences. Gaga & DJWS expanded the track in late 2012, & then legendary 90s R&B hitmaker & convicted child sex offender R. Kelly was added as a featured artist just a few weeks before ARTPOP came out (both DJWS & Gaga claim to be the one who reached out; personally I find DJWS’ claim more persuasive). Gaga says it’s both a sex jam—“it’s kind of like one of the greatest gifts you can give to a man that you love, is just like ‘do what you want with me, I don’t care’”—and also a song about the media: “it’s about becoming more and more famous, & really needing to figure out a way to… handle all of those things”. She explained that ‘Do What U Want’ is therefore about keeping a part of yourself private, inviolable, safe from the attentions of the press. I’m not 100% convinced by how well these themes intertwine… but to be honest, we have a bigger elephant in the room to address.

Simply put, ‘Do What U Want’ was a mistake. I love this song to pieces, it’s one of my favourite Gaga beats ever, but I couldn’t give it my 11 because… it was a mistake. Inviting R. Kelly onto a song with THAT chorus lyric, hell, inviting R. Kelly onto a song at all in 2013—when his crimes were long known—was unacceptable. Gaga even gave a weird interview where she implicitly questioned the validity of the accusations against her collaborator, essentially saying that R Kelly was defined by who people thought he was, & how she wanted ARTPOP to teach people to be more critical about things like that. However, to her credit, Gaga acknowledged her wrongdoing & apologised. She has since disowned how she was thinking at the time. The R. Kelly version of the song does not exist anymore. But as many voters pointed out (& I encourage you to read the full version of everyone’s commentary when I post it after the ceremony), as much as we all love jamming to ‘Do What U Want’, the song is irrevocably tainted. I think that if R. Kelly had never been invited onto the track, this would have won the rate. As it is… who can say?

Comments:

  Reveal hidden contents

@Bronco Feels out of place on ARTPOP to me personally, lacks the same level of maximalist EDM that I love the album for.

@ALittleMonsta its kinda overrated imma be honest and i dont like r kelly and it was apart of the messy things of the ARTPOP era and it had great potential but i get why many people cant stop listening to it

@HeavyMetal Halcyon We were robbed

@Born This Way I’m rating this as the solo version. It’s such a personal account of her touring the Born This Way Ball, I like the song just being her.

@Ultimecia Would have been a 10 if she had kept it solo, without all of the baggage the song now has.

@27monster27 Another (and rather controversial) R&B feature on the album. Even in solo form, the song still empowers through a sense of strength. Lady Gaga reminds the press that no matter what they say about her body, they will never have her heart or mind. Lady Gaga reinforces this statement with some of her fiercest career vocals ever.

@allanrocks One of my favourite songs from her entire career. Such a shame R. Kelly was featured here. The Xtina version doesn’t do much for me.

@Riley Such a shame the history of this song, was always my favorite song from the album! DWUW Solo Version is fabulous and Christina Remix was an incredible mini era itself!!! Justice for DWUW 

@Head Empty Solo version is a stand-out in her discography. Perfect in many ways, but sadly tainted by the way it was created.

@ImMatt Music critic Jason Lipshutz once said he wished Miguel had sung R Kelly's verse. I guarantee if he had, Gaga would still perform it today as his verse is actually good. Sadly, one of Gaga's best ever songs ruined by the R Kelly scandal.

@Gangie Bop above bops. One of her best songs. They should've stayed with the solo version for the album. Too bad the whole song got cancelled

@TwistedTeeth A song clouded with controversy. This song would've been absolutely perfect if R. Kelly hadn't touched it. Do What U Want has a classy and fresh sound, you can play it on repeat and doesn't get old. You couldn't tell me that Gaga and Xtina didn't hit it out of the park when they performed this together. However, the songs message is most impactful when it's Gaga by herself.

@Helxig 10 if it's the solo or Xtina version. 7 if it's the R Kelly version. Right from the first listen I felt his verse tarnished the meaning of the song. Her verse about her bones hurting but giving her body to her fans was 1000x better

@Auralegends Great song, such a shame of the controversy. ARTPOP's biggest commercial song.

@whoresup Apart from the obvious it was a great song and a nice step into RnB pop for Gaga. 

@Zeitgeist one of her best songs, if only certain ppl didnt ruin it

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[PMM 2,122]

dwuw deserves that top placement based only on a song 

[Juanlittlem 34,612]

2 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

4 DO WHAT U WANT – average 8.46

The highs: 11 x 16 [ @Blackout19 @heygurlhi @SharkmanthaC @The Z @Guigaga @allanrocks @Alfonso @Anderson123 @holy scheisse @Ororo Munroe @phantasmas @JustTea @SpadesToStart @Agunimon @Scar97 @Pictures]

The lows: 1 x 3 [ @The Fame Monster @SimonBaetens @bionic]

Here we go then. DJ White Shadow’s favourite track on ARTPOP, ‘Do What U Want’ originated as a Tchami beat from 2011. It’s a gorgeous, clean production; a chugging groove with a fierce chorus and clear R&B influences. Gaga & DJWS expanded the track in late 2012, & then legendary 90s R&B hitmaker & convicted child sex offender R. Kelly was added as a featured artist just a few weeks before ARTPOP came out (both DJWS & Gaga claim to be the one who reached out; personally I find DJWS’ claim more persuasive). Gaga says it’s both a sex jam—“it’s kind of like one of the greatest gifts you can give to a man that you love, is just like ‘do what you want with me, I don’t care’”—and also a song about the media: “it’s about becoming more and more famous, & really needing to figure out a way to… handle all of those things”. She explained that ‘Do What U Want’ is therefore about keeping a part of yourself private, inviolable, safe from the attentions of the press. I’m not 100% convinced by how well these themes intertwine… but to be honest, we have a bigger elephant in the room to address.

Simply put, ‘Do What U Want’ was a mistake. I love this song to pieces, it’s one of my favourite Gaga beats ever, but I couldn’t give it my 11 because… it was a mistake. Inviting R. Kelly onto a song with THAT chorus lyric, hell, inviting R. Kelly onto a song at all in 2013—when his crimes were long known—was unacceptable. Gaga even gave a weird interview where she implicitly questioned the validity of the accusations against her collaborator, essentially saying that R Kelly was defined by who people thought he was, & how she wanted ARTPOP to teach people to be more critical about things like that. However, to her credit, Gaga acknowledged her wrongdoing & apologised. She has since disowned how she was thinking at the time. The R. Kelly version of the song does not exist anymore. But as many voters pointed out (& I encourage you to read the full version of everyone’s commentary when I post it after the ceremony), as much as we all love jamming to ‘Do What U Want’, the song is irrevocably tainted. I think that if R. Kelly had never been invited onto the track, this would have won the rate. As it is… who can say?

Comments:

  Reveal hidden contents

@Bronco Feels out of place on ARTPOP to me personally, lacks the same level of maximalist EDM that I love the album for.

@ALittleMonsta its kinda overrated imma be honest and i dont like r kelly and it was apart of the messy things of the ARTPOP era and it had great potential but i get why many people cant stop listening to it

@HeavyMetal Halcyon We were robbed

@Born This Way I’m rating this as the solo version. It’s such a personal account of her touring the Born This Way Ball, I like the song just being her.

@Ultimecia Would have been a 10 if she had kept it solo, without all of the baggage the song now has.

@27monster27 Another (and rather controversial) R&B feature on the album. Even in solo form, the song still empowers through a sense of strength. Lady Gaga reminds the press that no matter what they say about her body, they will never have her heart or mind. Lady Gaga reinforces this statement with some of her fiercest career vocals ever.

@allanrocks One of my favourite songs from her entire career. Such a shame R. Kelly was featured here. The Xtina version doesn’t do much for me.

@Riley Such a shame the history of this song, was always my favorite song from the album! DWUW Solo Version is fabulous and Christina Remix was an incredible mini era itself!!! Justice for DWUW 

@Head Empty Solo version is a stand-out in her discography. Perfect in many ways, but sadly tainted by the way it was created.

@ImMatt Music critic Jason Lipshutz once said he wished Miguel had sung R Kelly's verse. I guarantee if he had, Gaga would still perform it today as his verse is actually good. Sadly, one of Gaga's best ever songs ruined by the R Kelly scandal.

@Gangie Bop above bops. One of her best songs. They should've stayed with the solo version for the album. Too bad the whole song got cancelled

@TwistedTeeth A song clouded with controversy. This song would've been absolutely perfect if R. Kelly hadn't touched it. Do What U Want has a classy and fresh sound, you can play it on repeat and doesn't get old. You couldn't tell me that Gaga and Xtina didn't hit it out of the park when they performed this together. However, the songs message is most impactful when it's Gaga by herself.

@Helxig 10 if it's the solo or Xtina version. 7 if it's the R Kelly version. Right from the first listen I felt his verse tarnished the meaning of the song. Her verse about her bones hurting but giving her body to her fans was 1000x better

@Auralegends Great song, such a shame of the controversy. ARTPOP's biggest commercial song.

@whoresup Apart from the obvious it was a great song and a nice step into RnB pop for Gaga. 

@Zeitgeist one of her best songs, if only certain ppl didnt ruin it

[Ophelia 3,781]

DWUW is a masterpiece, its production is top 3 in her entire discog I swear

so clean and hypnotic

[heygurlhi 3,200]

U ppl made Timmy to put his foot down 

[Auralegends 3,147]

4 minutes ago, ARTPOPe said:

Finally!

Such an annoying and grating song