CEREMONY | artRATE: the ARTPOP rate

[Cello 50,753]

29 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

14 DOPE – average 6.79

The highs: 11 x 2 [ @Roughhouse Dandy @Franch Toast]

The lows: 1 x 9 [ @Blackout19 @HIMe @allanrocks @The Fame Monster @Julien Lockhart @SpadesToStart @bionic @chromaticathong @CatelynnMarie]

The second elimination from the ARTPOP album, ‘Dope’ is the moment where all the album’s fantasies come crashing down. Gaga’s explicit apology to her loved ones for her substance addiction, the song decries the effects of drugs on her relationships, & begs “I need you more than dope”. Finally ‘Aura’’s promise of vulnerability comes good, with the usually stoic Gaga breaking down & confessing that she has "been hurting low from living high for so long". With this song, ‘Jewels N’ Drugs’ retroactively becomes an ignored early warning, ‘Do What U Want’ an uncomfortable reflection of a drug-addled mind, ‘Donatella’ a misguided rebuttal of genuine concerns, & ‘Fashion!’ a desperate retreat into a dreamworld of couture. After spending several tracks running away from her pain, ‘Dope’ sees Gaga sit down at the piano & admit that life has all got too heavy.

It’s a genuinely beautiful message, & slots perfectly into the album from a lyrical perspective, but that doesn’t mean ‘Dope’ is beyond criticism. For one thing, its single campaign (a mini-era lasting approximately 2 days) was introduced with the arresting but unfathomable image of Gaga gurning from behind an exaggerated dental grill. Infamously, it’s also the beginning of… those vocals, which, aside from the inclusion of ‘Jewels N’ Drugs’, are the album’s greatest controversy. & whilst the soundscape, of simple piano and subtle electronics, is pretty enough… do you guys KNOW how expensive Rick Rubin is?! I’m really not sure what he’s adding in particular.

‘Dope’ was a rewritten version of an earlier ballad, ‘I Wanna Be With You’, which was played live before the album was released (more on that later). With that additional element of unfulfilled potential, both songs have become incredibly polarising – ‘Dope’ is statistically the most divisive song in the rate. The ‘rock bottom’ moment of the ARTPOP story (after a downward spiral that began several songs earlier), this confessional ballad ultimately left Gagadaily wanting something more. DJ White Shadow later commented that, “at the end of the day, ‘Dope’ was the song she wanted on the record” – but our voters have decided that Gaga was mistaken.

Comments:

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@Poltergeist I'd enjoy it way more if we didn't hear I Wanna Be With U first. It's nice to have a slower moment on such an intense album, but ever since the HQ demo has leaked, I don't listen to this one anymore.

@ALittleMonsta very sad song and superior to iwbwy because its more authentic to gaga at that time. she was in a very bad state and we can see some of that in this song and in the performance of it at the youtube awards. i wont lie iwbwy can be boppier but thats not the point of dope, dope is gaga pleading and showing raw emotion and expressing her issues with drug addiction.

@Born This Way I Wanna Be With You was ROBBED!

@Daenerys I get this one means something to Gaga, but it’s a total vibe killer

@Onlygaga Such a beautiful song! I still feel like IWBYU was more personal, though!

@Ultimecia Powerful yet so raw and vulnerable – one of Gaga’s best vocal performances. Deep, heart-wrenching lyrics, unlike IWBWY’s corny lyrics.

@27monster27 In a direct contrast to Mary Jane Holland, Dope finds Lady Gaga expressing grief for her excessive drug usage. She apologizes to many in her life for watching her resort to many drugs to help cope with mental health problems. She strongly expresses that she needs those who really matter more than Dope. Although it does get a little slow for the album, Lady Gaga shows (along with Swine and Do What U Want) that stronger and more aggressive vocals are here to stay for her.

@allanrocks It’s her most forgettable ballad. I barely remember it exists.

@Head Empty I'm one of the few who adores Dope. It's one of the best productions in her discography. That baseline that starts on the second verse is stunning.

@Juliandante One of my favourite Lady Gaga ballads. I think it's raw, a "come clean", with an intriguing instrumental. Is it just a piano? No, listen carefully and you will find layers and layers of sounds and instruments that give this song its depth. Also, the lyrics... heartcrushing. A heartbreak song sung through a drug/alcohol addiction confession. 

@ImMatt Thrilled she worked with Rick Rubin (and I'd LOVE them to work together again). Production is 11/10 but it was always a shame the lyrics changed and the vocal is slurred (deliberate, I know). A combination between IWBWY and Dope would've been perfect.

@JazzGa Some of the verses have some great poetry in them "Mine myself like coal/A mountain of a soul" but ultimately this ballad pales in comparison to Speechless, Shallow, etc. 

@Gangie It's sad but beautiful and sounds amazing in dolby atmos.

@huttont Debut of the classic dope vocals. Not my fave ballad but very essential to the record.

@Gagaism My least favorite on the album, but I appreciate her vulnerability on it.

It's top 3 on the album, I'll never understand the hate

[Auralegends 3,136]

Can't wait for the next polarising entry 

[Ororo Munroe 61,840]

Just now, Cruelty said:

So now we have our top 10! Which one do you think we’re losing next?

hopefully G*psy or IWBWY

[Ophelia 3,772]

I rly wish it was Sexx dreams, but It'll be IWBWY I fear 

[sillynate 6,170]

Oh no I’m late 

[HookerOnAChurch 6,637]

Aura is better win this mega rate. 

Next one should be MJH

 

[Railing 2,175]

I Wanna Be With You ranking significantly higher than Dope is a crime against humanity, but I should've expected it

[Donatellah 930]

Next one is definitely Gypsy because MJH is a masterpiece that remains unique and acid

[Auralegends 3,136]

Just now, sillynate said:

Oh no I’m late 

No prob, the megarate journey continues

[KubaM316 13,267]

2 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

Which one do you think we’re losing next?

uhhhhhhhh... hey girl

[Poltergeist 2,955]

I'd hope for Gypsy or DWUW to go next, if I even believed this was possible

[SharkmanthaC 108,133]

@PartySick wanted me to let everyone know that he is threatening all of you because you didn’t allow Dope and Swine to be Top 2.

[Auralegends 3,136]

1 minute ago, HookerOnAChurch said:

Aura is better win this mega rate. 

Next one should be MJH

 

I'm so sorry to have to tell you this but...

Spoiler

to Aura

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Auralegends

[Donatellah 930]

Just now, HookerOnAChurch said:

Aura is better win this mega rate. 

Next one should be MJH

 

Aura lowkey being one of her very masterpieces we been knew

 

[Ivy 11,014]

8 minutes ago, Ororo Munroe said:

 

7 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

So now we have our top 10! Which one do you think we’re losing next?

 

I'm guessing IWBWY?? Maybe 

 

Idk what happened w the double quoting 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Ivy