MAYHEM is a very cryptic album

[Kayi 2,378]

I didn't fully dig into this fully yet, but there's clearly something going on with certain words and metaphors in the lyrics.

I mean, Don’t Call Tonight definitely sounds like a song where Stefani is begging Gaga not to manifest. The theme of derealisation is super important in this album, especially in Perfect Celebrity.

She says “tomorrow you’ll desert me” as if Stefani will take back control of her body the next day.

The word “zone” might refer to the club that she mentions a lot.

In the song, you can hear that there are sometimes two layered voices—Gaga and Stefani.

The term “Gothic Dreams” (and “daymare”/“nightmare”), which Gaga used a lot to define the album, might suggest that Gaga/Stefani is sleeping. Like in Disease, where she says: “You’re so tortured when you sleep, plagued with all your memories.”

 

I think it’s literally her most cinematic album, but we have to dig into it.

[chathonnete 611]

Mayhem has the wrong name and promotion for me. 

It's an album about love, imagination and how Gaga is feeling right now, it's not that dark or chaotic 

I think she should have named it Lovedrug or Vanish into you and adorce how she wants to write about her relationship and how she's feeling about being a woman 

[TimotheeChalamet 5,426]

No I think it's very straightforward and honestly it's one of its strengths. We can tell Gaga was in a very creative and happy place while making most of it

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,417]

8 minutes ago, TimotheeChalamet said:

No I think it's very straightforward and honestly it's one of its strengths. We can tell Gaga was in a very creative and happy place while making most of it

Imo I think Gaga’s at her best when writing music that operates on multiple levels and I think that’s how MAYHEM works: the songs are fairly straightforward and accessible, but can also have added layers of meaning should you dig into them. 

[Kayi 2,378]

20 minutes ago, chathonnete said:

Mayhem has the wrong name and promotion for me. 

It's an album about love, imagination and how Gaga is feeling right now, it's not that dark or chaotic 

I think she should have named it Lovedrug or Vanish into you and adorce how she wants to write about her relationship and how she's feeling about being a woman 

True, it's mainly focused on her identity and love, but "Mayhem" is somehow still a good choice cause the themes are dark 

[Kayi 2,378]

15 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Imo I think Gaga’s at her best when writing music that operates on multiple levels and I think that’s how MAYHEM works: the songs are fairly straightforward and accessible, but can also have added layers of meaning should you dig into them. 

Yep, for exemple non-fans would get why she's talking about a "Zombieboy". While fans understood that it's a ref to Rick Genest. Same for "Princess Die".

And the metaphors and patterns that are repeated multiple time in the album makes it more cohesive. 

Edited April 11 by Kayi

[steven 5,840]

This album is all over the place tbh, it's hard to truly connect to it lyrics wise personally.

[Bronco 8,629]

26 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Imo I think Gaga’s at her best when writing music that operates on multiple levels and I think that’s how MAYHEM works: the songs are fairly straightforward and accessible, but can also have added layers of meaning should you dig into them. 

100%

Like we know Zombieboy was inspired by Rick Genest, but works on multiple other levels.

Same with Vanish Into You, I definitely get the sense it may have started as a song about losing Tony but thats just one of many potential interpretations to what is a very simple love song. 

[Bronco 8,629]

Gonna say this generally because it applies to the fan base as a whole lol

There's a definite lack of understanding about what defined gothic. Think people are just going to the simplistic idea of goths that was born in the 80s. Rather than the gothic genre which was far more focused on explorations of humanity. 

Mayhem definitely fits the literary gothic. 

[Kayi 2,378]

Just now, steven said:

This album is all over the place tbh, it's hard to truly connect to it lyrics wise personally.

I agree, I tried to connect it with a logical order but it didn't worked 

But if Gaga defines the album as a daymare/nightmare, then it's works as a mix of different feelings, stories and narrators with no particular order.

But I think that :

Don't Call Tonight, Kill for Love and the Beast, explain well the transformation of Gaga as a werewolf.

HBDYWM and Perfect Celebrity are about the derealization theme and the struggle it causes in her relationships.

Disease and Lovedrug are about the way Gaga present herself as a healer to Stefani.

Vanish into you, Die with a smile and Blade of Grass are about finding her soulmate (and in Blade of Grass she says : "Hold me until I die and I'll make you brand new" and it is tied to the idea of vanish into someone else).

Can't stop the High and Abracadabra is about Gaga fighting for the love of her fans and the music.

Zombieboy and Garden of Eden are about the idea of ephemerality, partying and mistakes.

Shadow of a man and Killah are both about her working on her self-esteem.

There's other connections but it's not linear.

[Kayi 2,378]

15 minutes ago, Bronco said:

Gonna say this generally because it applies to the fan base as a whole lol

There's a definite lack of understanding about what defined gothic. Think people are just going to the simplistic idea of goths that was born in the 80s. Rather than the gothic genre which was far more focused on explorations of humanity. 

Mayhem definitely fits the literary gothic. 

Yep gothic genre in litterature is about seeking something that is missing, that belongs to the past and that is scary and supernatural.

And that fit to the concept of Mayhem.

[Bronco 8,629]

Just now, Kayi said:

Yep gothic genre in litterature is about seeking something that is missing, that belongs to the past and that is scary and supernatural.

And that fit to the concept of Mayhem.

Every track in someway shares traits with the gothic genre. 

Even How Bad Do You Want Me (tangentially lol).

There's a lot of themes of tortured love throughout. She heavily explores her own self and her identity. 

There's a real Wuthering Heights vibe to it. 

[Kayi 2,378]

5 minutes ago, Bronco said:

Every track in someway shares traits with the gothic genre. 

Even How Bad Do You Want Me (tangentially lol).

There's a lot of themes of tortured love throughout. She heavily explores her own self and her identity. 

There's a real Wuthering Heights vibe to it. 

Dr Hyde and Mister Jeckyll vibes too 

Edit :

Shame on me, I'm a litterature student it's "Dr Jeckyll and Mister Hyde ". But I'm more familiar with French litterature tho.

Edited April 11 by Kayi

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,417]

1 hour ago, steven said:

This album is all over the place tbh, it's hard to truly connect to it lyrics wise personally.

Ngl hard disagree on this. One of her more relatable release in recent memory imo 

[Nessun Dorma 3,570]

3 hours ago, Kayi said:

Don’t Call Tonight definitely sounds like a song where Stefani is begging Gaga not to manifest. The theme of derealisation is super important in this album, especially in Perfect Celebrity.

She says “tomorrow you’ll desert me” as if Stefani will take back control of her body the next day.

This is such an interesting take! I haven’t thought about it in this way, but it definitely made sense to me! 

That’s the magic about art in general: it is open to many interpretations and possibilities!