CEREMONY | Rate. On. Me: The Chromatica 5 Rate

[PartySick 157,298]

Wait, Alice is still in and since it's not a full song I'm declaring that Enigma made it to the top 5!

[Cruelty 6,172]

Monsters, here's your Chromatica top 5! Which track are you rooting for?

[LG2008 4,985]

Just now, PartySick said:

Wait, Alice is still in and since it's not a full song I'm declaring that Enigma made it to the top 5!

A second verse + chorus and then the bridge... 

I blame Bloodclot 

[LG2008 4,985]

Just now, Cruelty said:

Monsters, here's your Chromatica top 5! Which track are you rooting for?

It has to be:

Replay > Babylon > 911 > Alice > ROM

[PartySick 157,298]

Just now, LG2008 said:

A second verse + chorus and then the bridge... 

I blame Bloodclot 

I remember when we (collective GGD stans) were all arguing if Alice was too short and someone pointed out that it's shorter than the Mary Jane Holland snippet that Gaga  posted pre-ARTPOP  

[kimeow 170]

1 minute ago, Cruelty said:

Monsters, here's your Chromatica top 5! Which track are you rooting for?

rooting for Replay and i guess Alice gets top 2

[PartySick 157,298]

2 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

Monsters, here's your Chromatica top 5! Which track are you rooting for?

Out of these? Replay has to win

5. Babylon

4. Alice

3. 911

2. Rain on Me

1. Replay

[RebeldeFaith 5,333]

2 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

6 ENIGMA – average 8.03

11 x 13 [ @princedeeblebleble @HeavyMetal Halcyon @Keeo @eifulien @MACATL @Doroteyo  @BeyonkaAte @Juliandante @huttont @lastpopicon @BigDreamer @TheSine @G U C C I]; 10 x 23

The lows: 2 x 1 [ @ManMan]

Oddly enough, I’d argue that it’s everything around the album that made Chromatica a triumph. Take, for example, Gaga’s career-best visuals, courtesy of Norbert Schoerner (including one of the all-time best pop album covers). Or that night at the VMAs where Gags just went full imperial phase. Or the Chromatica Ball, Gaga’s first ever stadium tour (unless you’re listening to that pedantic GGD user who was screaming about the distinction between ballparks & football stadiums until he turned into a corn cob). For me, one song particularly shone on that tour, & that was ‘Enigma’. Performing on a B-stage, surrounded by 50,000 fans screaming every lyric, that was the point in the performance where Gaga became the ultimate triumphant rockstar. & that feels right for a song where Gaga seems to be slowly but surely regaining her self-assurance.

One of the first five tracks recorded for Chromatica (& allegedly even rehearsed for the launch of the residency which took its name), ‘Enigma’ is one of a handful of tracks on Chromatica that really synthesise the 90s classic house influences to their full potential. Who even knows what it’s about? Who cares? Sixth place feels about right for a song that risks bopping too close to the sun, but doesn’t feel like it has anything particularly sophisticated to say.

 

Comments:

@princedeeblebleble “It's an amazing song, the build up, the flow, the vocals… & an actual chorus? Slay mama!”

@HeavyMetal Halcyon “In my opinion, the best in her discography. I’ll never get over it. After digging through the stems, I discovered the song is incredibly deep, layered with incredible 90s house samples,  vocal loops, Sweeping disco violins, & of course, her incredible powerhouse vocals. The lyrics are also truly at the heart of Chromatica. They’re otherworldly & fantastical. I don’t think it should have been a single, but I do believe it’s a must listen for everyone.”

@Keeo “Enigma is out of this world”

@eifulien “Simply ethereal & severely underrated”

@MACATL “Classic Gaga power growl vocals that hit just right.”

@Doroteyo “in a world where solely alice, replay, enigma & babylon are deserving of accolades, I'll give my 11 to what I see as the underdog of the immaculate 4. The powerhouse vocals & mystical vibe (i m still unsure what the song's about) may not quite live up to MAYHEM's similar tone & force, but they sure were a great appetizer for what followed with Vanish Into You, Kill for Love & the likes.”

@BeyonkaAte “Top 10 in her discography i fear......... when i first heard it, made me want to launch myself out of a window & ram my head straight into a brick wall WHHEEEWWWWW what a SONG”

@Juliandante “Although Babylon is my favourite song off This álbum, Enigma is unique. So energetic, so strong & bold. I really believe that, in the context of the album, Enigma stands out. It’S not “out of place”, it belongs to This album but, to me, is the most Gaga song.”

@huttont “I’m just never not in the mood to listen to Enigma.”

@lastpopicon “It’s an enigma.”

@BigDreamer “Enigma was always one of my album’s favourites, but The Chromatica Ball solidified my appreciation for the song!”

@G U C C I “Enigma live at Chromatica was one of her best performances for me. Is one of only three songs from the album I even like.”

Wait.

I thought I gave Enigma 11 points.

[PartySick 157,298]

1 minute ago, RebeldeFaith said:

Wait.

I thought I gave Enigma 11 points.

[Cruelty 6,172]

5 ALICE – average 8.42

11 x 19 [ @Andy91 @LoLaA @brizoda @LittleMonster20 @Taumaturg0 @Daenerys @crybrowz @GH333 @Tranquil @Lahv @50 Ft Queenie @Lanie @Jose Alberto @clownery @PSYCHOSHTICK @lasagna @Omegahedron @Oli @Soliloquy]; 10 x 25

The lows: 2 x 1 [ @Ayoherewego]

A breathless Eurodance anthem themed around depression & gesturing towards the healing power of music, ‘Alice’ is our perfect introduction to the sonic & lyrical world of Chromatica. That ‘oh-ma-ma-ma’ in the pre-chorus is one of the most distinctively Gaga hooks on the record, & the floor-filler production by Axwell is sleek & propulsive.

I’d love to spotlight @50 Ft Queenie’s comment on this one, because it really nicely represents that flow of Gaga being healed by music, & then creating music which has helped heal us: “Alice, the song that saved us in covid it understood our torment those lyrics… that drop bridge. Shivers”. Clearly much loved by fans half a decade on, “Alice” lands as your fifth favourite Chromatica track.

 

Comments:

@LoLaA “Listening to Alice now still feels the same as the first time”

@LittleMonster20 “An incredible opener, infectious beat & beautiful & relatable lyrics. In my opinion, the best song on Chromatica!”

@Taumaturg0 “Should’ve been the first single, it’s literally the thesis of the album as an opening track”

@GH333 “It ruled my Spotify three years in a row”

@Tranquil “We know ROM & Replay will get all the 11s, so this one is for my good sis Alice”

@Lahv "The best track on the album & the best possible opener.”

@clownery “Alice is simply one of her best songs, & one of her strongest openers.”

@PSYCHOSHTICK “Best song on the album”

@Soliloquy “Such a strong opener!!!”

[lastpopicon 27,349]

10 minutes ago, PartySick said:

Oh another one to add to the ban list

Enigma is my fav Chromatica song 

[lastpopicon 27,349]

Enigma not even TOP 5?

[Cruelty 6,172]

3 minutes ago, RebeldeFaith said:

Wait.

I thought I gave Enigma 11 points.

I've got Replay as your 11 - if it helps, it doesn't change the order 

[PartySick 157,298]

So glad she didn't let stream chasing ruin two albums in a row  

There's no reason for any Chromatica tracks to be so short but Alice is especially egregious

[PartySick 157,298]

1 minute ago, lastpopicon said:

Enigma is my fav Chromatica song 

Oh another one to add to the "mod some day" list