I'm Grateful, But Also....

[ANVEEROY 64,182]

I’m truly grateful, but I also understand some of the concerns fans have about current GAGA songs. 

I became a full-on Little Monster at the very beginning of the ARTPOP era. It was chaotic, unpredictable, and exciting in a way that felt alive. There was always something happening, always something unfolding, even when things around it were messy or difficult.

At the same time, I carried this quiet feeling with me, a kind of longing that I never experienced during The Fame, The Fame Monster, or especially Born This Way eras.  Particularly, Born This Way, “blockbuster” era, the scale, the spectacle, the cultural dominance, it always felt like something I arrived just a little too late for. So part of my fandom has always been shaped by imagining what that must have felt like.

Then Chromatica happened, and yeah, COVID disrupted everything. The rollout never fully got the moment it deserved, but for me, the bigger issue was how it felt. It’s such a tight, concise album that it almost ends before you have had time to sit with it. Every time I listen, I feel like I have had a taste of something great, but not a full meal. It leaves me wanting more.

That’s exactly why Mayhem hit so differently. I didn’t expect to love it this much. I genuinely didn’t, but it exceeded everything I had imagined. There’s a fullness to it, an abundance. Songs like “Abracadabra” and “Disease” feel massive, unmistakably Gaga, while other tracks might not reach that same height but are still incredibly listenable, fun, and easy to return to.

I think part of the tension comes from expectations. When Gaga delivers something truly top-tier, it raises the bar so high that we start expecting every track to be that level of spectacle, and sometimes, it just isn’t, and that’s okay. Not every song needs to be a cultural reset to be worth having.

What I find myself appreciating most right now is something simple that I have so many Gaga songs to live with. I have built my own playlist of the era, adding tracks like “Runaway,” “Shape of a Woman,” and “Glamorous Life” into the MAYHEM album, and suddenly it feels expansive, almost like my own version of that Born This Way special edition experience. A big, messy, generous pop world where not every track is perfect, but all of it is enjoyable, and that’s where I land with this.

We don’t have to blindly praise everything Gaga does. Criticism is part of being a fan, it always has been, but I do think some of the reactions are a bit too harsh. These aren’t bad songs. Maybe they are not all peak Gaga, and that’s a fair conversation, but they are fun, they are listenable, and they add to something bigger.

For me, that’s enough. More than enough, actually.

Thank you!

Edited yesterday at 04:58 AM by ANVEEROY

[River 124,430]

the people who hates them hated them even before they were released, it's just a state of mind of hating on everything.

[SleepingSun 895]

The Mayhem era simply exceeded all expectations and was as quintessentially Gaga as it gets. The songs, the visuals, the performances, the tour, the records. Yes, it felt like being transported back to the "The Fame Monster" and "Born This Way" times, and I was living for it. Every moment of Mayhem was pure gold to me! The downside might be that now Gaga will be held to that new standard she set for the next years to come.

As for the current negativity around her newer releases, especially The Dead Dance, Shape Of A Woman and Runway, I do understand that it might be quite disheartening to witness people tear apart something you enjoy. Believe me, I still don't understand the "Dead Dance hate", but then again, I don't enjoy Runway that much, while others love it. So, while I also believe the hate is a little too much and at times people are being overly dramatic, I also believe in peoples freedom to express their thoughts, even if they are being hateful. Who am I to insinuate someone's taste in music is wrong? And sometimes, being dramatic comes with a bit of fun, right? 

In the end, its live and let live. Don't think too much about what others think of music you enjoy. Just turn up the volume and STRUT 

Edited yesterday at 06:17 AM by SleepingSun

[anton 17]

20 minutes ago, SleepingSun said:

Believe me, I still don't understand the "Dead Dance hate"

Whuuut ? This is the perfect closer for the record, it encompasses all the genres, the disco elements, horror, great momentum with Wednesday (i loved the Enid scene)... Plus the theme of survival, the 'creature of the night' (RHPS coded).... This is one of my fav in Mayhem.

[SleepingSun 895]

12 minutes ago, anton said:

Whuuut ? This is the perfect closer for the record, it encompasses all the genres, the disco elements, horror, great momentum with Wednesday (i loved the Enid scene)... Plus the theme of survival, the 'creature of the night' (RHPS coded).... This is one of my fav in Mayhem.

On point! The Dead Dance is such a bop, the theme, the instrumental, the melody and harmonies... it all creates a wonderful semi-spooky yet upbeat disco atmosphere! And as a huge fan of RHPS, the creature of the night reference brings me lots of "absolute pleasure" 

[Starmie25 21,782]

Constructive criticism is absolutely fine, however the constant whining over the most minscule things, "crowd noises in Shallow", "intro in HMH", "not giving physicals to Abra" is such a mood killer. It spreads throughout the fandom like a virus.

Stefani is close to 20 years into her career, yet some fans are still obsessed with this idea that she "needs more" to be worthy or something.

It reminds me of that quote back in ARTPOP where Gaga stated her older managers "wanted more, more numbers" from her and such.

Edited yesterday at 07:13 AM by Starmie25

[Luke78619 23,540]

I always say that MAYHEM feels like Gaga t her peak because it feels very… idk, Maximalist? Lile obv sings like Disease, Abra and PC are all very “in your face”, songs like GOE and Zombieboy have some kind of breakdown at the end of the song, and so many tracks have very “gaga” adlibs, like Disease, Abra, VIY  

which I feel was missing from Joanne and Chromatica, some songs felt like they could go harder or grander and felt like she was holding back 

[MountainMonster 1,849]

I couldn’t agree more - MAYHEM has felt like a return home. And Gaga herself clearly feels that way; she’s been so radiant and happy throughout. I hope she continues to feel that way and continues to make music that makes her happy, because this has all been incredible. 

Having been through it all since first falling in love with her after hearing Just Dance on the radio for the first time, I feel that same sense of magic pulsing through the music in MAYHEM, it’s just matured into something even more magical.

[Ladle Ghoulash 42,831]

3 hours ago, anton said:

Whuuut ? This is the perfect closer for the record, it encompasses all the genres, the disco elements, horror, great momentum with Wednesday (i loved the Enid scene)... Plus the theme of survival, the 'creature of the night' (RHPS coded).... This is one of my fav in Mayhem.

But TDD is sequenced in the middle of the album, how is it the closer? 

That being said, couldn’t agree more about it being a great song and fitting perfectly in the world of MAYHEM. 

Edited 22 hours ago by Ladle Ghoulash

[River 124,430]

24 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

But TDD is sequenced in the middle of the album, how is it the closer? 

That being said, couldn’t agree more about it being a great song and fitting perfectly in the world of MAYHEM. 

they meant that anything after TDD is a skip so to them it's the closer 

[anton 17]

44 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

But TDD is sequenced in the middle of the album, how is it the closer? 

it's the last video/ single of the era  

[Ladle Ghoulash 42,831]

16 minutes ago, anton said:

it's the last video/ single of the era  

I knew that, but was a little confused because you said a good way to close the “record.” But either way, nice to see some praise for TDD

[Xardas 1,865]

These are good song. Very good songs imo (maybe except Runway that is subjectively so far from my personal taste, yet objectively it has some energy to it).

Shape of a Woman is a perfect song for the occasion. It's sexy, it's glam, it's gay. I don't mind Abracadabra melodic similarities because at this point in music history making a melody that is 100% original is mathematically impossible.

Glamurous Life on the other hand. We'll, I feel it's a mainstream masterpiece with some standard Gaga elements (vocally). The production feels cinematic and not experimental but emotional, lyrical and vocal sides of the song scream: GAGA. It's not ARUTW type of ballad that makes me propose to my bf in the very second I listen to it, but it has some epic quality that I always enjoy in music (I was raised by Nightwish, Within Temptation etc..).

I didn't expect too much because I knew they were to serve some purpose, but they exceeded my expectations as stand alone songs. And I believe if monsters waited for the new gaga music longer, they'd appreciate it more.

[anton 17]

7 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

I knew that, but was a little confused because you said a good way to close the “record.” But either way, nice to see some praise for TDD

u r right, my bad ^^

[PartySick 170,641]

5 hours ago, anton said:

Whuuut ? This is the perfect closer for the record, it encompasses all the genres, the disco elements, horror, great momentum with Wednesday (i loved the Enid scene)... Plus the theme of survival, the 'creature of the night' (RHPS coded).... This is one of my fav in Mayhem.

Ayy wild dead dance praise