"It's not the music, it's Gaga": An Analysis

[SIRE 75]

Let me start off by saying that this is by no means an official statistic or survey of any sort. My pool of friends does not in anyway represent the feelings of the general public because it is to small of a sample to extrapolate. I simply bought a couple extra copies of ARTPOP and gave them to some of my closest friends, family, even some teachers to go home and listen to.

Why? Well, if you ask them, they'll tell you it was for a homework assignment, but this is not the case. In my unyielding curiosity to pinpoint why Gaga is underperforming, I came up with the idea. If I had a wide range of ages, races, s-xualities listen to the album, and if they all gave generally positive reviews, then it could be inferred that it's not the music that makes her "flop", it's promotion/Gaga herself/her team, etc. Many have theorized that "It's not the music, It's Gaga", but I wanted to prove it.

Over 30 subjects ranged from a 16 year old straight boy to my 34 year old female chemistry teacher. Some were casual Gaga fans, some were not. Some even hated her but agreed to help anyway. Like I said, there was much diversity in picking who to use for subjects as using only one group of people will lead to bias. My directions to them were simple: Just listen to the music. Don't skip any songs, play the album the whole way through.

The next day, I asked them what they thought about the album as a whole, and then each track individually. I had them rate each track on a scale of one to ten based on their personal enjoyment of the song. The results may surprise you.

1) AURA

Average score: 7.5

Aura was a curious case. In general, people tend to give average (5-7) scores to songs they don't really enjoy, but don't hate, but this was not the case here. A majority of the people either gave the song the 9-10 or 1-2. This shows that Aura is a very hit/miss song. Maybe it was the long intro that caused them to skip it and give it a low score, but I don't know. A lot of them said the song took much too long to "develop", and said they got bored halfway through but thought the chorus was great. A lot of people also admired the songs uniqueness.

2) VENUS

Average score: 6

Venus is a more contemporary example of lukewarm reception. Few participants gave it more than a 7, but even fewer gave it below a 4. Many thought the song was very weird but acknowledged that they should've expected that from a Lady Gaga album. Others stanned for the song, praising its structural diversity and unique lyrics. Even people that scored it low couldn't deny its ability to stay in your head, though

3) GUY

Average score: 7

It's weird to see GUY scoring lower than Aura, as within this fanbase Aura is panned a lot cause of the new vocals while GUY is praised. Nonetheless it is an average score for an album track on a pop album. Many admired the beat and thought the intro was very "intriguing", but felt that the "boring", "repetitive" chorus hindered the song's potential. Others did not like GUY at all and felt that the song "built up and crashed midway through". Overall, like Aura, GUY had a wide range of scores that shows the song is very hit and miss and is not a universal standout.

4) SEXXX DREAMS

Average score: 9

A lot of love for Sexxx Dreams. Out of 34 participants in the survey, a miniscule two people rated the song below an 8. (They were 1's though ). When asked for words to describe the song, all of the following were listed:

"infectious"
"catchy"
"great"
"masterpiece"
"Gaga's 'Like A Virgin'"
"crazy"
"too much"
"too s-xual, overboard"
"fun"
"makes me want to dance"

5) DWUW

Average Score: 8

Of my group of subjects, I would consider DWUW the 3rd most praised song on ARTPOP. Its decent score supports that notion. Those who liked the song didn't like it, but LOVED it, calling it "her greatest work since Poker Face" and "s-xual and meaningful at the same time". Many people liked its opening beat and admired Gaga's willingness to step into other genres. They also said she should do more R&B. Those who didn't like the track (4 participants) didn't give any reasons other than "R. KELLY".

6) JEWELS & DRUGS

Average Score: 7

Surrised? I thought so. I can't think of any fan reviewing ARTPOP that gave GUY and JND the same score, but that's what this survey is for. To extrapolate from BEYOND the fanbase. Recall that this is a random pool of people that listen to all sorts of music. With rap being a very popular genre, it's not surprising that Jewels N' Drugs scored so high. (Not that 7 is very high, but easily being the most hated song on the album within this fanvase, it's surrising). Those who were pop fans matched the opinions of many on this forum. I heard a lot of "She should stick with pop," and that all the rappers were "random and tasteless". Those who were rap fans (citing Eminem, Drake, Mac Miller and MGK as their favorite artists) praised the song, and said that this was a "step forward" for Gaga and that she should do more trap. I showed the rap fans Cake because I believe it is a better representation of "Gaga rap" and they liked it, but liked JND better.

7) MANiCURE

Average Score: 6.5

It may seem like a low score, but in reality, MANiCURE is pretty well liked. No one had much criticism for it, besides the guys that felt it was "too girly" and couldn't relate to it. The girls participating in the survey embraced it, and were enthralled by its catchiness. Some of the older women admired the song because it was "an example that she can pull off more than one genre". Other women, surprisingly some younger women (16-18) detested the song because they thought it was "vapid" and "childish". However, for most females, this song scored very high. Because the lyrical content of MANiCURE is completely irrelevant to men, I decided to split the ranking up between males and females. With women, the song came out with an average of 9. With men, a measly 4.

8) ARTPOP

Average Score: 5

And this is where it starts to go downhill. It's comforting that while the title track did garner a pretty low score, it wasn't a hit/miss song like Aura. 28 of 34 participants gave the song a 5. While its score might be average at best, at least it's consistent. Not to mention, ARTPOP was the first (and one of the only, besides Gypsy) song to not receive a 1 or 2 from any participant. A lot of people said they liked the song, but was confused by it at the same time. Some compared it to Love You Like A Love Song. Questions about the song include:

"What is ARTPOP?"
"I don't get it"
"Why is she talking about kites?"
"Hybrid? Like a Prius?"
"Why does she say ARTPOP so much?"
"What is she even saying?"
"Where does she come up with this?"
"Is Andy Warhol suing her?"

Overall, though, people praised the bridge, calling it both powerful and the best part of the song. Once I explained the meaning of ARTPOP to them, most understood and respected the song's message. Some did not.

9) SWINE

Average Score: 8

I think Swine's score is another surprise, but a well deserved one. This was the first song (that I noticed) the subjects either loathed or worshipped. There was no in between. The positive scored outweighed the negative scores, though, so it earned a pretty high score. Everybody loved the lyrics to the song and the metaphorical value the song had. Some went as far as to say that Swine is her "most artistic song to date". People also praised the energy behind the song, but, like many in this fanbase, felt that her vocals should've reflected the angry nature of the song. People who didn't like the song called it too messy and too loud.

10) DONATELLA

Average Score: 4

And so we have the most poorly received song on the album (by this survey). For some people, their distate sprouted from the lyrics, DRAGGING lyrics like:

"You just had a salad today,"
"Just ask your gay friends,"
"Walk down the runway but don't puke,"

Other distatste grew from its unrelatability, as most straight guys aren't planning on walking down the runway or wearing designer closthes. Other panning was really just confusion, as some people liked the song and instrumental but felt that the chorus had too much going on for them to understand. Through it all, some didn't hate the song at all and scored it very high because the song was "badass" and made them feel "like Donatella herslef."

11) FASHION!

Average Score: 4.5

Yet another abysmal score, but I promise it gets better from here. Like MANiCURE and Donatella, the song was completely panned by males because there is no relevance to them at all. Girls even said they had trouble relating to it because while they love fashion, they don't want to sing about it. Many girls and even some guys did however enjoy the bridge and the phrase "Looking good and feelin fine." Not much else to say about Fashion!

12) MJH

Average Score: 8.5

I told you it would get better, didn't I? MJH's perception was overwhelmingly positive (almost matching that of Sexxx Dreams abd Gypsy, and trumping that of DWUW and Applause).With the third highest score so far, MJH gained its respect mainly through its lyrical content and production. The avid pot smokers of the group (I think there was only a few) worshipped the song and pushed for it to be a single. The rest of the survey group said, while they didn't actively smoke pot, that the song was captivating and very well produced and made them want to go do some d--gs for the hell of it. People even praised the "rich as piss" line, which has been shunned by this fanbase again and again.

13) DOPE

Average Score: 8.25

Though everybody had nothing but praise for the song, Dope didn't earn a 9 or 10. My guess would be that it's so different than everything else that some people felt it was oit of place or something and scored it a little lower. Almost unanimously, the subject appreciated the songs "meaningful", "deep" lyrics and its "simplistic production". Much more prevalent, though, was people's admiration for Gaga's vocals in the ballad. A majority of them believed this was by a longshot Gaga's best display of her vocal ability. a passionate few went on to say that Dope "shows she can actually sing" and "puts her on a pedestal miles above other popstars". The only problems they had with the song was its bridge, or lack thereof. They felt like it built up, almost climaxed, then ended. It felt "empty".

14) GYPSY

Average Score: 9.25

I don't think it's a surprise to any of you that Gypsy was the highest rated song. Praise for the song was unanimous. The lowest score the song got were 2 6's because one believed it was "recycled top 40 music" and the other believing it was just a continuation of TEOG and thereby "a step backward for her". Besides that, though, 32 subjects gave it either an 8, 9 or 10. Most people admired the narrative nature of the song and how it tells the story of a wandering man and his gypsy princess. Other praise includes:

"It doesn't lose momentum, it just keeps climaxing over and over again and then abruptly stops. Like 10 orgasms at once,"

"It was a beautiful love story and at the same time a very catchy, meaninful song."

"Gaga's best song to date, best lyrics, production, and execution,"

"The allusions to Oz work here solely because Gaga and Dorothy are parallels of each other. They are both strong, determined women who refuse to give up even when they are given every reason to give up."

Also, several people told me they bought Gypsy and are listening to it regularly. Hint hint gags

15) APPLAUSE

Average Score: 8

I thought it was kind of pointless to interview these people about Applause, since we know how the general public feels about it already, but I decided to nonetheless. There is no shortage of love for Applause. A lot of people say that the song is both very danceable and very easy to sing along to. Again, the only negative comments were that it wasn't relatable. People said they feel like only a famous performer can really appreaciate the song, because they're the only people who literally "live for the applause".

OVERALL ALBUM SCORE: 7

Other Statistics







I ASKED: WHAT SONG HAS THE BEST LYRICS ON ARTPOP?

 

Top 3 Answers

 

1) Dope

2) Gypsy

3) MJH/Sex Dreams (Tie)

 

Bottom 3

 

13) Fashion!

14) JND

15) Donatella

 

WHICH SONG HAS THE BEST PRODUCTION?

 

1) Applause

2) Swine

3) Aura/GUY (tie)

 

13) Fashion

14) Venus

15) JND

 

WHICH SONG SHOULD BE THE NEXT SINGLE?

 

1) Gypsy (almost everyone voted for this)

2) Swine

3) Sex Dreams

 

No bottom 3. The only other songs that got votes were GUY and Aura. And one person voted for DWUW

 

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE LYRIC FROM THE ALBUM?

 

1) #whenilayinbeditouchmyselfandithinkayou

2) When you touch me, I die, just a little inside

3) I'm i'm i'm i'm i'm i'm i'm i'm i'm a gypsy gypsy gypsy I'm

4) You're just a pig inside a human body

5) Don't you know my ass is famous?

 

IS ANY SONG ON ARTPOP BETTER THAN PF/BR?

 

35% No

65% Yes

 

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO THE LAST QUESTION, WHICH SONG WAS BETTER?

1) Gypsy

2) Sex Dreams

3) Aura

4) MJH

5) Applause

6) Swine

 

OVERALL, DID YOU ENJOY ARTPOP?

 

68% Yes

32% No

[Helix 1,357]

Ya a lot of people I know seem to love SexxxDreams

[Diamond Heart 4,400]

it would probs be the same for the people i know execpt GUY being a bit higher and venus and aura being a bit lower 

[Haroon 49,685]

Oh wow I didn't think 'Sexxx Dreams' would be recieved so well by your sample  I really look forward to seeing the rest of your results

[PG lol 277]

This is interesting, but i can't help think about making my chemistry teacher listen to s-xxx dreams

like

[SIRE 75]

This is interesting, but i can't help think about making my chemistry teacher listen to s-xxx dreams

like

She's my aunt too :flop:

[PG lol 277]

She's my aunt too

omg noooo

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

This keeps happening...Aura, Venus, and G.U.Y. are all flops in peoples eyes, but they love the mid tempo jam and disco groove of Sexxx Dreams Gaga was right in wanting it to make it the first single I guess...

[Celina 118]

Interesting, are you going to post results for the other songs?

EDIT: nvm, missed the part where you answered that

 

This is interesting, but i can't help think about making my chemistry teacher listen to s-xxx dreams

like

 

This too, though

[Ladey Gagz 2,512]

This is so interesting! Excited to see the rest!

She's my aunt too

OMG NOOOOOOOOOOO

[SIRE 75]

This keeps happening...Aura, Venus, and G.U.Y. are all flops in peoples eyes, but they love the mid tempo jam and disco groove of Sexxx Dreams Gaga was right in wanting it to make it the first single I guess...

The only one that is close to being a flop is Venus. You have to think about the diversity of the subjects. A rap listener (or rock, whatever) listening to a Lady Gaga album will likely score anythig he/she heard pretty low. The fact that Gaga can maintain above a seven for songs like Aura and GUY is pretty impressive.

And if you think those scores are bad, you don't wanna see Fashion, Donatella or ARTPOP :rip:

[juicyjuicy 1,229]

R&B ALBUM GAGA, YOU HEAR THAT?!

[MonsterMum 2,532]

I can tell you people now, Gypsy is gonna be the announced as best song and you'll deal with that 

[SIRE 75]

You guys are going to melt down so hard :smh:

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

The only one that is close to being a flop is Venus. You have to think about the diversity of the subjects. A rap listener (or rock, whatever) listening to a Lady Gaga album will likely score anythig he/she heard pretty low. The fact that Gaga can maintain above a seven for songs like Aura and GUY is pretty impressive.

And if you think those scores are bad, you don't wanna see Fashion, Donatella or ARTPOP

 

Then again...it's peoples taste that defines whether a song is good or bad...I feel that there has to be a strategy when it comes to releasing singles...You want it to sound fresh and semi on trend with your own sound and with what radio plays, but not like EVERYTHING that's already being played on the radio...

 

For example...Right now, I feel that people are into songs like Lorde, Disclosure, and Pharell...slower jams, but still "fresh"? Maybe that's why so many liked Sexxx Dreams and it should be released now