Born to Earworm

[commonpeople1]

Lady Gaga, Born This Way, 2011
I've been wondering for a while when the first Big Summer Album of 2011 was going to land.  Well, this is it.  It's going to be hard to find a better pop album this year.  It's exhilarating as watching Flash Dance for the first time; or seeing Cher live during her "If I Could Turn Back Time" period.  Sometimes you hear Madonna in the background, screaming for help from the Berlin sex club Gaga keeps her prisoner, but it doesn't last long - Lady Gaga thumps her shut with vocals that Madge could only dream of hitting.  Plus, she has infinitely more self-deprecation and humor than good ol' Madge, though she's just as obsessed with Catholic imagery. ("Bloody Mary", "Black Jesus", "Electric Chapel", H.I.M...)  On Twitter, there's this absurd rivalry between her fans and Britney's, which is silly because dead-behind-the-eyes Britney is now completely out of her league: everything about Gaga in this album screams hard work.

My favourite tracks: "Born This Way" (which I still maintain is nothing like "Express Yourself" - just listen to them side-by-side), "Marry The Night", "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" and "Heavy Metal Lover".  I detested "Judas" when I first heard it but it's one of those annoyingly catchy songs that just grow and grow in your head.

My neighbours are going to hate me in no time.

Comments

[moveslikegiallo.livejournal.com]

SERIOUSLY. What is it about Judas? It grows on you really, really, scarily fast.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I know eh? I could have sworn I was going to hate it for the rest of my life and now I find myself seeking it out on iTunes and singing along...

[moveslikegiallo.livejournal.com]

I kept waking up with it in my head. That, or The Edge of Glory.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

[steer.livejournal.com]

Oh that is so weird. I'd never seen that image before this afternoon and now I saw it twice in one day (I was looking at quantum leap article in wikipedia).

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

That is weird... what exactly on quantum leap was the article about?

[steer.livejournal.com]

I think it's from Quantum Leap -- I never really watched it but apparently there's an episode where he becomes a chimp.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Leap_%28TV_series%29

[millionreasons.livejournal.com]

I like the electroclash one (Government Hooker).

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that one too!

[millionreasons.livejournal.com]

Judas is very weird though. The first bit sounds like Bad Romance and then it goes into a completely different, Eurodisco friendly, song.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It's got a chorus that's almost a child's song, which is why I think it's so catchy.

[izzybees]

This one is my favorite, too. I can't stop listening to it!

[needler.livejournal.com]

Let me know when the neighbours move out and I will move in!
I wouldn't let myself like her for ages but now I am up to my neck in it all and I love it.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Will do! :-)

I think it was Bad Romance that converted me. Once you have one of her songs stuck in your head, you're done for.

[verybadhorse.livejournal.com]

that's so funny! you love the songs i thought weren't so great and you're annoyed by one of the ones i love most! i also am obsessed with americano. thoughts on that one?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I like Americano, but not as much as the others. I don't think there's a track I don't like actually! Judas was the only one I was iffy about at the start but now I really like it.

[izzybees]

Really? I thought "Born This Way" sounded like "Express Yourself" before I ever heard anyone else make that comparison.

[izzybees]

For the record, this does not make me love Gaga any less. I adore her. :)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Yes, I see now what everyone means - it's their vocal delivery! My ears were only picking up the beats and instrumentation.

[izzybees]

It also reminds me of "Waterfalls" by TLC.

[petercampbell.livejournal.com]

Lady Gaga's a fantastic pop star. She's bloody minded, but at the same time knows how to push all the right media buttons. It's just a shame I don't like her music all that much... Give her ten years and she'll either be Madonna or Kate Bush, but it's kind of a toss up which way she'll head at the moment.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

She requested the new Kate Bush album in her dressing rooms... ;-)

[fj.livejournal.com]

Britney's performances only make sense these days if she were in constant physical chronic pain from an injury.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It also makes sense if she's trying to inflict pain on her fans...

[bella1978.livejournal.com]

I've always said Born this way sounds nothing like Express yourself. I personally think that's a lazy comparison.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Hear hear!

[amberholic.livejournal.com]

I picked it up on Friday and I'm totally crazy about it too. On the first listen I preferred Marry The Night and the singles but since then I have a new favourite everyday. Heavy Metal Lover and Electric Chapel are great but Hair and Government Hooker are the tracks that I tend to listen to at least twice consecutively before moving on to the rest of the album.

I like the fact that this album is so different to her first, both thematically and musically. She's gone very retro Europop with it and I love it - dark themes with really upbeat melodies (for the most part). Ultimately, the whole album is an anthem to personal freedom and the right to make your own mistakes and enjoy life to the fullest.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Agree on all accounts. :-)

[amberholic.livejournal.com]

By the way, I absolutely love the image of Madonna being kept prisoner by Gaga in a Berlin sex club.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

You know it's true. ;-)