Lady Gaga: A Career Retrospective

Libraries are usually known for their books, even though they have many other resources. One of the resources we have here at the Mercer County Library System is our music collection. We have physical CDs and access to digital music through hoopla and Freegal. In honor of our generous music collection, I thought I would do a career retrospective of my favorite popstar, Lady Gaga. This multi-talented artist has been kicking around the music scene since the mid-aughts and we here at MCLS have all of her albums and have made them all available to you, the borrowing public. I’ll be looking at albums, The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born this Way, Artpop, Joanne, and Chromatica. I will not be covering Cheek to Cheek, a collection of jazz standards with Tony Bennett or the A Star is Born soundtrack. I think both of these albums are great, but they are not really representative of Gaga’s work. All of the albums I am discussing here are available physically and digitally, unless otherwise noted.

Let’s start from the beginning. Lady Gaga’s first album was The Fame, released in October 2008. It was/is a dance pop/EDM tour de force. If you can listen to this entire album without dancing, you must be clinically dead. The singles released from the album were “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “LoveGame,” and “Paparazzi.” “Just Dance” is the opening song and probably the best representation of what would become Gaga’s sound. The ode to partying yourself sick is a synth pop club anthem designed to bring even the most reluctant wallflower to the dance floor. The rest of the album follows that blueprint; there are no sad ballads on this one, just a lot of fun and a lot of sound. Best song on the album? I’d say it’s a tie between “Just Dance” and “Paparazzi.” Hidden gem on the album? “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” - it’s a great dance song on an album filled with great dance songs.

The Fame Monster came next and it had an unusual beginning. The Fame Monster was actually meant to be a re-release of The Fame with eight new songs added, and depending on what version of the album you get, it is. Our physical copy (the CD) is the re-release version. The first eight songs are new material, followed by all of the music from The Fame. Our digital copies have both the re-release version and the version that stands on its own. While this album does not have many songs, it is one of the best of Lady Gaga’s career. The synth pop elements are dialed down a little from The Fame, but these are clearly still dance songs. We get a power ballad on this one - “Speechless” reminds us that Gaga’s voice can handle the sincerity necessary for this kind of song. Also, BEYONCÉ IS ON THIS ALBUM!!! Gaga holds her own with Queen Bey in their single “Telephone.” If that isn’t proof of Gaga’s popstar bona fides, I don’t know what is. “Telephone” is aggressively fun and features two pop divas giving you their best work. An interesting fact about “Telephone” is that it has an R&B sister song called “Video Phone” sung by Beyoncé and featuring Lady Gaga on Beyoncé’s I Am Sasha Fierce album. The I Am Sasha Fierce CD is available in the MCL collection, but there is no digital copy. Best song on the album? I think “Bad Romance” is not only the best song on this album, it’s arguably the best song of Lady Gaga’s career. Hidden gem? “Teeth.” This song is…well…I don’t know how to describe “Teeth.” Just trust me, it’s a great song.

The next album up is Born this Way. Lady Gaga brought a lot more music influences to Born This Way. Her dance pop/synth pop/EDM roots are still there, but they’re joined by influences from electro rock, house, and even opera. No Beyoncé collaborations this time, but we do hear from E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, and Queen guitarist Brian May. The singles released from this album were “Born this Way,” “Judas,” “The Edge of Glory,” “You and I,” and “Marry the Night.” Around this time in her career (2011) Lady Gaga had increased her visibility as an advocate for the LGBT+ community, and “Born this Way” was received as an empowerment anthem for LGBT+ youth specifically and marginalized people in general. “Born this Way” is a thundering song rooted in Gaga’s EDM roots, but joined by arena rock. Best song on the album? “Judas,” the song is very similar to “Bad Romance,” (in style and sound), and highlights everything that makes Lady Gaga a great artist. Hidden gem? “Hair,” is a lot of fun.

Artpop came in 2013, and the album has had a strange and controversial musical life. Is it a bad album? No, there are a lot of great songs on Artpop, but reception from fans and critics were mixed. However, very recently Artpop has had a bit of a renaissance. Eight years after its debut, a fan created a petition for a re-release of the album and the hashtag #buyARTPOPoniTunes briefly trended on social media. Music publications have also been re-reviewing it and giving it much more positive reviews than they did initially. The singles released were “Applause,” “Do What U Want,” and “G.U.Y.” The digital copy of Artpop no longer features “Do What U Want.” The song was a duet with a figure in music who is, as of this writing, currently on trial for very serious crimes. In 2019 she removed the original “Do What U Want” from all streaming services and apologized for the collaboration. It’s difficult to separate Artpop from the controversies surrounding it, but musically, it is a good album, although not as good as her previous work. Best song on the album? I would make it a tie between “Applause” and “Venus;” both songs are the club banging hits fans expect from Lady Gaga. Hidden gem? The single “Dope,” a slow song about the ravages of addiction, is very moving. 

Joanne, released in 2016 and named after Gaga’s deceased aunt, was her fifth album and a real departure from what fans were used to. The album marries Gaga’s dance-pop roots to country and soft rock. I’m going to be perfectly honest, I don’t like this album. It’s a good album from a purely musical standpoint; critics liked it more than Artpop, but it’s just not what I’m looking for in a Lady Gaga album. Joanne for me was like planning to go to a 5-star Italian restaurant, getting there, and discovering it is now a 5-star French restaurant. The food is just as good, but it’s not what you went there to eat. The album is not a complete wash; “Perfect Illusion” is the closest we get to the loud, dance hits from the past, but it has a heaping helping of hard rock added to it. “Million Reasons” is a lovely song that reminds listeners what a powerhouse voice Gaga has. There is also a particularly moving song about Trayvon Martin’s murder called “Angel Down.” If you’re a fan of Florence and the Machine, you may like “Hey Girl,” a duet with Florence Welch. Best song on the album? “Million Reasons.” Hidden gems? None.

Chromatica is a triumphant return to form. Coming out in May 2020, Chromatica is a return to Gaga’s dance pop roots and features collaborations with K-pop superstars Blackpink, fellow pop diva Ariana Grande, and the inimitable Elton John. Released singles so far are “Stupid Love,” “Rain on Me,” “Sour Candy,” and “911.” I was very impressed with the Blackpink collaboration “Sour Candy.” I was not familiar with the group prior to “Sour Candy,” but their talent is undeniable. However, my favorite song on the album is “911,” an electro/dance/synth/whatever pop hit in the same family as her first single, “Just Dance.” Best song on the album? Definitely “911.” Hidden gem? “Babylon” will have listeners strutting and swaying to a delicious beat.

That concludes our trip through Lady Gaga’s music career. Whether you’re a fan of the pop diva superstar or not, I hope you become a fan of our music collection. Maybe you will discover a new favorite or rediscover your favorite album and remember why you loved it to begin with. Either way, the Mercer County Library System is here to provide the best resources and service we can to our patrons.

- by Shanna, AcqCat