Lady Gaga

Discussion in 'Other Music' started by Gloomy Mushroom, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. #21
    $pvcxGhxztCasey

    $pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

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    You have to have a gimmick these days to have any sort of long term credibility in the music industry these days. Presentation of the product is important, and Lady Gaga does it well. Talent alone won't take you very far, you have to be up to snuff in other areas as well. Some artists put all their creativity into music videos or music, I think Gaga just takes it one step further, and you've got to admit, it works. You see her at an awards show, the next day, everyone around the preverbial "water cooler" will be talking about it. I think when it comes to her wardrobe at public events, it's funny and refreshing. I don't want to see a sea of bored and bland looking celebrities, I want to see outrageous outfits and whatnot. It's no different from Jennifer Lopez wearing that barely there dress in 2000(?) at the Grammys (?).
     
  2. #22
    Iain

    Iain i am a sloth LPA Super Member

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    Gaga is the shit, seriously.

    And as for this whole "her songs are so shallow, they're pop, they need to have deeper meanings and be less repetitive" thing, this is from something totally unrelated to Gaga, but I think it applies in this case:

    Casey pretty much said everything else that I was going to say in regards to this. :lol:

    The fact that she's been on the top of the charts so often has got to count for something, too.
     
  3. #23
    Shadester

    Shadester (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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    The fact that she's on the top of the charts counts for nothing. Backstreet Boys were topping charts in the late 90s because of their boy-band-selling-their-bodies sort of shtick and what Gaga's doing now isn't any different. Her music being sold so much is the same as any pop artist's success, the only difference is that she's relying on her image to get her through. Really, the arguments about uniqueness and presentation have nothing to do with her music, and apply to tons of well-crafted pop artists in the past (MADONNA?).
     
  4. #24
    Iain

    Iain i am a sloth LPA Super Member

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    Well, she's at least doing more for the business than some people are.
     
  5. #25
    Sonic

    Sonic Searching for the last Chaos Emerald... LPA Super Member

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    What actually attracts me to her music is that she actually has a big part in writing her music, if not all of it. her music may be pop and all the girls may love her, but after you compare it to all of the other pop that's out there then it becomes some of the best music of it's genre that's out there right now. You can't really say "well, her image gets her through it all" or whatever. Every musician has an "image", hers is just really creative.

    I hate pop music, for the most part. I have almost 50GB of music and about 90% of it is metal and rock, yet both of Lady GaGa's albums are in there without shame.
     
  6. #26
    Harlz

    Harlz More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me LPA Super Member

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    Because anyone even remotely gives a shit about where she is now, or remembers anything she ever did other than that... To me you kinda buried your own argument there.

    We remember Yesterday by the Beatles, find a single person who doesn't know that song. That was pretty gimmick free.
    We don't remember anything Jennifer Lopez ever did.

    Sorry I sound like an ass there, but I can't be stuffed rewriting that.
     
  7. #27
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    Thoughts on this thread:

    1) No matter what you say, Lady GaGa has some infectious melodies. Songs that get stuck in your head are good music, and if you think differently, I ask you to visit Ode to Joy and say that's bad music.

    2) The whole presentation image matters. LP got away with it when they debuted (Red spiked hair? Really? Um, yeah), NIN did it at Lollapalooza (OMFG WHO PLAYS THEIR SHOW COVERED IN MUD?!!!?!!), KISS does it (Do I REAAALLY need to explain this?), Jane's Addiction did it (also self-explanatory), Avril Lavigne did it, and a billion more people will do so before the end of time. So of course she's cashing in on her image. EVERYONE IS.

    The fact that she's on top of the charts counts for SOMETHING, since regardless of anything, her music is being played.

    Backstreet Boys were topping the charts, yes. And I agree, some of it was for their image. But riddle me this, IS THEIR MUSIC BAD? I will safely say that BSB made good music. Yes, I said it. I don't care what you may say, if you don't know the lyrics to 'I Want It That Way,' YOU'RE WRONG.

    I can find several people who don't know Yesterday. The Beatles aren't exactly the Holy Grail for everyone.

    And I can remember songs by Jennifer Lopez. In fact, I can remember several.

    /explode
     
  8. #28
    Agent

    Agent Formerly known as Agent Sideburns LPA Über VIP

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    ^ I thin Harlz was speaking in generality.

    At the end of the day it's all subjective. To me her music isn't anything out of the ordinary and definitely far from infectious. But what pisses me off the most is when people give her music a pass mainly based on her image, calling it "brave" and whatnot. That's just not right.
     
  9. #29
    Shadester

    Shadester (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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    Basically, what Napalm Terror said. At the end of the day, it's pop music the same as every other pop music, regardless of her image. If you're a fan of pop music then hurrah to you, just don't try to justify her as anything but a pop artist (and the connotation of such).
     
  10. #30
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    I hate that connotation. POP music. As in, derived from the word 'popular.' It's considered so negative, and as a whole everyone comes to the conclusion that 'it's pop music the same as every other pop music', which is very disappointing. I hate how people just dismiss pop music as some subculture of corporate sponsorship and manufactured music when the pioneers of what you call 'pop music' are anything but. Would you compare Michael Jackson to BBMak? Would you compare Prince to Jewel? Would you compare The Beatles to the Backstreet Boys? Of course you wouldn't. However they are all considered 'pop'. Do they make good music? Yes. Hell, Prince is considered pop yet also one of the top underrated guitarists of the era. Michael Jackson is considered the king of pop, yet anything beneath him is considered crap? Madonna REVOLUTIONIZED pop music alongside the king himself. The Beatles are THE BEATLES. These are all considered pop artists, but I guess we can't justify them as 'anything but a pop artist'.

    Where do you draw the line between what you associate as 'just a pop artist' and something more? Take Britney Spears, a teen icon that sells based on image, voice, and rarely writes her own material. Now take Lady Gaga, an accomplished singer/songwriter, a MUSICIAN. Take the Backstreet Boys, a boy band that has since grown into a mature songwriting pop/light rock/R&B outfit. Take Michael Jackson, a singer/songwriter/dancer/choreographer/artist. Take the Beatles.Is it really fair to classify these under the same generic 'pop' title? When does a 'pop artist' become in the minds of the public a 'musician'?

    What really gets me is the double standard that seems to be going around nowadays. If you look back into the early days of the American music revolution, musicians NEVER wrote their own songs. There were dedicated groups of songwriters that chugged out hits which were then sold and performed and recorded by whomever could get their hands on them. Look at Unchained Melody, a classic soul standard by the Righteous Brothers. Except it WASN'T by the Righteous Brothers. It was written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, composer and lyricist respectively. They are by all accounts the Tin Pan Alley counterparts of our Backstreet Boys. Does your opinion of that song waver because it was by a 'pop artist'? Does your opinion of an orchestra fall because they didn't compose the music themselves?

    To cut a rant short and somewhat get back on topic (this is supposed to be a discussion of Lady Gaga and not a treatise on the opinion of pop music today), Lady Gaga has, through her image, music, and visual approach to her career, become more than a pop artist. She's following in the footsteps of Michael Jackson and, quite honestly, succeeding in those aspects. Back in the day, Michael Jackson was a brand. From that classic Billie Jean performance that made the moonwalk synonymous with MJ, to the one glove trend, the music videos, the tours, and so much more, Michael made everything about himself marketable. Hell, something as simple as wearing a red jacket on Halloween has become a reference to the King himself.

    Now look at Lady Gaga. Her music makes a statement, as does everything else she does. Her fashion sense, whether or not you agree with it, is become an industry within itself. There are many artists out there that are emulating her style, which solidifies her position as a mainstay in the industry (kind of like Madonna in her day). Her music videos have become something of a cinematic experiences, much akin to MJ's Thriller or Moonwalker. Her sound has become A SOUND. She doesn't sound like pop anymore, now it's become 'Oh so-and-so is trying to sound like Lady Gaga'. By and large she has become more than a pop artist. She has become an image, an ideal, a standard.
     
  11. #31
    $pvcxGhxztCasey

    $pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

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    I would love to know how I buried my own argument, when I was pointing out how Gaga dressing in crazy and extreme outfits is no different than what Bjork does constantly, or what Jennifer Lopez did 10 years ago at the Grammys, trying to seek attention. Yeah, it's for attention, and she gets it by the truckload, which is what it's designed to do. Not everything has some great, spectacular artistic merit, it's just a fucking image. Black metal? Gimmick. GWAR? Gimmick. Britney Spears when she first debuted? Gimmick.

    I wish someone would really explain to me why they hate Lady Gaga. Do you hate her music? If so, fair enough, but it's well structered pop music, and the imagery to go along with it is "shocking" and innovative. Yes, I said innovative. It might not be the word I'm searching for, but if you compare her to someone like a Taylor Swift or... some other faceless pop starlet, Gaga will win, all the time. Do you know why? She might not be the most creative songwriter, hell, she might not even write her own songs, but at the end of the day, it's DIFFERENT. Like I said, nothing everything has to be so wildly creative that it blows your mind. Just take it for what it is, it's the best you'll likely get from anything MTV will show.

    Unless iamamiwhoami's videos suddenly start to get played, that is.
     
  12. #32
    Gloomy Mushroom

    Gloomy Mushroom Absolute Zero LPA Super VIP

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    She taught herself at the age of 4 how to play the piano, I consider that awesome talent. She's going to be the next Britney Spears (hopefully minus the problems) to me.
     
  13. #33
    deftonesfan867

    deftonesfan867 976-EVIL

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    Nobody will remember her in a few years.

    Thank god.
     
  14. #34
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    /headexplode

    I quit.
     
  15. #35
    Arlene

    Arlene Oh what tangled webs we weave LPA Super Member

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    I think when he said you buried your own argument he meant because you weren't sure where/when the thing with JLo happened. As in, she was there and then people forgot about her.

    I honestly don't think that Lady GaGa's music will the next big thing. I really think that it will disappear because despite the fact that people may view her as "innovative," she's nothing new. Sure she does this or that to stand out, but it's too much. She's rude and not enjoyable to listen to.
     
  16. #36
    Shadester

    Shadester (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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    I dislike Gaga because she's TOO gimmicky; a lot of her appeal is the gimmick of her presentation alone and when that overtakes the actual music as in Gaga's case, then I mind.

    Passport, I should have distinguished between new and old pop music. In the examples you've given like the Beatles and Michael Jackson, sure there was terrible pop music just like we have today but said artists were considered the gems for a reason. Of course their presentation and image was important, but their MUSIC shone above all and gained them a place in everyone's hearts. When I say pop music, I'm referring to the countless number of artists today which have songs ghost written and produced by teams while they sing with studiomagic on it. Can you say for sure it's Gaga who made her own songs? I sincerely doubt it.

    See, with Gaga, you have a common pop structure with lyrics and a melody that probably isn't her own, resulting in what sounds to me like very average pop music. It doesn't matter if she has musical talent if she can't even use it in her songs; she's not even that good of a live singer and her piano skills, while above other pop artists, play no part in her music. IMO, she's a fad and will only leave behind the same kind of distaste stuff like hair metal did.
     
  17. #37
    Harlz

    Harlz More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me LPA Super Member

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    What I'm saying is that gimmicks will not have people remember her in 10 or even 3 years time. The stuff that became timeless is (mostly) the gimmick free stuff.
     
  18. #38
    Snail

    Snail LPA Super Member LPA Super Member

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    ^Not necessarily. Some remain in memory as something of a joke. As much as I hate Gaga's music, I can't help but see her excel right now though.
     
  19. #39
    Harlz

    Harlz More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me LPA Super Member

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    And your statement that you have to have a gimmick in order to have long term credibility... That mainly what I had an issue with, because it's quite obviously not true.

    Anyway, back to Gaga I guess...
     
  20. #40
    Ant

    Ant Ambient

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    I love her music. Don't care about the image or whatever either way, but then again I prefer to listen to music that appeals to my ear buds :lol:
     

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