1. Gaga fans and others who just seem to randomly enjoy theatrics have regularly misconstrued level, critical thinking as Gaga attacks. I think the one thing I do regret is taking to twitter once and chiding gaga about tweeting a link that went to a playlist of her video on repeat in order to influence play counts and charts; at that moment I hadn't yet realized it was something a few other artists were doing/had done. Nor did I fully realize that YouTube's spam detection eliminated suspicious plays.
The truth is, I'm a fan of Lady Gaga's. I caught her show at Radio City back in the day, and I think two different tours at the Garden. She has a strong voice, a great persona for performance and at times has demonstrated a penchant for writing viciously catchy and fun pop songs. I've listened to everything she's released and generally really respect her for having the will and resolve to follow her own muse. She makes pop interesting in a way that few other stars have the cajones (or desire) to think about. And lately it's been painful to watch media big and small hyperinflate every drama, real (the album isn't her strongest work, indecision around single choices, personnel changes in her camp) or imagined (that ridiculous, fabricated $25 million marketing number; possibly the notion that her tour isn't selling as well).
But just because many in media are misrepresenting details or piling on doesn't mean I can't honestly think - and share my opinion - that this album doesn't represent her strongest work. You can say that she doesn't care about her songs charting and that her fans don't care either, and if that's true that's totally cool. There's lots of different ways to have a career in music there days, and certainly, there are options besides being a globally successful pop star. But "charting" is just a scorecard of popularity, of commercial success. Her last two albums haven't had hits the way her first two did. That doesn't mean she won't have albums again one day that galvanize mass audiences wherever they be. But generally, if the hits don't keep coming, the audiences at the shows start to dwindle. The budgets shrink. The productions shrink with the budgets, and that would be a shame, because her productions are pretty stunning usually.
Again, none of this is a forgone conclusion. Gaga still has lots of fans. And I have to believe the songwriter with a knack for delivering number one hits is still in there, and will rise again. When I say that I think maybe she should take a break, it's partly because I'm tired of watching media pillorize her for taking the same risks that they used to cheer. And it's partly bc I don't think the songs on this album are going to connect in a big way. And the more she keeps releasing big expensive videos and songs that don't chart or dont chart well, the more the perception of failure grows (fair or not) and the deeper the hole is that she'll need to dig from next time.
And of course there will be a next time. Acts like Weezer and Pink had been written off as "over" by media before returning to even greater heights. After she released "4" to middling sales and then was accused of taking too long to release another album, Beyoncé was all but pronounced as dead by a grumbling media - some just weeks before she rocked the pop universe with her surprise iTunes album. And lord knows, if Mariah could return from the Glitter era, we've learned anything is possible.
So yes, as I said on Twitter, if I was her manager, I'd recommend she reconsider making additional substantial expenditure on the songs on Artpop. Maybe release a new song or two, or commission some remixes if you need to generate some new excitement around the tour. Focus on creating an amazing tour. And then let people miss you for a little while, while you go find your creative muse and create a new album of your best work. That's not me hating. That's me pulling for Gaga.
2. Actually my track record ain't bad on calling hits or misses. I was shouting out Lorde from the treetops before anyone else I knew was on that. I was unmoved by the Rihanna/Shakira track, even as hype bubbles were rising everywhere. I won't go on, and I'm sure I've gotten some wrong. But I'm better than some
