Wow, I guess we missed Lady Gaga more than I thought or at least more than we had. Two years after “Born This Way”, a nothing much re-write of “Express Yourself”, “Applause” comes rolling in like a sledgehammer of pop satisfaction.
Much like George Harrison’s “Your Song”, just let somebody claim it was stolen. This is Lady gaga as towering pop figure, Gaga as Elton John, Gaga as the modern day Madonna she always aspired to, telling the world what’s what. With as strong and simple a hook as you could possibly want, “applause applause” couldn’t be easier, she takes on art and pop and wins hands down:
I’ve overheard your theory “nostalgia’s for geeks”
I guess sir, if you say so, some of us just like to read
One second I’m a Koons fan, suddenly the Koons is me
Pop culture was an art, now art’s in pop culture in me
Exactly Sir, after a displaced hip and a gold wheelchair, a grown up relationship, a shape shift face shift, mainstreaming and back again visage of proto-excellence, here comes # 3 and this is gonna be the charm and I really really believe that. Born This Way as that big because, at least in effect, residual affection, but ARTPOP? She needs to come through and how, she needs to sweep us off our feet and sweep Madonna and Katy and… she needs to Kendrick Lamar em, right?
The beats are stupendous, the song is cutting State of the Art(pop) and Gaga is all swag and swagger. Better than anything since, I dunno, “Telephone”? I couldn’t be more impressed and I expect big big things off the album. Maybe her best ever.
Applause – Lady Gaga – A