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The Fame Monster

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Untitled

The Fame Monster is the second studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga released on November 18, 2009. The album's eight songs were initially intended to be part of a re-release of Gaga's debut album The Fame. However, Gaga announced that the new songs would be available as a stand alone album, as she thought the re-release was too expensive and they are unfair overall and that, as the piece represents a separate conceptual and musical body of work, it does not need the songs of The Fame to support it. A Super Deluxe Fame Monster pack containing the two releases will be released on December 15, 2009.

The album deals with the darker side of fame, as experienced by Gaga over the course of 2008–2009 while travelling around the world, and are expressed through a monster metaphor. The composition takes its inspiration from Gothic music and fashion shows.

"Bad Romance" was released as the album's first single. It topped the Canadian chart while reaching the top ten in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden. Gaga had performed a snippet of the song during her appearance on Saturday Night Live. She announced The Monster Ball Tour, supporting the album, which is to start on November 27, 2009 and will continue through April 2010.

Background

In the United States, The Fame Monster is to be first released as an 8-track album on November 23rd, 2009. Gaga's website also confirmed a Deluxe Edition featuring the entire The Fame as a bonus disc.[3] During the collaborative launch of her similarly titled headphones with Dr. Dre, Gaga commented about the re-release:

"I think re-releases are unfair, [...] It’s artists sneaking singles onto an already finished piece of work in an effort to keep the album afloat. Originally [my label] only wanted me to put out three songs and now it’s much more than that. It’s a new album’s worth of material."[4]

Regarding the title The Fame Monster, Gaga said that it was a coincidence that the name was similar to the headphones she launched. She had already written a song titled "Monster" in March, before she met with Dr. Dre and the Noel Lee, the head of BSM Monster, to discuss the collaboration[4]. Gaga further explained that she was obsessed with monster movies then and "I’m kind of obsessing over the decay of the celebrity and the way that fame is a monster in society! That’s what my new record is about, so it was kind of a perfect fit[4]". The first single from the re-issue was titled "Bad Romance".[5] Gaga later revealed that the re-release will contain eight new songs, along with her whole original debut album.[6] The Fame Monster deals with the seamier side of fame, as experienced by Gaga over the course of the year 2008–2009. She explains:

"On my re-release The Fame Monster, I wrote about everything I didn't write on The Fame. While traveling the world for two years, I've encountered several monsters, each represented by a different song on the new record: my 'Fear of Sex Monster,' my 'Fear of Alcohol Monster,' my 'Fear of Love Monster,' my 'Fear of Death Monster,' my 'Fear of Loneliness Monster,' etc."
"I spent a lot of nights in Eastern Europe, and this album is a pop experimentation with industrial/Goth beats, 90's dance melodies, an obsession with the lyrical genius of 80's melancholic pop, and the runway. I wrote while watching muted fashion shows and I am compelled to say my music was scored for them."[6]

Among other songs, Gaga confirmed a ballad titled "Speechless", which she dedicated to her father. She also commented that the new songs don't deal with money or fame, rather its about everything in-between and it was for her fans.[6] Two cover arts for the re-release were shot by designer and photographer Hedi Slimane. One shows Gaga in blond wig and wearing a black jacket while the other is what she used to look like with heavy eyeliner running down her face[7].

Release

Originally, the album was intended to be a two-disc re-release of The Fame, but Gaga told MTV on November 12, 2009 that the album is to be a standalone piece. Gaga has also announced the release of The Fame Monster Deluxe Edition, and the Super Deluxe Fame Monster Pack, which will be released on December 15, 2009. The pack will provide an assortment of products from Gaga's production collaborative Haus of Gaga and even included a lock of hair of the singer.[8] Gaga explained this decision by saying,

"In the midst of my creative journey composing The Fame Monster, there came an exciting revelation that this was in fact my sophomore album, [...] I would not add, nor take away any songs from this EP. It is a complete conceptual and musical body of work that can stand on its own two feet. It doesn't need The Fame."
"For those who do not have my debut album, there are a series of collectible double-disc editions that include both albums and artwork conceived by the Haus of Gaga in collaboration with our mentor, Hedi Slimane," she said. "Hear the music, see the show, live and love yourself."[8]

On November 20, 2009, the album was available for listening on Rhapsody.

Critical reception

Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt that the album was not a huge leap forward for Gaga, but provided "small, if fleeting, glimpses behind the pretense." He remarked that "[t]here's something instructive about the way Gaga rejects any and all intimacy with others." Songs like "Bad Romance" and "Dance in the Dark" were called the highlights of the album.[2] Digital Spy gave the album a perfect score of 5 out of 5. Editor Nick Levine said, "The Fame Monster does work as a standalone album, and what's more, it's a far more enjoyable listen than The Fame ever was."[1]

Promotion

Main article: The Monster Ball Tour

Promotion first began for The Fame Monster through a performance on Saturday Night Live, which contained segments of a piano version of "Bad Romance". Gaga has also appeared on various talk shows, such as It's On with Alexa Chung and Germany's Wetten, dass..?. On November 16, 2009, Gaga performed the song "Speechless" at Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art's 30th Anniversary celebrations. She collaborated with artist Francesco Vezzolli and members of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet Academy.[9]

Previously, Gaga announced that she was going to tour with Kanye West. The tour was titled Fame Kills Starring: Lady Gaga and Kanye West.[10] However, after the incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with Taylor Swift, West announced that he was taking a break from music. Following the announcment, all of the tour dates were immediately cancelled. Later, Gaga confirmed that she was going to tour by herself for the upcoming project.[11] The show, called The Monster Ball Tour, is set to begin late November 2009 and finish early April 2010. The tour will feature opening acts Kid Cudi and Jason DeRulo.[12] Described by Gaga as "the first-ever pop electro opera", The Monster Ball will begin four days after the release of The Fame Monster.[12]

On November 16, 2009, Gaga appeared on an episode of the CW's Gossip Girl in an episode titled "The Last Days of Disco Stick". She performed the lead single from The Fame Monster, Bad Romance. Other songs that were referenced and played throughout the episode were "Alejandro", "Dance in the Dark", and "Telephone".[13]

Singles

Track listing

The official track listing for The Fame Monster was announced via Universal Music Japan on October 14, 2009.[20]

Standard Edition
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Bad Romance"Lady Gaga, RedOne4:55
2."Alejandro"Lady Gaga, RedOne4:34
3."Monster"Lady Gaga, RedOne, Space Cowboy4:09
4."Speechless"Lady Gaga, Ron Fair4:30
5."Dance in the Dark"Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay4:48
6."Telephone" (featuring Beyoncé)Lady Gaga, Lazonate Franklin, Lashawn Daniels, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Beyoncé3:40
7."So Happy I Could Die"Lady Gaga, RedOne, Space Cowboy3:55
8."Teeth"Lady Gaga, Teddy Riley3:40
Disc 2: The Fame (Deluxe edition bonus disc)
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Just Dance" (featuring Colby O'Donis)Lady Gaga, RedOne, Akon4:01
2."LoveGame"Lady Gaga, RedOne3:36
3."Paparazzi"Lady Gaga, Rob Fusari3:28
4."Poker Face"Lady Gaga, RedOne3:57
5."I Like It Rough"Lady Gaga, Kierszenbaum3:22
6."Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)"Lady Gaga, Martin Kierszenbaum2:55
7."Starstruck" (featuring Space Cowboy and Flo Rida)Lady Gaga, Kierszenbaum, Space Cowboy, Flo Rida3:37
8."Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"Lady Gaga, Fusari2:52
9."The Fame"Lady Gaga, Kierszenbaum3:42
10."Money Honey"Lady Gaga, RedOne, Bilal Hajji2:50
11."Boys Boys Boys"Lady Gaga, RedOne3:22
12."Paper Gangsta"Lady Gaga, RedOne4:23
13."Brown Eyes"Lady Gaga, Fusari4:03
14."Summerboy"Lady Gaga, Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz4:13
15."Disco Heaven"Lady Gaga, Fusari, Tom Kafafian3:41
16."Again Again"Lady Gaga, Fusari3:04
17."Retro, Dance, Freak"Lady Gaga, Fusari3:22

Release history

Region Date Format Label Edition
Japan November 18, 2009[21] CD, Digital download Universal Music Standard, Deluxe
Australia November 20, 2009[22][23]
Chile
Ireland
Germany[24] Interscope
United Kingdom November 23, 2009[25][26] Polydor
Canada Universal Music
United States Streamline, Kon Live, Interscope, Cherrytree
Worldwide November 24, 2009[27] Universal Music
United States December 15, 2009[28] Box-set Interscope Records Super Deluxe

References

  1. ^ a b "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster". Digital Spy. 2009-11-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (2009-11-18). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  3. ^ Dinh, James (2009-11-10). "Lady Gaga's Fame Monster: New Songs To Be Released On Single CD". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Carpenter, Ellen (2009-10-01). "Lady Gaga Unleashes "Monster" With Dr. Dre: Headphones First, Song Next? Singer on New Tracks". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  5. ^ a b Harding, Cortney (2009-10-01). "Lady Gaga: First Lady". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  6. ^ a b c Release, Press (2009-10-08). "Lady Gaga Returns With 8 New Songs on 'The Fame Monster'". Yahoo! Finance. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  7. ^ Lamb, Bill (2009-10-10). "Lady GaGa Shows Off The Fame Monster Cover Art". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-10-13. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  8. ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (2009-11-13). "Lady Gaga Is 'Honoring' Fans With Cheaper Fame Monster". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-13. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Vena, Jocelyn; Vaca, Damien; Elias, Matt (2009-11-16). "Lady Gaga Is 'Fantastic Creature,' Say Fellow Celebs". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-11-18. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ Kreps, Daniel (2009-09-11). ""Fame Kills Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga" Tour: First Dates". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  11. ^ Montogomery, James (2009-10-01). "Kanye West/ Lady Gaga's Fame Kills Tour Canceled". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-10-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  12. ^ a b Herrera, Monica (2009-10-15). "Lady Gaga Announces 'The Monster Ball'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  13. ^ http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/ggmusic
  14. ^ Reporter, RS (2009-09-29). "Lady Gaga Readies New Single for "SNL," "The Fame" Re-Release". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  15. ^ Reporter, RS (2009-10-05). "Lady Gaga Fights Madonna, Debuts "Bad Romance" on "Saturday Night Live"". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  16. ^ "SHOWstudio presents Alexander McQueen S/S10 Live". SHOWstudio.com. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  17. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (2009-11-05). "DeRulo Tops Hot 100 But Swift Swoops In". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  18. ^ "Ireland Singles Top 50". Irish Recorded Music Association. acharts.us. 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2009-10-31. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  19. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 - Week of November 14, 2009". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  20. ^ "Official Fame Monster Tracklist". Universal Music Japan. 2009-10-14. Retrieved 2009-10-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  21. ^ "The Monster - Lady Gaga". Universal Music. 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  22. ^ "The Fame Monster at Sanity - Lady GaGa". Sanity music store. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  23. ^ "The Fame Monster - Lady GaGa (Mimix Chile)". Mimix.cl. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  24. ^ http://www.lady-gaga.de/releases/
  25. ^ "The Fame Moster 2 Disc". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  26. ^ "FAME MONSTER : 2CD by Lady Gaga". HMV. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  27. ^ "The Fame: Monster Brazil release date". LiveAria. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  28. ^ "Lady Gaga Releases Brand New Album on November 23". Interscope Records. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
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