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"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"
Song

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is a song performed by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut studio album The Fame. It was released as a promotional single from the album on September 16, 2008.[2] It is an uptempo dance-pop song that makes heavy use of synthesizers, and is lyrically about Gaga's experiences as a struggling artist in the Lower East Side. She wrote the song while she was, as she says, "doing a lot of drugs" and "trying to figure things out."

The song was met with critical praise, with reviewers complimenting the lyrics and the fun nature of the song. It also achieved minor commercial success, peaking at number eighty-three on the UK Singles Chart. Two versions were released of the song's accompanying music video - one was intercut with clips of the ABC television series, Dirty Sexy Money serving as a promotion for the show, and the other was the full-length video. Both versions feature Gaga and company dancing around in various locations of a mansion, and burning money.

Gaga has performed the song live several times, including on her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour, where she performed the song while wearing a futuristic bustier with silver triangular panels. The performance was praised by critics for Gaga's "strong" vocals and her energy, and also for giving the show a strong beginning.

Background

Gaga said the song "was just me trying to figure things out,"[3] and she later stated that she "was doing a lot of drugs" when she wrote the song. She claims it is about how "whoever you are or where[ver] you live – you can self-proclaim this inner fame based on your personal style, and your opinions about art and the world, despite being conscious of it," and also about her experiences as a struggling artist working in the Lower East Side. The line "Daddy, I'm so sorry, I'm so s-s-sorry, yeah," according to Gaga, was inspired by "rich kids" in the area who she would hear calling their parents for money to buy drugs with. She added that "ultimately what I want people to take from it is 'Bang-bang.' No matter who you are and where you come from, you can feel beautiful and dirty rich."[4]

Composition

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"
A sample of Gaga's "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich." This section includes the "Daddy, I'm so sorry" pre-chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is an uptempo dance-pop song which is more synth-heavy compared to the mostly electronic songs on The Fame. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song has a moderate electro-dance-pop groove and it is composed in the key of B minor with a tempo of 120 beats per minute.[5] The song is set in common time, and Gaga's vocal range spans from A3 to D5. It has a basic sequence of Bm–D5–A♭–Bm–D5–A♭ as its chord progression.[5] During recording of the song, Gaga was reluctant to add any dance-oriented beats to the song, and insisted on keeping its original rock version. However, music producer Rob Fusari convinced her that a drum machine would not hurt her integrity, telling her that Queen, who was one of Gaga's musical inspirations, used it in their music. Fusari commented, "I think that's what finally got her to give it a shot, [...] We finished ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich' that day. It's one of the songs on her debut album."[6]

Reception

Critical response

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" received positive reviews from critics. Matthew Chisling of Allmusic used the song and "Paparazzi" as examples of how The Fame's lyrics "salt and pepper the album with a nasty, club-friendly feeling of fun and feistiness that an excellent, well-produced dance album should have."[7] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called "LoveGame" and this song "propulsive club anthems" that "chug along on wave after wave of synths and programmed drums, resulting in a dizzying sonic trip that approximates the high point of a chemically enhanced night of club-hopping."[8] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that Gaga "successfully [tosses] out dirties" on the song.[9]

Chart performance

The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number eighty-nine due to strong digital downloads, on the issue dated February 21, 2009. On its second week, it rose to the eighty-third position which is where it peaked, and the next week it dropped to number eighty-seven, which was its final appearance on the chart.[10][11] According to Nielsen Soundscan, the song has sold 275,000 digital downloads in the United States.[12]

Music video

A blond female lying on a table covered with money. She wears a red leotard with a red hood. While looking towards the camera, she puts her black heel wearing left feet in the air.
Gaga lying on a table covered with money in the music video for the song.

A music video was filmed for the song and directed by Melina Matsoukas. There are two versions of the video - one intercut with clips from the ABC series Dirty Sexy Money and created to promote the show, and another which is the official video.[13] The video is set in a mansion, and starts with Gaga making her way down a hallway with several people who are either walking behind her, holding an umbrella over her, dancing in front of her, or tossing dollar bills around her. Gaga and company are then featured in many repeatedly-changing shots at various locations in the mansion. She is seen lying seductively on a table covered with money, crawling along a black grand piano and striking the keys with her leg several times, dancing around and later making out with a statue, and dancing in an elevator solo. There are also several close-up shots of her burning money and later stuffing it into her mouth. Over the course of the video, she undergoes numerous costume changes. Singer-songwriter Space Cowboy is also shown, most notably in scenes where he climbs a wall.[14]

Live performances

A blond female standing. She has a bob cut and wears a black tutu. On the right side of the dress, a silvery triangular piece is set. The woman is holding a microphone in her left hand to her mouth while her right hand is placed on her waist.
Gaga performing the song on The Fame Ball Tour.

Gaga has performed "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" live at the AOL Sessions, where she also performed "Just Dance," an acoustic version of "Poker Face," "Paparazzi," and "LoveGame." She also performed it at the MTV UK Live Sessions, also singing "Just Dance," "LoveGame," and "Poker Face." She most notably performed the song on her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour. On the tour, it was preceded by the song "Paparazzi," which ended with clicking cameras and a brief medley of "Starstruck" and "LoveGame." The performance of "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" followed, with Gaga frolicking with her dancers and wearing an "austere" blonde bob wig[15] and a "sculptural bustier with futuristic triangular silver panels, and exaggerated peplum," which was one of her six costumes over the course of the show.[16] The song was the end of the first of four parts of the show, and was followed by a video clip, "The Brain," which featured Gaga as her alter ego, Candy Warhol, brushing her hair.[17]

The performance of the song, along with the rest of the first quarter of the show, was praised by Jim Harrington of Mercury News for giving the show a strong beginning, and Gaga's vocal performance was also complimented.[18] Mikael Wood of Rolling Stone was rather critical of the performance; Wood claimed that it grew tiresome quickly but praised Gaga for her energy.[19] Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly praised Gaga's "strong" singing voice, adding, "The girl can, and does, sing."[15]

Credits and personnel

References

  1. ^ The Fame (Media notes). Interscope Records. 2008. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Lady Gaga : Single : Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". LadyGaga.com. Retrieved 2009-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  3. ^ "Lady Gaga : Biography". LadyGaga.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ Slomowicz, Ron (2008-06-10). "Lady Gaga Interview - Interview with Lady Gaga". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Digital sheet music - Lady Gaga - Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ^ O'Keeffe, Michael (2010-02-07). "How Lady Gaga took Stefani Germanotta from New York's Convent of the Sacred Heart to super stardom". Daily News New York. Retrieved 2010-02-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ Chisling, Matthew (2008-10-10). "allmusic ((( The Fame > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  8. ^ Koski, Genevieve (2009-02-23). "Lady Gaga - Music". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2008-11-29). "Lady GaGa: The Fame". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Lady Gaga discography". The Official Charts Company. ChartStats.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ "Lady Gaga - Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". The Official Charts Company. ChartStats.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  12. ^ Grein, Paul (2010-09-08). "Week Ending Sept. 5, 2010: Rihanna Leads The Pack". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  13. ^ "Music video of Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". Youtube, LadyGagaVevo. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  14. ^ "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich - Music Video". LadyGaga.com. Retrieved 2009-12-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  15. ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney (2009-03-14). "Lady GaGa live in L.A.: EW photo blog!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  16. ^ Abraham, Tamara (2009-05-04). "Madonna and Cyndi Lauper take style notes as Lady Gaga parades latest leotards in concert". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  17. ^ Downing, Andy (March 26, 2009). "Lady Gaga delights". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  18. ^ Harrington, Jim (2009-03-16). "Lady Gaga delivers crazy dance-pop show". San Jose Mercury News. MediaNews Group. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  19. ^ Wood, Mikael (2009-03-16). "Lady Gaga's "Fame" Attracts Kanye West, Perez Hilton to L.A. Show". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2009-08-13.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beautiful,_Dirty,_Rich&oldid=419554338"