Lady Gaga - From 'Fame' to 'Chromatica'

A look back at Gaga's albums - with particular focus on the underrated 'Artpop' and 'Chormatica''

Remember when you were supposed to be either team Gaga or team Madonna?

I grew up with the later so always had loyalty there, but I couldn’t deny the pop magic and the presence/charisma of the later when she burst onto the scene in the late Noughties.

After years of pretenders being called ‘the new Madonna’ – here was someone, who even if we shouldn’t compare; finally looked like she could be a match for the long-reigning Queen of Pop.

I remember being interviewed – via email – for a music blog about my own music stuff.

Which at that point (mid-2008) I was getting a bit of attention for at the time on blogs and stuff (I thought I was on the cusp on fame lol) and being asked my thoughts on several other contemporary and up and coming artists – Gaga being one of them.

I had to admit that I hadn’t actually heard of her at this point, as she hadn’t yet had any hits or major publicity in the UK – but I quickly checked some links and was surprised to find myself quite impressed by a new artist who looked and sounded different to everything else that was around at the time.

Fast forwarded to the end of that year, ‘Just Dance’ was released and suddenly Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga - was everywhere.

Albeit reluctantly, I couldn’t help but fall for the brilliance of those early mega hits like ‘Poker Face’ and ‘Paparazzi’.

In early 2009, I soon found myself buying her debut album ‘The Fame’ on CD.

The expanded/double album ‘The Fame Monster’ came along a year later and took things to another level. I bought that too, affectively owning the former twice (so hardly that reluctant a fan I guess)

Combining retro 80’s Euro sounds - with Red One’s of the moment vogueish dance production, together with the crucial element of Gaga’s uniquely personal lyrics and empassioned vocal delivery, created an electrifyingly thrilling sound on the best tracks.

For me, it wasn’t even so much about ‘Bad Romance’, but the non-singles - especially the genius that is ‘Dance in the Dark’ (I think possibly it was released in Australia though)– which tells the story of an emotionally fragile woman who loves to dance without being seen; ‘cos when he’s looking she falls apart’.

Has there ever been an anthem that hit the gay emotional trigger point more intensely?  

Add in that middle 8 that mentions such tragically-queertastic icons as ‘Marilyn, Judy, Syliva’– with Gaga proclaiming ‘tell ‘em how you feel girls’, and rap-spoken lines.

‘Find your freedom in the music, find your Jesus, find your Kubrick. You will never fall apart. Diana, you’re still in our hearts’, etc she continues, and it’s almost as if it had been created by A.I, years before it existed, to push all of our buttons.

The track ‘Monster’ is immense too – ‘he ate my heart and then he ate my brains’ Gaga sings as if her entire body is feeling it.

This part of the album is almost visceral with its fiery dancefloor-angst. Gaga was clearly a woman who had felt real pain.

I have to say I can’t stand the piano ballads like ‘Teeth’ and ‘You and I’ though - I generally prefer Gaga when she sticks to the upbeat numbers.

There has always, however, been something kind of overstimulated/overstimulating about Gaga – both with her music and image.

Like, you feel with some of her songs she has almost TOO many ideas that she is trying to cram into a three-minute pop song.

The same with her (earlier) videos – there would be about 10 different looks in just one, whereas - to make the lazy comparison; Madonna would maybe have one look or style for each album, or at least per single.

Frankly, and I said this at the time (honest I did) Gaga probably peaked too soon and could never top this. Not least image wise. I mean once you’re worn a meat dress, what’s left?

The upshot of this was that the pace of the early part of her career conducted at high speed – with an entire trajectory in one/two albums.

Of course, though, these were different times from that of her predecessor (s) - we were now in the digital age and social media was on the rise, so this is not necessary a criticism; more a testament to how much talent the woman clearly has – but where could she go from here?

Well, aping the original pop queen was maybe a natural step – which she did a year or so later when she released the somewhat derivative, but effortlessly anthemic, ‘Born this Way’;  as the lead single from the album of the same name – causing controversy by seemingly ripping off the melody of Madge’s ‘Express Yourself’.

The album itself though nevertheless contained plenty more pop brilliance. ‘The Edge of Glory’, ‘Marry the Night’ were, if not quite as classic as the standouts from their predecessor, still pretty damn fine bangers.

There were flirtations with 80’s rock throughout, and some experimentation with edgier soundscapes on tracks such ‘Government Hooker’, ‘Bad Kids’ and my favourite - the sexy ‘Electric Chapel’.

‘Mother Monster’,as her overzealous fans were calling her at this point, was still the biggest popstar in the world at this point.

Then came the ‘difficult’ third album – ‘Artpop’. This is where the wheels came off the juggernaut somewhat, and while it probably doesn’t match up to its elder sisters in commercial appeal (how could it?); I for one am a particular fan (it’s always the underdog with people like me isn’ it?).

Sure, it’s patchy and there are some particularly dodgy moments (‘Swine’,  ‘Donatella, ‘Jewells n’ Drugs’ are particularly awful) but I love the sleek, understated title track  - with lyrics that brilliantly combine pretentiousness and humorous self-deprecation, ‘I try to sell myself, but I am really laughing, it’s about the music not the bling, the music not the b-l-i-n-g’, she sings.

There is the feminist sex anthem ‘G-U-Y’ – with it’s lyrics about switching up power roles, ‘I wanna be the guy on top’, ‘You’ll be my G.I.R.L’ etc.

The more basic, crassly titled ‘Sex Dreams’ is trashy fun, as is the ode to getting stoned (in Amsterdam?) ‘Mary Jane Holland’ – even if it doesn’t suggest our heroine was in a particularly balanced place (but when did good art rely on this?)

Maybe best not to mention to the duet with the now shamed R Kelly – ‘Do What You Want (With My Body)’ – since removed from streaming.

Unfortunate perhaps, but actually a decent track in a slightly generic r ‘n’ b way ( I will also never forget June Brown aka Dot Cotton questioning Gaga on the sentiment of the lyrics on the Graham Norton Show)

I think Gaga has said her mental health was unravelling at this point; and possibly she was taking too many recreational substances to cope – this does feel like a bit of ‘I don’t give a f**k’ album, which gives it a trashy, slightly throwaway charm.

It feels less precision-tooled perfect than the ‘Fame Monster’ or ‘Born This Way’, which for me at least, gives it a likeability (like the flawed guy who is more fanciable because you relate to him more than the gym-honed hunk)

She then went a bit quiet, before, like all superstars with their eye on a long-lasting career; underwent something of a reinvention for album number 4 – ‘Joanne’.

This was her attempt to strip things down, go mature and do something different.

Gaga’s ‘Like a Prayer’ moment – if you like, albeit sadly fat less convincing or successful. I confess I listened once, maybe twice.

Lead single ‘Perfect illusion’, with its 80’s soft rock leanings, being the most obviously accessible moment -  threatened greatness but sadly didn’t really go anywhere.

Elsewhere, I am afraid I was rather underwhelmed by the country-influenced stylings – although from a long-term career point of view it was possibly a sensible step; by refreshing the fans palette after the full-on dance/pop assault of the previous few years.

We can skip the swing album with Tony Bennet – I am sure it’s really good if you like that sort of thing, but all that stuff is just a bit naff and annoying to me.

Sorry. I guess it proves to some people she can actually sing – if anyone was daft enough to doubt it.

Obviously, next came ‘Shallow’ – the power ballad hit from the remake of the Babs Streisand film ‘A Star is Born.  in which Gaga also starred in alongside Bradley Cooper, which tried, and quite possibly succeeded; in broadening her audience even further and solidifying Gaga’s CV and legacy.

This was nice enough in a predictable way but it kind of washed over me, and I confess I have never listened to the rest of the soundtrack.

And then, in 2020 – with most of the world on lockdown due to the dreaded ‘C’ word, with unfortunate timing, came her most recent outing (also co-incidentally beginning with a ‘C) ‘Chromatica’.

An all out, unashamed, return to dance-pop - combined with confessional lyrics about mental and physical health woes, the price of fame and doomed relationships, this seemed simultaneously a record company placating, fan pleasing, but equally cathartic, collection of tracks.

Now I feel quite strongly about this one, because while I think it’s a damn solid album, and I know many fan alsos loved it – ‘Chromatica’ seemed to get a bit lost in what was going on in the world at the time.

It was Gaga returning to being Gaga and doing it impeccably. Not reinventing (her) the wheel sure, but giving it a fresh, healthy injection of own juice.

Ok, so lead single ‘Stupid Love’ sounded a bit half-baked and predictable; while the next release ‘the duet with the latest pop girl of that moment – Arianne Grande, ‘Rain on Me’ was a likeable-enough slice of chart-friendly, if not exactly earth-shattering, contemporary pop.

However, there were far more compelling moments on the album when it dropped in June of that year.

Despite the largely upbeat feel of the music, Gaga’s words document a turbulent period personally – the ‘Fame’ having now long lost its sheen.

The album opens with a brief instrumental track – the suitable dramatic ‘Chromatica 1’, before boom it’s straight into the majestic ‘Alice’.

Setting the tone and tempo for the album, a piece of sleek dance-pop underpinned with retro 90’s house sounds (which crop up frequently here) combined with sharp, soul-baring lyrics.

‘Where’s my body, I’m stuck in my mind’ she sings, while  seemingly trying to escape - ‘I keep looking for wonderland’.

Gaga has talked about suffering from Fibromyalgia – a condition which causes extreme pain in the body, and these lyrics seem to refer to this. As someone who has suffered from its sister illness – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this one is particularly relatable for me.

We then get those first two singles, before the party really gets started with ‘Free Woman’ – a true dancefloor anthem if ever I heard one. I’m still baffled that this was never a single, a being a top tier song celebrating independence and not needing a man, with a house infused killer tune.

It’s possibly one of my favourite ever Gaga’ tracks to be honest. – possessing a straightforward joyousness that is sometimes lacking on her other, albeit brilliantly clever; bangers.  

It’s truly criminal how it didn’t get the moment it deserved.  I always pictured gays (and straight women) losing their minds to tit on dancefloors everywhere.

Alas though, it seems the Pan-d (and Gaga’s foolish record company) robbed us of this.

‘Fun Tonight’ follows in a similar, if not quite as immediate, vein. On early listens it seemed a little throwaway but over time has revealed itself to have a deeper vein of pathos running underneath.

Here Gaga sings about a partner who is using her for the limelight and loves ‘the paparazzi, love the fame, even though you know it causes me pain’. The most powerful line however is ‘I feel like I’m in prison cell, put my head through the steel bars and yell’.

Chromatica 11 comes next – breaking things up with a further instrumental interlude before sweeping into the spiky 911; opening  with Baroque intro, before launching into sharp staccato verses with computerised vocals, then progressing into an equally impenetrable chorus. 

A great track, but an odd choice perhaps for single number three/four - when there were far more accessible numbers here.

Again though, the lyrics seems to refer to Gaga’s battle with depression and/or chronic pain– she sings of ‘popping a 911’ etc. i.e. some form of medication.

Featuring lines such as ‘Keep repeating self-hating phrases’, and ‘my mood’s shifting to manic places’, ‘My biggest enemy is me’, and singing about keeping her ‘doll’s’ – as in pills (a nice kitsch campy reference to the trash-classic novel and film  ‘Valley of the Dolls)’, she sings of finding ‘paradise’ and keeping herself ‘in beautiful places’; all while sounding as self-defiant as ever.

‘Plastic’ follows next. This one feels rather throwaway and generic on initial listen, but again has more layers than would initially seem.

There’s more commentary on misogyny here – Gaga sings as if she is being treated like a (an actual) doll with clever-witty lyrics in which she talks of coming in a ‘pink box’, being ‘top shelf’, and not wanting to be played with and hurt.

‘Sour Candy’ meanwhile, was released as a kind of taster track just ahead of the album – a Tik Tok pleasing duet with K-Pop girlband Blackpink. It’s contemporary dance-pop with a fresh, sassy-edge, but didn’t really do much for me to be honest. Perhaps it helped win her few younger fans I don’t know?

‘Enigma’ and ‘Replay’ both continue the mining of 90’s dance sounds, but veer into filler territory – with the later at least having some a vague sense of darkness and drama.

‘Choromatica 111’ acts as another circuit breaker before Gaga ropes in her showbiz pal Sir Elton John, to surprisingly emotional effect on ‘Sine’ - a duet where the two appear to sing about the experience of growing up as artistic misfits and wondering about their future fate.

Cleverly. Gaga delivers the first verse – which seems to refer more to the first stage of the narrative, ‘I looked up to the sky, but I saw nothing there, no, no nothing there’; while Elt does verse 2, appearing to tackle the downside of the journey.

Here he sings, ‘When I was young, I felt immortal and not a day went by without a struggle. I lived my days just for the nights, I lost myself under the light’ - seemingly referring to excess and addiction.

It’s genuinely affecting because you know these two really have lived this and sound as if they truly mean what they are singing, Even Elton’s voice, which has a bit of disappointing deadness at times on his own material these days – does the job here.

The grandad and mother of pop come together on the chorus – singing about finding a sign, or ‘Sine’ rather, which having just googled, is actually a mathematical term which refers to the trigonometric functions of an angle - or something. A clever multi-layered meaning, eh?)

‘1000 Doves’ finds Gaga once again feeling sad and ‘completely lonely’, begging to be listened to and not judged.

It’s a low-key track that again initially feels a little generic, but becomes more affecting with subsequent listens, and feels like a naturally reflective ending to ‘Chromatica’.

Except it’s not. The listener then gets surprised with ‘Babylon’ – which demonstrates new levels of cheekiness as it shamelessly references/rips off the elder queen of pop, with the middle-8 which is basically a reworking of the infamous ‘Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire’ etc segment of Madge’s ‘Vogue’.

Meanwhile, the chorus finds Gaga singing ‘Babylon gossip gossip, Money don’t talk rip that song’ – what could she possibly be referring to?

‘Chromatica’ is not quite an out and out classic – or maybe it’s too soon to say – but it has a great energy and is a damn fine Lady Gaga album.

Word is she has started work on her next album – it’s surely overdue? What will she do next, one wonders?

To be honest, I don’t think it matters, Gaga now has enough class ‘A’ pop nuggets in her cannon that she could easily rest on these laurels for the rest of her days.