“TODAY’S THE DAY!!!” I shrieked as I leapt out of bed at 9 this morning. Before I’d eaten my breakfast, gotten dressed, or even checked my Facebook, I was on iTunes, ready to devour the latest Lady Gaga track—her new single, “Born This Way.” I was not disappointed. “Born This Way” is an empowering, electrifying jam that proves to be well worth the wait.
Gaga hasn’t released new music since November of 2009 and even though I was terribly distraught when she announced on Larry King Live in July that she wouldn’t be releasing her new music until 2011, I now understand why she chose to wait. Her full album, Born This Way, isn’t due out until May 23, 2011 but this single will most definitely last this Little Monster until then.
So what exactly is it about Gaga? She can be a very polarizing figure, in that you can’t really be in the middle; you either love her or you don’t. Candise, a sophomore at James Madison University, said, “I respect her talent [but] she is just weird.” Her hypersexuality, over-the-top fashion, and blatant honesty can and do rub people the wrong way.
Even her most devoted followers sometimes think her fashion choices can be… interesting (meat dress, anyone?) and her music videos are almost always controversial. But that’s what I personally love about her. She’s so out there, and she doesn’t give a crap about what anybody thinks. I, along with all the other Little Monsters, represent the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
We’re the ones who obsessively follow her on Twitter, travel to the ends of the earth to see her perform, and proudly countdown the release to her new music in our Facebook statuses. I wasn’t always such a huge fan though.
At first, when I kept hearing “Love Game,” “Poker Face,” and “Just Dance” on the radio, I couldn’t
stand her music! The same problem radio always brings, the overplaying of music, almost kept me away from Gaga forever. Thank goodness I was introduced to “Dance in the Dark,” from her album The Fame Monster. My best friend kept singing it over winter break 2009 and when I finally gave it a listen, I was hooked.
“Dance in the Dark” is still my ringtone to this day, and it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. When I went to her concert at UVA this fall, “Dance in the Dark” was her opening song and as soon as I heard the intro music, I started screaming. Then, out of nowhere, SHE APPEARED! At the top of the stage, in all her glory, Gaga sang and danced her heart out. I still get chills just thinking about it today.
The Fame Ball Tour wasn’t merely a concert; it was an experience and a life-changing one at that. I had never been so consumed and wrapped up in the passion of a single artist’s music before I went to her concert. It was beyond incredible and my love for her went off the charts, so to speak.
Lady Gaga’s talent is undeniable, and even though many try to discredit her, she truly is changing the face of music. Our generation has been, sadly, primarily exposed to pop stars who don’t write their own music, lip sync at concerts, and, more recently, use auto-tune. Gaga is involved in everything associated with her, unlike many celebrities who let their “people” take care of everything.
Her production company, Haus of Gaga, creates a lot of her hairdos, clothes, and stage props and she handles it personally. Her energy and dedication to her work make her great, as well as an inspiration. Cat, a junior at Boston College, says, “I think she’s finally giving pop music the depth it has deserved for decades. She knows the power she holds not only in the music industry but also in the media, and she uses it to confront social issues in an unapologetic way. She’s the John Lennon of our generation.”
Sarah, a freshman at Tulane, agrees, adding that Gaga is “the manifestation of both everything we are and want to be… she’s down-to-earth and bigger-than-life, incredibly caring but always ready to say ‘f*** you,’ and she’s talented, intriguing, loyal, and touched by genius.”
Whether you love her or hate her, you have to agree that Lady Gaga is truly talented. Her fearlessness and passion inspire me to be a better person and her music speaks to my soul, as cheesy as it sounds. I can’t wait until Born This Way drops but for now, I’m going to rock out to her newest single.