Hey, what do you know: Lady GaGa was tolerable for nearly a whole 60 seconds during her American Idol performance last night, where she played her dreary No. 1 single “Poker Face.” The piano-and-violin arrangement of the opening minute resulted in her putting on a sort of Winehouse drag, and it made the song actually kind of… not terrible? No, really. Video (via MJ) after the jump.
The dancing! I wonder if Megan Joy saw her post-elimination life flash by her at that moment?
American Idol Season 8 Top 9 Results Video [MJ's Big Blog]
@Ned Raggett: Yes. That is exactly what I mean. I mean the nerve of her, not having a beard or a t-shirt. It is quite obvious that all the people who like her work, myself included, are just looking for music that is no good.
Like: The overall kookiness.
Dislike: The singing, dancing, music.
@dyfl: The more I see of her, the more I like her too. She is so OTT and batshit, it’s almost like self-parody. And I like it when my mindless pop can be truly mindless (unlike certain other recent female singers I could mention, who are too offensively retrograde and homophobic to be any fun). So she’s style over substance (way, way over substance). Is that so shocking in a pop star?
My only disappointment is she didn’t wear the bubble-covered outfit (leotard? minidress?) that matches her bubble-filled piano.
I honestly can’t understand how anyone could NOT like her.
@dyfl: I totally agree. As does my boyfriend, who got really, really excited about that first minute and the lucite bubble piano.
@K-Rex: I mean the nerve of her, not having a beard
Each of the ways I am reading this complaint amuses me greatly, but as noted the other day, I am simple. (Also, you’re talking to someone who regards indiekultur with a very, very gimlet eye, so if you’re looking for Bon Iver defenders or the like you might have to scrounge some more.)
Poubelle’s got the best argument her on here but for me it’s not style over substance issues (dead horse, long beaten, as noted above) as it is “The music stinks and she’s not helping it any so I can’t exactly praise her to the skies,” which might or might not be a problem.
@dyfl:
IAWTC. I even did the slow golf clap for about a minute and shouted woo a few times after her performance. Now that is how you put on a show. Loved every minute of it. Fuck the haters. haha.
@Ned Raggett: Sorry, feel free to replace “beard” with “scruffiness”. Simplicity is not the only game. Not everything has to be made for you.
It is not a matter of “style over substance”, but rather “style in service of substance”. I don’t know how to respond in just a few words to your charges that the music sucks other than to say “no, the music does not suck”.
@K-Rex: part of me wants to remind you that April 1st was yesterday. the other part of me realizes that you’re totally serious. different strokes for different folks, i guess.
i was so anticipating hating that performance beforehand, but when it was over my wife and i were both in agreement that that was probably the most fucked-up, weird, and Totally AWEsome thing ever to transpire on the American Idol stage.
Wow, I just need to chime in and say that yes, this totes makes me love GaGa more than ever, and yes, this really was about the most gay-as-in-homosexual thing I’ve seen in quite some time. YAY!!!
Also, this made every performance I saw on Tuesday’s Idol seem worse than the worst amateur hour of all time. Sad.
@K-Rex: Right on, dude. What else can you say to people who don’t get it? I really wish people wouldn’t take her so seriously and be all offended and stuff, she’s clearly having a blast being a pop idol of the highest order. Wow. IT IS JUST VAPID POP WITH SMOKE MACHINES AND DANCING BOYS. Stop trying to give it more meaning and/or requiring it to be something it isn’t.
I like the idea of her, particularly when you think about the clothing gimmick hole left by Cathy Dennis. I very much enjoyed her performance, as well. But I don’t have her song stuck in my head at the time of this writing. That’s a BIG problem considering her genre.
@janine: Wait a minute. Is that the thing? Is she doing some sort of R Kelly, Trapped in the Closet, hookless pop song? As insipid as Katy Perry is, I know exactly where the hooks are, which is kind of the point when it’s pop.
@janine: i’m so confused, maura also complains about the lack of hook, but there’s plainly one there, right there! in the chorus! Am I wrong?
@the rich girls are weeping: About the best hook in the whole thing is the “Can’t read my, can’t read my…” part of the chorus, which is indeed brain-sticky and has a solid melody. But it’s not much on which to hang the rest of the song — the bulk of which consists of RAT. A. TAT. WORDS. THAT. SOUND. JUST. LIKE. THIS.
So, fine, you win, it’s not “hook-free,” but I would call it “hook-challenged” and mostly monotonous. And I half-agree with Nunya B that her production overrelies on those little sound effects and squiggles. (Where I don’t agree is on the piano part of this performance. Like Maura, that part pleasantly surprised me and comes closest to GaGa’s drag-friendly “I’m an artist” pose.)
I’ll say two things. First: I am a fan of Skinny Puppy. Sometimes I get Stairs and Flowers stuck in my head. That does not mean there’s a whole lot to grab onto, but I’m a fan of theirs so… KWIM?
Second, I remember the feeling that the chorus was, well, the chorus. I can remember that the song got kicked up a notch, but there’s no sign of ear worm infection here.
Maybe I need it though headphones… Right in my ear, as Adam Ant would say.
@Chris Molanphy: In case anyone doesn’t know, a “poker face” is a blank expression worn to hide ones emotions. They are usually rigid and mask like. It would be a pretty awful song about a poker face if it did not somehow reflect this in the melody. It’s kind of an advanced concept for contemporary pop music, but it is not without precedent and it works.
And then there’s the part where it starts to sound like “Barbie Girl”. I, personally, became a Lady GaGa fan because I couldn’t get the songs out of my head. Boy.
@janine:Listening with headphones, good headphones, is a good idea. Anything else one like to gripe about; the album sounds
@K-Rex: Bless you for invoking “Barbie Girl” — “Poker Face” totally has the same kind of stickiness. I can’t get the damn chorus out of my head half the time.
This would make an interesting scientific investigation — are some people more prone to being victims of certain kinds of melodic earworms than others?? I so want to know!!
When I first heard the album I thought Poker Face was one of the weakest songs, but it’s grown on me–a lot. I think Love Game (which is the current single in Australia for some reason) is a lot catchier, though.
And I for one love her, because I still think of her as the Cristina (Monet) for the generation I’m actually an adult in (and not the one I was a newborn in.)
@the rich girls are weeping: tell HER to stop trying to imbue her work with meaning, and when she complies, we’ll chat.
That’s funny, I had never heard her before so I was curious. When she started to perform the song I thought the very same thing, I was like “oh this sounds nothing like I thought it would, interesting and then it all went very bad very quickly.
Same here, I didn’t know who she was or anything. Does it officially make me old to wonder how in the world this is a No. 1 song in any regard? (Don’t answer that) Regardless, I still prefer the version of Pokerface by Ghostface and Shawn Wigs…
See, I can’t say it enough: this is just the kind of batshit insanity I want for my pop stars. I mean, look at her go! I have to be the only person in America thinking “The more I see of this crazy woman, the fonder I feel.”
But then, I am gay, so I guess there’s a little bit of that hometown-pride thing going on, since GaGa was INESCAPABLE in the gay world for the last eighteen months.
lady gaga actually makes brit-brit look GOOD.
Jesus CHRIST, the first minute made the song “better”? No, no, a thousand times no. If anything, it highlighted how dependent her songs are on production and little electronic squiggles. There’s barely any melody to her actual singing.
I cannot wait for her to start screwing up.
@Nunya B: Oh blah, we always have this conversation! Frankly, I have to say that if I were a 22-year-old weirdo pop star, I’d sound like a total fucking idiot too. Geez. So she’s pretentious — who wasn’t right out of college? So she’s intentionally shocking in an “Aww, aren’t you adorable!!” kind of way. I mean, if she personally slighted you in some way, I could understand why you keep on this tack, but outside of that, I don’t get why you’re so bent out of shape over the fact that she gives dumb interviews.
@Michaela Drapes: dammit, stop using your “real” login when you’re not working… *sigh*
BRIT BRIT LOOK GOOD?
GaGa actually sings during performances?
it may not be perfect, but it’s light years ahead of Brit Brit’s usual karaoke shows
“Mommy, what’s a Lady GaGa?”
“Well, here, why don’t you watch this clip.”
*five minutes later*
“Well, honey, what did you think?”
“Fuck your Christ.”
Yay. Lady GaGa is the most interesting thing happening at the moment. Perhaps because she’s the only one in the major leagues actually trying?
@K-Rex: What, actively trying to suck? I mean, I salute her dedication and all.
i think the song is terrible, but i enjoyed her performance. the instruments added some… artistry?
Taste in music is subjective. I’m sure a lot of the people who say her music sucks would be surprised to learn how long she’s been an accomplished songwriter. But, of course, you don’t have to like it. You can turn it off. Me and all the other GaGa fans will be over there, grinding in the corner, all covered in the gayest of gay glitter.
@Michaela Drapes: because there are plenty of weirdo pop stars of all ages who are strange but manage to have charm without condescending to their audience (la roux; little boots; ladyhawke; robyn; karin fever ray; lykke li… the list goes on, and on, and on). maybe you don’t have a problem with (what i see as) her disrespect and mockery for her audience; i do. i would prefer to spend my time listening to pop music made by people who respect the form, rather than seeing it as a vehicle to stardom where melody and tune are only partially related to what happens.
gaga sells herself as a lifestyle brand. i don’t see a problem with evaluating her on that basis, especially considering i find her music tuneless and derivative.
also, resorting to asking “did she do something to you personally?” is an argumentative tactic i would advise you not to use. aside from adding nothing to the conversation, its rhetorical power is limited at best, and honestly, it reveals you to be totally incapable of defending your position.
Thanks to Gaga, I got my hate back!
I agree with Nunya’s list. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a #1 song by a truly interesting pop artist: Robyn, Goldfrapp, Royksopp, Ladyhawke, Little Jackie and many more.