The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
The Fame Monster is the third EP and second major release by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on November 18, 2009 through Interscope Records. Initially planned to be included on a re-release of Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame, she announced that the eight tracks would be included on a standalone release, saying that she thought the re-release was too expensive and that the albums were each conceptually different, describing them as Yin and yang respectively. A Super Deluxe edition of The Fame Monster including The Fame and additional merchandise, including a lock of her wig, was released on December 15, 2009. Musically, The Fame Monster is a pop album influenced by a number of genres, prominently the disco, glam rock and synthpop music of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as industrial and Gothic music. The album was also inspired by fashion shows and runways. According to Gaga, the album deals with the darker side of fame, including love, sex, alcohol and more. Lyrically, they are expressed through a monster metaphor. The cover artwork was done by Hedi Slimane and has a Gothic theme, as described by Gaga herself. The artwork was originally declined by her record company, however, Gaga convinced them to go through with it. The Fame Monster received generally favorable reviews from music critics. In some countries, the album charted with The Fame, and topped the charts in multiple nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, and Switzerland. In the United States, it reached number five on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Its lead single, "Bad Romance", was a commercial success, topping the charts in more than twenty countries worldwide, while reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The next two singles, "Telephone" and "Alejandro" were successful as well, reaching the top ten in multiple countries worldwide. "Dance in the Dark" was only released as a single in select territories, but received moderate success in some countries, and receiving a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 53rd Grammy Awards. "Speechless", "Monster" and "So Happy I Could Die" charted in multiple countries as well, despite not being released as singles. The Fame Monster has won multiple awards since its release. It was nominated in a total of six categories at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Pop Vocal Album.
<b>100 Best Albums</b> It would seem as if Lady Gaga just dropped—make that <i>danced</i>—from the disco heavens as a born-ready star on 2008’s <i>The Fame</i>. But before the artist born Stefani Germanotta was actually living the lifestyle of the rich and famous, she was getting ready for her close-up in the New York club scene. And you can really hear the blood, sweat and twirls through many a beer-splattered stage on <i>The Fame</i>. She lived it—and you feel it. That’s what makes <i>The Fame</i> such a self-manifesting statement—an album that chronicles the celebrity culture Gaga had yet to experience. When she sings about having “a little bit too much” on “Just Dance”—the album’s defining first single, featuring assists from singer Colby O’Donis, co-writer Akon and main <i>Fame</i> producer RedOne—she’s that party girl we’ve all been (and if you haven’t been there, she offers a blueprint for your free-bootied future). You can also hear the gritty groove of the downtown New York scene on debaucherous dance tracks such as “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”, “Money Honey” and the disco-stick-riding “LoveGame”. Meanwhile, pop bops such as “Poker Face”—which followed “Just Dance” to the top of the charts—and “Paparazzi” reveal the lyrical and melodic beast behind the beat. <i>The Fame</i> was already a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning sensation when it was reissued as <i>The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)</i> in 2009. But with Gaga having now fulfilled her diva destiny, she quickly proved her success was no fluke, continuing her string of hits with “Bad Romance”, “Alejandro” and “Telephone”. The latter pairs Gaga with Beyoncé—a pop-icon team-up equalled only by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer’s 1979 classic “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”. A worldwide smash that would earn the singer her second consecutive Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, <i>The Fame Monster</i> left little doubt that the world had gone gaga for Gaga.
