Exactly one week before its touted premiere, ‘Applause’ – the lead single from Lady GaGa‘s new album ‘ARTPOP’ – was premiered on iHeartRadio.
What are you waiting for? The moment we’ve all been waiting for is on the other side!
Like most Pop culture events, ‘Applause’ was almost guaranteed to evoke a myriad of emotions; from euphoria, to disappointment, to electrified excitement. Indeed, the DJ White Shadow cut proves quite the rollercoaster, boasting a number of high high’s, as well a few notable lows.
Insanely infectious, the track’s chorus is its main saving grace. Refreshingly simple, its shameless repetition not only “works” for radio, it delivers deliciously anthemic results when juxtaposed against the super-sized production.
Of course, the track does commit a series of petty crimes; the most pronounced being the “Mad Scientist” delivery of its verses. Clearly sung as such to relay edgy and out-there, it sounds more Addams Family than Avant Garde.
Still…
Color us optimists, but we’d go out on a limb to assert that this tastes like ‘The Fame’ on speed. Or better yet a larger, more lethal ‘Fame Monster’. Put simply, it sounds – for the most part – like what a Mother Monster track should sound like an album removed from her most revered projects. (Let’s collectively forget about ‘Born This Way’).
Will ‘Applause’ garner unanimous, rapturous, or even immediate praise? Given the length, breadth and brightness of GaGa’s star, that was always unlikely. However, one thing is certain; ‘Applause’ is a loud, colorful, and bold strut in the right direction. Welcome back, GaGa!