While the critical and relative commercial failure of 2013’s ‘Artpop’ (and its singles) signaled to some a significant fall from grace for Grammy winning songbird Lady Gaga, the three years that followed proved quite the opposite. Redemption arrived in several packages including a highly praised, Grammy-winning chart-topper with jazz legend Tony Bennett, two stunning Academy Awards performances, and a Golden Globe win for her role in the ‘American Horror Story’ franchise.
As the feats above collectively seemed to spell great anticipation for a “proper” comeback of the eccentric songstress, many-a-diehard fan was sure the singer/songwriter’s reignited star would see her new music greeted with similar fanfare – a notion only solidified by word she’d reconnected with serial hitmaker RedOne for production contributions to the new project.
The setup would ironically prove to be a perfect illusion:
‘Perfect Illusion,’ the first taste of things to come from the Grammy winner’s fifth official era, was immediately met with mixed review upon its September release. While some expressed disappointment in the song’s repetitiveness and exaggerated pronunciation of lyrics others bemoaned over its instrumental composition and lack of infectiousness akin to her inaugural hits ‘Poker Face,’ ‘Just Dance,’ and the like. Debuting on the Hot 100 at a respectable, yet moderate #15, fans were sure the song’s accompanying music video would save the day.
Sad to say, they were wrong again and later stunned to see the tune drop out of the top 40 all together its second week. As of time reporting the song sits at #59 after just three weeks!
What went wrong? Was ‘Illusion’ simply not the tune Gags needs to put her back on top or does the 80s-inspired number simply need a real (and widely televised) push to help it bounce back. Simply put: