SPIN (Mara Reinstein): "Deluxe editions of successful albums with a few half-baked bonus tracks are common enough cash grabs. But most artists don’t bring 40 minutes of substantial new material, conceived and sold as a standalone project, with multiple future hits on it. Lady Gaga isn’t most artists, and The Fame Monster isn’t most albums.Lady Gaga's #FameMonster is 10 today. Here are 5 reasons the album still matters https://t.co/QsLUwSklZTpic.twitter.com/95dGoCh5Bi
— SPIN (@SPIN) November 18, 2019
The Fame Monster, a 22-song collection released November 18, 2009, featuring eight originals alongside the 14 tracks of her 2008 debut The Fame, is Gaga’s magnum opus.
Critics took notice, as the album received near-universal acclaim. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in 10 countries. It was nominated for six categories at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards and took home three trophies, including Best Pop Vocal Album.
But while dusty hardware is nice, long-term impact is the more impressive feat. And a decade after The Fame Monster, Gaga and her prized work continue to serve as a steady influence in the rapidly taste-shifting industry."
Here are five (3) reasons why the album still matters.
1. It Visualized the Sound
"It’s a testament to Gaga’s chameleonic nature that we didn’t quite have a read on her natural appearance until she took out her hair extensions and washed off all her stage makeup in A Star Is Born. That’s because the ever-self-conscious Gaga drew on evolving visual styles of presentation for her Fame Monster promo clips, the likes of which had not been seen since Madonna... A decade later, the likes of Halsey (“Without Me”) and Billie Eilish (“Bury a Friend”) have taken similar risks as they mix art and spectacle in their own cinematic videos."
2. It Marked a Pop EP Renaissance
"When The Fame Monster arrived in 2009, the streaming era was still a couple of years away from beginning in earnest. But Gaga anticipated the ways in which the internet was changing the rules for pop stars. Her decision to release The Fame Monster with eight new tracks rather than wait until she had enough material for a proper full-length anticipated our current moment, in which artists regularly release EPs and singles in response to social media’s demand for a constant stream of content.
Now, a younger digital-native artist such as Lil Nas X sees no problem with officially debuting with an EP, like a slightly more formalized version of throwing a few songs up for the fans on SoundCloud. Miley Cyrus recently announced that she would deliver three individual EPs in a span of one year rather than a single album. EPs are no longer few-and-far-between releases; they’re the norm."\
3. It Helped Usher in the New Wave of Stanning
"Before Beliebers, Swifties, Directioners, and the BTS Army, there were Little Monsters. Gaga used the term during her shows in the summer of 2009 because of the way they crawled, writhed, and screamed in the pits during her concerts. She coined a nickname and pioneered a movement in which overzealous fans obsess over a celebrity. Suddenly, you were either a true Gaga devotee or you weren’t.
The Fame Monster’s release coincided with the explosion of Twitter, meaning Monsters could create accounts and interact with a support network of like-minded people from around the world 24/7."
What's your favorite song on TFM, ONTD?
Source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
