Lady Gaga – Seventh Album

[dbhmr]

Jan 10, 2019 15:06:46 GMT -5 Ty said:

Jan 10, 2019 14:45:06 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

Y'all, she isn't censoring herself, she's doing what (little) she can to stop being a part of actively giving a child molester money. That is, rightly, more important than listening to a bop.

If anything, they should leave it up to the consumer's decision, because it's their money, not Gaga's (yet).

Yeah, but it's Gaga's song. She can do what she wants with it (ugh, no pun intended).

Besides, this is in the top 10 on iTunes now, so consumers are trash.

[#LisaRinna]

iTunes:
#9 - "Do What U Want"
#54 - ARTPOP
#154 - "Do What U Want" (ft. Xtina)
#249 - "Do What U Want"

[jumpb4uthink]

The news is definitely propelling the sales.

Lady Gaga speaks out on R. Kelly and plans to remove song collaboration from iTunes
By Faith Karimi and Lisa Respers France, CNN
Updated 8:35 AM EST, Thu January 10, 2019
www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/entertainment/lady-gaga-r-kelly-apology/index.html

[#LisaRinna]

Watch Interscope never pulling it because they are recouping their money from the ARTPOP era.

[SPRΞΞ]

It’s removed.

[#LisaRinna]

R.I.P.

[Deleted]

The original and all the remixes with his vocals on it are still on Spotify rn but I assume those will get yanked later.

Gaga should have pulled the song before making the announcement; it was obvious what effect her statement would have b/c his own music had already increased in sales/streams after the documentary.

Jan 10, 2019 14:47:42 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

It could also be something she herself is ashamed of and would rather remove from where she can. Which is also totally fine. I think it’s probably more pointless to remove it given the song is available to buy in physical formats or downloaded illegally but at the very least this way she is doing is what she can do put her support where it should have been.

As for artists continuing to benefit despite morally objectionable actions, I think that’s a much trickier point because it lends itself to who gets to decide when someone can’t benefit, but it’s also a case of, what’s someone to do after they’ve committed a crime? Would someone like R. Kelly simply be done on every way and not allowed to make money or support himself after this? Where would reformed criminals go if they can’t provide for themselves?

IMO the issue is when there is a perception that the criminal has not received any punishment and isn't at all reformed, leaving it up to the public to render justice in the only way we can (by withholding sales). Would there would be as much of an outcry if R. was already in jail and only able to spend these coins in commissary? I suspect not. But he's not in jail - at this point it almost feels as if he's rubbing it in our faces that he's nowhere near it - so the thought of him continuing to make money that he will surely use to fund his fucked up lifestyle and lure/terrorize even more victims is revolting.

But is it the public's responsibility to shoulder that burden? It's not like R. Kelly would suddenly go broke and actually suffer if we did stop buying his music en masse; he's made enough of it already to live comfortably for the rest of his undeserved life. To not listen to his music anymore is really just a symbolic gesture. That is not to say the gesture is meaningless, but it's a mere gesture nonetheless, and at best could only have an indirect, gradual effect.

We need to call a spade a spade and recognize his probable involvement in a pedophilia ring for what it is, but we can't even get people to give a fuck about the shit he's clearly done on his own, let alone that he's likely doing it with other people actively aiding him. And people have steadfastly proven over the years to care more about a person's art than their morality, hence the whole 'you have to separate the art from the music' argument, so here we are. I just never understood or bought that logic with R b/c a) his music is so obviously and directly influenced and even inspired by his depravity that there is no separation to be had; and b) at least 95% of his shit just isn't great enough for this vehement clinging on to it. His has always been an overrated 'genius', even DWUW I would give credit to Gaga more than to his input b/c he was so basic and simple-minded that he took her metaphorical concept and interpreted it in a very literal and basic way.

[Relaxing Cup]

Still on Spotify lol

[SPRΞΞ]

Jan 10, 2019 19:05:36 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Still on Spotify lol

Nope

[Relaxing Cup]

Jan 10, 2019 21:24:44 GMT -5 SPRΞΞ said:

Jan 10, 2019 19:05:36 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Still on Spotify lol

Nope

yep listening now actually lol

[Dammn Baby]

I would have preferred for her to donate all her royalties from the song to an organization that supports sexual assault victims rather than attempt to suppress the song from her history for the sake of withholding a few minor royalty cheques from R. Kelly. He made his money from this, and he doesn't care. I know she doesn't like what the song represents, but it's still part of her history and she won't be able to erase that because the internet exists.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

She's doing the clumsiest damage control possible to try to save that Oscar nomination.

[toomuchboy]

So is she just going to omit the song from future Greatest Hits compilations?

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

I don’t even think the song is an essential part of her collection anyway tbh

[AP]

Y'all are doing the absolute fucking most up in here. The song should've never been released to begin with considering the lyrics and the allegations that were already out about R. Kelly at that time. She and her team should have known better. From her statement, it seems like Gaga herself was going through a lot around the release of Artpop and that song, from grappling with her own experiences as sexual assault survivor to her anxiety around flopping to heavy drug use, and it's clear she regrets the whole thing. Yes, the song (solo version) is a bop on its own merits and the production is divine but Gaga's has plenty, plenty of other great songs you can enjoy. We'll survive without this one. Plus, knowing the horrific details of what R. Kelly did to countless women, I'm not trying to bop to him singing that chorus.

[Ty]

...not disagreeing with your opinion, but why does that have to be the only narrative people derive from the DWUW song?

[bat1990]

Applause for @antigonerising for her wonderful eloquence and elaboration.
Her posts should be thread-ending

[Mike]

The duet version with Xtina up to #73 on iTunes. Was 82 an hour ago...

[Exclusive]

Jan 11, 2019 17:36:15 GMT -5 Mike said:

The duet version with Xtina up to #73 on iTunes. Was 82 an hour ago...

[August]

Ultimately, I don't really care whether the general public buys a song by an artist who who has engaged in inappropriate behavior. It is a personal choice of the consumer. It is also a choice of the retailer if they want to sell it / stream it.

My only real eyeroll here is Gaga's own reaction to it. It is not like these allegations of R. Kelly are something new or wasn't known at the time she recorded the duet. She actively participated in the recording, selected it for the final cut on the album, chose to released it as a single, filmed a video for it with Terry Richardson (who has his own sexual assault stories), and then proceeded to perform it on live television several times with R. Kelly while riding his crotch. She is only backtracking now because she doesn't want the bad press around awards season. This song was recorded 6 years ago and she got some crap because she chose not to speak up in the documentary for fear of looking like a hypocrite. So now she is speaking up and trying to act like she was an immature young child who didn't know any better...she recorded this at age 26, not 14.

This is part of the reason why I struggle with her. I think she puts out some great pop music and then she opens her mouth to speak and I want to tell her to get over herself.

[Enigma.]

Orr.... maybe she's learned that it was a mistake and clashes her thoughts and actions and the world we live now after further investigations?

I mean life is not a status quo, we change, the world change; better be open about it.

The statement was not genius from PR perspective but it was probably genuine as this had bothered her but after seeing the doc she wanted to really come up with this? I don't know but was there a better time? Nobody was asking for her to remove the track, she just wanted to go all the way to prove that she really means what she says.

Also, Phoenix made a similar statement after Gaga's, so it is something people are actively considering after the document and recent news.

[Glove Slap]

Jan 10, 2019 14:45:06 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

Y'all, she isn't censoring herself, she's doing what (little) she can to stop being a part of actively giving a child molester money. That is, rightly, more important than listening to a bop.

The search will just redirect to the Xtina version, where R. Kelly is still listed on the credits and makes money from.

[August]

Jan 12, 2019 2:55:12 GMT -5 Enigma. said:

Orr.... maybe she's learned that it was a mistake and clashes her thoughts and actions and the world we live now after further investigations?

Oh I agree that we should all learn and grow and that it is possible for everyone. What I am commenting on is that her timing is very suspect. She KNEW back then it was an issue. Otherwise, she would not have pulled the video and re-recorded the song with Christina. At the time there were many reports that the video was pulled because of all the child pornography allegations against R. Kelly and the sexual harassment claims against Terry Richardson. It was not a good look for her to be gyrating on stage with R. Kelly during both the AMAs and on SNL. Let alone the clips that leaked of the video at the time.

Why didn't she say that back then that she made a mistake and was uncomfortable with the collaboration? She knew enough to pull everything, but instead chalked it up to not having enough time to plan the video the way she wanted to. To say now that it was inappropriate, right about the time she got flack for not participating in the documentary when she was asked and it being right around the time when folks are starting to feel the love for her again, makes the whole timing suspect and a touch insincere.

This is just my observation. I am not in her head and I do not know the woman. Before anyone thinks I am slagging off Gaga because I am a Madonna stan, you are wrong. I think Madonna is full of crap half the time too. ;)

[Hefty Hanna]

Jan 10, 2019 22:59:56 GMT -5 Ty said:

...not disagreeing with your opinion, but why does that have to be the only narrative people derive from the DWUW song?

This. To me, DWUW is actually the ultimate consent song? Gaga is saying "you can do whatever you want to me, I welcome it...it's all yours but you will not take my heart or my mind or what matters" I don't necessarily see the song as being a sexual song - at least when you listen to the original, the entire second verse is her saying "my body is yours when I am on stage" to her audience.

Was adding R. Kelly to the song a weird flex? Absof**kinglutely. The unreleased video certainly didn't help matters - but obviously she was looking to SHOCK. It definitely has always tarnished the song for me and every time Robert's verse comes up I cringe, because including him on his verse gave him a platform to be his grotesque self and his verse never made sense to me because the rest of the song to me is not sexual? IDK. Tell me if this does or does not make sense, feel free to disagree.

The whole situation is f**ked but I don't understand how people only see one sexual, explicit narrative in DWUW. The song itself is one of my faves from ARTPOP so I hope she releases the solo version of it to iTunes.

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

Jan 12, 2019 10:01:19 GMT -5 Hefty Hanna said:

Jan 10, 2019 22:59:56 GMT -5 Ty said:

...not disagreeing with your opinion, but why does that have to be the only narrative people derive from the DWUW song?

This. To me, DWUW is actually the ultimate consent song? Gaga is saying "you can do whatever you want to me, I welcome it...it's all yours but you will not take my heart or my mind or what matters" I don't necessarily see the song as being a sexual song - at least when you listen to the original, the entire second verse is her saying "my body is yours when I am on stage" to her audience.

Was adding R. Kelly to the song a weird flex? Absof**kinglutely. The unreleased video certainly didn't help matters - but obviously she was looking to SHOCK. It definitely has always tarnished the song for me and every time Robert's verse comes up I cringe, because including him on his verse gave him a platform to be his grotesque self and his verse never made sense to me because the rest of the song to me is not sexual? IDK. Tell me if this does or does not make sense, feel free to disagree.

The whole situation is f**ked but I don't understand how people only see one sexual, explicit narrative in DWUW. The song itself is one of my faves from ARTPOP so I hope she releases the solo version of it to iTunes.

I agree with this, however she was clearly trying to play with a double meaning through R. Kelly’s inclusion and the video concept. And that alone taints whatever her true intentions were in writing the song, which is clear in the lyrics tbh (minus Kelly’s verse).

[Enigma.]

And in the statement she basically admits that there's the double meaning, calling it "twisted thinking".

[August]

The song in itself is not really that sexual, because if you listen to the rest of the lyrics beyond "do what you want with my body..." it is clearly a song being that she owns her voice, her heart, and her mind and it is a song about not letting anyone take that from her. However, all of that was overshadowed by making every single performance and the video (clips which we did see) all about being sexual and R. Kelly having his way with her. Even the cover art for the single was her bare butt. So, do we only focus on what a bad guy R. Kelly was / is and she is a victim here or do we look at Gaga and say "You own some of this mess too?" I am not letting her off the hook scot-free here. She has never once portrayed herself as anyone's puppet. She has always said she is in charge and she writes all her own music and production, etc.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

She has made bad decisions before, in particular with her music and her insistence of doing something 'odd' for the sake of it being odd. It's one of the quirks I like about her but it does paint her to be a little stubborn at times. I guess I'm more surprised no one on her team told her that R. Kelly was a bad idea, even if she knew it would be and was feeling self-destructive, or reckless, or whatever, it takes a lot of talking and planning to create a collaboration between two big names. I agree that Gaga owns some of the responsibility here. While I'd say her response is genuine, I'd say her collaborating with him probably the one thing she's done that never sat right with me considering the allegations against him. But I think she's doing her part to own up to them. It's probably the type of thing where she's been regretting it for a while but there was no need to randomly release a statement or apology for it so why bring it up? Until she was called to. I don't think the timing of the statement works against her at all.

[Caviar]

When was the last time she performed it??

[Enigma.]

artRAVE tour I believe, so fall 2014.