Lady Gaga - "Disease"

[leonagwen]

[Elusive Chanteuse]

Nov 20, 2024 16:38:35 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

Her excerpt from Vogue describing the album is “unserious” and fun for a party or any situation don’t describe Disease at all to me lol. Sounds like a new version of The Fame honestly (which I would be here for). Would make this as the lead all the more bizarre though.

In that same excerpt, Gaga did also say that this was going to be a dark pop album. Disease is definitely dark pop…

[Maximillian]

A conversation worth having in 2024/2025 is: what really defines a hit song these days? We've touched on this in this thread, especially with songs like Stupid Love (is it a hit because it hit #5 on BB, or is it a flash in the pan hit because it didn't create big longevity?). In the streaming era, songs (or albums) that seemed like "non-events" at release can grow into long-term hits without the traditional chart success to back them up. My point is, Billboard or radio placement might not fully capture a song's cultural or streaming impact anymore.

For example:

- Charli XCX (whom I love): History might label her album a "lukewarm success", based on her numbers, but do any of us really believe that about BRAT this year? Likely not.
- Cruel Summer: It debuted at #29 on Billboard and later became a massive streaming hit, but fell off the charts after 2 weeks. If the very unlikely circumstances of it being revived during the Era's tour hadn't happened, it likely would have remained at a #29 peak. Of course, we can all agree this was a hit before it was revived, right? (Lover as an entire album has outsold Taylor's entire discography this year, except for TTPD).
- Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood: It has 3.5 billion Spotify streams, hasn’t left the Spotify 200 in 1,500+ days, and is one of the most-streamed songs ever. Yet, it peaked at #14 on Billboard and #7 on pop radio. Clearly, it's a smash hit, even if traditional metrics suggest otherwise.
- Judas by Gaga: Polarizing at release and only moderately successful on the charts (debuted at #10 on BB, dropped after that weekly), but now it averages nearly 1 million daily streams, outpacing her biggest hits. Wouldn't we call that a hit now?

I'm not saying Disease is going down in history as a hit, and I still reference radio and Billboard stats when talking about artists, but I'm starting to feel these might no longer be the best ways to measure success—beyond bragging rights, at least, in an era of streaming. We now see so many artists who can debut songs in the #1-#5 range on Billboard, and then those songs fail to do much on radio, or fail to stream long term (insert several Drake songs recently). On paper they would be hits out the gate, but then you have situations like above, where artists have deep streaming success, but radio never onboarded them to the fullest potential, and held back these songs from hitting the peaks they deserved (by limiting audience and radio spins, and therefore, holding back chart positions on BB).

IDK, this is an off topic rant probably, but I guess I just feel like radio is more and more falling behind what the future of music is. Thanks for listening to my rant

EDIT: AZ, you were absolutely right about the 360 thing -- I didnt fact check that fully. GW, you are reading a little too into the "anyways" - it was just me changing my thought process. Not directed at you in any way.

[musiclife]

Nov 20, 2024 16:38:35 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

Her excerpt from Vogue describing the album is “unserious” and fun for a party or any situation don’t describe Disease at all to me lol. Sounds like a new version of The Fame honestly (which I would be here for). Would make this as the lead all the more bizarre though.

I have to agree it doesnt sound anything like Disease based on her description. I'd 100% be here for a 2024 Fame, and I still jam to The Fame/Fame Monster all the time. Every single song on that album could have been a single. Hopefully LG7 sounds nothing like this off putting song because the GP and Pop is treating this song as if is a disease, so the title is extremely fitting. I really hope she can rebound with another single, because it seems like these days between her being box office poison and having a terrible performing single doesn't sway the GP from embracing her 2nd single which will be a certified bop! Thankful for DWAS, but I think it's more widely looked at as Bruno Mars' return rather than hers.

[munx 🐒🎯]

Nov 20, 2024 17:44:01 GMT -5 leonagwen said:

yes!!

[balletgirlmom]

Yes, the numbers on the Hot 100 are such a mess now.  Drakes's high first week then falls are a great example.  LG is a talented survivor!!!  Disease is a great song, and she is BACK in form!!!

[shakemaki]

Nov 20, 2024 18:11:37 GMT -5 Elusive Chanteuse said:

Nov 20, 2024 16:38:35 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

Her excerpt from Vogue describing the album is “unserious” and fun for a party or any situation don’t describe Disease at all to me lol. Sounds like a new version of The Fame honestly (which I would be here for). Would make this as the lead all the more bizarre though.

In that same excerpt, Gaga did also say that this was going to be a dark pop album. Disease is definitely dark pop…

Yeah, she brings up genre-bending too. Idk what to think this album will be at this point. I’d really love a new evolution on The Fame style from her though, now that I really think about it.

[ObhiDonna]

To be fair I have always felt just the lead single doesn’t always give the expectations for an album, I always wait upto the second single (where they are released prior) to gauge what the record would be like. This one has the dark pop, macabre kind of grungy sound, but who knows in conjecture the whole album might be super uplifting lol!

[SPRΞΞ]

but why would you release a dark-sounding lead single that you have to at least somewhat predict is NOT going to connect, and pay for radio deals, #1 TTH playlist placement, etc. and ruin the momentum of the album rollout and 2nd single release? The 2nd single most likely will not get a radio deal. Will they pay for #1 on TTH again? It just doesn't make sense to me to release a flop first, when the rest of the album is the polar opposite of it in sound.

[Enigma.]

You people really think too much.... let Gaga and Interscope do their thing.

[Az Paynter]

Fix it.

POP:
16 16 LADY GAGA Disease 5338 5320 18 11.884

-43 Spins
-101 Bullet
+0.020 Audience

HOT AC:
25 24 LADY GAGA Disease 1032 832 200 2.329

+15 Spins
-14 Bullet
+0.031 Audience

[Coco Yu'Kneek- Saint]

Nov 16, 2024 23:52:32 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

Nov 16, 2024 20:01:54 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

It's hard to rank Gaga's singles for me now because I almost never go back to her earlier albums because I played them SOOOO much for yeeeears, but accounting for my obsession of each upon their release, it might be something like:

1. Bad Romance
2. Born This Way
3. Applause
4. Disease
5. Stupid Love
6. Just Dance
7. Perfect Illusion

I actually didn't love "Just Dance" when it came out but it grew on me more after I got into her. It's a definite classic though so don't let my placement of it fool anyone. As for "Stupid Love," I actually did love that one when it came out. I think "Disease" benefits from recency bias so once things settle down, it could switch places with "Stupid Love". We'll see.

I was also that way about JD at the time. I remember first hearing it (when I visited Canada actually, where it was a smash way ahead of the U.S.) and being like “huh, that’s cute.” Then PF turned me into an instant mega stan overnight, but I never did think super highly of JD back then. Grown in affection for it over the years though.

I thought at first she was weird and attention seeking and then Just Dance hit and I hit the dance floor. Loved her ever since to various degrees but what I truly respect about her is she isn't chasing trends or vanilla or succumb to feeling like she was to water herself down for public consumption unlike someone else that I won't mention! I just love individuality even when not all of it is for me

[avamaxstan]

Nov 17, 2024 22:06:14 GMT -5 wjr15 said:

The Fame is one of the best debut albums this century and it has held up very well over the years. The singles were perfect and there are many strong album cuts. If I had to rank the 4 singles:
1. Poker Face
2. LoveGame
3. Just Dance
4. Paparazzi

The singles are all iconic but overall the album is very dated. 

[twilightskies]

Nov 21, 2024 9:45:02 GMT -5 SPRΞΞ said:

but why would you release a dark-sounding lead single that you have to at least somewhat predict is NOT going to connect, and pay for radio deals, #1 TTH playlist placement, etc. and ruin the momentum of the album rollout and 2nd single release? The 2nd single most likely will not get a radio deal. Will they pay for #1 on TTH again? It just doesn't make sense to me to release a flop first, when the rest of the album is the polar opposite of it in sound.

The label and/or Gaga probably thought the single would do relatively well since the Gaga stans on X had been clamoring for "DarkGa" for ages especially right after Bloody Mary went viral, and that's what Gaga tried to give them with Disease.

Hopefully since the album isn't out till next year she'll scrap some songs and record new ones. And as much as some Monsters complain about her ballads, I think she'd be better off recording more songs in the same vein as Shallow and DWAS than trying to revive the TFM/BTW sound like she tried with Disease.

[Maximillian]

Nov 22, 2024 2:30:18 GMT -5 twilightskies said:

Nov 21, 2024 9:45:02 GMT -5 SPRΞΞ said:

but why would you release a dark-sounding lead single that you have to at least somewhat predict is NOT going to connect, and pay for radio deals, #1 TTH playlist placement, etc. and ruin the momentum of the album rollout and 2nd single release? The 2nd single most likely will not get a radio deal. Will they pay for #1 on TTH again? It just doesn't make sense to me to release a flop first, when the rest of the album is the polar opposite of it in sound.

The label and/or Gaga probably thought the single would do relatively well since the Gaga stans on X had been clamoring for "DarkGa" for ages especially right after Bloody Mary went viral, and that's what Gaga tried to give them with Disease.

Hopefully since the album isn't out till next year she'll scrap some songs and record new ones. And as much as some Monsters complain about her ballads, I think she'd be better off recording more songs in the same vein as Shallow and DWAS than trying to revive the TFM/BTW sound like she tried with Disease.

If the album is coming out in Feb, it’s highly unlikely this will happen. Not much time to record and master new songs, and vinyl has probably already had to begin printing orders, making it hard to change things. It’s not impossible — as I recall some of Beyonces vinyls were different than the final album — but I wouldn’t bank on it.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Nov 22, 2024 2:30:18 GMT -5 twilightskies said:

Hopefully since the album isn't out till next year she'll scrap some songs and record new ones.

[/div][/quote]

Why?

[Choco]

I think there's plenty of room for them to drop another single before the album. I think this was a bit of a gamble and it didn't pay off. It's a good song but hearing it I never knew if it was meant to be a hit or not. It was a bit of a toss up. I'm guessing they thought so too.

They probably expected Joker to be a bigger deal and give her a bit more hype as well. I still think they're OK so far for this era, they just need a song that does better as the second single. She has the stanbase to do respectable first week numbers regardless; #1 peak aside "Rain On Me" was not massive either and dropped relatively quickly and it carried Chromatica well enough.

[Az Paynter]

If The Weeknd and Meghan can do it on radio without streaming support could we plz stop writing off this song and Gaga plz & thank you <3

POP:
16 16 LADY GAGA Disease 5373 5359 14 11.952

+35 Spins
-4 Bullet
+0.068 Audience

HOT AC:
25 24 LADY GAGA Disease 1062 861 201 2.450

+30 Spins
+1 Bullet
+0.121 Audience

[munx 🐒🎯]

Or even someone like Meghan Trainor.

Happy for a positive update!

[munx 🐒🎯]

[𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤]

Idk. I know it’s not smashing, but this is fucking phenomenal. One of her best singles ever. It’s creepy and kinda industrial and powerful. That’s enough for me

[shakemaki]

Just gonna be a broken record for a second again and say that dark pop is not the issue here. She could hypothetically smash in a huge way with the right dark pop song right now imo. But it still needs to be infectious and catchy, ala BM or Judas.

[munx 🐒🎯]

Nov 22, 2024 19:40:27 GMT -5 𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤 said:

Idk. I know it’s not smashing, but this is fucking phenomenal. One of her best singles ever. It’s creepy and kinda industrial and powerful. That’s enough for me

I agree. I play it constantly daily and I’m not sick of it yet.

[Enigma.]

Still charting on global Spotify despite Christmas, Kendrick and the Wicked soundtrack!

[collin]

I think the biggest issues are that the song is too noisy, she already has a hit, and is a legacy act. Not that the song is “not catchy” (insane to me that this is something anyone would say about this song)

[Az Paynter]

POP:
16 16 LADY GAGA Disease 5394 5317 77 11.956

+21 Spins
+63 Bullet
+0.004 Audience

HOT AC:
25 23 LADY GAGA Disease 1109 884 225 2.608

+47 Spins
+24 Bullet
+0.158 Audience

[munx 🐒🎯]

And to be honest, to have two songs charting right in the top 20 (one of them being #1) as a legacy act is pretty phenomenal.

[shakemaki]

Nov 23, 2024 9:59:54 GMT -5 collin said:

I think the biggest issues are that the song is too noisy, she already has a hit, and is a legacy act. Not that the song is “not catchy” (insane to me that this is something anyone would say about this song)

I consider memorable and catchy with songs to be two different things personally. I agree the song is memorable. I think it is jarring and potentially grating for a lot of casual listeners in a mainstream sense though. Hence why I would never label this song as “catchy”. That term to me directly implies mainstream hit potential. And the religious controversy was way too extreme in 2011 for songs like Judas and BM to ever smash back then for the record. I don’t think it ever had anything to do with them not being catchy.

[collin]

Hmm… is it?

[Maximillian]

I wouldn’t put it past Interscope to be pulling out stops to make this go top 10. Let’s wait and see. This week will be interesting with the holiday but I would love to see this end up top 10. When DWAS starts to fall, radio could easily push some of those spins to this.