Lady Gaga - "Disease"

[Dreams]

She delivered. In her top 3 best lead singles, if not THE best. She played to her strengths and rightly so cause a killer, catchy synthpop song with the trademark GaGa essence (make of that what you will) was exactly what was needed here. Gives me “Just Dance,” “Government Hooker” and “Mary Jane Holland” all rolled into one with a dash of an INXS song that I can’t quite pinpoint right now. But anyway, I am beyond happy with this! Yay, Stefani!!!

[musiclife]

This is HORRIBLE.

[Enigma.]

Oct 25, 2024 10:36:40 GMT -5 musiclife said:

This is HORRIBLE.

www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1106182-lady-gaga-disease.php

Please elaborate, what makes it horrible, not even boring and bad, but HORRIBLE even

Very interesting to see how this does on CHR. I would suggest something like Charli xcx level.. the ending in particular is just too noisy and "out there" for pop radio (I ADORE it of course).

[Ty]

It's unfortunate that this had to come out in the middle of the embarrassing mess that is Joker 2.

I hope the song is going to launch her new album nicely though!

[MyLastView]

Love love love this. The vibe fits her so well & she sounds incredible (especially that BRIDGE!). It definitely has echoes of old GaGa with some artistic growth.

Sooo excited to see the video for this

[wavey.]

Reminds me of BTW Gaga, which she was in her creative bag 🔥
I like it. It could get some Pop love overall, not sure how far, but I'm rooting.

Lyric video at 908k.

[balletgirlmom]

Hope this smashes for her!  It can wipe away any Joker 2 negativity!  Go GG!!!!

[Dubz]

Aesthetically, it looks like a lot of what I’ve seen on here this year. I don’t really hear the “techno” but it does remind me of early Gaga
so of course I like it 😆

[Maximillian]

I am genuinely curious, for those who say this won't stand a chance on pop, why is that? I find the production to be similar in style to "Unholy", and lyrically, MUCH more tame. Gaga is also more embraced than Kim Petras and Sam Smith are by the GP and radio.

I'm not saying I expect a #1 CHR and BB100 hit necessarily, but I am not seeing *why* this couldn't do well on Pop, except for the fact its just not the "sound" on the format right now.

[shakemaki]

Oct 25, 2024 0:14:34 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Oct 24, 2024 23:09:28 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Instant love for this one. It has a NIN-esque crunch to it that’s just delicious and plays to Gaga’s strengths. Hope it connects!

Yes the NIN feel fits her so well!

I'll be very curious how this will do, doesn't sound like an obvious choice for radio. However if this can connect I would very much welcome more of this direction from her!

Oct 24, 2024 23:42:22 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

Listening to it more, I will say I’m pretty baffled about this being chosen as the lead. I’m definitely not getting chart hit from repeat listens.

I feel like either she deliberately wanted to go left-field for the first single and is waiting for later to release the “obvious” hits, or this album is going to be another Joanne in terms of not being very mainstream (not in terms of sound).

At this point in her career I'd prefer her to create music that fits her and let's her experiment, and if she gets a hit then beautiful! If not at least she's creatively fulfilled.

I just really wanted this era to be her “last hurrah” so to speak for a huge mainstream pop star era. It just gets so hard for that after this at her age, she’d be fighting against the odds so much.

But yes, obviously success doesn’t equal quality. Again, I just really wanted that kind of era for her since it’s been 13 years if we’re being honest, and I want her legacy as one of the biggest and most prolific pop stars across multiple generation to be cemented in stone.

At any rate, I applaud her for taking creative risks here since I think she absolutely did, but I will be shocked if this is a hit. I’d go as far as to say it’s her 2nd least mainstream friendly single ever, behind only Perfect Illusion.

[dbhmr]

I would 1,000% believe this was a song created for TFM or BTW that didn't quite make the final pressing and was released lol. Which is good in some ways, because that was peak Gaga for me personally and I loved GBloody Mary, Electric Chapel, Heavy Metal Lover, Dance In The Dark, Monster, etc. But it genuinely feels completely of that time. I like it more than anything she's released in a while but...the lyrics are so, so bad/meaningless. Looking strictly at the lyrics they wouldn't feel out of place on 143 or whatever tf Katy's most recent album is called.

I can feel the frustration from fans--"y'all wanted old Gaga and here it is and now you're complaining it's not showing growth!" Which...fair, I guess? Idk, I think if the lyrics said even one thing at all or did something interesting I would be into this BTW vibe a bit more.

Still, it's fun, dark, and I love how playful and irreverent her vocal performance is.

[musiclife]

Oct 25, 2024 10:39:12 GMT -5 Enigma. said:

Oct 25, 2024 10:36:40 GMT -5 musiclife said:

This is HORRIBLE.

www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1106182-lady-gaga-disease.php

Please elaborate, what makes it horrible, not even boring and bad, but HORRIBLE even

Very interesting to see how this does on CHR. I would suggest something like Charli xcx level.. the ending in particular is just too noisy and "out there" for pop radio (I ADORE it of course).

I just find the verses un catchy and the chorus is grating.

[Marooned@Midnight]

Love this. Sounds straight off TFM to me in the best way. I hope it smashes!

[munx 🐒🎯]

Glad she waited to release the video because it’ll create at least two curiousity plays for some people.

I’m gonna guess a low teen peak for this on Pop and lower on HAC.

Oct 25, 2024 12:00:08 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

I would 1,000% believe this was a song created for TFM or BTW that didn't quite make the final pressing and was released lol. Which is good in some ways, because that was peak Gaga for me personally and I loved GBloody Mary, Electric Chapel, Heavy Metal Lover, Dance In The Dark, Monster, etc. But it genuinely feels completely of that time. I like it more than anything she's released in a while but...the lyrics are so, so bad/meaningless. Looking strictly at the lyrics they wouldn't feel out of place on 143 or whatever tf Katy's most recent album is called.

I can feel the frustration from fans--"y'all wanted old Gaga and here it is and now you're complaining it's not showing growth!" Which...fair, I guess? Idk, I think if the lyrics said even one thing at all or did something interesting I would be into this BTW vibe a bit more.

Still, it's fun, dark, and I love how playful and irreverent her vocal performance is.

I agree completely. The lyrics and verses fall short for me, and it doesn’t feel like it’s anything better than what she’s done already.

Definitely better than Perfect Illusion though. Which imo is her worst single ever.

[Koochie]

I hear the return to Born This Way. I do not hear much of "Government Hooker" and in no way "Scheiße." I don't think this is nearly as good as those songs either. Not that this has anything to do with sound, but those songs worked beyond the scope of their concepts. I'm not sure "Disease" does. The song feels inorganic, almost glued together.

The parts of the song are fine, but they also work against each other. The vocal take is theatrical, the verses and chorus carry a strong melody, and the bridge is solid. The pre-chorus is weak, but I can appreciate the harmonies in the second. As for the instrumental, Cirkuit flirts just enough with the abrasive hyperpop sounds the public is finally waking up to, which I'd hoped Gaga would lean into. I disagree with those who find the production dated and hear hints of AG Cook in the verses, but the chorus does play it safe enough that the public could have easily taken to this. Hell, they still might. As for myself, I want to like this and appreciate its skin and bones. They don't fit though; the result is awkward.

There's an argument for all of that being intentional. Thematically, "Disease" stands opposite "The Cure," and not only in the metaphors for illness. One is safe; the other is combative. I see how that might be deliberate, a part of the concept, but it doesn't become much else. To give credit where it's due, the idea is interesting enough. "Disease" is not boring. Rather, it fumbles its execution and the result isn't particularly infectious. It's a swing and a miss. 

There's enough here to have me interested in what the album might sound like, but I'd rank this among Gaga's weakest leads.

[shakemaki]

I actually don’t get the BTW comparisons if I’m being honest (and certainly not TFM), other than a return to dark lyrics and sonic vibes. Stupid Love was heavily channeling both TFM and BTW with the production being extremely derivative of BTW (the song) and the lyrics being a blatant rewrite of BR’s.

Sonically this is something totally different for her imo, and I think the lyrics are quite unique too. Like where on BTW was she channeling Nine Inch Nails exactly? Lol.

[Koochie]

Oct 25, 2024 12:30:56 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

I actually don’t get the BTW comparisons if I’m being honest (and certainly not TFM), other than a return to dark lyrics and sonic vibes. Stupid Love was heavily channeling both TFM and BTW with the production being extremely derivative of BTW (the song) and the lyrics being a blatant rewrite of BR’s.

Yeah, I don't hear The Fame Monster in this either. I could not disagree more about "Stupid Love" though. We walked away from that one with very different perspectives lol

[shakemaki]

I definitely remember the main gripes when SL came out online were that it was a “ripoff” of BTW sonically… didn’t know this was now a hot take. You can sing part of both songs over each other imo. Not to a ridiculous extent, but it’s the My Life Would Suck Without You to the Since U Been Gone blueprint. And “I want your stupid love” is quite literally a rewrite of “you and me could write a bad romance”.

[Koochie]

Oct 25, 2024 12:43:09 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

I definitely remember the main gripes when SL came out online were that it was a “ripoff” of BTW sonically… didn’t know this was now a hot take. You can sing part of both songs over each other imo. Not to a ridiculous extent, but it’s the My Life Would Suck Without You to the Since U Been Gone blueprint. And “I want your stupid love” is quite literally a rewrite of “you and me could write a bad romance”.

I didn't say it was a hot take, just that I didn't get that impression from "Stupid Love" myself.

[shakemaki]

Oct 25, 2024 12:49:40 GMT -5 Koochie said:

Oct 25, 2024 12:43:09 GMT -5 shakemaki said:

I definitely remember the main gripes when SL came out online were that it was a “ripoff” of BTW sonically… didn’t know this was now a hot take. You can sing part of both songs over each other imo. Not to a ridiculous extent, but it’s the My Life Would Suck Without You to the Since U Been Gone blueprint. And “I want your stupid love” is quite literally a rewrite of “you and me could write a bad romance”.

I didn't say it was a hot take, just that I didn't get that impression from "Stupid Love" myself.

I can relate, since I’m not understanding where all the BTW album comps are coming from with this. To me it’s nearly as close to Perfect Illusion was for being new territory for her.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

This is the first I’m seeing of “Stupid Love” being a ripoff of “Born This Way,” unless it was a thing and I totally missed or forgot about it. I remember comparisons to “do what u want” and to the mid-2010s era of pop a la Bieber’s “sorry” era. In any case, “stupid love” wasn’t the freshest but I’ve always been a bit confused over people’s hatred of it ever since it came out. It wasn’t and isn’t that bad. I’ve always wondered why people were so dramatic over it.

“Disease” I also don’t hear much TFM in. This sounds much more conventional in the melodies than most of TFM. Like, I was listening to this earlier again and the verses could have a lot zanier in their delivery and the production than they are. I like the song but I do get a sense that there was some pulling back of what it could have been (while other elements were added to give it a sense of weird).

[collin]

Oct 25, 2024 11:30:51 GMT -5 Maximillian said:

I am genuinely curious, for those who say this won't stand a chance on pop, why is that? I find the production to be similar in style to "Unholy", and lyrically, MUCH more tame. Gaga is also more embraced than Kim Petras and Sam Smith are by the GP and radio.

I'm not saying I expect a #1 CHR and BB100 hit necessarily, but I am not seeing *why* this couldn't do well on Pop, except for the fact its just not the "sound" on the format right now.

I’m sure this will perform like all her songs. Bottom out around #10. Not sure why some are saying this doesn’t sound radio ready- yes it does.

[shakemaki]

Oct 25, 2024 13:01:30 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

This is the first I’m seeing of “Stupid Love” being a ripoff of “Born This Way,” unless it was a thing and I totally missed or forgot about it. I remember comparisons to “do what u want” and to the mid-2010s era of pop a la Bieber’s “sorry” era. In any case, “stupid love” wasn’t the freshest but I’ve always been a bit confused over people’s hatred of it ever since it came out. It wasn’t and isn’t that bad. I’ve always wondered why people were so dramatic over it.

“Disease” I also don’t hear much TFM in. This sounds much more conventional in the melodies than most of TFM. Like, I was listening to this earlier again and the verses could have a lot zanier in their delivery and the production than they are. I like the song but I do get a sense that there was some pulling back of what it could have been (while other elements were added to give it a sense of weird).

Too long ago now for me to remember exactly where I was seeing all this at the time, but a quick Google search of “stupid love born this way” brings up some good mashups that highlight the similarity, as well as convos on the popheads subreddit about it at the time.

I’m with you on my opinion of this as I listen more. Something is most definitely there, and I still think it’s a lot more creative than SL ever was. But it’s also definitely missing something. I just don’t think it’s quite catchy enough for me tbh, but I am a hook ho lol.

[Maximillian]

For the little this counts these days….

#1 ITunes in US and UK

And over 1m views on lyric video now

[Mirago]

Yeah radio needs to jump on this, it’s time for a shake up.
I hear Bloody Mary but on steroids. Hope there's a video in the league of Thriller for max. halloween action.

[Dylan :)]

Oct 25, 2024 10:41:26 GMT -5 Ty said:

It's unfortunate that this had to come out in the middle of the embarrassing mess that is Joker 2.

I hope the song is going to launch her new album nicely though!

I think everyone has forgotten about Joker 2 by now (granted, I haven’t been paying too much attention). I think Die With A Smile would have been affected otherwise

[haven]

Oct 25, 2024 12:00:08 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

I would 1,000% believe this was a song created for TFM or BTW that didn't quite make the final pressing and was released lol. Which is good in some ways, because that was peak Gaga for me personally and I loved GBloody Mary, Electric Chapel, Heavy Metal Lover, Dance In The Dark, Monster, etc. But it genuinely feels completely of that time. I like it more than anything she's released in a while but...the lyrics are so, so bad/meaningless. Looking strictly at the lyrics they wouldn't feel out of place on 143 or whatever tf Katy's most recent album is called.

Yeah, the lyrics are my main problem with this too. I revisited and, comparably, it felt like she had a *lot* to say on BTW. That album is dense with messages, and I don't really understand what she was trying to do with this single. I hate comparing things to AI (its usually very lazy criticsm) but this song is the first time I'm willing to accuse lyrics of being AI wholeheartedly.

[Enigma.]

I don't think AI would come up with "I can smell your sickness/I can cure your disease". It's a 100% gagaism.

[badrobot]

This is exactly the sound I wanted from Gaga. It may not be a huge chart hit but if she keeps making music like this I don't really care -- it's the dark electro pop sound I adore.

[shakemaki]

Yeahhhhh, AI claims on this one are like the biggest reach ever lol. These are so not AI lyrics.