The Fame

Untitled

The Fame is the debut album by American pop singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, released in Canada and some European countries in August 2008 by Interscope Records. A revised edition with new tracks and different track listing was released in Australia on November 15, 2008, in the U.S. on October 28, 2008. The track listing was revised yet again for release in Ireland on January 9, 2009 and in the UK on January 12, 2009. The album reached number four on the Billboard 200, as well as reaching number one on Billboard's Top Electronic Albums and in several other countries. It has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of one million copies in the United States.

The first two singles from The Fame, "Just Dance", and "Poker Face", were both international smash hits. "Just Dance" topped the charts in over ten countries, including the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The next single, "Poker Face", was an even greater success, reaching number one in over twenty countries. Other singles released include "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", "LoveGame", and the upcoming "Paparazzi."

Writing and development

After many years of writing hit songs for other musical acts, including Britney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls, while simultaneously establishing herself as an artist and working her way up through the New York underground club scene, Lady Gaga emerged into the mainstream with her debut studio album, The Fame. The album was first released overseas in August 2008, however, to compensate for Gaga's gradually growing international popularity, the album came to be re-released repeatedly with various versions. Gaga worked mainly with producers RedOne and Martin Kierszenbaum. Unlike many of her pop music peers, Lady Gaga is credited for writing all the lyrics and melodies on record. An accomplished pianist since the age of four, she also performed most of the synth work herself. In regards to the title and concept of the album, Lady Gaga explained, "The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous. Pop culture is art. It doesn't make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it's a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle." Gaga states in an interview that, she had been writing for the album for two and a half years and wrote half the album in one week in January 2008.

In an interview with MTV UK Lady Gaga explained about The Fame:

"You've got club bangers to more 70s glam to more singer-songwriter records to rock music. What I really love about the UK is that I'm not the first electro-pop artists to come around! The Fame is not about who you are—it's about how everybody wants to know who you are! Buy it and listen to it before you go out or in the car. I've been writing it for 2 and a half years. I wrote half of the album in one week last January. I think you've really got to allow artists' creativity to marinate. It took me a while but really delving into myself I finally got it. I couldn't be more proud of it. It's not just a record it's a whole pop art movement It's not just about one song."

In an interview with MTV Gaga explained about The Fame:

"This idea of 'The Fame' runs through and through. Basically, if you have nothing—no money, no fame—you can still feel beautiful and dirty rich. It's about making choices, and having references—things you pull from your life that you believe in. It's about self-discovery and being creative. The record is slightly focused, but it's also eclectic. The music is intended to inspire people to feel a certain way about themselves, so they'll be able to encompass, in their own lives, a sense of inner fame that they can project to the world, and the carefree nature of the album is a reflection of that aura. I like to funnel interesting ideas to the rest of the world through a pop lens."

Music structure and lyrics

Though essentially a pop album, The Fame sees the polymerization of various different genres, including dance-pop, electropop, disco, hip hop, and rock music. Lady Gaga draws her influences primarily from late 1970s glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Queen, retroactively incorporating their dramatic, ostentatious sound with catchy pop melodies and hooks to create what she has dubbed, "theatrical pop." Her sharp lyrical talents, as well as the presence of two guest rappers on her album, have also garnered Gaga a certain amount of recognition from members within the hip hop community. The synth-beats present throughout the album are also characteristic of synthpop, most popular from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s.

In an interview with Billboard magazine Gaga describes her album:

... from Def Leppard drums and handclaps to metal drums on urban tracks.... It's very 70's, with early 80's Prince—like guitars and 80's synths. It's a bit retro, a bit glamorous, and you can dance to it. It's very futuristic, very fresh, and very dramatic, sort of like theatrical pop."

Influenced by her experiences growing up around the Lower East Side club scene, The Fame focuses primarily on Gaga's desirous observations on fame and vanity and using keen, self-aware lyrics. Gaga has stated that the album is not the fact of just literally being famous but that it is about how anyone can feel fame. Backed by relentless, heavy dance beats, songs such as "Just Dance" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" unapologetically describe her hedonistic aspirations of living a glamorous lifestyle of wealth, drinking and partying. Tracks like "LoveGame" and "I Like It Rough" provide acute detail of her sexual desires. She also expresses a perchant for softer, love songs on "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", a simplistic pop song about breaking up with an old boyfriend and finding someone new, as well as the piano-laden ballad, "Brown Eyes" which she describes as her most vulnerable song.

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews, with a score of seventy-one from Metacritic. Gaga was heavily complimented for her songcrafting ability and ear for music. As Allmusic states, "Fueled by heavy dance tracks and popping electronic beats, The Fame, the first album by the glamorous Lady Gaga, is a well-crafted sampling of feisty anti-pop in high quality. Already a famous female DJ in her own right, Lady Gaga pulls out all the stops on The Fame, injecting hard-hitting synthesizers and crashing slicks and grooves. From its opening track until it closes, The Fame fails to come up short on funky sounds to amuse fans of this dance genre." Billboard was also impressed with the album stating "full-length "The Fame" proves she's more than one hit and a bag of stage tricks.[...] Comparisons to acts like Scissor Sisters and Princess Superstar are inevitable, but Gaga's got a shrewder pop ear".

Many critics found her open, unapologetic views on fame, fortune, sexuality, and partying to be quite entertaining in comparison to more campy pop stars. Entertainment Weekly magazine gave The Fame a B-, saying that "She's on tour with the reunited New Kids on the Block, but Lady GaGa is no squeaky-clean teen singer: This naughty New Yorker got her start on the Lower East Side's sex-soaked club scene, and on her dance-pop debut she offers up barely there metaphors like I wanna take a ride on your disco stick. The Fame is remarkably (and exhaustingly) pure in its vision of a world in which nothing trumps being beautiful, dirty, and rich. In this economy, though, her high-times escapism has its charms".

However, certain music reviews criticized the album for the very same reason. Giving The Fame two stars out of five, The Times spoke negatively of the album, saying, "The songs on The Fame fizz about with their europop choruses, autotuned vocals and ditzy, hedonistic lyrics, but they don't feel joyous at all. Instead the likes of "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" and "Boys Boys Boys" are clunky and laboured ("We like boys in cars/Buy us drinks in bars"). Even the trio of songs that provides the core of the album's celebrity theme ("Paparazzi", "Beautiful Dirty Rich" and the title track) don't ruminate on the addictive inanity of fame, choosing instead to observe passively. The whole exercise seems shallow." Slant Magazine said that "Gaga's lyrics alternate between cheap drivel [...] and nonsensical drivel [...], and her vocal performances are uneven at best" and that "[t]he songs that work—and there are plenty, including "Poker Face", "Starstruck", "Paper Gangsta" and "Summerboy"—rest almost solely on their snappy production and sing-along hooks and reveal Gaga as the Xtina/Gwen/Fergie hydra monster that she is."

Chart performance

In the United States, it debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 with sales of 24,000 before falling down the chart the following week. On the issue dated February 26, 2009, it reached number ten with 32,000 units sold. On the issue of March 14, 2009, the album reached a peak of number seven on the chart with 32,000 copies sold, but the following week for the issue dated March 21, 2009 the album again topped its former peak position to reach a new peak of number four on the chart, with 42,000 copies sold and 30% increase from previous week. Also in the United States, the album was a success on the Top Electronic Albums chart, on which the album debuted and had been at number one for twelve consecutive weeks until Billboard issue dated January 31, 2009, when the soundtrack to the film Slumdog Millionaire displaced it for two weeks, before reclaiming the top spot again on the chart.

The album made its debut at number six and has so far peaked at number two in New Zealand and has been certified double platinum. In Australia after twenty weeks since being released the album peaked at number four, while in Canada it has peaked at number one. In France it debuted at number seventy-three and has peaked at number forty-eight.

The Fame made its debut in the United Kingdom at number three on the UK Albums Chart on January 18, 2009 and after spending ten weeks in the top ten, it replaced Ronan Keating's Songs for My Mother at the top position on April 5, 2009, along with her single "Poker Face" also at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Since then, the album spent four consecutive weeks at the UK number-one spot, after being dislodged by Bob Dylan's Together Through Life. It is also the UK's longest-running album at number one of 2009 so far. In Ireland, the album entered the charts at number eight, and later climbed to number one, and has currently remained at this position for three consecutive weeks. On March 19, 2009, the album replaced U2's No Line on the Horizon to reclaim the number one spot in Ireland. It has spent five non-consecutive weeks at the Irish number-one spot.

In mainland Europe, the album has been very successful peaking at number one on the European Top 100 Albums and the Austrian Albums Chart. It also reached the top twenty in Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland.

Worldwide sales stand at 2.3 million copies.

Promotion

To promote the album, Gaga did several performances worldwide. Her first televised appearance was on Logo's NewNowNext Awards on June 7, 2008. She also performed on So You Think You Can Dance. She was also on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 23. She then went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 2. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 8. She was also the opening act for the New Kids on the Block: Live tour. She is serving as the opening act for the Pussycat Dolls' World Domination Tour in selected European and Oceanic venues. She performed in Vietnam for the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant during the swimsuit competition. In Australia, she performed on the talk show Rove on September 28, and Sunrise. In the UK she performed on morning show GMTV, comedy show The Sunday Night Project, talk show T4, and performed at G-A-Y in London. On January 31, 2009, she performed on television in Ireland on RTÉ One's show Tubridy Tonight. She also made various appearances on radio worldwide. To promote Gaga's "LoveGame" single, Internet users could send an e-card featuring the single as a Valentine's Day card or as a Facebook application, the video was also released the day before Valentine's Day on February 13. Three songs off The Fame have been used in The CW's series Gossip Girl: "Paparazzi" in the episode "Summer, Kind of Wonderful", "Poker Face" in "The Serena Also Rises", and "Money Honey" in "Remains of the J". The track "The Fame" is currently being used in ads promoting cycle twelve of America's Next Top Model. Gaga also performed "Poker Face" on American Idol on April 1.

File:BDR-musicvid.JPG

Gaga on top of a black grand piano in the music video for "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"

To celebrate the season two launch of the hit show Dirty Sexy Money, ABC created a brand-new, exclusive music video of the Gaga's similarly-titled song "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich", directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was initially announced as Gaga's second single, but "Poker Face" was chosen instead. There were two videos released for the song, the first of which involved clips of Dirty Sexy Money and the latter which was the actual music video. The video is set in a mansion, and starts with Gaga biting and burning money. Gaga is found seductively lying on top of a table of money, a black grand piano and dancing in an elevator solo. She goes through many costume changes in the video. The song however charted on the UK Singles Chart due to digital downloads and peaked at number eighty-three. The album received further promotion from her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour, on March 12, 2009 in San Diego, California.

Singles

• "Just Dance", released April 8, 2008 to radio, is the album's lead single. It was released commercially worldwide on June 17, through digital distribution. The song became Gaga's first chart-topper in the U.S. as well as topping the charts in Canada, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the UK.

• "Poker Face" is the album's second single and was released on September 29, replacing "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" which was supposed to be the second single. The song has achieved worldwide success peaking at number one in almost all countries including U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and most of the European nations making it her most successful song to date.

• "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is Gaga's third Australian and New Zealand single. Charting solely on digital downloads, "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" peaked at number nine in New Zealand and number fifteen on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

• "LoveGame" is Gaga's third single in Canada and the United States and fourth single in Australia and New Zealand. It charted on the Canadian Hot 100 and has currently peaked at number two. It has also charted at number four on the ARIA Charts. The music video has failed to receive play on Network Ten, Australia of which it had been given an M rating due to suggestive footage.

• "Paparazzi" has been confirmed as the album's third UK single—after Gaga decided against releasing "LoveGame" there due to its controversial video and suggestive lyrics—, due out on July 6, 2009. It has so far peaked at number fifty-seven on the UK Singles Chart with very little airplay and prior to the premier of its official video and release.

Track listing

Standard edition

This was the version released in Canada, some European countries, New Zealand and Australia.

1. "Just Dance" (featuring Colby O'Donis) (Lady Gaga, RedOne, Aliaune Thiam) – 4:04
2. "LoveGame" (Lady Gaga, RedOne) – 3:33
3. "Paparazzi" (Lady Gaga, Rob Fusari,V Korh) – 3:28
4. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" (Lady Gaga, Fusari) – 2:54
5. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" (Lady Gaga, Martin Kierszenbaum) – 2:56
6. "Poker Face" (Lady Gaga, RedOne) – 3:59
7. "The Fame" (Lady Gaga, Kierszenbaum) – 3:44
8. "Money Honey" (Lady Gaga, RedOne, Bilal Hajji) – 3:08
9. "Again Again" (Lady Gaga, Fusari) – 3:06
10. "Boys Boys Boys" (Lady Gaga, RedOne) – 3:22
11. "Brown Eyes" (Lady Gaga, Fusari) – 4:05
12. "Summerboy" (Lady Gaga, Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz) – 4:16

Canadian iTunes, Australian, and selected European bonus track

13. "I Like It Rough" (Lady Gaga, Kierszenbaum) – 3:24

Revised edition

The revised edition includes an altered track listing. In the US version the artwork also suffered minor changes, and the letters on the front cover are red. The tracks "LoveGame", "Paparazzi", "Boys Boys Boys," and "Money Honey" have been slightly remixed. The track "Again Again" is removed, while "Starstruck", "Paper Gangsta", and "I Like It Rough" are added.

1. "Just Dance" (featuring Colby O'Donis) – 4:01
2. "LoveGame" – 3:36
3. "Paparazzi" – 3:28
4. "Poker Face" – 3:57
5. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" – 2:55
6. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" – 2:52
7. "The Fame" – 3:42
8. "Money Honey" – 2:50
9. "Starstruck" (featuring Space Cowboy and Flo Rida) – 3:37
10. "Boys Boys Boys" – 3:20
11. "Paper Gangsta" – 4:23
12. "Brown Eyes" – 4:03
13. "I Like It Rough" – 3:22
14. "Summerboy" – 4:13

International bonus track

15. "Disco Heaven" – 3:41

Japanese edition

16. "Again Again" – 3:04
17. "Retro, Dance, Freak" – 3:22

UK and Ireland edition

Released in 2009, the UK and Ireland edition contains all tracks from the revised edition and the original release: it includes all three tracks added on the revised edition, and includes "Again Again" which had been removed from the revised edition, as well as "Disco Heaven" which was included on neither. The tracks are also in a significantly different order to either of the other versions.

1. "Just Dance" (featuring Colby O'Donis) – 4:01
2. "LoveGame" – 3:36
3. "Paparazzi" – 3:28
4. "Poker Face" – 3:57
5. "I Like It Rough" – 3:22
6. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" – 2:55
7. "Starstruck" (featuring Space Cowboy and Flo Rida) – 3:37
8. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" – 2:52
9. "The Fame" – 3:42
10. "Money Honey" – 2:50
11. "Boys Boys Boys" – 3:20
12. "Paper Gangsta" – 4:23
13. "Brown Eyes" – 4:03
14. "Summerboy" – 4:13

Bonus tracks

15. "Disco Heaven" – 3:41
16. "Again Again" – 3:04
17. "LoveGame" (Space Cowboy Remix) (enhanced CD bonus track) – 3:07

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	4
Austrian Albums Chart	1
Belgian Ultratop 50 Albums (Flanders)	4
Belgian Ultratop 50 Albums (Wallonia)	8
Canadian Albums Chart	1
Croatian Albums Chart	7
Czech IFPI Albums Chart	2
Danish Albums Chart	2
Dutch Albums Chart	12
European Top 100 Albums	1
Finnish Albums Chart	3
French SNEP Albums Chart	22
German Albums Chart	2
Greek International Albums Chart	11
Japanese Oricon Album Charts	6

Chart	Peak position
Hungarian Mahasz Albums Chart	12
Irish Albums Chart	1
Italian FIMI Albums Chart	22
Mexican AMPROFON Albums Chart	10
New Zealand Albums Chart	2
Norwegian Albums Chart	4
Polish Albums Chart	6
Russian Albums Chart	5
South African Albums Chart	1
Spanish PROMUSICAE Albums Chart	37
Swedish Albums Chart	21
Swiss Albums Chart	2
UK Albums Chart	1
U.S. Billboard 200	4
U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums	1

Certifications

Country	Certifier	Certification	Sales
Australia	ARIA	2× platinum	140,000+
Austria	IFPI	Platinum	20,000+
Belgium	IFPI	Gold	25,000+
Canada	CRIA	2× platinum	200,000+
Denmark	IFPI	Gold	15,000+
Japan	RIAJ		14,000+
New Zealand	RIANZ	2× Platinum	30,000+
Poland	ZPAV	Gold	10,000+
Russia	NFPP	Gold	10,000+
Switzerland	IFPI	Platinum	30,000+
United Kingdom	BPI		491,000+
United States	RIAA	Platinum	1,000,000+

Chart procession and succession

Template:Succession box one to twoTemplate:Succession box one to twoTemplate:Succession box one to two

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Canada	August 19, 2008	CD, digital download	Universal/Interscope
Europe	August 29, 2008
Australia	September 6, 2008
	November 15, 2008
Germany	September 19, 2008
France	October 13, 2008
United States	October 28, 2008	CD, LP, digital download
Italy	October 31, 2008	CD, digital download
	January 30, 2009	CD, digital download (new version)
Ireland	January 9, 2009	CD, digital download	Universal/Polydor
United Kingdom	January 12, 2009
Philippines	March 1, 2009	CD	Universal/Interscope
Spain	March 8, 2009
Argentina	March 17, 2009
Brazil	March 31, 2009		Universal
China	May 4, 2009		Universal/StarSing Records
Japan	May 20, 2009		Universal

External links

• The Fame at Metacritic