Gaga Metaphors
A twenty-eight year old parading the streets wearing a long grey wig draws attention from wandering eyes, but stares change to understanding upon witnessing the wearer of that wig. Look into her history; likewise, and appreciate the multiple times she sported grey locks. In the world of Lady Gaga, the aged hairstyle expresses meaning and metaphor similar to many other statements she constructs her career upon. The grey wig illustrates the ending of an era, the period entrenched in representing the ideals of Gaga’s latest album. They exemplify her growth and maturation through the cycle of the album, and serve to respectfully and gingerly leave that period in the past. The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born This Way, and ARTPOP are rooted in meanings, metaphors, and statements that made her famous, yet only two eras ended by the wearing of the grey wig. Lacking symbolic manifestation to close The
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Fame and Born This Way eras, Gaga shows that she wishes to continue the meaning, music, and message of these albums into the future.
The Fame shot Gaga to superstardom, and hit singles Poker Face, LoveGame, and Paparrazzi all contain motifs of fame, money, and sex.
At first glance the album represents a giant party, complete with hair bows, disco sticks, and crystal sunglasses. However, in the tracks Just Dance, The Fame, and Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, Gaga asserts her metaphor more clearly. Fame does not come from celebrity, recognition, or wealth, but from how one carries themselves. A sense of self has no standing on material characteristics, and you can always feel beautiful or rich. Gaga states: "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.” (Harris, 2009). After all, feeling good about oneself and having a sense of inner fame allows a healthy confidence; furthermore, creating comfort ones surroundings.The Fame era was not closed by wearing a grey wig, and Gaga therefore indicates inspiring her fans with the idea of pursuing their own inner fame targets
importance.
Gaga’s first attempt at leaving history behind occurred during The Fame Monster era. The album used monster metaphors to portray the darker side of fame. Colossal hits Bad Romance, Alejandro, and Telephone deal in the fear of love, fear of sex, and fear of suffocation, respectfully. Important issues suffered by many fans as well as music listeners. Fright of attachment, death, self, addiction and truth also appear on the album, and serve as a way of facing fears to overcome them. “And it's a very real rite of passage—you have to let go of things. You have to mourn them like a death so that you can move on, and that's sort of what the album is about.” (Vena, 2009). By mourning fears, and closing them off, you abandon being held back. She symbolically closes this era off, and shows evolution and growth through withdrawal.
Born This Way marked the second era not symbolically terminated. Born This Way, Hair, and Bad Kids all contain elements of self-empowerment, individualism, and freedom. Important aspects reflected in society today. Marry the Night and Judas deal in accepting the darker elements involved in life to live a positive life, or as Gaga’s creative director states, “...the inspiration and the soul and idea that out of your oppression, your darkness, your Judas, you can come into the marvelous light.” (Sun, 2011). The title track Born This Way is famous for the anthemic nature in which it proclaims that despite sexuality, race, or creed, goals are achievable. Born This Way represents a giant Human Rights message, so no surprise came when Gaga decided to leave this era open.
ARTPOP was Gaga’s first album to lack a cohesive message, as often the case in art open to interpretation. One lyric from the title being: “…my ARTPOP could mean anything.” This album was written during a troublesome course of her career; indeed, marked by drug use to cope from hip surgery. Tracks from the album pull familiar themes from past eras; however, including sex, drugs, empowerment and sexuality. Venus investigates inspiration from unconventional situations. Do What U Want responds to media scrutiny, and shows body image reflects nothing upon the being of a person. Allegorically ending this era closes out the problems she faced with addiction during the writing of the album, and allows her to move forward with the message of how you can move on past addiction.
Leaving certain aspects of oneself in the past has advantages; that’s true. Neither allowing fears to take over your life, nor hold you back allows for personal growth. Addiction tests the most virtuous people, and moving past dependence opens up a future of creation. Gaga yearns for her fans to continue living with an inner sense of fame, so one can be confident despite upbringings or surroundings. Finally, no matter sexual orientation, race, or creed, you can achieve. Confidence in who you are will always be reinforced in the music of Lady Gaga, so "Just Dance, it will be okay."
Fame and Born This Way eras, Gaga shows that she wishes to continue the meaning, music, and message of these albums into the future.
The Fame shot Gaga to superstardom, and hit singles Poker Face, LoveGame, and Paparrazzi all contain motifs of fame, money, and sex.
At first glance the album represents a giant party, complete with hair bows, disco sticks, and crystal sunglasses. However, in the tracks Just Dance, The Fame, and Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, Gaga asserts her metaphor more clearly. Fame does not come from celebrity, recognition, or wealth, but from how one carries themselves. A sense of self has no standing on material characteristics, and you can always feel beautiful or rich. Gaga states: "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.” (Harris, 2009). After all, feeling good about oneself and having a sense of inner fame allows a healthy confidence; furthermore, creating comfort ones surroundings.The Fame era was not closed by wearing a grey wig, and Gaga therefore indicates inspiring her fans with the idea of pursuing their own inner fame targets
importance.
Gaga’s first attempt at leaving history behind occurred during The Fame Monster era. The album used monster metaphors to portray the darker side of fame. Colossal hits Bad Romance, Alejandro, and Telephone deal in the fear of love, fear of sex, and fear of suffocation, respectfully. Important issues suffered by many fans as well as music listeners. Fright of attachment, death, self, addiction and truth also appear on the album, and serve as a way of facing fears to overcome them. “And it's a very real rite of passage—you have to let go of things. You have to mourn them like a death so that you can move on, and that's sort of what the album is about.” (Vena, 2009). By mourning fears, and closing them off, you abandon being held back. She symbolically closes this era off, and shows evolution and growth through withdrawal.
Born This Way marked the second era not symbolically terminated. Born This Way, Hair, and Bad Kids all contain elements of self-empowerment, individualism, and freedom. Important aspects reflected in society today. Marry the Night and Judas deal in accepting the darker elements involved in life to live a positive life, or as Gaga’s creative director states, “...the inspiration and the soul and idea that out of your oppression, your darkness, your Judas, you can come into the marvelous light.” (Sun, 2011). The title track Born This Way is famous for the anthemic nature in which it proclaims that despite sexuality, race, or creed, goals are achievable. Born This Way represents a giant Human Rights message, so no surprise came when Gaga decided to leave this era open.
ARTPOP was Gaga’s first album to lack a cohesive message, as often the case in art open to interpretation. One lyric from the title being: “…my ARTPOP could mean anything.” This album was written during a troublesome course of her career; indeed, marked by drug use to cope from hip surgery. Tracks from the album pull familiar themes from past eras; however, including sex, drugs, empowerment and sexuality. Venus investigates inspiration from unconventional situations. Do What U Want responds to media scrutiny, and shows body image reflects nothing upon the being of a person. Allegorically ending this era closes out the problems she faced with addiction during the writing of the album, and allows her to move forward with the message of how you can move on past addiction.
Leaving certain aspects of oneself in the past has advantages; that’s true. Neither allowing fears to take over your life, nor hold you back allows for personal growth. Addiction tests the most virtuous people, and moving past dependence opens up a future of creation. Gaga yearns for her fans to continue living with an inner sense of fame, so one can be confident despite upbringings or surroundings. Finally, no matter sexual orientation, race, or creed, you can achieve. Confidence in who you are will always be reinforced in the music of Lady Gaga, so "Just Dance, it will be okay."