But what do they tell us of Lady Gaga, aka Stefani (Joanne Angelina) Germanotta, who had struggled to get a break in an industry that’s notorious for its conservatism around women? First, it sets her out as a classic songwriter who understands the power of a striking hook. So, five songs in and you’ve got five killer singles – an impressive opening salvo for any artist, let alone one at the start of their career. “Lovegame” and “Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)” were lighter fare but maintained the album’s consistent hit steak, with the former making the Billboard Top 5 and the latter performing strongly in European markets, particularly France, where it made the Top 10. Again, dialing down the disco overlay, this was another out-and-out pop song with a take-no-prisoners chorus that proved Gaga could write music that would work across the formats.
Gaga was hitting her visual stride with this release too – an OTT video showcasing the track’s edgy sexual tension that was suggestive without ever seeming seedy.įor “Paparazzi,” the video budgets were getting even bigger and Hollywood star Alexander Skarsgård was hired to bring the theatrical narrative to life. Darker than the first single and more obviously pop-oriented, it became The Fame’s biggest hit, especially in the UK and across continental Europe, where it became the biggest-selling song of the year. Its melodic synth-pop groove still worked on the dancefloor but, more importantly, sounded stunning on radio. “Poker Face” was the second to be picked, and proved Gaga was no flash in the pan. In fact, all of the album’s first five tracks were selected as singles in one market or another. But its stuttery synths and insistent disco-drenched melody were too catchy to remain solely a dance hit, and the song’s slow progress up the Billboard Hot 100, starting in August 2008, saw it reach pole position in January the following year its steady climb to the top incredibly not quite a record-breaker at 27 weeks. The battle-cry for broader acceptance hits its stride with the first single and opening track “Just Dance.” Recorded with Akon and RedOne, both then at the peak of their commercial credibility, the song features vocals from Colby O’Donis and was an immediate club-scene smash. She knew what it was like to feel disenfranchised. I always joke the real motivation is to just turn the world gay.” For a fledgling artist with conservative America to win over, it was a bold mission-statement, but the soon-to-be LGBTQ icon packed plenty of ballast for the fight. Gaga told Out magazine at the time: “It’s not an underground tool for me. When Lady Gaga unleashed her debut album, The Fame, on August 19, 2008, she had a startling motivation: “I very much want to inject gay culture into the mainstream.”
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