Gaga Leaves Fans “Speechless”

So here—FINALLY—is my latest review. Sorry for the long hiatus!

But first, before I get to that, may we have a moment of silence for the break-up of Fall Out Boy? I found out yesterday, and I have to say...I'm crushed. I've loved them since the release of From Under the Cork Tree (I don't like the majority of their older stuff) and I can't believe it's over. I saw them live in June 2007, and that has to be one of the best shows I've ever been to.

Forget Pete Wentz!! He's the one that's leaving; I say carry on without him! Who needs him? Everyone thinks he's so hot, but Patrick Stump is all you need--he's the literal voice behind the band, even if Wentz is their image. Some reports claim that it's not a "real" break-up...it's just a "break." Either way, it sounds like no more shows and no new albums.

But...THREE CHEERS FOR FOB! Best of luck to them, no matter what.

And now, for the main event...

Lady Gaga’s sophomore album The Fame Monster hit stores on November 24, 2009. She describes it as more of a B-side to The Fame, but I describe it as…well, honestly? ALBUM OF THE DAMN YEAR!

Oh, yeah. Take that, Grammy’s 2010! I can’t believe Taylor Swift won album of the year!!! Yes, several of my friends have called Swift “a real-life success story,” and I totally agree. She’s pretty cute, and I find her music vaguely appealing in a girl-next-door-makes-good kind of way. But 1) I am NOT a fan of country, and 2) Lady Gaga is a STAR! She is a true performer, and The Fame Monster has just as much sizzle as it has super juicy steak. In other words, it’s well-rounded. It’s not just glossy-glam pop like The Fame.

The Fame Monster shows Gaga’s humanity and vulnerability. She’s not just another slick celeb looking for fame and money. It’s all about her fears and struggles with life’s challenges—with men, friendship, love, sex, the pressures of fame, and finding yourself. I have to admit when I heard “Bad Romance,” Gaga’s first single off of The Fame Monster, I expected more crazy dance songs. I didn’t expect such emotional depth, but The Fame Monster has that, and more. It has pain, let me tell you!

When I first previewed The Fame Monster, I was hesitant. “Dance in the Dark” and “Telephone” have normal dance beats and lyrics when you first listen to them, before you really know what they’re about. But then I previewed “Speechless,” and my God, she left me speechless. Just a thirty-second clip of the song on iTunes—that’s all it took for me to buy the album. And then “Speechless” went on repeat all day and all night, almost nonstop. Eventually I did get around to the other songs, and I love them all, too. But something about that song grabbed me.

It’s more of an acoustic song, and she performed it for Queen Elizabeth on a fascinating set that made me fall in love with the Queen of Pop, and she also played it at the Grammy’s with Elton John (while throwing in bits of “Your Song,” which is the only one of two Elton songs that I like.) Anyway, she wrote “Speechless” for her father, who had a serious heart condition and didn’t want have it fixed. I’ve heard her say in several interviews that the conversations she’d have with him over this time period would literally leave her speechless, and she was so distraught that she wrote this song as a plea for him to save his life. He did finally agree to have surgery, which she paid for, and last I’ve heard he is fine. In an interview with Barbara Walters, Gaga said the experience made her realize that she only gets one set of parents, and how much they mean to her.

“Speechless” broke my heart and then threw me into love with Gaga forever. She rips through the lyrics with pain and desperation that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it (and it's been over two months since the album was released.)

MY FAVORITE VERSE:
“I can’t believe how you slurred at me
With your half-wired broken jaw.
You popped my heart seams,
All my bubble dreams, bubble dreams!
I can’t believe how you looked at me
With your Johnny Walker eyes,
He’s gonna get you
And after he’s through
There’s gonna be no love left to rye.

And I know that it’s complicated,
But I’m a loser in love, so baby,
Raise a glass to mend
All the broken hearts
Of all my wrecked-up friends!”

CHORUS:
“I’ll never talk again
Oh, boy, you’ve left me speechless,
You’ve left me speechless, so speechless!
And I’ll never love again
Oh, friend, you’ve left me speechless,
You’ve left me speechless, so speechless!”

It makes me cry every time. I think everyone knows what it’s like to worry and care so much about a close friend or family member so much that it hurts, because you’d give anything to save them from their pain or problems, but you can’t, usually. It’s the worst thing, and it’s real. So pay attention, all you Gaga-haters: she isn’t just a hot girl out on the dance floor. This girl knows all about real life situations—she may be an NYU drop-out and a former coke addict, but she’s crafted an amazing life for herself and now she’s one of the biggest icons for our younger generations.

Five Stars for Lady Gaga!
Emily Noel

P.S. – If you haven’t yet bought The Fame Monster and just want a couple of her new, lighter songs, I also recommend “Alejandro,” “Monster,” and “So Happy I Could Die.”