@@maikenzupancicdanko9377 I think its completely intentional he was apart of channel awesome back then and was in the group during to boldly flee and was friends with a lot of people who ended up doing change the channel. like in a recent video him and lidnsay ellis (another one who was in channel awesome) made a reference to it in one of her videos
"...'Applause plause' is the most inane nane thing I've ever heard eard." Just wait for Maroon 5's "Animals" to completely 1-up that with "Animals mals"
I was getting tired of writing Todd In The Shadows to look up specific videos,so I was going to simply use his initials. Halfway through, I was like "Oh…that's not…right…"
I think this song is actually about the insecurity of being a famous artist, getting the applause is the way for Gaga to acknowledge she has actually done something worthwhile. Whatever, it's a great song.
Simon Seurat hell yes!! I love performing to this song and uuuh... I live for the applause for that very reason. I’ve found that most performers I know seem to have insecurities. I know I’m good at performing. I don’t have to talk. People adore me for a single facet of me and I don’t have to really put myself out there.
I heard his criticism of the song and I find it rather lacking honestly. He either missed the point by getting stuck in her talking about self praise or he missed the point by getting stuck thinking it's refuting a specific critic. Either way the point is that she cares only if her fans are happy, not what critics or anyone else says. If they applaud then she knows she did her job. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it and in my mind, it's the opposite of self-praise - she says she lives for the applause because it's her fans that are the most important. Essentially it's almost a love song to all the people who love her.
Fans and critics often want different things and i think you can be fan-focused the way i think she is without undermining useful, competent criticism of media. I don't think her line about critics means no one should analyze music. I think it means she was aiming her music and art at fans, not critics, who do often suck (just as many musicians do honestly)
I think his interpretation of her explanation was not very generous, and that often happens when people have already assigned a motive or lack of character, or don't relate at all so they come to the least charitable conclusion possible
I think Todd is taking the lyrics a bit too much at face value. I figured it was about how an artist approaches their work and their interaction with the audience. It's not limited to Lady Gaga or even pop stars as a group, but it's definitely not an empowerment song since it's basically "I need your validation, I need your validation". Still trying to figure out the nostalgia bit, though.
Nostalgia’s for geeks, geeks like to read, (or at least that’s the perception of “geeks”). It’s following the reinforcing/repeat theme of the second verse.
I definitely agree. I think she was also using the history of modern art as a lens to comment on celebrity and the culture surrounding the popularity, hence the numerous visual references to American modern artists as well as her reference to the German expressionists and the artists involves in the Bauhaus leading up to the rise of Hitler through her use of the word "kunst", possibly in reference to the degenerate art exhibit held by the Nazis in the 1930s
It seems like Applause is the opposite of an empowerment anthem. It's about how much Lady Gaga relies on her fans to keep her going. That, despite her reputation as a purely self-expressive auteur, she also craves the adoration of the masses. She isn't aloof from them.
That's my reading. I do think, like all things Gaga does, it's incredibly calculated ("look I'm actually doing it all for my fans") but I don't think Todd's right saying it's an empowerment anthem. I would say it's a very carefully calculated anthem aimed at her fans.
@@nonexistentchannel1111 I'm literally a folk punk singer who plays everything from house shows to squats to actual concerts. I stand by my analysis from two years ago.
As an author, I always felt that song was congratulating herself and her fans. She loves being awesome and making her music, but acknowledges that no matter how good what she does is, it means nothing if there aren't people out there who love it.
Also, the song wasn't even meant to be released as a single probably. It was meant for us fans, yes, it's personal. But the ArtPop era was a giant mess of bullshit happening behind the scenes. The song Aura was supposed to be released as the first single, the label intervened, she got mad and leaked it, then Applause had to replace it. Then the song Venus was supposed to be the 2nd single then came DWUW, she fired her manager, she had a week to film both videos... Applause was probably meant to be for the fans only and not to be released for the public. Also, you completely grasped the idea of the song, bravo. :D
I thought it was a condemnation of herself. The idea that she is being sincere is incredibly off putting. Actually, taken literally, it insults the whole concept of all her music, she makes songs to be appreciated and not to for any meaning. Songs like born this way were in fact, pandering to an audience who she wanted laude her. It’s kind of gross. I much prefer the concept that she is being sarcastic and biting.
Rappers are allowed to brag like this, so I say let Lady Gaga do it. Especially when it rocks this hard. If I was a pro-wrestler, this would be my entrance song.
You don’t need to be a wrestler, anyone can have an entrance song, or exit song, as my best friend in college and I had last song before we left the apartment to go out. Sometimes just to the store for candy. This will date me, but it was “Crazy in Love”. I need to call him. (I did have a song that a certain bartender at a certain pub would play when I came in but it’s really embarrassing.)(It’s by Peter Cetera.)(He’d also sing it.)
Going back to these old videos but newly uploaded with like ten views each has a weird illicit feeling: like going to the pool at night after everyone's left and skinny dipping
I never used to like lady gaga when she first started. But now I think she's great. I actually like that I've changed my mind on that because I'd be missing out
I take Applause as kind of a character study that is Lady Gaga, not Stephanie Germanotta. The character Lady Gaga does need the applause and, like Todd said towards the end, she needs to push the enveloppe. So, it's okay to have this song on ArtPop because there's also Do What U Want on it too which is the one who breaks from her usual stuff. I like both anyway and that's my take on it.
I think when she said that in the interview she didn't mean she's obsessed with positive attention she meant she doesn't really care about the positive attention she merely derives satisfaction from the positive impression she leaves on the audience in being entertaining, to which the applause is evidence of.
Jonathan Penetra She made this album so that anyone who hears it feels like a badass. She wants you to put yourself in the song and when you hear it like that, your whole perspective changes
I feel like the only gay that doesn't care about Gaga, Beyoncé, or Ariana. I'm not saying I'm edgy or special either. I actually wish I liked them so I could fit in.
Pythia Sibyls Maybe Lady Gaga will be performing this song during the Super Bowl Halftime Show this weekend. Are you ready to hear Gaga performing on stage with this song? I hope she going to sing "Applause" during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the crowd is going to go crazy.
Since Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet's collaboration album Cheek to Cheek, I've actually acquired a lot of respect for her. She's actually a classically trained singer, and I'm personally familiar with somebody who knew Lady Gaga through his choral group. Which is awesome!
Is Todd missing the structuralist view imposed by the song that art only comes into being through the approving gaze of the audience, OR is he radically buying into the premise of the song and extending it attacking the pop culture industry's self-indulgence by proxy of lady gaga who though this song erects herself as the personification of commodified art?
Applause is the most 'normal' sounding song from her Art Pop CD, I think that's why they chose to do this as the leading 'single' video. When I first heard the CD I really didn't like it. Then one day I returned to it and now I love it. It's so weird.
It's not "Kunst." She is referring to Jeff Koons, the artist, who sculpted her likeness for the ARTPOP cover. Your claim about saying one thing, then saying the same thing backwards is still true, though.
Awww now I'm sad because Jeff Koons is a hack and charlatan whose body of work contains nothing of meaning or worth beyond separating gullible hedge fund managers from their money on the false premise they're investing in genius rather than lazy tat. Hi ho!
9:53 This is actually a reference to Koons. Jeff Koons designed the cover for Gaga’s art pop, the album this is from. He’s an iconic post pop artist, most widely renown for his balloon series, banal series, and gazing balls, as seen on the album cover
Is it me, or is there a double standard here for hip-hop artists and everyone else? I mean, whenever Todd talks about a rap or hip hop song whose message is just "I'm famous" or "I'm awesome," he feels the need to justify complaining about it. Usually, the complaint is either that it's generic and the artist doesn't bring anything new to it, or that the artist doesn't have the fame or charisma to back it up. Or both (*cough* Iggy Azalea). Lady Gaga doesn't really have either of those problems, and if there's any current pop star charismatic, powerful, and arrogant enough to pull something like this off, it's probably her. (Hell, wasn't the complaint for "Shake it Off" at least partially that Taylor Swift was trying to bash her critics while maintaining an everyman persona?) I mean, the lyrics are pretty stupid, but I don't think that the fundamental idea behind this song is necessarily absurd.
The only thing I'll say about your review, is that her comment on mixing art and pop culture was supposed to set the tone for the album. It was the lead single of ARTPOP, it was supposed to explain what ARTPOP is all about and give us a little taste so we know what to expect. The music video itself is a battle between contemporary and traditional art (since those are the two things she attempted to mix with ARTPOP) and the lyrics are about mixing art with pop culture. It's not self praise, it's literally just a song about writing songs.
This song was written to thank her fans for sticking with her even after breaking her hip and her taking a 'break' and she's telling her fans simultaneously to only live for the applause
I always thought this would make a great theme for a truly egocentric, megalomaniacal supervillain, like, they don't commit crime to pursue an end goal or anything so logical. Everything they do is a performance. A dance. Couldn't you imagine the Joker jamming out to this?
I may be too forgiving, but is it possible that she's admitting that she has an unhealthy drug-like dependency on applause and admiration? She does compare it to an I.V. that she'd stick in her arm.
I really enjoy this video and wish you would have mentioned her history of body pain and this single being her first project post hip break. That's an integral part of this conversation.
He didn't overuse it though. He briefly mentioned as a joke you absolute moron. It wasn't even used as a minor point, let alone a main point in his argument. Holy shit, you kids...
I know I'm lye to the party but I'm pretty sure she means reading like the way drag queens say it. When you read someone it's means you're insulting them, so some critics are just negative and insulting because they like being negative and insulting. Pretty sure this song is just a personal anthem for drag queens and the gays who love them
Maybe it's just how dull pop has been lately, but I've really come to appreciate Lady Gaga. Yeah, most of her image was lifted wholesale from Bowie, Manson, and Madonna, and her lyrics can be... a bit rough, but at least she stands out and has the chops to back it up. (also, why does everyone target her looks? I always thought she was/is really attractive)
I don't see this so much as a narcissist as I see it as someone desperate for love from a more general point of view. Like she only feels love of her fans and not for anything else which makes her feel empty inside. It's a bit sad really.
This song just strikes me about being heavily tied into a very classic issue all creatives face: addiction to validation. As someone who is both a creative by nature but is also SEVERLY depressed, this song just straight up speaks to me. It's odd to say that, considering the context, this song is actually a great way for me to wallow in my own crippling addictions to that same validation. She literally lives for the applause, like it's the only thing keeping her going. Hell, I've been there and so have most other creatives. We thrive off the validation of those who enjoy our work. She's talking about when that desperate need for validation becomes overwhelming and starts to become your whole world. It then becomes an addiction that can slowly start to destroy you and push you to change who you are at the most intimate levels. You lose yourself to the applause because it becomes what defines you. You end up existing solely for the approval of your fanbase. I could be reading too much into this but it that's how it always felt to me.
It cant be only for herself, living for the stage is not something only pop stars enjoy. From strippers to singers and even streamers, lots of people live for the gratification an audience gives them and living to please. I disagree that the lyrics are shallow. They are just knee deep obvious but they are meant to help you feel the excitement and thrill you may live for and if not, help you understand the thrill. The lyrics themselves may be seen as bland but it's how they are structured and staggered that matches the song perfectly, the feeling of the song has more weight in the instrumentation than normal. It's great!
kenterminatedbygoogle I don't even think it's Doug's fault. Old nostalgia critic(pre-channel awesome)is funnier than newer NC(post-channel awesome) so Doug showed that he has comedic writing without them and Channel Awesome changed his comedic style into using the same 5 jokes over and over again.
OMG. I just found you last night after reading the comments on a Midnight Oil's video and now I've been binge watching. Greetings from a Chilean subscriber.
Nope nope nope, the song is about her breaking her hip when she was performing at her born this way ball in early 2013. She felt lost and depressed but always knew her fans were always supporting her no matter what and always helping her get through the bad times eg. the applause she receives from them.
I completely disagree. I think he's taking the song too literal. She's being honest- we can all identify with wanting validation. I always feel like a badass listening to this song lol
So weird to look back and hear someone calling Lady Gaga a “rising star,” someone you might have never heard of before...watching these older videos is surreal!
I view this song as more of a crowd-pleaser, like a song that someone would sing at their concert to get the fans riled up and excited, such as ACDC's "For Those About To Rock".
never gonna happen jazz standards with a highly talented pair of vocalists is probably gonna turn out ok - which means, for a review, boring. now, push kesha onto lush life ....
Hi! This is such an old video I don't know if you'll even see this comment. I've been subscribed to your channel for a bit now, and I always enjoy your videos and analysis (still do!). At times, the heavy amount of pure lyric analysis can come across as a bit hairsplitting (but that's just me) and I find myself wanting even more coverage in terms of composition, structure, production, etc. - it seems you're clearly a musician yourself (at least on the keyboard and I assume some DAW production?), so I'd love for some of that knowledge and experience to be applied, rather than (for lack of a better term) the 'English Professor' pedantry which is abundant across so many other TH-cam music critics. Reviewing a song holistically is something I'll admit that Rolling Stone and Pitchfork reviews do well (in general), i.e. less feeling like you're dissecting T.S. Eliot prose in English Lit class and more about discussing the work beyond the lyrics and discussion around why certain choices were made by the artist. I'm obviously being a bit facetious here, I don't find you overly pedantic, but I came away from this review wishing for more of a review of...well, the music. It almost felt as though Gaga's lyrics were being analyzed as prose, which imo isn't the strongest (in exclusivity) approach to pop. (NB: I don't have any particular investment in Gaga nor in this particular song) You were on the money alluding to Gaga's fascination with 'fame', (iirc her early albums were titled 'The Fame' and 'The Fame Monster', or something like that), but (and this is just my opinion!) I think you missed the forest for the trees - the 'applause' has nothing to do with Gaga at a personal level; it's not at all in the vein of Taylor Swift "ME, ME, ME!"-style. You alluded to Gaga/certain listeners as 'a Warholian provocateur, mixing art and pop culture'. Warhol's obsession with fame was (for lack of a better word) dark and extremely self-aware, as opposed to superficial (Warhol's famous quote, "I am a deeply superficial person."), similar to what I suspect Gaga is paying homage in the song, arguably as well as in as much of her artistic work thus far. I'm actually of the opposite opinion that 'Born This Way' came across as hokey and a bit pandering; generally speaking, something I'd expect from a different artist, not Gaga. TL;DR: Gaga is playing a character, as she does in much of her work (and often emphasized in her videos). The "I" ("I live for the applause") isn't referring to Gaga so much as it is to the double-edged sword of capital f- Fame, which (as I interpreted it) is less vapid self-congratulating and rather a darker allusion to the 'sad clown' trope: i.e. our insecurities lead us to crave acceptance and praise, sometimes to the point of "liv[ing] for the applause". But I suspect "Applause" Gaga (and Factory-era Warhol) are asking: What happens when the applause stops?
I'd always prefer this song to be listened to than Homer singing Poker Face in Lisa Goes Gaga(though Bart vs Itchy and Scratchy topped that as the worst Simpsons episode). Loved this song as a kid, adored it as an adult.
Take it easy, Todd. She deserves to start empowering herself in her own songs, she was never able to do so in college after what happened to her and it wasn't easy for her to open up about that.
I love lady gaga and i understand why at that point of her career thought she was hallow but she's is like my new madonna i loved madonna when i was younger and still do i miss stars like this ....
I just realized revisiting this video the Kunst part in this review is wrong it’s Koons which completely changes the meaning cause koons is a sculptural artist that did the lady Gaga sculpture on the artpop album
It’s really interesting revisiting to this because artpop is now so appreciated and I think he has some points like yes this isn’t the best song on the album but I think some of the points are definitely missed in this vid and I think we also have a better understanding of the things gaga did and this was also still during her getting made of cause she’s wears silly outfits sometime
And yeah maybe critic wasn’t the best word to use cause I think she means people who are disagree but then make the other person feel stupid like I think really that line is more towards like we we’re still in the hipster era where it was just thought there’s mainstream and then true art like as if pop wasn’t impactful and at some times more pressing and that, that couldn’t be used for meaningful change and challenging and feeling and the whole point of art pop is finding the balance and stating that we’ll we could we could belong together-as stated in the song artpop by lady Gaga
Oh my God. I think I finally got that weird read lyric after all these years. Maybe she meant reading her audience, understanding that nostalgia is what her fans want. I could be completely wrong, but it is the only way that line makes any semblance of sense.
Interesting and hilarious how you interpret Koons as Kunst! You were able to bring that good old joke back about the foreign languages! I don't know why people complained about that. Love all your videos!!!!
I just realized... in the chorus she says "Let me be under you" which is a direct contradiction to the idea that she wants to get attention solely because she loves it, she wants to be on an even level with her fans, for them to have... a relationship :3
Okay, digressing, my favorite thing about this song is that it sounds kind of like the theme of the copycat killer from Persona 4, and...lyrically, it actually sort of suits a copycat killer, someone who kills for the attention just because someone else got famous from killing people.
i think the “bang a gong” is a reference to a song by a fellow image-conscious vaguely bisexual pop star, Get It On (Bang a Gong) by T. Rex. Is it a good reference? Let’s see. Get it on is pointedly style over substance, the lyrics don’t say a lot of concrete things except that Marc Bolan is having sex, and the song is a massive, stomping beast of a rocker. That actually fits fairly well with how people saw Lady Gaga’s music at the time. Also, the idea of banging a gong for Gaga as she enters a room certainly fits the bragging lyrics. Ultimately, I think this song only works if you can put yourself in the head of an incredibly popular artist and performer, which I might be too introverted for.
“Kunst” when it’s actually “Koons” - I’m a massive Todd fan and love it when he even picks apart artists I love but yikes it seems like he didn’t even try on this 😬 koons even did the album art.
In defense of the "kunt" line; I'm pretty sure that was GaGa's way of sneaking in C U Next Tuseday. You know, one second media depicts her as the savior of music and the next she's the biggest fire-breathing bitch on the planet.
Honestly, never really warmed up to Gaga's music and/or cult of personality. Half of the comments are about making sense out of her cryptic lyrics, when she could have just written more coherent lyrics.
"Screw these 'critics of nostalgia' and everyone associated with them!"
That line takes on a whole new meaning now.
Todd's predictions are only correct when they're unintentional xD
Todd unintentionally predicted "Not So Awesome".
@@maikenzupancicdanko9377 I think its completely intentional he was apart of channel awesome back then and was in the group during to boldly flee and was friends with a lot of people who ended up doing change the channel. like in a recent video him and lidnsay ellis (another one who was in channel awesome) made a reference to it in one of her videos
@@ForestGreenSharpie nah he ended his relationship with them on good terms and don’t join the not so asome movement
@@ForestGreenSharpie and in a review of a movie with 2 amrican idol stars he refenced it foundly.
"...'Applause plause' is the most inane nane thing I've ever heard eard." Just wait for Maroon 5's "Animals" to completely 1-up that with "Animals mals"
"The privacy invading paparazzi" actually Todd, she wrote a song about them too.
I was SO happy that other people caught the animals mals thing.
@@NyQuilDonut animals' balls
Well Animals is more of a creeper song(not intentionally as Revenge)than Applause.
I was getting tired of writing Todd In The Shadows to look up specific videos,so I was going to simply use his initials. Halfway through, I was like "Oh…that's not…right…"
*spraypaints your house* MANKEY SQUAD!!!
I wasn't the only one who noticed that!
Very clever isn't it?
+Aiden Nelson *spraypaints your house* ZIGZAGOON COMMITTEE!!!
Yeah. It's uh not good
I think this song is actually about the insecurity of being a famous artist, getting the applause is the way for Gaga to acknowledge she has actually done something worthwhile. Whatever, it's a great song.
Simon Seurat hell yes!! I love performing to this song and uuuh... I live for the applause for that very reason. I’ve found that most performers I know seem to have insecurities. I know I’m good at performing. I don’t have to talk. People adore me for a single facet of me and I don’t have to really put myself out there.
I heard his criticism of the song and I find it rather lacking honestly. He either missed the point by getting stuck in her talking about self praise or he missed the point by getting stuck thinking it's refuting a specific critic. Either way the point is that she cares only if her fans are happy, not what critics or anyone else says. If they applaud then she knows she did her job. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it and in my mind, it's the opposite of self-praise - she says she lives for the applause because it's her fans that are the most important. Essentially it's almost a love song to all the people who love her.
@@emeraldkat2167 Im glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way.
Fans and critics often want different things and i think you can be fan-focused the way i think she is without undermining useful, competent criticism of media. I don't think her line about critics means no one should analyze music. I think it means she was aiming her music and art at fans, not critics, who do often suck (just as many musicians do honestly)
I think his interpretation of her explanation was not very generous, and that often happens when people have already assigned a motive or lack of character, or don't relate at all so they come to the least charitable conclusion possible
I think Todd is taking the lyrics a bit too much at face value. I figured it was about how an artist approaches their work and their interaction with the audience. It's not limited to Lady Gaga or even pop stars as a group, but it's definitely not an empowerment song since it's basically "I need your validation, I need your validation". Still trying to figure out the nostalgia bit, though.
You can read a deeper meaning into anything.
yea imo a lot of youtube reviewers fall into this trap
Nostalgia’s for geeks, geeks like to read, (or at least that’s the perception of “geeks”). It’s following the reinforcing/repeat theme of the second verse.
I thought it was about how critics often write off nostalgic art. Like look at how they treated Rockwell
I definitely agree. I think she was also using the history of modern art as a lens to comment on celebrity and the culture surrounding the popularity, hence the numerous visual references to American modern artists as well as her reference to the German expressionists and the artists involves in the Bauhaus leading up to the rise of Hitler through her use of the word "kunst", possibly in reference to the degenerate art exhibit held by the Nazis in the 1930s
It seems like Applause is the opposite of an empowerment anthem. It's about how much Lady Gaga relies on her fans to keep her going. That, despite her reputation as a purely self-expressive auteur, she also craves the adoration of the masses. She isn't aloof from them.
That's my reading. I do think, like all things Gaga does, it's incredibly calculated ("look I'm actually doing it all for my fans") but I don't think Todd's right saying it's an empowerment anthem. I would say it's a very carefully calculated anthem aimed at her fans.
@@medes5597 exactly. I think it's Gaga's way of making a love song for her fans. It's lovely.
Both the song and the review are pretty sarcastic.
@@medes5597 you clearly have never performed.
@@nonexistentchannel1111 I'm literally a folk punk singer who plays everything from house shows to squats to actual concerts. I stand by my analysis from two years ago.
As an author, I always felt that song was congratulating herself and her fans. She loves being awesome and making her music, but acknowledges that no matter how good what she does is, it means nothing if there aren't people out there who love it.
Also, the song wasn't even meant to be released as a single probably. It was meant for us fans, yes, it's personal. But the ArtPop era was a giant mess of bullshit happening behind the scenes. The song Aura was supposed to be released as the first single, the label intervened, she got mad and leaked it, then Applause had to replace it. Then the song Venus was supposed to be the 2nd single then came DWUW, she fired her manager, she had a week to film both videos... Applause was probably meant to be for the fans only and not to be released for the public. Also, you completely grasped the idea of the song, bravo. :D
I thought it was a condemnation of herself. The idea that she is being sincere is incredibly off putting.
Actually, taken literally, it insults the whole concept of all her music, she makes songs to be appreciated and not to for any meaning. Songs like born this way were in fact, pandering to an audience who she wanted laude her. It’s kind of gross. I much prefer the concept that she is being sarcastic and biting.
Rappers are allowed to brag like this, so I say let Lady Gaga do it. Especially when it rocks this hard.
If I was a pro-wrestler, this would be my entrance song.
You would lose the fight
It honestly bugs me when rappers do it as well. 99 Problems is fucking sweet, but that line about the critics is really thin skinned and annoying.
@Erik Lerström What I meant was that it annoys me when rappers blindly insult the concept of criticism like Lady Gaga does in the song.
You don’t need to be a wrestler, anyone can have an entrance song, or exit song, as my best friend in college and I had last song before we left the apartment to go out. Sometimes just to the store for candy. This will date me, but it was “Crazy in Love”.
I need to call him.
(I did have a song that a certain bartender at a certain pub would play when I came in but it’s really embarrassing.)(It’s by Peter Cetera.)(He’d also sing it.)
I f’ing love this song so much.
1:21 is a gag about Rihanna never takes breaks between projects... what a different time
Back when her album releases were as common as Christmas 🎄
"Against an increasingly dull pop scene" Oh boy, we had no idea, huh?
2 years later and pop music is basically dead. Also, seriously spotifycore is the worst genre ever.
It isn't "she likes positive attention" it's "she likes knowing we had fun and got something out of it"
"She has the decency to take a break once in a while" This cursed us for 5 years with no new Rihanna music.
Ha I thought the same
that's a blessing for me, not a curse
8 actually!
Going back to these old videos but newly uploaded with like ten views each has a weird illicit feeling: like going to the pool at night after everyone's left and skinny dipping
+Sam Wilson You're not alone;
+Sam Wilson You're not alone;
+Sam Wilson You're not alone;
You're alone.
I never used to like lady gaga when she first started. But now I think she's great. I actually like that I've changed my mind on that because I'd be missing out
Same here
I take Applause as kind of a character study that is Lady Gaga, not Stephanie Germanotta. The character Lady Gaga does need the applause and, like Todd said towards the end, she needs to push the enveloppe. So, it's okay to have this song on ArtPop because there's also Do What U Want on it too which is the one who breaks from her usual stuff.
I like both anyway and that's my take on it.
Louis-Philippe Harnois-Arel We shall if she going to sing during the Super Bowl Halftime Show this Sunday.
*stefani germanotta
I think when she said that in the interview she didn't mean she's obsessed with positive attention she meant she doesn't really care about the positive attention she merely derives satisfaction from the positive impression she leaves on the audience in being entertaining, to which the applause is evidence of.
"Did *anyone* need this?"
......the gays...?
I mean, it has an upbeat music, but the lyrics... They really are narcissistic.
I did
Jonathan Penetra She made this album so that anyone who hears it feels like a badass. She wants you to put yourself in the song and when you hear it like that, your whole perspective changes
I feel like the only gay that doesn't care about Gaga, Beyoncé, or Ariana. I'm not saying I'm edgy or special either. I actually wish I liked them so I could fit in.
I don't think gays need narcissistic pop songs but to each there own
I don't like GaGa, but at least she can sing without autotune. Perry can't sing live to save her life.
Pythia Sibyls Maybe Lady Gaga will be performing this song during the Super Bowl Halftime Show this weekend. Are you ready to hear Gaga performing on stage with this song? I hope she going to sing "Applause" during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the crowd is going to go crazy.
Pythia Sibyls Agreed
MTN Productions Womp womp.
@@Musicradio77Network Womp womp.
Since Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet's collaboration album Cheek to Cheek, I've actually acquired a lot of respect for her. She's actually a classically trained singer, and I'm personally familiar with somebody who knew Lady Gaga through his choral group. Which is awesome!
Is Todd missing the structuralist view imposed by the song that art only comes into being through the approving gaze of the audience, OR is he radically buying into the premise of the song and extending it attacking the pop culture industry's self-indulgence by proxy of lady gaga who though this song erects herself as the personification of commodified art?
Todd did not understand Art Pop.
she said it was about her broken hip during the born this way tour, that the only reason she kept going was the love she got from her fans.
Applause is the most 'normal' sounding song from her Art Pop CD, I think that's why they chose to do this as the leading 'single' video.
When I first heard the CD I really didn't like it. Then one day I returned to it and now I love it. It's so weird.
It's not "Kunst." She is referring to Jeff Koons, the artist, who sculpted her likeness for the ARTPOP cover. Your claim about saying one thing, then saying the same thing backwards is still true, though.
Sometimes I wonder if he actually looks at the official lyrics instead of listening through ear. It's not the first time, either.
Hannah J McLaughlin oh wow. I actually really dislike Jeff Koons lol
Awww now I'm sad because Jeff Koons is a hack and charlatan whose body of work contains nothing of meaning or worth beyond separating gullible hedge fund managers from their money on the false premise they're investing in genius rather than lazy tat. Hi ho!
I just assumed it was a playful pun on a certain word beginning with c.
@@FuckYourSelf99 awww, that’s a bit much. The banal series is very inspired! The angels, with the pig? Or MJ with bubbles??
9:53
This is actually a reference to Koons. Jeff Koons designed the cover for Gaga’s art pop, the album this is from. He’s an iconic post pop artist, most widely renown for his balloon series, banal series, and gazing balls, as seen on the album cover
Is it me, or is there a double standard here for hip-hop artists and everyone else? I mean, whenever Todd talks about a rap or hip hop song whose message is just "I'm famous" or "I'm awesome," he feels the need to justify complaining about it. Usually, the complaint is either that it's generic and the artist doesn't bring anything new to it, or that the artist doesn't have the fame or charisma to back it up. Or both (*cough* Iggy Azalea).
Lady Gaga doesn't really have either of those problems, and if there's any current pop star charismatic, powerful, and arrogant enough to pull something like this off, it's probably her. (Hell, wasn't the complaint for "Shake it Off" at least partially that Taylor Swift was trying to bash her critics while maintaining an everyman persona?) I mean, the lyrics are pretty stupid, but I don't think that the fundamental idea behind this song is necessarily absurd.
The only thing I'll say about your review, is that her comment on mixing art and pop culture was supposed to set the tone for the album. It was the lead single of ARTPOP, it was supposed to explain what ARTPOP is all about and give us a little taste so we know what to expect. The music video itself is a battle between contemporary and traditional art (since those are the two things she attempted to mix with ARTPOP) and the lyrics are about mixing art with pop culture. It's not self praise, it's literally just a song about writing songs.
This song was written to thank her fans for sticking with her even after breaking her hip and her taking a 'break' and she's telling her fans simultaneously to only live for the applause
Telling rihanna to make a pause... It aged in ways
Gaga when Artpop launched: Please listen to this great song from this amazing new album
Gaga now: I don't remember Artpop
I always thought this would make a great theme for a truly egocentric, megalomaniacal supervillain, like, they don't commit crime to pursue an end goal or anything so logical. Everything they do is a performance. A dance.
Couldn't you imagine the Joker jamming out to this?
Somebody edit this into the scene where he comes into the art museum playing Prince.
I belive you are speaking of Megamind
Speaking of the Joker…
I may be too forgiving, but is it possible that she's admitting that she has an unhealthy drug-like dependency on applause and admiration? She does compare it to an I.V. that she'd stick in her arm.
I think the I.V. reference was meant to be a self-deprecatory joke.
That's my take too. I interpret the line "Give me the feeling of love" with quotes around feeling -- it's not real.
Danny Kopp ‘I.V.’ is in reference the her 4th album, ARTPOP. Like IV in Roman numerals is 4.
@@silentd3vil Not IV means intravenosa
I really enjoy this video and wish you would have mentioned her history of body pain and this single being her first project post hip break. That's an integral part of this conversation.
I am such a big fan of Todd in The Shadows, that I am going to try to write a pop song with the ultimate goal of getting it on his show.
I like the hand lingerie she's wearing, though. o w o
It's handy.
insulting gaga for her outfits is just about the laziest way you can insult her tbh
dudes not wrong though.
he's making people look in his perspective of lady gaga
He didn't overuse it though. He briefly mentioned as a joke you absolute moron. It wasn't even used as a minor point, let alone a main point in his argument. Holy shit, you kids...
I know I'm lye to the party but I'm pretty sure she means reading like the way drag queens say it. When you read someone it's means you're insulting them, so some critics are just negative and insulting because they like being negative and insulting. Pretty sure this song is just a personal anthem for drag queens and the gays who love them
Yeah, especially that many drag queens star in lyric video
Totally, I came here to day this!
I've always wished that the lyrics were "Savor the applause" ... instead!
Truly I think it would improve the song.
Maybe it's just how dull pop has been lately, but I've really come to appreciate Lady Gaga. Yeah, most of her image was lifted wholesale from Bowie, Manson, and Madonna, and her lyrics can be... a bit rough, but at least she stands out and has the chops to back it up. (also, why does everyone target her looks? I always thought she was/is really attractive)
I know it's been years and years, but did you just call Italian a fake language? :D "Mi amore vole fe" means "My love needs faith"
Italy doesn't exist, its a globalist creation
I don't see this so much as a narcissist as I see it as someone desperate for love from a more general point of view. Like she only feels love of her fans and not for anything else which makes her feel empty inside. It's a bit sad really.
Todd apologized to Gaga for this review in the end of Holy Grail review, endorsing that it is a-ok to sing about how awesome being famous is.
One of her best singles
This song just strikes me about being heavily tied into a very classic issue all creatives face: addiction to validation. As someone who is both a creative by nature but is also SEVERLY depressed, this song just straight up speaks to me. It's odd to say that, considering the context, this song is actually a great way for me to wallow in my own crippling addictions to that same validation. She literally lives for the applause, like it's the only thing keeping her going. Hell, I've been there and so have most other creatives. We thrive off the validation of those who enjoy our work. She's talking about when that desperate need for validation becomes overwhelming and starts to become your whole world. It then becomes an addiction that can slowly start to destroy you and push you to change who you are at the most intimate levels. You lose yourself to the applause because it becomes what defines you. You end up existing solely for the approval of your fanbase. I could be reading too much into this but it that's how it always felt to me.
This is a fun video to come back to in 2019 on so many levels
It cant be only for herself, living for the stage is not something only pop stars enjoy. From strippers to singers and even streamers, lots of people live for the gratification an audience gives them and living to please.
I disagree that the lyrics are shallow. They are just knee deep obvious but they are meant to help you feel the excitement and thrill you may live for and if not, help you understand the thrill.
The lyrics themselves may be seen as bland but it's how they are structured and staggered that matches the song perfectly, the feeling of the song has more weight in the instrumentation than normal. It's great!
Oh hi nostalgia critic
thats douchey mcnitpick you fool
Robin 2112 he's no longer with channel awesome. So that joke is useless.
kenterminatedbygoogle I don't even think it's Doug's fault. Old nostalgia critic(pre-channel awesome)is funnier than newer NC(post-channel awesome) so Doug showed that he has comedic writing without them and Channel Awesome changed his comedic style into using the same 5 jokes over and over again.
i feel like this song isnt meant to be taken half as literally and specifically as todd is taking it.
OMG. I just found you last night after reading the comments on a Midnight Oil's video and now I've been binge watching. Greetings from a Chilean subscriber.
Nope nope nope, the song is about her breaking her hip when she was performing at her born this way ball in early 2013. She felt lost and depressed but always knew her fans were always supporting her no matter what and always helping her get through the bad times eg. the applause she receives from them.
Forgot that Todd in the Shadows used to be on that guy with the glasses, so seeing nostalgia critic at 7:17 was like a jump scare
I thought it was "Koons," i.e., Jeff Koons, a pop artist who was involved with the album.
you are right.
It is!
"at least she has the good sense to take a break every once in a while AHEM" *shows Rihanna*
that's hilarious
*I just **_loved_** the "Fan In The Shadows"!*
*This was ART!*
Tim minchin's song about Phil Daust was a pretty good attack on his critic
I completely disagree. I think he's taking the song too literal. She's being honest- we can all identify with wanting validation. I always feel like a badass listening to this song lol
So weird to look back and hear someone calling Lady Gaga a “rising star,” someone you might have never heard of before...watching these older videos is surreal!
So that's where Maroon 5 got animals-mals from...
"Some of us just like to read" translates to "My interests and art come from my being well read... and you're not."
I think Rammstein did it better with "Ich Will" back in 201 :-P
I think I've only heard this song organically once since 2013, so if there's a song that takes me back to fall of that year, it's this one.
I view this song as more of a crowd-pleaser, like a song that someone would sing at their concert to get the fans riled up and excited, such as ACDC's "For Those About To Rock".
That's the best intro piece I've heard him do. It's fantastic
I'm so happy to see that someone likes Lady Gaga! Not many people that I know like her because she's weird. It's refreshing to see someone like her.
Since I very rarely care about lyrics in the music I like, I absolutely love this song.
I'm kinda waiting for his review of Lady Gaga's reinvention, singing jazz standards.
never gonna happen
jazz standards with a highly talented pair of vocalists is probably gonna turn out ok - which means, for a review, boring.
now, push kesha onto lush life ....
Applause-plause was the original Animals-mals.
Rihanna took your comment personally...Now she's gone.
I really like this one. Being motivated by the roar of the crowd strikes me as fairly healthy state of mind for a pop star.
Hi! This is such an old video I don't know if you'll even see this comment. I've been subscribed to your channel for a bit now, and I always enjoy your videos and analysis (still do!). At times, the heavy amount of pure lyric analysis can come across as a bit hairsplitting (but that's just me) and I find myself wanting even more coverage in terms of composition, structure, production, etc. - it seems you're clearly a musician yourself (at least on the keyboard and I assume some DAW production?), so I'd love for some of that knowledge and experience to be applied, rather than (for lack of a better term) the 'English Professor' pedantry which is abundant across so many other TH-cam music critics.
Reviewing a song holistically is something I'll admit that Rolling Stone and Pitchfork reviews do well (in general), i.e. less feeling like you're dissecting T.S. Eliot prose in English Lit class and more about discussing the work beyond the lyrics and discussion around why certain choices were made by the artist. I'm obviously being a bit facetious here, I don't find you overly pedantic, but I came away from this review wishing for more of a review of...well, the music. It almost felt as though Gaga's lyrics were being analyzed as prose, which imo isn't the strongest (in exclusivity) approach to pop.
(NB: I don't have any particular investment in Gaga nor in this particular song)
You were on the money alluding to Gaga's fascination with 'fame', (iirc her early albums were titled 'The Fame' and 'The Fame Monster', or something like that), but (and this is just my opinion!) I think you missed the forest for the trees - the 'applause' has nothing to do with Gaga at a personal level; it's not at all in the vein of Taylor Swift "ME, ME, ME!"-style. You alluded to Gaga/certain listeners as 'a Warholian provocateur, mixing art and pop culture'. Warhol's obsession with fame was (for lack of a better word) dark and extremely self-aware, as opposed to superficial (Warhol's famous quote, "I am a deeply superficial person."), similar to what I suspect Gaga is paying homage in the song, arguably as well as in as much of her artistic work thus far. I'm actually of the opposite opinion that 'Born This Way' came across as hokey and a bit pandering; generally speaking, something I'd expect from a different artist, not Gaga.
TL;DR: Gaga is playing a character, as she does in much of her work (and often emphasized in her videos). The "I" ("I live for the applause") isn't referring to Gaga so much as it is to the double-edged sword of capital f- Fame, which (as I interpreted it) is less vapid self-congratulating and rather a darker allusion to the 'sad clown' trope: i.e. our insecurities lead us to crave acceptance and praise, sometimes to the point of "liv[ing] for the applause". But I suspect "Applause" Gaga (and Factory-era Warhol) are asking: What happens when the applause stops?
I''ve seen your comment if that helps :)
I now think of hamsters working out whenever this song plays.
Just want to take a moment to say I love pretty much all of your videos
Would love to hear what you think about Million Reasons, or any of the newer ones
We, sadly, may never know
Todd told Rihanna take a break is and she was music isnt for me anymore
I'd always prefer this song to be listened to than Homer singing Poker Face in Lisa Goes Gaga(though Bart vs Itchy and Scratchy topped that as the worst Simpsons episode). Loved this song as a kid, adored it as an adult.
That first background vocal in the chorus sounds just like "What does the fox say". You'll never unhear it
1:21 she took your advice a bit wayy too much recently pal
So nice of Todd to review the song from those old Kia Soul commercials. 😜
1:21 Todd is responsible for the R9 delays confirmed
Take it easy, Todd. She deserves to start empowering herself in her own songs, she was never able to do so in college after what happened to her and it wasn't easy for her to open up about that.
Wait... isn't Douchey McNitpick currently in the Plot Hole? Ah, who cares, that cameo was great.
1:20 thanks Todd, you made rihanna leave the music industry with your hurtful comment
I love lady gaga and i understand why at that point of her career thought she was hallow but she's is like my new madonna i loved madonna when i was younger and still do i miss stars like this ....
I just realized revisiting this video the Kunst part in this review is wrong it’s Koons which completely changes the meaning cause koons is a sculptural artist that did the lady Gaga sculpture on the artpop album
It’s really interesting revisiting to this because artpop is now so appreciated and I think he has some points like yes this isn’t the best song on the album but I think some of the points are definitely missed in this vid and I think we also have a better understanding of the things gaga did and this was also still during her getting made of cause she’s wears silly outfits sometime
And yeah maybe critic wasn’t the best word to use cause I think she means people who are disagree but then make the other person feel stupid like I think really that line is more towards like we we’re still in the hipster era where it was just thought there’s mainstream and then true art like as if pop wasn’t impactful and at some times more pressing and that, that couldn’t be used for meaningful change and challenging and feeling and the whole point of art pop is finding the balance and stating that we’ll we could we could belong together-as stated in the song artpop by lady Gaga
I misread the title of this video as "Applesauce"
shout out to the Tom Waits clip at the end
That was awesome.
The way Todd not realizing "reading" means sertain criticism like "the reading challenge" in RPDR💀💀💀
Oh my God. I think I finally got that weird read lyric after all these years. Maybe she meant reading her audience, understanding that nostalgia is what her fans want. I could be completely wrong, but it is the only way that line makes any semblance of sense.
Interesting and hilarious how you interpret Koons as Kunst! You were able to bring that good old joke back about the foreign languages! I don't know why people complained about that. Love all your videos!!!!
I can't think of this song without thinking of Naysha Lopez's soccer mom moves xD
"Yeah, screw these critics of nostalgia and everyone associated with them" -Todd in the Shadows
I just realized... in the chorus she says "Let me be under you" which is a direct contradiction to the idea that she wants to get attention solely because she loves it, she wants to be on an even level with her fans, for them to have... a relationship :3
Okay, digressing, my favorite thing about this song is that it sounds kind of like the theme of the copycat killer from Persona 4, and...lyrically, it actually sort of suits a copycat killer, someone who kills for the attention just because someone else got famous from killing people.
i think the “bang a gong” is a reference to a song by a fellow image-conscious vaguely bisexual pop star, Get It On (Bang a Gong) by T. Rex. Is it a good reference? Let’s see. Get it on is pointedly style over substance, the lyrics don’t say a lot of concrete things except that Marc Bolan is having sex, and the song is a massive, stomping beast of a rocker. That actually fits fairly well with how people saw Lady Gaga’s music at the time. Also, the idea of banging a gong for Gaga as she enters a room certainly fits the bragging lyrics. Ultimately, I think this song only works if you can put yourself in the head of an incredibly popular artist and performer, which I might be too introverted for.
really like this song mostly for the beat, honestly i could ignore the meaning of the lyrics and still really like it
12:38 this is gold.
“Kunst” when it’s actually “Koons” - I’m a massive Todd fan and love it when he even picks apart artists I love but yikes it seems like he didn’t even try on this 😬 koons even did the album art.
I have to disagree here. I read it more like a thank you to her fans.
I know I’m late but the lyrics actually mean about how on her tour she broke her rib and she saying the applause kept her going
In defense of the "kunt" line; I'm pretty sure that was GaGa's way of sneaking in C U Next Tuseday. You know, one second media depicts her as the savior of music and the next she's the biggest fire-breathing bitch on the planet.
Honestly, never really warmed up to Gaga's music and/or cult of personality. Half of the comments are about making sense out of her cryptic lyrics, when she could have just written more coherent lyrics.