New Music Video: Lady Gaga's "Applause"

The music video for Lady Gaga's "Applause" dropped yesterday, premiering on Good Morning, America and posted to the star's VEVO channel. Gaga's vocals on the single have been compared to Gaga's influences Annie Lennox and David Bowie, and the vid certainly pulls from Gaga influences to make it a very Gaga-esque release. Obviously, with an album titled ARTPOP, she draws fashion from Andy Warhol and the New York art scene. The vid is shot in black-and-white and color and samples costume fashions that are very Gaga, featuring parts-covering leather gloves and a segment inspired from Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Of the video Gaga tweeted, "Its inspired by the entertainers passion for shapeshifting. Would you do 'anything' for the Applause? Iconography in motion, as magic."

Indeed, every portion of the clip displays performative and theatrical icons, such as a large top hat and theatre-quality costumes, sets, and makeup (as opposed to refined, natural design for film), and Gaga parades a fashion and performance (even as a swan) reflective of how she will do anything for the 'applause' no matter how, in my opinion, dark and freak show-like the performance. The vid isn't full-out freak show, but its darkness recalls that sort of theme for me. Perhaps, art house is a better description.

Honestly, the music video does its job, enhancing the meaning of the music. When I first heard "Applause," I was concerned by its production and Gaga's Bowie-throwback style, but her vision comes together in full through the video, giving us another Gaga classic!

             

8/15 Chart Highlights: Robin Thicke's 10 Week Reign; The Civil Wars Debut #1

The first eleven notches in the Hot 100 hold their positions this week with no movement, giving Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" its tenth week at leading the chart. "Lines" is the first song to maintain a ten week #1 run since Rihanna's "We Found Love" in 2011/2012. The stale chart is expecting shifts next week after Lady Gaga's "Applause" and Katy Perry's "Roar" gain momentum and receive a full week's worth of chart reading, specifically from digital downloads, which chart ends Sunday. As far as the current download numbers, "Applause" is speculated to sell 200,000 to 250,000 copies, while "Roar" may reach a number as high as 450,000. "Roar" debuted this week at #85 thanks to airplay.

HOT 100 top 10
1. Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell     "Blurred Lines"
2. Miley Cyrus                                                             "We Can't Stop"
3. Imagine Dragons                                                   "Radioactive"
4. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams           "Get Lucky"
5. Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake                  "Holy Grail"

6. Anna Kendrick                                                        "Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)"
7. Bruno Mars                                                              "Treasure"
8. Zedd featuring Foxes                                           "Clarity"
9. Capital Cities                                                            "Safe and Sound"
10. Maroon 5                                                                 "Love Somebody"

The Civil Wars debuted their self-titled album this week atop the Billboard 200, giving the duo their first #1 on the chart. Other top ten debuts include Now 47, Asking Alexandria's From Death to Destiny, and Tye Tribbett's Greater Than. Imagine Dragons' Night Visions moves its way back into the top ten this week, after falling to #11 in the previous week.

BILLBOARD 200 top 10
1. The Civil Wars                           The Civil Wars
2. Various Artists                         Now 47
3. Robin Thicke                             Blurred Lines
4. Jay Z                                             Magna Carta...Holy Grail
5. Asking Alexandria                  From Death To Destiny
6. Soundtrack                                Teen Beach Movie
7. Imagine Dragons                     Night Visions
8. Five Finger Death Punch     The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The
                                                             Righteous Side Of Hell: Volume 1
9. Tye Tribbett                              Greater Than
10. Florida Georgia Line           Here's To The Good Times

Katy Perry and Lady Gaga "Roar" for the (Early) "Applause"

Lady Gaga pushed the release of new electropop single "Applause" forward six days than its originally scheduled Aug. 19 date, combating the Aug. 12 release of Katy Perry's single "Roar." Both songs served early releases due to internet leaks. Perry's "Roar" leaked Aug. 10, sending it to an immediate radio release, though maintaining its Aug. 12 download date, while Gaga's "Applause" received snippet leaks the same day as Perry's. Mother Monster tweeted Aug. 12, "DUE TO HACKERS AN ABUNDANCE OF LOW/HIGH QUALITY LEAKS...WE ISSUE THIS POP MUSIC EMERGENCY...MONSTERS SPREAD THE WORD." The song was available for download Aug. 13. A video for "Applause" is planned for its original Aug. 19 release. Hot 100 tallies for the ladies' singles this week will be revealed this evening when results from all charts will be grouped. Next week will give both singles a first full week of reading, though.

Perry's new album Prism is due out October 22, while Gaga's ARTPOP is slated for November 11, but who's to say that won't unfairly change?

8/1 Chart Highlights: One Direction Debuts Big; Selena Gomez Earns First #1 Album

Thanks to massive amounts of downloads and streaming, One Direction receives their highest peak on the Hot 100 with "Best Song Ever," debuting at #2 behind Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," which holds its crown atop the chart as the longest running #1 of the year at eight weeks from continued growth on radio airplay ranking in this week with the second highest audience since the Radio Songs chart's debut in December 1990. Mariah Carey's 2005 "We Belong Together" holds the record for most radio impressions in a single week. Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, Daft Punk, and Bruno Mars fall one position to make room for the One Direction debut, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Florida Georgia Line each fall three, granting Anna Kendrick and Jay-Z one position gains. This is Imagine Dragons' 48th week on the chart with "Radioactive," and with such a high position this far in the game, their song can easily become a contender as one of the longest-running singles when it bows off the chart.

HOT 100 top 10
1. Robin Thick featuring T.I. and Pharrell                  "Blurred Lines"
2. One Direction                                                                    "Best Song Ever"
3. Miley Cyrus                                                                        "We Can't Stop"
4. Imagine Dragons                                                              "Radioactive"
5. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams                      "Get Lucky"
6. Bruno Mars                                                                         "Treasure"
7. Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake                            "Holy Grail"
8. Anna Kendrick                                                                   "Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)"
9. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton "Can't Hold Us Down"
10. Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly                      "Cruise"

Selena Gomez gains her first #1 on the Billboard 200 with the debut of her new album Stars Dance. She pushes Jay-Z's Magna Carta...Holy Grail to the chart's second position after its two-week reign on top. Marc Anthony's Spanish-language album 3.0, rock group We Came As Romans' Tracing Back Roots, and compilation Rich Gang also debut at #'s 5, 8, and 9, respectfully, while the works of Kidz Bop Kids, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, and Justin Timberlake fall one position. The soundtrack of Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie raises 8-3, due to its first full week of sales since its premiere on July 19. Rebroadcasts of the film and a quick turnaround DVD release on July 30 are expected to impact album sales in the near future.

BILLBOARD 200 top 10
1. Selena Gomez                 Stars Dance
2. Jay-Z                                 Magna Carta...Holy Grail
3. Soundtrack                     Teen Beach Movie
4. Kidz Bop Kids                 Kidz Bop 24
5. Marc Anthony               3.0
6. Florida Georgia Line   Here's To The Good Times
7. Imagine Dragons         Night Visions
8. We Came As Romans  Tracing Back Roots
9. Various Artists             Rich Gang
10. Justin Timberlake     The 20/20 Experience