Background

If Gaga relied on applauses to feed her energy, then she has nothing to worry about. There is no gong to be banged here.

“Applause” is the lead single from Lady Gaga’s third studio album, ARTPOP. Released on August 2013, it was produced by Lady Gaga and DJ White Shadow. They also co-wrote the track, alongside Dino Zisis, Nick Monson, Martin Bresso, Nicolas Mercier, Julien Arias and William Grigahcine.

I Live for the Applause

Most pop stars would deny that they need validation from the public. They would argue that they create art for art’s sake, and that fame isn’t a driving force behind their musical choices. Gaga even said that only one in a room of a hundred is needed to change her life.

But in “Applause”, she embraces her desire for connection with the fans. She realises this and writes about the emotion in a time when she was forced to cancel tour dates because of a hip injury. She sees their applauses as a fuel that gets her going, almost like an addiction. She’s unapologetic and takes full ownership of her thirst. And that’s something I applaud.

Art into Pop Culture

I never heard of Andy Warhol and Pop Art until two years ago when I moved to Europe. So when Gaga released Artpop, the title flew over my head. With the benefit of hindsight, and an ongoing journey to rediscover Gaga’s discography, the vision is clearer now. “Applause” is timeless. She was both ahead of her time, as well as paid homage to a time well before hers.

Andy Warhol took mundane, mass-produced items (like Campbell’s soup cans) and placed them in galleries as high art. Gaga’s goal with ARTPOP and “Applause” was to take high art and place it into common pop culture.

There are articles written online about the art references Gaga made in “Applause”. But I’ve noted some of them ahead. The lyric “One second I’m a Koons, then suddenly the Koons is me” accompanies her transformation into a black swan, referencing Koons’ balloon swan sculptures. Smeared makeup across her face is noted as an homage to Kazuo Shiraga’s “smear” painting style. And Gaga’s hair and makeup in early scenes of the music video specifically reference Warhol’s colorful silk-screen portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

Put Your Hands Up

“Just Dance”, “Bad Romance” and “Born this Way” were Lady Gaga’s lead singles before ARTPOP’s release. So, “Applause” had a lot of momentum going for it, as well as immense pressure. The latter’s relative underperformance contributed to people like myself overlooking the clever production choices that were made.

But there was a lot to appreciate. The track uses heavy and rhythmic handclaps that serve as a literal representation of the song’s title. The ending features layers of simulated crowd noise and cheering. And I had to use AI to find out what sound was playing – but the beginning of “Applause” features distinctive pulsating synthesizers that ultimately make the song recognizable after hearing its first 10 seconds.

Conclusion

Nostalgia is for geeks. But I’m happy to be one. “Applause” may not have gotten my vote more than a decade ago. But I now cheer and scream for it.