‘The Fame Monster‘ is the sophomore album from electro-pop singer Lady GaGa. The album was released worldwide on November 18, 2009 and in the U.S.A. on November 23, 2009. The album opened at #5 on the U.S.A. Billboard 200 Albums chart. Before being released separetely, the eight tracks included on the album were supposed to be released as extra tracks in a re-release of GaGa’s first album, The Fame, but since it was going to become an expensive combination, GaGa herself re-worked the project with her label and decided to release The Fame Monster as a separate album and created a deluxe version on which The Fame would be included, therefore making the re-release. The album was released separetely in selected countries. Music meanings
As explained by GaGa herself, the album songs deals with personal issues of her life and are expressed through a monster metaphor. “Bad Romance” is described as “fear of love monster”. Critical Reception
The album received overall positive critics, All Music Guide described it as fresh and innovative: ” The lead single is a powerhouse of dance waves and infectiously produced beats, but the album doesn’t always stand out as definitive, even though it’s consistently fresh and innovative.” and gave it 4 stars out of 5 stars. The Los Angeles Times says that the album shows GaGa’s creative ambitiom and her creative style: “Lady Gaga lives by the credo of “Go big or go home” — that goes for her wardrobe, her choruses and her sexual innuendo.(…)In her music videos and live shows over the past year, Gaga has worked hard to demonstrate her creative ambition and stylistic range, and that project continues on “The Fame Monster,” (…)Just dance? Maybe tomorrow. For now, Gaga wants to think too.” Rolling Stone gave it a 3 and half out of 5 stars, “She covers her conceptual bets by rolling out sturdy club-thumpers, and this eight-song EP (included in the reissue and sold separately) is largely on point.” PopMatters gave an average review about it, but they said this record proves Lady GaGa isn’t the one who will bring the same thing over and over: “When all is said and done, The Fame Monster isn’t going to win Lady Gaga any new converts, but it does prove something to her millions of fans: that she’s not complacent with doing the same thing over again.” Promotion
The promotion of “The Fame Monster” began when GaGa performed snippets of “Bad Romance” on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and then she appeared in several American and international shows. Later, The Monster Ball Tour was announced in support of the album. GaGa also appeared on CBS hit-show Gossip Girl and in the U.S.A. she performed on The Ellen Show, The Jay Leno Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and The 2009 American Music Awards. Tracklist
01. Bad Romance Singles
Bad Romance Bonus Tracks
*Includes tracks that may have been featured on re-releases and/or bonus tracks, as well as B-Sides. Chart Performance
The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart at #5 with 174,000 copies sold on the opening week and topped The U.S. Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums charts and The U.S. Billboard Digital Albums chart. In January 2010, The album was certified Gold by The Recording Industry Association Of American (RIAA) for selling more than 500,000 copies in the U.S.A., so far the album has sold a total of 650,000 copies in the United States.
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The Fame Monster (2009)
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