Chromatica by Lady Gaga

  Media Mondays is a place for all things media.  From social media to news media, music, movies, and art we will cover everything concerning creativity and communication.

Photo found HERE 

You have to be careful when you say you are a Lady Gaga Fan. Like, this "lady" wore a meat dress one time, right?  She has been the champion of rebellion and out there fashion.  What most people dismiss because they can't get past the not so normal fashion and different that is Lady Gaga is the fact that she is mega talented.  She is a master of the piano, can play the guitar(and probably lots of other instruments), and has also written most of her own music. And if you haven't seen how she dances while preforming, you are seriously missing out.   Basically, she is a super genius and like most people who are geniuses, they may seem a bit weird, but who decides what normal and weird are anyway?

     Lady Gaga is an advocate for all things different.  She has not always been Lady Gaga, she was born Stefani Germanotta in New York just shy of 35 years ago.  She began playing music very young, learning piano at the age of 4 and she hasn't stopped creating and playing music since.  She studied music briefly at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.  The persona of Lady Gaga was created to escape reality and to create one hell of a show.  If you were to run into her on the street, you may just not recognize her.  In a documentary I watched about her, she drove past a school and said something along time lines of: they probably don't even recognize me driving past, I'm just a crazy old lady to them.  

Lady Gaga at VMA Awards 2020
Photo found HERE

Gaga's first album was released in 2007 and she has released a total of six studio albums.  The most recent was released earlier this year and I have been obsessed with Chromatica since I first discovered it(I had missed the release train by about two months).  I have always liked her music, yet I haven't always loved every bit of it.  But, on this album I do not skip any of the tracks.  Gaga has said that Chromatica is like a three act play, divided by instrumentals, and that each part is a different stage of her healing process as she has overcome mental illness and a sexual assult of the past. The inspiration for the name of this website actually came from  "Alice" on the album, but my favorite song lately has been "1000 Doves."

    Chromatica took about two and a half years of collaboration and work to produce.  Gaga said in the Apple Music interview that she hopes to one day "dance with people to this music...and dance through all the pain." This record is for us, her fans, just as much as it was a healing project for her.  She also said the album is a way for us all to "connect from afar."

Here is a little tour of Chromatica through my favorite lines of each song:

Chromatica I

1.  "Alice"

"My name isn't Alice

But I'll keep looking, I'll keep looking for Wonderland...

Set me free...

Could you pull me out of this alive?...

Where's my body? I'm stuck in my mind"

    Here, Gaga is speaking of being stuck in her mind.  She is stuck within her mind and feels her body is lost.  She isn't Alice but she desperately wants to find wonderland: a place of safety and freedom.

2. "Stupid Love"

"You're the one that I've been waiting for

Gotta quit this cryin',

Nobody's gonna heal me, if I don't open the door

Kinda hard to believe, gotta have faith in me"

The opening to this song seems to have some dual meaning.  Sure, it could be a romantic love that you open yourself up to and that love can heal you, but it also mentions the fact that the door must be opened and the faith has to be in oneself.  Maybe here, self-love is the love that has been waited on.  Before you can heal from something traumatic you must let the negative thoughts go and love yourself in order to heal.  We all could use some of that "stupid love," and faith in ourselves, no?

3. "Rain on Me"

"I'd rather be dry, but at least I'm alive

Rain on me"

    In her Apple Music interview, Gaga said that dry could have a few meanings.  Dry could mean dry from the tears that have frequently been shed.  It also could reference the alcohol she used to cope for so long.  Sure, you would rather be dry, but at least you are alive and surviving.  And let the tears fall, bring it: "Rain on Me!"

    And another line that I love is: Hands up to the sky, I'll be your galaxy, I'm about to fly, Rain on me, tsunami"  I just love the poetic beauty of that part.

4.  "Free Woman"

"I'm not nothing without a steady hand (I'm a free woman)
I'm not nothing unless I know I can (I'm a free woman)
I'm still something if I don't got a man
I'm a free woman"

    The whole idea here is being a free woman.  Having a steady hand, check.  Know you can, check.  And realizing you are something even if you don't have a man, check.  That makes you a free woman.  

5.  "Fun Tonight"

"What happens now
I'm not okay
And if I scream, you walk away
When I'm sad, you just wanna play
I've had enough
Why do I stay?"

    This song is pretty autobiographical and about a former relationship Gaga had.  He loved the paparazzi and she felt like a prisoner because of the fame at times.  Apparently, this guy couldn't handle the real part of Lady Gaga( or shall we say Stephani G?) and he isn't around anymore.

Chromatica II

6.  911

"Turning up emotional faders

Keep repeating self-hating phrases
I have heard enough of these voices
Almost like I have no choice
This is biological stasis
My mood's shifting too manic places
Wish I laughed and kept the good friendships
Watch life, here I go again...

My biggest enemy is me
Ever since day one
Pop a 911
Then pop another one"

    This track is all about mental illness.  I love the opening and the rhythm and poetry of it.  Then how hard it is to admit that sometimes we are our own worst enemy.  And for some people, pills are needed to help, just like 911 helps in an emergency.  Brilliant song.  I love the rawness and the honesty.

7. "Plastic Doll"

"Don't play with me, it just hurts me

I'm bouncing off the walls
No-no-no, I'm not your plastic doll...

Am I your type?"

    Dating is not cool sometimes.  I. Do. Not. Miss. It.  Sometimes there were games and I did feel like I was a plastic doll, just like all the other dolls, or at least trying to be like the rest of the dolls.  The game eventually either went on or ended with "Am I your type?", if not then on to the next doll in a box.

8.  "Sour Candy"

"I'm hard on the outside

But if you give me time

Then I could make time for your love

I'm hard on the outside

But if you see inside, inside, inside"

    Sometimes we are sweet, sometimes we are sour.  The outside of us can be sour and sassy, but if given time to show it, sweetness can prevail.  Reminds me of a lot of the people on this planet, sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for the gooey sweet soft middle to show.

9. "Enigma"

"We could be lovers, even just tonight

We could be anything you want
We could be jokers, brought to the daylight
We could break all of our stigma
I-I'll be your enigma, even just tonight"

    Reality needs imagination and play at times.  The idea of just having one night to be anything you want is cool, no? And the word enigma is super cool: mysterious, puzzling; sometimes we need a little mystery.

10.  "Replay"

"I don't, I don't, I don't
I don't know what to do, you don't know what to say
The scars on my mind are on replay, r-replay
The monster inside you is torturing me
The scars on my mind are on replay, r-replay-ay-ay"

    How often do the scars we carry get stuck on replay.  There are monsters all around and we just get stuck.  Another part of the song says: "Every single day, Yeah, I dig a grave, Then I sit inside it wondering if I'll behave."  These replays can feel so binding, like the grave and we often dig that grave ourselves as we dwell on past scars.

Chromatica III

11. "Sine From Above"

"I heard one sine from above
I heard one sine from above
Then the signal split in two
The sound created stars like me and you
Before there was up, there was silence
I heard one sine
And it healed my heart, heard a sine"

    In a few of the interviews I have watched where Lady Gaga explains this song, she mentions how sine has to do with music.  When we hear sound it actually is these sine waves that are regular and can be graphed.  Music is math, which is great news for all nerds.  And music heals hearts.  Music can be the best therapy we can have.  So listen away!  Yay Science!

12.  "1000 Doves"

"Lift me up, give me a start

'Cause I've been flying with some broken arms
Lift me up, just a small notch
And I'll be flying like a thousand doves"

    When we have pain, we feel completely broken inside.  The symbolism here is awesome.  We cannot lift ourselves when we are broken and trying to fly with broken arms.  Somebody lifting us gives us just the notch we need to be flying like 1000 doves!  Another line I love is: "I cry more than I ever say."  It is hard to be vulnerable while we are hurting and admit to how much we really do shed tears.  We worry somebody will judge us like in the first few lines of the song: "I need you to listen to me, please believe me, I'm completely lonely, please don't judge me."  There is a stigma of weakness around crying and loneliness that we all need to get over.  True healing is found within tears and within support.  It is also science.  Our tears contain toxins and stress hormones that we release through the emotion of crying.  Yay Science, again!

    Gaga said of this song on her Apple Music Gaga Radio show: "I used to skip it every time I listened to the album and it was because it made me too sad," and that she thought "it's one of the saddest vocals on the record."  I can feel that sadness but this track has really been the most powerfully healing song for me of late!

13. "Babylon"

"We only have the weekend

You can serve it to me, ancient city style
We can party like it's B.C.
With a pretty 16th-century smile"

    This song has a early Gaga sound and it references ancient history.  I think this album was a process  Stefani Germanotta had to go through in order to get back to herself and to process things. "Babylon" is like original Gaga that hasn't been around as much the past few albums.

     I'm so glad she put this process to music to share with us.  I have turned to certain songs in hard times and it has brought healing tears.  

    Some may still think Lady Gaga is different and that is wonderful, we sure need different people in this world to be creators and healers.  I am honored to be a Lady Gaga fan.  Stefani Germanotta, you are wonderful just the way you are and keep doing what you do to make this planet a little more bearable, kind and fun! I cannot wait to one day dance to all this music with you.  Anybody hear Vegas calling?  I sure do.

Flash Me Back...Friendship

  Flashback Friday is a place for all things reminiscence.  Flashbacks can be personal recollections or they can also be looks back to the “Good Old Days” of our collective past.

    

    Do you know Marla?  She is one of my dearest and oldest friends(no she isn't old, but she has been around a long time.)  You really should ask Marla about how we met, because I forget everything, but I think it was in one of our classes at John Muir Middle School in Wausau, Wisconsin.  I was a geek and said ridiculous things.  Marla was more cool but laughed at my ridiculous sayings.

    Marla has been one of my favorite traveling pals for many years.  The picture above is from a road trip we took to California.  Road trips have been a staple in our friendship.  Marla would often fly out to visit me in Utah and then we would drive to Wisconsin.  We had so much fun it should be illegal.

    Time with Marla is always easy and fun.  We can talk about so many things and have often been known to stay up until the wee hours of the morning laughing and chatting.  Even if we haven't seen each other in a very long time, it is like we have never been separated. 

    Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our wonderful adventures:

Here is Marla sledding in the middle of the night on one of our Christmas-time adventures in Wisconsin.

Taking in a Milwaukee Brewer game.

And a Green Bay Packer game!

Walking across The Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Hiking to the Arch in Southern Utah.

Exploring Bryce Canyon in Utah.

    Since Covid has hit, traveling is out of the question, but as soon as this crazy time is over, Marla and I are planning another adventure, aren’t we Marla?

And for the time being, I am just going to sit here and smile as I think about how wonderful a life-long friendship truly is.  And I am going to publicly thank Marla for having my back and making me laugh for over 25 years.  Cheers to us! (and thank heavens I couldn’t find any real old pics of us!)

Quench Your Thirst

  Thirsty-Thursdays are a place to talk all things thirst. Thirst can be actual, physical thirst and direct us to the subject of tasty drinks, but it can also drive us toward a mental thirst, the thirst for information.

So. Thirst. You probably think about drinking something when you have thirst. But today, I just wanted to talk a little bit about what we all seem to be thirsting for lately.

Christmas was good. It had us focused on tradition and celebration. And then we took the decorations down. My sister said this past weekend that she was taking down their Christmas tree, and she was sad.

We were looking forward to Christmas for months. In the midst of pandemic isolation, it was something to look forward to. I think in life, the biggest need, or thirst we have is to look forward to things.

So, right now, what I am thirsty for is something to look forward to. I want things to go to and things to do. And guess what? I am making a pact right here and now to start planning little adventures. A date with my husband. A girls night out. The next writing group. Summer adventures. It's time to start looking forward.

I am not much of a planner, but I need to make plans these days. So...I am doing just that. Hockey, end of January with a few friends from work. Bowling or axe throwing with my husband, I must call a babysitter. The next writing group is already on the calendar for the second week of February.

What are you thirsty for? What do you need to look forward to? If you aren't making plans, do it now. You will thank me later; I am certain of it.

One Thing You May Not Know About Me...2nd (The Political Crossdressing)Edition.

 Writing Wednesday is a place for me to write whatever I want to write.  

Hi. I stumbled upon this post earlier this week and thought, seeing it is Writing Wednesday time, I would do another similar post.  

And then, I didn't plan the exact subject for this post, and then today our country's capitol is all up in craziness, so I am all sorts of out of sorts.

Image found here: https://fortune.com/2019/10/29/most-popular-halloween-costumes-masks-2019-trump-jfk-celebrities/

    I do not by any means like to be political.  I really just want all the people to shut up and get over everything.  Can we just at least have that? Agree with some, disagree with others and peacefully move on?  In the craziness that is this 100% weird and confusing pandemic life, can we get some peace, some rest.  Can we pull out a white flag and wave it and declare a truce?  That would be nice.

    So, the thing you may not know about me is that I am an unaffiliated voter. See, I used to be ultra Democrat and as the world has kept spinning and in some ways become more and more liberal in so many ways, I got stuck in the middle.  I wouldn't label myself 100% conservative, but compared to the party that I used to affiliate with, I am much more conservative than their platform seems to be of late.

    (This is the judgy paragraph so if you are sensitive to that kind of thing, scroll to the next paragraph!) Because of my experience in the middle, I really have a bad taste in my mouth towards both extremes of our political spectrum.  I think that some people are way out there too liberal, and others are way out there too conservative.  I think it is silly that we get stuck as a label.  We are either a Democrat or a Republican.  And then we sit here and complain about there only being bipartisan politics.  See, we have pigeonholed ourselves into this idea that a two party system is horrible and yet, we cling to one side or the other and have to stay there for some unknown reason.  The problem here is that we don't have a middle ground.  There isn't a "safe space" to agree with some on the left and some on the right. We have to be exactly one or there must be something wrong with us.  Instead of truth, we seek whatever fits our perception and agenda instead of looking at both sides.  We cannot even sit down with relatives and have a human conversation about in and outs, good and bad of both sides.  Nope, it's just me and my people are right; you and your people are wrong. It's just plain asinine. With a polar approach like this we can never work together on solutions.  We cannot hear the good ideas of others because we label all of those people over there on the other side as stupid and having only have bad ideas. 

    I have even been called a "political crossdresser" for pointing out the fact that I don't think you should be able to walk in to vote and just click a box to vote for just one party.  See, again, here is that dangerous space that makes us not be able to think at all.  When I vote, I research each person running.  I get a feel for their ideas and background.  I try to feel in my conscious who would be the best person for the job.  I look past the label of party and look to leadership and character.  I think about what they can bring to the office and what is needed in the open position.  I have voted for almost all parties(except communist and socialist.  I do draw a little line in the sand).  I think being an informed voter is our responsibility rather than being a party voter, so sue me.

    Overall though, I really just want to be a good human.  I want to try to treat people as kind as I am able to treat them.  I am doing my best, and I think we all can do better.   I miss the days when we would just calm down and let the election go when it was over and not cry like little babies.  And if you think I am referring to just this past election you are quite wrong.  Sure, I am tired of this endless banter about corrupt elections(even if I do believe there is lots of fishiness that did happen this past election) but I was also tired of the rants of "Not my president" the last four years.  We, all of us on any side, can and need to do better.  Unite.  Division is the enemy and the enemy is certainly raging. We are Americans, that is the only label I am okay with.  

    Well, so there a little tidbit about me.  (Okay, maybe a little of a rant too, but it was very therapeutic to write it.) Feel free to chime in on the discussion, but remember that there is nobody in all of this who is 100% right 100% of the time.  Humans are humans, people.  

Peace.  Love.  Hamburgers.

Alice out!