EARTHPOP

A Earthy Take on Lady Gaga's ARTPOP

On ARTPOP, the moment, the album, the song, a performance, and a rewrite

On ARTPOP, the moment

ARTPOP is Lady Gaga's third studio album released in 2013. In recent weeks, the album’s risen back to the frontal lobe of pop consciousness thanks to eager little monsters (myself included) petitioning for a release of a B-side. For additional background reading, might I suggest this excellent papermag article from Rose Dommu, In Defense of Lady Gaga's 'ARTPOP'

On “ARTPOP,” the song

All of this has brought me back to several (SEVERAL) re-listens. To the whole album — which is standout; but also the title track “ARTPOP.” As an anthem of anthems, the song is Gaga’s answer to the common question she gets “WTF does this mean?” Gaga’s response?

“My ARTPOP could mean anything.”

Blending artistic diction (“the melody/color palette you choose”) with commercialization language (“could profit you” “could try to sell you out” “not the bling”) against a hypnotic techno-fusion soundscape, Gaga’s ARTPOP shows and tells you how it could mean anything (Genius.com Lyrics). Cycling through imagery and command statements, Gaga gives us how she— and we— manifests pop poetry as chart-toppers.

On ARTPOP, a performance

I’ve had several enlightening moments listening/dancing/studying the whole album, but I never forget when I first saw this video. Gaga is known to impress new and elevated meanings onto tracks with out-of-this-world visuals, and even as a live performance this one more than delivered:

The layers to the lyrics and their meaning literally pop-off with animated artistry, giving us different fusions of art and pop, uplifting each stage of the song. Starting with blending the awesome piano and gruff Elton John vocals, the song begins feeling like a mantra on camp inspiration, mentorship, and legacy beget in the dimension of Art. But Gaga is never just one thing. My head really blew off after the bridge into the third chorus, where The Muppets (another obvious symbol of pop culture), join the fun, folding over another layer of ART+POP into the performance. I remember cackling watching this, hearing Gaga sing “I just love the music not the bling” understanding this was performed in a holiday television special as both a promotional vehicle for the album AND a gift of her art performed to the world. Again, ARTPOP.

I hesitate sharing such grandiose rejoinders, but with my own mission to fuse climate action and culture, I’ve rewritten my own parody ARTPOP to honor the original. You could say it’s inspired by Earth Day, but really it’s just me wanting to reflect the fusion of a living Earth and our culture every day, a consciousness for a thriving world — an ethos indigenous cultures have lead for long before I woke up to more sustainable ways. “EARTHPOP.” When asked “WTF does this mean?” Our response?

“Our EARTHPOP could mean everything”

EARTHPOP, the rewrite

EARTHPOP

Come to me, in all your horror and beauty
Through everything that you do
I'll grow with you

Over time, sometimes the slowest move is right
The power system you choose, can structure you

Our climate can't withstand these things
Your heart can beat with sun and winds
Our EARTHPOP could mean everything

We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP

Come to me, with all your nuance and alchemy
Through everything that you do
To restore and renew

Over skies, or owning beaches for public right
The environment that we choose, enlivens you

Our climate can't withstand these things
My heart can beat with sun and winds
Our EARTHPOP could mean everything
Could try to do something or I
Could melt all the season fried
Our EARTHPOP could mean everything

We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP

Stares down the abyss won't help us save ourselves
In the future but EARTHPOP could mean everything, everything
I work to clean our grid but I am really laughing
Because I just want the livable future, just everything
A future, just everything

We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP

We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
We could, we could be strong together (EARTHPOP)
EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP, EARTHPOP

The beat of our future won’t stop
Free our culture, EARTHPOP.