Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame’ Turns 5: Stan & Deliver

Name: Raj Rudolph (EQ Music) | Location: London, UK | Twitter: @eqmusicblog

7. The Fame: In the height of electro-pop in 2008, Lady Gaga most certainly embodied a phoenix from the flames for me in a world a mediocre Top 40. There was something about her innocent confidence and a real coolness about her quest for “The Fame” that ignited an instant connection straight into my psyche. Perhaps it was the oversized shoulder pads, the fierce, iconic strap-on keytars and her rebellious bravado wielding her disco stick that struck instant fascination, but nevertheless, Gaga was the IT girl, moulding a whole new generation of young listeners who would finally appreciate performance art in pop. With the effortlessly cool Cherry Cherry Boom Boom (Martin Kierszenbaum) producing the funky guitar-laden title track “The Fame” as a thematic song in her debut era, Gaga’s journey to the top was unprecedented in the rapid fire boom of social media.

I can’t even imagine the challenge Lady Gaga has had to get to the top since she released “The Fame.” I bet the creative and emotional journey wasn’t as easy as it looks. No doubt, she’s had to sacrifice a lot of herself to get “The Fame” she sang about in the early days. But one thing is most certain; Lady Gaga is an artist of amazing technical calibre, a showgirl extraordinaire and a natural born leader. With Lady Gaga skyrocketing to the pillar of “The Fame” and making this song her reality, a lot now rests on those XL shoulder pads. The inherent world of celebrity that comes with “The Fame” she achieved may cause me to raise the odd disapproving eyebrow from time-to-time, but I was and still am proud to have witnessed (and blogged about) the humble beginnings of Stefani Germanotta. Every time I hear the guitar and maracas intro to “The Fame”, those tiny hairs still go erect on the back of my neck.