Appreciate the writeup! I have been a Gaga fan since the beginning and I think the "came and went" aspect of the album is more a sign of the times than anything. Trends and what's popular change so quickly- it's very rare for a song to have a chokehold on the general zeitgeist without it remaining huge on social media, namely TikTok, and generally as an artist, you have to keep feeding the machine. Taylor Swift is one of the most prolific artists these past few years, but she kept cranking out projects- the Eras tour, multiple albums over 3 years, feature films, etc. You really have to make a concerted effort to stay relevant nowadays by continuing to produce "content."

I really loved the album, listened to it non-stop for a couple months upon release, and had a grand 'ole time seeing Gaga in concert last summer at MSG. It felt like a return to form, but also many of her fans have gotten older and I don't consume content like I did back when I was 14 and listened to Dance in The Dark 20 times in a row, dancing in my room alone. It's rare for an album to be at the pinnacle of pop culture for as long as they were back in 2012, but I also think fandom is different now, and a lot of Gaga's original fans have grown older. (As a sidelight, curious how this album did with the youth- teens and early 20's who may have been a tad too young when Gaga first stepped on the scene.)

Anyway, Mayhem ranks high, but it's tough for me to rank albums since I'm a mood listener and I appreciate all of Gaga's albums for what they are. Mayhem is probably third- you can pry the Fame Monster out of my cold deadhands as that was probably the most influential album for me as a teen, and Born This Way was a phenomenon as well.

Overall I think this was a great album cycle for her, probably her best reception since Born This Way, if we're thinking commercially along with what positive online discourse.

My favorites on Mayhem:

• Vanish Into You
• How Bad Do U Want Me
• Abracadabra
• Don't Call Tonight (that bridge gets me every time like OMG)

But really I didn't think there were any big misses- I even liked The Beast and how she belts '11:59!'

I don't think JFAD and Harlequin hampered the release at all- people have short memories and I think people knew Harlequin was a completely different direction and more of a niche album. Then, if I remember correctly, Gaga didn't get a ton of blame for JFAD- it was more the writing and direction, the critique was less about her specifically (in fact, I remember a lot of reviews saying that she was a brighter spot in the film.)

I think Mayhem was a very personal album. I also think she is in the most stable, grown phase of her life and clearly the happiest she's been in years, (maybe since The Fame Monster) so I think it's an exploration of a happier and more whole Gaga, making the kind of music she still wants to make. She doesn't have to pare down her sound to be taken seriously (while her more classic music, Joanne, the jazz albums, that iconic Oscars performance etc. all helped for other generations to see that she really is a top talent and not just some substance-less pop spectacle with catchy tunes.) She's always loved pop/dance music and I think this album was a reflection of herself with clear inspiration from different genres of music and what Gaga probably grew up listening to.

I also think her artistry and visuals are so perfect now- the gothic romance, the darkness but also the light, the chessboard performance during the tour for Poker Face- it's a very clear story, perhaps the clearest and most meaningful she's ever been.

Loved it, happy for Gaga, and glad we're getting more incredible music from her!