Lady Gaga fans all over the world were devastated on Sunday evening as the Grammy for Album of the Year went to Taylor Swift. Social networks lit up with postings from “Lady Gaga was robbed” to “Where is Kanye West when you need him?!” Swift, who does deserve credit for making her squeaky clean mark on the music industry in 2009, was, however, a surprise to many as the night’s big winner – up against what most would consider to be far more worthy musicians. Lady Gaga, in particular, deserved more recognition for her groundbreaking and record breaking contributions last year than she was awarded. So, as an ode to the individual that we feel should have gone home with the Grammy for Album of the Year for The Fame, here are the Fresh Ten Reasons We Love Lady Gaga (even if The Recording Academy doesn’t).
10. She is a true artist. Music is an art form but Lady Gaga’s 2009 MTV Video Music Awards performance to “Paparazzi” was art, come to life.
9. She breaks records. Gaga holds the Billboard record for having the most No. 1 pop songs from a debut album. With “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “LoveGame,” and “Paparazzi” she became the first artist in the 17-year history of Billboard’s Pop Songs chart to notch four No. 1s.
8. She quotes Rilke. An appreciation for the writings of poet Rainer Maria Rilke may be the only thing that Lady Gaga and the fictional character “Jessica Stein” (from Kissing Jessica Stein) have in common (well, other than bisexuality), but nevertheless, they were both onto something. Gaga has commented that the Bohemian-Austrian poet is her “favorite philosopher” and that his “philosophy of solitude” spoke to her. She has his quote: “In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?” tattooed on herself.
7. She’s a hard worker. She released The Fame in 2008 and The Fame Monster in 2009, has been consistently touring, has made countless appearances, and performed at every major music event/awards show. In 2009, everywhere you looked, Lady Gaga was there entertaining you.
6. She’s unique. In reference to her style, there are no words. The girl has clearly forged her own path in the fashion industry.
5. She ditched Kanye. Although Gaga has never publicly claimed that she cancelled her tour with Kanye West because of the way he treated Taylor Swift, it’s possible that she chose to distance herself from behavior like that and, if so, it was a wise and respectable move.
4. She’s funny. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery… so when Gaga dressed very similarly to Barbara Walters for their one-on-one interview, Walters should have felt honored. For those watching, however, it actually just seemed like a very clever joke.
3. She’s generous. She has been involved with LGBT advocacy work, joined forces with Bono to help combat AIDS, and has most recently signed on for the remake of “We Are the World” to benefit the earthquake survivors in Haiti.
2. She will make you dance. No matter what your style of music happens to be, in 2009 it would be hard to find a person who could honestly say that at some point they were not dancing to a Lady Gaga song. From “Just Dance,” to “Poker Face,” to “Bad Romance,” she had the dance floor covered.
1. She loves the gays. From the Human Rights Campaign’s “National Dinner” to the National Equality March in DC, Gaga has been continuously making appearances that show her support for the gay and lesbian community. She often attributes her success to her gay fans and very publicly stated, “It’s for God and for the gays!” when she won a Video Music Award.
