Lady GaGa: The Fame

Even the most die-hard Britney Spears fans have to take a break and spice up the workout music selection now and again, so I finally gave my poor overplayed Circus album a rest to try out Lady GaGa’s The Fame. While Lady GaGa was flying under my radar, I’m not sure how: She’s opened for the Pussycat Dolls and New Kids on the Block, and has written songs for those groups, as well as Britney herself. One of my favorite bonus tracks from Circus, “Quicksand,” was actually co-written by Lady GaGa herself. I had a feeling I’d like the LG album itself, and lo and behold, I did. Plus, she reminded me of Britney, Fergie and Gwen Stefani all rolled into one while still being original. How could it not be a killer workout mix?

The Track List: Lady GaGa, The Fame
1. Just Dance—If you’ve heard anything from GaGa, it’s probably this one since it hit the Billboard charts. The song is peppy and a perfect reminder of how fun it is to go out and get your dance groove on. The lyrics are also insanely catchy in parts, and the song overall is fully FBG-approved.

2. LoveGame—I really don’t want to get into symbolism or speculation, so I’m just going to ignore the whole “disco stick” portion of this song. This is another club-flavor dance song, with such fun lyrics that you’ll be repeating them long after you hear the song—appropriate or not. The fast tempo is perfect for an interval on the elliptical or a sprint during a run.

3. Paparazzi—While I thought the whole “paparazzi” topic would be a turnoff, the word is actually a euphemism for a stalker fan chasing a big star. Although it’s slower, it’s still such a unique sound with all the electronic effects coupled with a pretty chorus that it’s a great choice for a moderate-paced workout.

4. Poker Face—So far Lady GaGa is four of four, as far as I’m concerned. This song has such an interesting and fun juxtaposition of masculine rough-sounding vocals coupled with LG’s pretty vocals in the chorus. With a good beat and some surprisingly sassy lyrics, this one is great for any workout.

5. Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)—Not one of my favorites, but this one has a light, poppy very 80s feel to it, and I do love the “eh ehs” and how they emphasize that sound in other words. And “cherry cherry boom boom” is a great lyric for any song.

6. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich—Maybe the superficiality was just too much for me, but I just wasn’t a fan of this one. Some of it’s catchy especially whenever she says “money,” but I just couldn’t get behind it. At under three minutes, though, you don’t have to suffer for long.

7. The Fame—I expected to love this title track, but I just didn’t. It does have a good beat, but it just didn’t have the personality of the previous songs. The chorus picks up the pace, which is a great time to speed it up on the treadmill.

8. Money Honey—This one starts with the theme of the superficial, but when she starts talking about kisses instead of the “finer things” in life, she really turns it on. The chorus on this one is fab; watch for the rad pseudo-rhyming of kisses/mistress/delicious/pieces. It’s my fave. This is a good moderate-paced song, so use it for your recovery in an interval workout.

9. Starstruck—This one is quite electronic-sounding and is catchy, but it’s just not as infectious as my other faves on the album. It’s steady pace is perfect for a warm-up or strength work.

10. Boys Boys Boys—This one definitely reminded me of Gwen Stefani—and you won’t catch me complaining about that. This catchy tune had a fun innocence about it—minus the part about drinks in bars—with lyrics about making out with boys in the bleachers. It’s got a great beat to it and will remind you of being a teen (again, minus the bars part).

11. Paper Gangsta—I have no idea what this one reminds me of, but if you can tell me I’d love you forever. It’s got a slower pace, so it’s better for an easy runor for a strength workout. This song is okay, but I probably wouldn’t miss it if it went missing.

12. Brown Eyes—The one true ballad on the disc, this one has much more of a rock and roll vibe than all of the other dance floor hits. Definitely the cool-down song of the bunch.

13. I Like It Rough—This one definitely has a throwback 80s vibe to it, especially because it really reminds me of Somebody’s Watching Me. This one didn’t have the “it” factor for me, but would work for the elliptical.

14. Summerboy—This one didn’t win me over until the chorus, where it increases in tempo and interest. Unfortunately the chorus is followed by another lackluster verse, so while it’s not my fave, it does have a good beat and you could totally pick up your pace during the choruses for interval work.

Despite a few of the less exciting songs, this album is super fun and feisty, with great beats and an awesome dance-club feel to it. The lyrics and pace of the songs are unique and fresh and will give your workout mix a needed update. Feel free to check out my faves on iTunes or buy it on Amazon and tell us yours! —Erin

Photo grabbed from MNicoleM at Flickr.