That video would have caused more problems for her career — especially down the line — than it would have helped. Absolutely the right call to scrap it.

I disagree, no one cared about cancellations in 2013/2014. She missed a #1 hit by scrapping the video for this song.

I disagree, no one cared about cancellations in 2013/2014. She missed a #1 hit by scrapping the video for this song.

Regardless of whether she'd have been cancelled back then or not, it would've come back to haunt her NOW and as I say so repetitively on here, Gaga is in the business for the long run not just short bursts of chart success. Tarnishing a reputation is bad, bad news for the long run!

 

What she could've done is re-shoot a DIFFERENT video, rather than having no video at all. That was definitely a missed opportunity at the time.

Regardless of whether she'd have been cancelled back then or not, it would've come back to haunt her NOW and as I say so repetitively on here, Gaga is in the business for the long run not just short bursts of chart success. Tarnishing a reputation is bad, bad news for the long run!

 

What she could've done is re-shoot a DIFFERENT video, rather than having no video at all. That was definitely a missed opportunity at the time.

I disagree, if she wanted to make the video that way, she shouldn't change her artistic vision by external pressure. She was going to delete the song's existence anyway years later so I think it's better to pretend to forget a #1 hit forever on the charts than delete a song that had the potential to hit #1 but was thwarted by having its video scrapped. What he's done in the past has nothing to do with Gaga or her music, so I don't see the point in mixing things up.

Very strong rumours about R Kelley have been around for YEARS, long before she worked with him. It's not JUST the fact she worked with him ... it's the topic of the song that she worked with him on. Not good optics.

*trigger warning for some readers - in spoiler tags*

 

The video supposedly

had her being raped in it didn't it

. I don't think that would've been something she'd have wanted to revisit in the future so maybe she got cold feet and refused to progress further with it rather than "pressure from others". I guess we'll never know.

Wasn't R Kelley's line, "when you wake up, you're going to be pregnant?" Set around an operating table, and there are stills of that. Hard pass on that video.

Yeah exactly :( We don't need that for the sake of charting 2 places higher on the Hot 100 ~

Yeah, we didn't need that. Even just a dancing video, or a video explicitly about the press, would have done.

I don't think she would be "r****" in that video, the song is called "Do What You Want", it's clearly consensual, very different from what he did in real life. Her art has nothing to do with the crimes he actually committed.

From some of the stills that leaked the aesthetics looked good for it. Very white / hospital lab type vibe with newspaper cuttings everywhere or decorating the walls. I'm thinking Taylor's Reputation artwork vibes!

They could have done a comedy-style plastic surgery video; with each surgery she looks more and more ludicrous.

Yeah exactly :( We don't need that for the sake of charting 2 places higher on the Hot 100 ~

Two places higher? :unsure: This song would definitely hit #1, that's not even debatable. It reached #7 on pop radio (without a video). Gaga would only appear again in the Top 10 on pop radio only SIX YEARS later with Rain On Me (influenced by Ariana) at #10. Pop radio really said: give us the video and we'll put you on top again and she just said no.

 

Pop radio really dropped her for not releasing that video, and once you're dropped by pop radio, it's OVER for you and that’s why they didn't even play Shallow. I swear to you that no one outside the stan world gave a damn about R. Kelly's case, Gaga paid for something she didn't do, and part of that is due to the sexist society that always finds a way to blame women for men's mistakes. Gaga is also to blame for having the worst team in the music industry and also for caring too much about what the worst haters and worst fans have to say.

I have done some research. Here are the climbs that the following singles made on the week + week after their videos were released in the US:

 

Telephone: 14-12-11 (+2, +1)

Alejandro: 6-6-7 (+0, -1)

 

The Edge of Glory: 8-7-6 (+1, +1)

You & I: *made a re-entry* at 96

Marry the Night: *made a re-entry* at 97

 

I am genuinely curious as to how you think Do What U Want's video would have DEFINITELY 100% made it a #1 when there is no evidence to suggest that the music videos for singles previous made any sort of dent that way? I can probably do the same for the UK and there would be similarly climbs of ~2 positions there..

 

Singles not included here had music videos on the week of release or thereabouts.

Maybe they could've got someone like Miguel instead of R Kelly to feature on it?

Thinking about this, what a GREAT suggestion. His songs are largely sexy af and I think his vocals would really go with Gaga's / the pulsating R&B vibes of DWUW. Love this idea!

Make it a double album (Act 1 and Act 2).

 

Joint first singles: Jewels N Drugs (Act 1) and I Wanna Be With You (Act 2)

 

No other singles.

 

There, you have it

 

Wait, now I want threads on how not to manage eras and see what awful things people come up with lmao

 

Jewels N' Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort & Twista)

Swine

Dope

Fashion! (feat. RuPaul)

 

what a singles run~

Regardless of whether she'd have been cancelled back then or not, it would've come back to haunt her NOW and as I say so repetitively on here, Gaga is in the business for the long run not just short bursts of chart success. Tarnishing a reputation is bad, bad news for the long run!

 

What she could've done is re-shoot a DIFFERENT video, rather than having no video at all. That was definitely a missed opportunity at the time.

 

This.

 

The second half of her career has been a masterclass in building goodwill and enjoying the success that comes with that.

I was dead serious with the double album though. She should release one some day.

I was dead serious with the double album though. She should release one some day.

 

A visual album would be my dream — you know she has it in her

Wait, now I want threads on how not to manage eras and see what awful things people come up with lmao

 

Jewels N' Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort & Twista)

Swine

Dope

Fashion! (feat. RuPaul)

 

what a singles run~

Dope is incredible :coffee:

 

Omg at Fashion with RuPaul (+ the other choices)... don't remind me of *that* performance :drama:

 

YES let's do "How would you NOT manage... *this* era" after these are all done, omg imagine!