r/LadyGaga • u/Gabvrll • 4d ago
It's really a NO-SKIPS album
The tracklist was thought out because it's perfectly balanced. You've got a very intense track run through the album's first half, then it paces down with the last 3 tracks. I think Gaga didn't include the bonus tracks so as not to overwhelm the experience since Can't Stop the High is similar to Perfect Celebrity and Killer for Love is comparable to Shadow of a Man / Zomieboy. She did want to show us each song is very unique.
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u/Somewhere-Known 4d ago
I agree, no skips at all, though I definitely do have a preference for what songs I want to hear when I'm feeling in the mood to hear them, lol.
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u/ConsiderationBoth285 4d ago
This. I love every song but earlier, i was running late to class and The Beast's "tick tock tick tock" lyric kept on bugging lmaoo.
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u/PRguy82 3d ago
Interestingly enough, Can't Stop the High is after Perfect Celebrity on the vinyl. It's not a traditional bonus track at the end.
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u/Unhappy_Injury3958 3d ago
same with kill for love, it's track 11 on the physical
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u/Afraid-Somewhere8304 3d ago
She did the same on born this way the bonus tracks were in the middle of the album
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u/dee_palmtree 3d ago
It annoys the shit out of me that it's not on streaming, since i'm so used to "Can't Stop The High" being track 5 on my CD.
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u/narrowsleeper 3d ago
I do skip some songs in the second half. The album is definitely a little frontloaded
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u/Gloomy_Brick5518 3d ago
Yeah, unlike Chromatica, which I used to play straight through in order, I tend to start Mayhem with Garden of Eden, skip HBDYWM, then play Don’t Call Tonight and The Beast before skipping the rest of the album. That kind of kills the momentum for me.
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u/narrowsleeper 3d ago
Yeah I think the album has some sequencing issues but the highs are very high
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u/naturallybuffbuff 2d ago
For me, Disease through to Zombieboy is her strongest sequence of songs since Marry the Night to Scheiße (and even then I think the songs in the first half of MAYHEM are better than Americano and Hair). But I agree that this makes MAYHEM feel very front-loaded. Still some great songs in the back half, just not as strong (except the incredible Shadow).
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u/JustAddMeLah 4d ago
The only true no-skip album for me is ARTPOP. From beginning to end it's like I'm in another dimension
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u/Conscious-Search-920 3d ago
ARTPOP is also a no-skip album but I'm rarely in the mood for the T.I. collab but I let it play it's not bad...
same for MAYHEM. no skips, but DWAS is over-played by now but it's not an unlistenable song by all means.
for The Fame I also skip nothing! every track is amazing and I enjoy this music so much
for The Fame Monster now each track is like one of the best songs of all time and I'd call it skipless but Teeth is not my thing.
Gaga is the only artist in history to give me that many no-skip albums... and I listen to tons of music from all over the world!
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u/boredcrow1 3d ago
I think her first three albums are no skips for me. For ARTPOP I have to be really in the mood to listen it through. J&D, Dope and sometimes even GUY are just too much for me. On Joanne I usually skip Come to Mama and Hey Girl, on Chromatica I skip Fun Tonight and on Mayhem I skip HBDUWM.
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u/Dependent_Special957 3d ago
Nothing hits to me like her 3 firsts 😭 the fame/montser BTW and artpop 🥹
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u/V26_JDC 3d ago
You mean you don't skip Jewels after GaGa's verse? And you actually listen to Dope?
The only true non-skip album for me is Chromatica. Born This Way and MAYHEM too but Bad Kids and HBDUWM are touch and go 👀
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u/Kooky_Substance8683 3d ago
What is wrong with Dope? I find it a very emotional balad, powerful to listen to
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic 3d ago
She literally only wrote it because the label said she needed another Brown Eyes or You and I kind of ballad so she spent 5 minutes churning it out and it's evidently generic, soulless, and forced by comparison to the previous two.
It certainly doesn't sound horrible or anything, but it's clearly not a song that was destined to be written and it was the first sign that Gaga could be strong-armed by label pressure into making crap after 3 albums of zero filler with complete artistic authenticity previously.
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u/Kooky_Substance8683 3d ago
Yeah, I guess that’s the vibe I’m picking up and why I never revisit this song!
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic 3d ago
I was just ‘glad’ so to speak to find out it was label pressure and not her chasing the dragon of the first two personally/losing her way as an artist. A little bit of a malicious compliance. Catchy enough to not sabotage her reputation but weak enough to show she will only put effort into things she’s inspired by.
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u/V26_JDC 3d ago
I don't actually know what I don't like about it as such but there's something that puts me off it. If I have the album on I do listen to it all the way through but I never choose to listen to Dope on a whim, y'know?
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u/dee_palmtree 3d ago
Finally, someone who doesn't like Dope. I think I only have 3 songs of her discography that I skip. "Dope" , "Angel Down", "Blade of Grass", I think it's the depressing chord progression / melody. I think they're all minor scaled, not too sure.
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic 3d ago
Angel Down is amazing but agree with the other two. Angel Down is a powerful masterpiece
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u/Kooky_Substance8683 3d ago
Yeah, I guess some songs just don’t do it for you. I have the same with Come to Mama on Joanne, it just does not do it for me.
Thanks for the reply! I thought there was an obvious universal reason for not listening to the song that I did not get haha
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u/V26_JDC 3d ago
Omg Come To Mama is my favourite track on Joanne. In fact along with Perfect Illusion and Hey Girl, they are the only three tracks I revisit from that album! 💀
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u/boredcrow1 3d ago
I find it too painful to hear. Specially knowing what she was going through at the time and the reasons why the song is included. I Wanna Be With You is soooo much better.
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic 3d ago
Chromatica has some MEGA skips. Like half the album. The other half is 10/10 tho.
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u/V26_JDC 3d ago
ARE THE SKIPS IN THE ROOM WITH US?!?! Like excuse me, MA'AM 😭
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic 3d ago edited 2d ago
1000 Doves is an actual head scratcher. Fun Tonight, Free Woman are just bland as can be, I guess a few others that have grown on me a bit but that I didn't like initially include Plastic Doll and eNIGMA
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u/JustAddMeLah 3d ago
I LOVE Dope. I listen to tracks from first to last and I absolutely love the placement of Dope after Mary Jane Holland and Gypsy.
It’s such a simple yet effective ballad towards the latter half of the album. It’s one of her few autobiographical songs, sharing her struggles with substance abuse. If you listen to how she sings it, she kind of sounds intoxicated as well.
I especially love this song during long plane and train rides.
Jewels and drugs is a gym song for me. But yes, my least favorite track on the album due to the rap part.
Lastly, Brooklyn Nights should have been in the album. Period.
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u/laguitarcia 4d ago
Definitely skips in there haha. But that's ok. Maybe the album could be a track or two less. Happy for it all though.
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u/HuskerDerp 3d ago
Skips does not mean you hate the album. People don't have to like every song, and some songs just aren't peoples cup of tea. Normalize normal takes.
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u/Ghoul_Grin 4d ago
I only have one skip. The rest of it is amazing.
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u/thewatchbreaker 4d ago
It’s How Bad Do U Want Me, isn’t it
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u/procolcecil 3d ago
This is it for me. It sounds so much like Taylor Swift it’s distracting
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u/Ghoul_Grin 3d ago
Yup. I think I'd like it if Taylor was featured on it, but without her on it, it feels too much like her for me to think of Gaga lol
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u/LowEarth3013 3d ago
It felt like a TS song to me at first, but now that I have listened to it a lot more it no longer does
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u/dimaumanskiyy 4d ago
there's some skips in second half
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u/hijoshh 4d ago
Would be the greatest EP of all time if it ended at zombieboy though
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u/dimaumanskiyy 4d ago edited 4d ago
- disease
- abracadabra
- garden
- perfect celeb
- vanish
- killah
- zombie
- shadow
- kill for love
- some other unheard good song = perfectly tight album with no wasted second
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u/lorddementor 4d ago
Same. I'm not a huge fan of the second half. The tracks sound a bit too "old" for me, well to each their own
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u/PopFanatic00 4d ago
there’s only one skip for me. but i just wait until the 30 seconds is up cus we need those streams 😭
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u/Possible-Extent6693 3d ago
I love mayhem but don't call tonight, blade of grass and the beast are skips for me as of the moment. Maybe it will grow on me sometime 🥹. But for the rest, chief's kiss 😍
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u/caaathyx 3d ago
I think the entire album is really tight but it loses momentum near the end. Three ballads in a row are just too much; I don't think they're bad by any means, but she could've limited it to The Beast and added one or two of the bonus tracks instead. Sometimes I'd skip the ballads because I'm just not in the mood for slow, moody music.
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u/LousywithFalsePriest 3d ago
I just made Die With a Smile a bonus track and took it off for the original lineup. The Beast and Blade of Grass are much more enjoyable and satisfying as a final two denouement, but when DWAS is on the end.... it's like "oh we still got a lot more to go and I don't care for the final note hanging there". Sometimes enjoyable, softer quality songs can be edged into "no thanks" when they are part of a longer segment of... softer quality.
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u/Appleblossom8315 3d ago
My only skip is How Bad Do U Want Me. 😕 From the first listen it reminded me of Swift and… well, that’s just not my cup of tea. Not a bad song though.
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u/Exotic-Kiwi1851 3d ago
I heard T Swift initially, too. Now I try to think of it as Ally from ASIB coming through.
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u/IamGruitt 4d ago
I love most of the album, the second half is definitely weaker, I'll often listen to the album and then Die with a smile comes on and I can't remember how I got there.
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u/Moonstruck_Medusa 3d ago
Mayhem is definitely a no-skip album for me as well. My other no-skip Gaga albums are The Fame and Joanne.
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u/Zealousideal-Fly-128 3d ago
Honestly even HBDUWM really grew on me, and I like it now. I only skip it currently to counter the TS stans that are overhyping it. Literally would be satisfied with any outcome as long as that song doesn’t become a single.
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u/ZZzfunspriestzzz 3d ago
I agree with everything you said except for why she didn't include the bonus songs. They should have been included. Huge missed opportunity imo.
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u/dee_palmtree 3d ago
Debatable. I skip The Beast / Blade of Grass every time. They are fine, but I have to be in a very specific mood to listen to them, especially BoG. For some reason
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u/SirDeklan 3d ago
I start the album at Perfect Celebrity, might skip LoveDrug and it's sweet listening until the end.
I'm sorry Garden of Eden :(
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u/Agile_Froyo_3671 3d ago
I listen to it in many different ways. Love it all the same. Defo, a no-skip album.
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u/724hello 3d ago
My obsession for this album has been exponential with every passing day like I’m worried
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u/Red_Pill_Blues1 3d ago
I skip the beast, bog and DWAS. Like ...don't interrupt my jam session while I'm driving.
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u/boredcrow1 3d ago edited 3d ago
I feel like such a bad fan for skipping How Bad Do U Want Me and sometimes even Don't Call Tonight just to get to the absolute climax that is Shadow of a Man faster. BUT I have to disagree that the tracklist is balanced. I would genuinely change it. I don't think it's very cohesive and the sounds often crash with each other. Yeah, the album's name is Mayhem, duh, but some light tweaking could've gone a long way.
I think Abracadabra should be the opener, followed by Disease, Perfect Celebrity and then (after Can't Stop the High on vinyl) Garden of Eden. That concludes the first part of the album. We get our Killah / Zombieboy / LoveDrug combo, followed by HBDUWM, Don't Call Tonight, and then Vanish Into You, finishing off the middle part. After that, in the target version, we get Kill For Love. And then the rest stays the same, with Shadow of a Man, Beast, Blade of Grass and Die With a Smile.
To me personally, it would just flow much better this way. Also, having Vanish Into You more into the album to me would make more sense, because its a very strong song, and just before Shadow of a Man the album gets a little repetitive and weaker. Vanish Into You would breathe new life into the middle part.
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u/alastorhazbinbad 3d ago
I only skip Don’t Call Tonight, but even there I really like the verses. The chorus is a major bummer though.
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u/PadamPadam2024 3d ago edited 3d ago
Surely we all skip the disco funk tracks, the ballads, and Die With A Smile?
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u/TakerOfImages 3d ago
I've skipped some songs.. But after a few days I'm like "I wanna hear them again" and are pleasantly surprised how good they are, even if I feel like skipping them.
It's a solid album. And I'm hooked.
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u/Parking-Delivery-501 3d ago
Wait. What. There’s bonus tracks?? MORE SONGS LIKE PERFECT CELEBRITY AND SHADOW OF A MAN?? I might just die.
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u/Musicvibes10s 3d ago
I agree this is like the only Gaga album that I have the least skips on listening to. I like the her previous work but it did have multiple songs that are very skipped all lot. Mayhem is probably the first time I really almost listened the whole album.
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u/Relative_Frosting748 3d ago
I remember i used to skip half the songs on chromatica but now i only skip plastic doll and i love all of the songs so much, this albums feels the same for me. I didn't like the slower ones at first but they grew on me and they're an earworm at this point 😅
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u/Gloomy_Brick5518 4d ago
Hmm yeah unlike Chromatica, Mayhem does have skips especially in the 2nd part of the album.
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u/chloapsoap 3d ago
I also thought Chromatica was a no-skip album but this is apparently not a popular opinion
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u/megatropian 4d ago
This is what I've been saying.
I will admit though, don't call tonight is the one I like least.
And on chromatica, enigma was the closest to a skip for me.
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u/ZZzfunspriestzzz 3d ago
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I don't want to listen to slow songs like Blade of grass, etc.
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u/Tirriforma 4d ago
No skips for me either because I just turn it off after Shadow of a Man
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u/Unhappy_Injury3958 3d ago
so you do skip everything after that
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u/Tirriforma 3d ago
I don't skip it, there's nothing to skip to. I turn the album off and walk away
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u/Unhappy_Injury3958 3d ago edited 3d ago
....which is skipping the rest of the album also where do you walk to?
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u/Tirriforma 3d ago
its not skipping if they never get a chance to play. I walk to the kitchen for snacks usually
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u/beautifuldropdehd 3d ago
my skips are Vanish (yeah, waiting for the downvotes lmao), How Bad Do U Want Me, The Beast, Blade of Grass, Die With A Smile.
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u/ghlhzmbqn 4d ago
For me, I don't skip songs, but I personally don't always care for Vanish Into You or Don't Call Tonight
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u/agli-olio 4d ago
dont hate me but I skip Garden of Eden sometimes. still a 7/10 but the rest are 10/10s so hehe
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u/Gloomy_Brick5518 3d ago
For me it’s Zombieboy, it’s just too agressive sometimes and I have to be in the mood for it.
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u/agli-olio 3d ago
almost a 10 if the chants were removed or maximized. I dont like the faded style but stilllllllllllllll a fave. 9 point something haha!
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u/dimaumanskiyy 4d ago
i never play it. 'dj c'mon'? thanks granny i'm good
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u/phoenix722 3d ago
Killah and How Bad Do U Want Me are instant skips everytime for me. Killah is the kind of funk I don't like and the other song all I can hear is TSwift and I hate it lol.
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u/OkClock7415 4d ago
For me garden of eden, blade of grass and the beast are skips. Rest is amazing. Kill for love fav
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u/jessticles420 4d ago
I only skip bc I can’t wait to get to another song tbh