The Fame Monster
by Lady Gaga
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 2137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,959 out of 2137
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 2137
  3. Negative: 135 out of 2137

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  1. DarkSTAR
    Dec 4, 2009
    6
    Lady Gaga infuses the synthpop magnetism that made "The Fame" such a hit with gothic inspired beats and darker themes. The result is a half-hearted attempt by Gaga to be an even more distraught poetic. While this new found allure works in some cases ("Telephone" "Dance in the Dark"), it mostly results in mediocrity. Gaga is still pretty weak when it comes to ballads and "Speeches" feels Lady Gaga infuses the synthpop magnetism that made "The Fame" such a hit with gothic inspired beats and darker themes. The result is a half-hearted attempt by Gaga to be an even more distraught poetic. While this new found allure works in some cases ("Telephone" "Dance in the Dark"), it mostly results in mediocrity. Gaga is still pretty weak when it comes to ballads and "Speeches" feels like a inadequate reach by the artist. Gaga is certainly not threading to new directions, but her dance-pop machinations are less flavorful than "The Fame" and more mechanical. Over all, while The Famous Monster intrigues, it doesn't reach up to it's monstrous intentions. ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: Telephone, Dance in the Dark The So-So: Bad Romance, Alejandro, Speechless, Teeth ALBUM DUDS: So Happy I Can Die, Monster.… Expand
  2. Cobweb
    Nov 19, 2010
    6
    Well, Lady Gaga achieved the titular Fame of her first album... now it's time for the obligatory album about how fame's not all it's cracked up to be. And while almost all of the songs are a superficial pleasure, the tragedy is just how much wasted talent there is. This is a woman who could be making intellectually as well as superficially satisfying albums- Dance in the Dark hints atWell, Lady Gaga achieved the titular Fame of her first album... now it's time for the obligatory album about how fame's not all it's cracked up to be. And while almost all of the songs are a superficial pleasure, the tragedy is just how much wasted talent there is. This is a woman who could be making intellectually as well as superficially satisfying albums- Dance in the Dark hints at this. But songs like "So Happy I Could Die" are truly disappointing, as there is really nothing of note about them aside from the chorus. Gaga is obviously desperate for lyrics- the entire album can be basically summed up as: SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX. The very worst song on the album is "Monster." She has a guy doing guest vocals to fawn over her and talk about how wonderful she is. It's really horrible.

    The very best song, on the other hand, is "Bad Romance." It's bombastic, catchy, and gothic. A lot of fun to listen to.

    Gaga has talent and quirkiness going for her, but it'll be a while before she makes an album with real depth. There is, of course, no denying that this album is fun to listen to, and that it's a lot better than anything by Katy Perry or Ke$ha. If we have to have some kind of commercialized pop, then The Fame Monster is better than most. In fact, it's quite possibly the best commercialized pop of the year.    … Expand
  3. ArtistsCry13
    Dec 8, 2010
    5
    I just reviewed The Fame, which is better in my opinion, this "album" isn't a step forward at all. The abrupt change in music style is too quick and too random at the time she released it. The album has way too little tracks, and most of the songs are depressing and I don't get how her voice went from clear and high, to low and raspy. It just doesn't make sense. and Teeth is the dumbestI just reviewed The Fame, which is better in my opinion, this "album" isn't a step forward at all. The abrupt change in music style is too quick and too random at the time she released it. The album has way too little tracks, and most of the songs are depressing and I don't get how her voice went from clear and high, to low and raspy. It just doesn't make sense. and Teeth is the dumbest song I ever heard. Okay, not the dumbest, but the third dumbest.

    Bad Romance - 7/10

    Alejandro - 7/10

    Monster - 5/10

    Speechless - 3/10 (ballads are her weak point)

    Dance In The Dark - 6/10 9makes her look like a satanist)

    Telephone - 9/10

    So Happy I Could Die - 8/10

    Teeth - 1/10 (It's really THAT bad!!!!)    … Expand
  4. Kaleido
    Sep 10, 2011
    5
    Better than "Born This Way", but still a nonsense album. "Speechless" is a great track, but "Alejandro", "Telephone" and "Teeth" seem to be jokes, not songs.
  5. JeremyGazitsang
    Mar 6, 2011
    4
    YUCK! the WHOLE EP has only 3 gd songs, Bad Romance, Monster And So Happy i could die... A big disappointment, but it's actually better than The Fame, too much about sex and is too creepy!
  6. fate23
    Sep 21, 2010
    5
    A little better then debut but we are still at a rather low level.
    A generic collection of pieces electropo and dance-pop that will last a season or two. no ambition, very little originality.
    Overrated and disposable.
  7. gemini0577
    Jun 15, 2011
    5
    This "supplementary" album only offers a few magical enhancements from her debut album but it has far to many misses to be a good album. "Alejandro" sounds like a bad Ace of Base track, "Telephone" is annoying, and "monster" attempts to be sexually assertive but kind of fizzles to unimpressiveness. Surely "Bad Romance" is a solid cut but I believe that song is upstaged by the gritty fun ofThis "supplementary" album only offers a few magical enhancements from her debut album but it has far to many misses to be a good album. "Alejandro" sounds like a bad Ace of Base track, "Telephone" is annoying, and "monster" attempts to be sexually assertive but kind of fizzles to unimpressiveness. Surely "Bad Romance" is a solid cut but I believe that song is upstaged by the gritty fun of "Teeth". Sure, she seems to have fun with this album but it is easy to see the early signs of her spiral from singer to attention seeker.… Expand
  8. LipeFireworks
    Feb 13, 2017
    6
    Bad Romance (8/10)
    Alejandro (5/10)
    Monster (6/10)
    Speechlees (7/10)
    Dance In The Dark (0/10)
    Telephone (7/10)
    So Happy I Could Die (10/10)
    Teeth (4/10)
  9. JhosepKingsley
    Jul 21, 2018
    5
    the purpose of a reissue is to improve something that was already done and although it is not a big difference with The Fame, definitely gaga redeemed and won a very high place in Pop and in our hearts.
  10. miguelcstb
    Nov 23, 2021
    6
    For the amount of success and acclaim this album has, I was expecting this album to be an amazing album, but it really isn't. After listening to it for the first time, I can say this album is overrated. I liked the singles, very much, and in my opinion, they're the best songs on this album, also, because the album tracks don't stand out, only a few do.

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2009
2
#2 Most Shared Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. The Boston Phoenix
    May 2, 2012
    88
    Not only does this new song cycle retain the Euro-tastic sheen of its predecessor, it outdoes it in sheer dance-floor whump.
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  2. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    91
    Only after being overwhelmed by the sheer visibility of her warp-speed relaunch did I realize how enjoyable and inescapable her hooks and snatches had turned out to be.
    Read full review
  3. Los Angeles Times
    75
    In her music videos and live shows over the past year, Gaga has worked hard to demonstrate her creative ambition and stylistic range, and that project continues on The Fame Monster.
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