title: David Bowie (1969 album)

text: "David Bowie" was first released on CD by RCA in 1984. In keeping with the 1970 Mercury release and the 1972 RCA reissue, "Don't Sit Down" remained missing. The German (for the European market) and Japanese (for the US market) masters were sourced from different tapes and not identical for each region. In 1990, the album was reissued by Rykodisc/EMI with "Don't Sit Down" included as an independent song and three bonus tracks. It was issued again in 1999 by EMI/Virgin, without bonus tracks but with 24-bit digitally remastered sound and again including a separately listed "Don't Sit Down". These early CD releases used the "Space Oddity" album name.


title: David Bowie (1969 album)

text: In 2009, the album was released by EMI/Virgin, under its original "David Bowie" title, as a remastered 2-CD special edition, with a second bonus disc compilation of unreleased demos, stereo versions, previously released B-sides, and BBC Radio session tracks. "Don't Sit Down" reverted to its status as a hidden track. The 2009 remaster became available on vinyl for the first time in June 2020, in a picture disc release (with artwork based on the 1972 RCA reissue). In 2015, the album was remastered for the "Five Years (1969–1973)" box set. It was released in CD, vinyl and digital formats, both as part of this compilation and separately.


title: David Bowie (1969 album)

text: In 2019, "David Bowie" was remixed and remastered by Visconti, and released, with the "Space Oddity" title, in the CD boxed set "Conversation Piece", and separately in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. The new version of the album added the outtake "Conversation Piece" to the regular sequencing of the album for the first time, while omitting "Don't Sit Down".


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: USS "Ronald Reagan" (CVN-76) is a , nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was built at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, and was commissioned on 12 July 2003.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" made five deployments to the Pacific and Middle East between 2006 and 2011 while based at Naval Air Station North Island. In October 2015, "Ronald Reagan" replaced as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, the only forward-based carrier strike group home-ported at Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the United States Seventh Fleet. Since 2016, "Ronald Reagan" has embarked on short annual summer patrols of the Western Pacific in the United States Seventh Fleet area of operation.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The contract to build "Ronald Reagan" was awarded to Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, on 8 December 1994, and her keel was laid down on 12 February 1998. The budget for the ship had to be increased several times, and ultimately $4.5 billion was spent on her construction. This included a redesigned ship island. "Ronald Reagan" was christened by Reagan's wife Nancy on 4 March 2001 at Newport News Shipbuilding, the crew moved aboard on 30 October 2002, and the ship was commissioned on 12 July 2003 at Naval Station Norfolk, with Captain J. W. Goodwin in command.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: Vice President Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney were both present at the ceremony, as well as Nancy Reagan, who gave the ship's crew the traditional first order as an active unit of the Navy: "Man the ship and bring her to life." "Ronald Reagan" made her maiden voyage on 21 July 2003. President Reagan, who did not attend either the launch or the commissioning due to Alzheimer's disease, died 11 months later. At the end of the graveside services, the ship's commanding officer at that time, Captain James Symonds, presented the flag that draped the former president's casket to Mrs. Reagan at her request. This was also the flag that had flown over Capitol Hill on 20 January 1981, when the president was inaugurated. At a later date, Captain Symonds also presented Mrs. Reagan the flag that had been flying over "Ronald Reagan" when the former president died.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" is the first aircraft carrier and the first nuclear-powered warship, of any type, to be named in honor of a living former president. Unlike most of the other men honored by inclusion in this group, Reagan was not associated with the United States Navy, apart from his term as Commander-in-Chief, though one of his key initiatives in office was the 600-ship Navy program.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The design of "Ronald Reagan"s seal was created entirely by her plankowner crew with historical assistance provided by staff members at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library foundation. The red border that rings the ship's seal is similar to the distinctive red rim that defines the White House china designed for the Reagans during their White House years. Four gold stars represent Reagan's 40th presidency and his four pillars of freedom: individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. "Peace through Strength" was a recurring theme of Reagan's life in public service. The aircraft carrier is positioned by the West Coast, representing Reagan's two terms as governor of California and the ship's homeport in the Pacific Fleet. The three aircraft with their patriotic contrails symbolize the three major military operations Reagan directed during his presidency: Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada/1983), Operation El Dorado Canyon (Libya/1986), and Operation Praying Mantis (Iran/1988). The view of the globe signifies Reagan's vision of global democracy, and the center is the United States, representing the country's national pride. Colors of red, white, and blue dominate the seal, reflecting the American flag.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 8 May 2004, following a five-month post-shakedown availability, "Ronald Reagan" received her second flight deck certification encompassing all flight operations, including aircraft launch and recovery, safety, crash and salvage, fuel certifications, and training. "Ronald Reagan" then began transit from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, through the Strait of Magellan to her new homeport of Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, with Captain James A. Symonds in command.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: Carrier Air Wing Eleven, normally assigned to , embarked only 25% of its total strength for the transit. The squadrons making the transit were VFA-14 and VFA-41 flying the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, VAW-117 flying the E-2C Hawkeye 2000, HS-6 flying the SH-60F Seahawk, and VRC-30 flying the C-2A Greyhound. The ship visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 5 June 2004, and during the first evening after arrival, the ship's namesake, Reagan, died. A ceremony in his honor was held onboard later that evening, soon after the US national anthem was publicly played. After leaving Rio, "Ronald Reagan" transited the Strait of Magellan on 20–21 June and subsequently made port visits to Valparaíso, Chile, and Callao, Peru, before arriving in San Diego on 23 July 2004. From 1 October 2004, "Ronald Reagan" was assigned to Carrier Strike Group Fifteen.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan", now with Terry B. Kraft in command, departed San Diego on 4 January 2006, on her maiden deployment to conduct naval operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as to conduct maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. On 28 January 2006, an F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter attempting landing aboard "Ronald Reagan" crashed into the ship's flight deck about southeast of Brisbane, Queensland. The aircraft struck the ramp missing the third cable, and skidded overboard. The pilot ejected safely, but the aircraft was lost. While in the port of Brisbane, the carrier's main condensers became clogged with of jellyfish, causing problems to the main MMRs and hindering cooling to the main reactors. The ship entered the Persian Gulf on 22 February 2006, and returned from deployment on 6 July 2006.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" and her Carrier Strike Group (CSG) departed North Island, Coronado in San Diego on 27 January 2007 on an unscheduled surge deployment to the Western Pacific, fulfilling the role of the forward deployed carrier while she underwent maintenance in Japan. On 20 April 2007, "Ronald Reagan" and her CSG returned to Coronado. The "surge deployment" was part of the Navy's Fleet Response Plan, which provides the US with the ability to respond to any global commitment with flexible and sustainable forces and the ability to rapidly respond to a range of situations on short notice.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: In January 2007, it was announced that "Ronald Reagan" had earned the 2006 Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific Carrier Battle Efficiency "E" award for the West Coast, the first Battle "E" ever for the carrier.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" returned to Naval Air Station North Island on 20 April 2007, following the three-month deployment in support of operations in the Western Pacific.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 15 December 2007, the carrier answered a distress call from a cruise ship off the coast of Baja California. An SH-60 helicopter airlifted an Illinois teenager whose appendix had ruptured while on a Mexican cruise to "Ronald Reagan", aboard which the ship's surgeon performed an emergency appendectomy.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 25 September 2008, "Ronald Reagan" played host to the Grammy award-winning rock band Creed, while underway in the Gulf of Oman. Over 1500 members of the ship's crew crowded the flight deck to watch the band perform.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan", with CVW-14 embarked, departed San Diego on 19 May 2008, for a scheduled 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet deployment.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The "Ronald Reagan" CSG performed humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Philippines on 24 June 2008 after that country was devastated by Typhoon Fengshen, killing hundreds from the central island regions and the main island of Luzon. The typhoon also capsized the passenger ferry MV "Princess of the Stars". Working in support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, "Ronald Reagan" and her escorts of CSG 7 focused their efforts on the island of Panay in the Central Visayas. For eight days, SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and C-2A Greyhound aircraft of the "Ronald Reagan" CSG helped deliver more than of rice, fresh water, and other supplies to areas of Panay, which were not reachable by truck due to flooded roads. The mission in Panay earned the entire strike group the Navy's Humanitarian Service Medal.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The CSG arrived in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area on 28 August 2008, where she launched more than 1,150 sorties into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. "Ronald Reagan" returned to San Diego on 25 November 2008.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" received word in February 2009 that the ship had won her second Battle Efficiency Award.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 28 May 2009, "Ronald Reagan" deployed with Carrier Air Wing 14 to the 7th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility. "Ronald Reagan" relieved the CSG and launched her first sorties in support of OEF on 6 July. "Ronald Reagan" returned to homeport on 21 October after a five-month deployment.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: In early 2010, "Ronald Reagan" was awarded the 2009 Chief of Naval Operations Afloat Safety "S" Award, and the 2009 Pacific Fleet Battle "E" for combat efficiency. The Battle "E" award was "Ronald Reagan"s second consecutive and third in four years.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 19 May 2010, Norfolk Naval Shipyard completed the six-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) maintenance cycle on "Ronald Reagan". This PIA project came in under budget, and it marked both Norfolk Naval Shipyard's largest off-site availability, as well as the largest public-sector work package ever performed on an aircraft carrier berthed at Naval Air Station North Island located near Coronado, California. During the maintenance period, "Ronald Reagan" received technological upgrades that prepared her for her next deployment and subsequent operations. Refurbishments included high-tech combat systems and firefighting equipment to improved ship's laundry services and living spaces. This PIA maintenance project was an example of the 'One Shipyard' concept wherein the US Navy mobilizes its work force across its various shipyards to better meet fleet readiness requirements and to stabilize a vital workforce base for the US defense industry. While Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) was the project lead, significant work was done by its partners: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS), Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SRMC), and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB). During peak manning, about 1,400 worked the project on a daily basis. This included rough 625 NNSY personnel, 165 PSNS employees, and 600 from SWRMC/NGSB.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 18 May 2010, "Ronald Reagan" departed Naval Air Station North Island for sea trials. This was the final phase of the PIA, and it was conducted to assess the carriers material readiness to return to the operational fleet. "Ronald Reagan" pulled into Naval Air Station North Island on 19 May 2010 after completing her two-day sea trial, marking the official end to the ship's six-month PIA maintenance period.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 2 June 2010, "Ronald Reagan", with Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) embarked, departed Naval Air Station North Island to conduct flight deck certifications. Embarked squadrons included: Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 4 (HS-4), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323), Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147), Strike Fighter Squadron 146 (VFA-146), Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113 (VAW-113) and Fleet Logistics Squadron 30 (VRC-30). The certification included a full evaluation of the arresting gear, steam catapults, and flight-deck personnel. "Ronald Reagan"s air department was assessed on the ability to maintain a fully operational flight deck and respond to simulated mishaps.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: During the summer of 2010, "Ronald Reagan" participated in Exercise RIMPAC, departed from Naval Air Station North Island, California, for a Board of Inspection and Survey assessment on 25 August 2010, and departed her homeport to conduct routine operations off the coast of southern California in preparation for her 2011 Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment. In November 2010, the ship provided emergency supplies and assistance to passengers stranded in the Pacific Ocean aboard the cruise ship , which had lost power due to an engine fire.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The ship departed for an Asian deployment on 2 February 2011. On 11 March 2011, "Ronald Reagan" was in the Korean peninsula region for a long-planned exercise off Korea, but was redirected towards Japan to provide support after the massive 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The ship, stationed off Sendai, served as a refueling station for Japanese coast guard and military helicopters on relief missions in the area. US Navy helicopters also flew relief missions from the carrier.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 13 March 2011, the ship measured 0.6 mR/hr direct gamma shine from clouds 130 miles (≈210 km) from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Members of the crew blamed their cancers on the event.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 14 March 2011, the ship was forced to relocate to avoid a radioactive plume from the Fukushima I nuclear accidents which had contaminated 17 crew members of three helicopter crews. On 23 March, "Ronald Reagan"s crew performed radiation decontamination by scrubbing down any surface that could have been contaminated, including the island superstructure and flight deck, to remove any potential radiation hazards. On 4 April 2011, Japan's minister of defense, Toshimi Kitazawa, accompanied by US ambassador to Japan John Roos, visited the ship to thank the crew for their assistance as part of Operation Tomodachi. Said Kitazawa, "I have never been more encouraged by and proud of the fact that the United States is our ally." The ship returned to San Diego on 8 September 2011. In January 2011, the Navy announced that the aircraft carrier would be transferred to the Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard in Bremerton, Washington, for scheduled repair and maintenance beginning January 2012.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 10 January 2012, "Ronald Reagan"s official home port was changed to Bremerton, Washington, where she stayed for a little over a year until returning to her home port of San Diego on 21 March 2013. For the sailors being relocated, the Navy had many of their vehicles transported on the deck of the ship as a cost-saving measure.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 14 January 2014, the Navy announced that "Ronald Reagan" would replace her sister ship as the Seventh Fleet forward deployed carrier at Yokosuka, Japan in 2015.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: In 2015 "Ronald Reagan" replaced "George Washington" as the US Navy's only forward deployed aircraft carrier. In August, after a short patrol in the Pacific, "George Washington" docked in Naval Base San Diego alongside "Ronald Reagan". A hull swap occurred over ten days, in which the crews assigned to each carrier switched ships. This was done to minimize the number of sailors who would need to move between San Diego to Japan due to the change in homeports of the two carriers. "Ronald Reagan" effectively took her new place as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5 and Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5). On 1 October 2015, she arrived in her newest home port, Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture. CVW-5 was based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, which is also located in Kanagawa Prefecture. The ship was open for the public to tour on 12 October.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: "Ronald Reagan" departed for her annual patrol of the Western Pacific on 15 October. On 29 October two Russian Tupolev Tu-142 bombers flew within one mile of the ship at low altitude. Four F/A-18 Super Hornets were scrambled in response. The ship conducted fleet exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Republic of Korea Navy. During a fleet review with the JMSDF, the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe visited the ship. The ship returned to Yokosuka on 3 December.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 4 June 2016, "Ronald Reagan" departed Yokosuka, and was deployed with CSG 5 to the South China Sea before an international tribunal released its decision regarding a China and Philippines conflict. The ship returned after a 53-day cruise for a midcruise break and conducted Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) inspections designed to ensure the ship lasts for a full 50-year lifespan. She temporarily left port due to Typhoon Lionrock. After completing INSURV, she returned to sea on 3 September. The ship then participated in Exercise Valiant Shield 2016 before making a port call at Guam, and participating in Invincible Spirit, a joint exercise with South Korean forces in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. "Ronald Reagan" returned to Yokosuka on 21 November.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: From 10 January, the ship began a period of Selected Restricted Availability with a focus on part of the ship including the flight deck, hangar bays, and general living spaces. On 19 April the ship was visited by Vice President Mike Pence. On 7 May, the ship put to sea for sea trials before her annual patrol. Following a short period of sea trials, "Ronald Reagan" returned to port, then left again on her annual cruise on 16 May, to relieve her sister ship , which had been deployed near North Korea in light of political tensions.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: She visited Singapore in June and then sailed to Australia where she participated in Exercise Talisman Saber with Australian and other forces in July. She then made a port visit to Brisbane before returning to Japan on 9 August. On 8 September she departed Yokosuka again to conduct patrols off Korea after the North Korean missile launch over Japan and nuclear test. On 2 October the ship visited Hong Kong. She then participated in drills with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force off Okinawa. After that, "Ronald Reagan" participated in drills off the Korean peninsula with the South Korean Navy. After the drills, she made a port visit at Busan in South Korea.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 29 October, "Ronald Reagan" scrambled an undisclosed number of Super Hornets to intercept two Russian Tu-95MS bombers on a Tokyo Express flight near Japan that were heading towards the carrier. The Russian bombers were accompanied by their own Su-35S escort fighters. During their flights the bombers were also intercepted by F-2, F-4 and F-15 fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. In November destroyers assigned to "Ronald Reagan" conducted exercises with the Indian Navy after which the Indian Navy ships and a Japan Self-Defense Forces destroyer conducted exercises with "Ronald Reagan".


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: Later in November the vessel conducted drills with two other US aircraft carriers, and . It was the first time in a decade that three US carrier strike groups had operated together in Asia. They were also joined by the Japanese helicopter destroyer "Ise" and the guided missile destroyers "Inazuma" and "Makinami". After working with the Japanese warships the carrier groups conducted drills with seven South Korean vessels, including two Aegis-equipped destroyers. The drills were timed to coincide with the Asian tour of US President Donald Trump amid tensions with North Korea.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 22 November, a C-2A Greyhound cargo plane of VRC-30 with 11 crew and passengers aboard crashed into the Philippine Sea 145 km northwest of Okinotorishima while flying from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to the carrier. It was the first C-2 loss since 2005, and the first fatal crash since 1973. Eight of the 11 were rescued. "Ronald Reagan" returned to Yokosuka on 4 December.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: From 17 May "Ronald Reagan" conducted sea trials, and on 28 May 2018 she departed on her regular patrol of the Pacific. Her departure was several weeks late. The delay was caused by a "material issue" that required repairs discovered during the sea trials. Field Carrier Landing Practice for aircrew on Iwo Jima were also delayed. After patrolling through the disputed South China Sea, the ship visited the Philippines for the first time, and stayed for four days.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: From 7 to 16 June the carrier participated in the Malabar 2018 exercise with Japan and India near Guam. "Ronald Reagan" returned to Yokosuka on 24 July. On 27 July along with other vessels she left port again to avoid Typhoon Jongdari, returning on 30 July. She left port again ahead of a typhoon on 7 August. On 31 August 2018, the carrier conducted training with the , of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 21 November 2018, the ship visited Hong Kong. The ship backfitted the existing AN/SPS-48E three-dimensional (3D), air search radar with the AN/SPS-48G.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 24 August 2019, "Ronald Reagan" returned to Yokosuka Naval Base, after a very short patrol of the western Pacific. The vessel made two stops over the deployment. First at Brisbane, Australia, to join in the Talisman Sabre 2019 war games off Australia's east coast, then at Manila, Philippines for a brief port visit. The ship also participated in several exercises at sea with partner nations, most recently with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: The coronavirus pandemic was reported to have spread to "Ronald Reagan" when the first two cases were reported on 27 March 2020. The positive cases forced the closure of the naval base outside Tokyo where the carrier is based, with all personnel on base told to stay indoors for 48 hours.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 5 July 2020, the "Ronald Reagan" Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the South China Sea along with .


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 26 June 2021, "Ronald Reagan" was deployed to the Middle East to help with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: In late May 2022, "Ronald Reagan" was relieved by at Sasebo, Japan. "Ronald Reagan" led Carrier Strike Group 5 into the Philippine Sea.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 4 August 2022, United States National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that "Ronald Reagan" had been ordered to remain in the vicinity of Taiwan in response to missile launches conducted by China, which in turn were a response to Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. On 19 August 2022, "Ronald Reagan" returned to her home port of Yokosuka, Japan.


title: USS Ronald Reagan

text: On 12 September 2022, "Ronald Reagan" departed Yokosuka for the second leg of her regional patrol. "Ronald Reagan" arrived at Busan, South Korea for a scheduled port visit on 23 September 2022. This was the first time in four years that a US Navy aircraft carrier had visited South Korea.


title: Artpop

text: Artpop (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second effort, "Born This Way". Work continued until 2013 while Gaga was traveling for her Born This Way Ball tour and recovering from surgery for an injury she had sustained while touring. Gaga described "Artpop" as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey". It displays an intentional "lack of maturity and responsibility" by comparison to the darker and anthemic nature of "Born This Way".


title: Artpop

text: Gaga collaborated with various producers on the record, including DJ White Shadow, Zedd, and Madeon. Musically, "Artpop" is an EDM and synth-pop album, with influences from R&B, techno, industrial, and dubstep, among other genres. The themes of the album revolve around Gaga's personal views of fame, sex and self-empowerment; references include Greek and Roman mythology. It also features guest vocals from T.I., Too Short, Twista, and R. Kelly. In 2019, as a reaction to the documentary "Surviving R. Kelly", Kelly's featured song, "Do What U Want", was removed from all streaming and online versions and new vinyl and CD pressings of the album.


title: Artpop

text: The release of "Artpop" was prefaced by a two-day album release party dubbed ArtRave. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics, although it was included in several year-end lists by critics and publications. It debuted atop on the US "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 258,000 copies, becoming Gaga's second consecutive number one record in the country. It also topped the charts in Austria, Croatia, Japan, Mexico, Scotland, and the United Kingdom, while charting within the top five in many countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), "Artpop" was the ninth global best-selling album of 2013 with 2.3 million copies worldwide. Despite this, the album was considered by some as a commercial failure compared to Gaga's previous albums.


title: Artpop

text: "Applause" was released as the lead single from "Artpop" on August 12, 2013, and was a critical and commercial success, charting within the top ten in more than 20 countries worldwide, peaking at number four on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in the United States. The second single, "Do What U Want", was made available on October 21, reaching number 13 in the US. It was followed by promotional singles "Venus" and "Dope" shortly before the album's release. "G.U.Y." was the third and last single released from the album. Gaga promoted "Artpop" with several television appearances and performances, including her second Thanksgiving Day special. After a short residency at Roseland Ballroom, she embarked on her fourth headlining concert tour, .


title: Artpop

text: Development of "Artpop" began shortly after the release of Lady Gaga's second studio album "Born This Way" (2011), and by the following year, its concepts were "beginning to flourish" as Gaga collaborated with producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow. Initial recording sessions for "Artpop" coincided with the Born This Way Ball tour (2012–2013), with up to 50 songs sketched out and considered for inclusion. By May 2012, the project was taking definite form, with co-manager Vincent Herbert promising "insane, great records" within its craft. Gaga said that she yearned to make audiences have "a really good time" with "Artpop", engineering the album to mirror "a night at the club". "When you listen to it, it really flows nicely. It's really fun to pop in with your friends. I really wrote it for me and my friends to pop in from start to finish", she said in a 2013 interview for MTV. Meanwhile, Gaga began presenting tracks to her record company and hoped to reveal the album's working title by September, a revelation that instead was announced one month in advance. The artist later claimed that "Artpop" was her first "real" effort that emulated a "phoenix rising from the ashes", reflecting her heightened confidence in writing material for the album compared to her previous efforts.


title: Artpop

text: Gaga recruited Jeff Koons into the project in early 2013, with the two having previously met at a Metropolitan Museum of Art fashion event three years earlier, where Gaga provided a live performance. According to Koons, she "just kind of grabbed ahold of me and gave me a big hug around my waist " and replied, "You know, Jeff, I've been such a fan of yours, and when I was a kid just hanging out in Central Park I would talk to my friends about your work." Following her hip surgery in February 2013, Gaga was forced into a six-month hiatus, during which she studied literature and music with her creative team, the Haus of Gaga in addition to sharing "creative gifts". This stage allowed her to review and enhance her creative direction, which she admitted to be a meticulous "gazing process". "I have to gaze into the work for long periods of time for it to be good," adding that upon analyzing her ideas, she received "that wonderful feeling" which told her "that's the one".


title: Artpop

text: Gaga described "Artpop" as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey" that displayed a "lack of maturity and responsibility", contrary to the dark, anthemic nature of "Born This Way". In an August 2013 interview, she told "V" magazine that she underwent a "cosmetic experience with words" as she examined potential names for the project. "Popart" was initially favored and taken into consideration, but as Gaga questioned "the cultural implication of the words" and the title's evolution post-release, she soon found a "nice ring" to "Artpop". With "Artpop", Gaga attempts to inject vulnerability into her work; she also cited Pierrot and Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" (c. 1484–1486) painting as an influence. Gaga admitted to being increasingly self-conscious at the apex of the "Born This Way" era, and when asked about the decision to refine her image, she responded:


title: Artpop

text: The album's themes primarily revolve around fame, sex, and empowerment, whilst briefly exploring gender roles and marijuana. References include Greek and Roman mythology, and classic jazz and electronic musician Sun Ra. Spencer Kornhaber from "The Atlantic" saw "Artpop" as an "attention-freak's manifesto", and interpreted the record's exploration into carnal desire as a facet of the broader idea of "owning up to one's own desire for attention". "London Evening Standard" John Aizlewood suggested that songs such as "Do What U Want" and "Dope" highlighted Gaga's "curiously submissive" tendencies as a lyricist. Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" commented that "Artpop" "naturally abides" to her "far-reaching ambition" to "re-think the 'pop album' as an entity", while "USA Today" Jerry Shiver observed the lyrics to foretell "the exploits of an empowered, sexy siren who wrestles with fame", something he expected from Gaga. John Pareles from "The New York Times" argued that, with "Artpop", Gaga reasserted "her need for the love of her audience and announced her new pivot to align herself with the [visual] art world".


title: Artpop

text: Gaga composed and produced all the songs on the album, and worked together with DJ White Shadow, Zedd, and Madeon, among other producers. White Shadow told MTV that Gaga texted him less than a week after the release of her previous album, "Born This Way", telling him that she already "had the name and the general concept for the record". In his interview with "Rolling Stone", he later talked more about their working process: "I was just trying to make something that pushed people's way of thinking a little bit... something a little off from the norm to get people thinking about possibilities. ...[Gaga] wrote this album as we were traveling around the world for the last two years, and we wrote so many songs together." He also recalled that on one occasion, they stayed up for around 20 hours to finish a song, adding: "We never work on one song and finish it and move on. They all get worked on in rotation until literally the day we have to turn it into Interscope."


title: Artpop

text: Gaga had been touring with Zedd during her Born This Way Ball tour. Zedd had previously done a remix of her 2011 single "Marry the Night" and worked on her remix album, "", while Gaga had contributed vocals on an alternate version of Zedd's track, "Stache". Zedd told MTV News that they "both love nothing more than making music, so it was just kind of natural for us to just work on music." He later talked about finding it difficult to complete the project due to their busy schedules and that their work progressed mainly while being on the road during the tour. For French DJ Madeon, this was his first experience collaborating with a vocalist face-to-face, while adding that he "always wanted to work with pop artists and my #1 on my list was Lady Gaga. So when I had the opportunity to do that, I was really thrilled." Gaga praised Madeon's production skills saying, "He is so amazing. He has such an understanding of music at such a young age. He reminds me of myself so much. He's obsessed, so obsessed with music." Madeon also talked about how Gaga did not spare any free time for the song's recording and would usually start the sessions after the Born This Way Ball show performances were over. "Artpop" marks the first time she worked with will.i.am, on the track "Fashion!", with Gaga saying that they had been trying to work together for years, but they are both very "picky" and they had been waiting for the right song and the "right groove" to collaborate.


title: Artpop

text: In mid-2013, Gaga contacted rappers T.I., Too Short, and Twista to record a song, later revealed to be "Jewels n' Drugs". During an interview with MTV, they confirmed that they recorded their verses separately, mainly due to the tight schedule of the four. Twista further explained that Gaga wanted to "put a vibe of certain artists together" in order to "capture the essence" of what she wanted to do with the song. Gaga also worked with rapper Azealia Banks on two songs, titled "Red Flame" and "Ratchet", but the tracks remained unreleased as their collaboration ended in a dispute. DJ White Shadow explained to the "Chicago Tribune" that while he was working on "Do What U Want" with Gaga during the European leg of the Born This Way Ball tour, he came up with the idea of bringing Gaga and R. Kelly together for the song, saying that it "seemed logical" to him to put "two writing/singing geniuses on one track". Kelly told "Billboard" that he enjoyed the song recording process thanks to Gaga's professionalism. At a press conference in Japan in 2013, Gaga was asked why she worked together with Kelly, but she defended the collaboration, saying: "R. Kelly and I have sometimes had very untrue things written about us, so in a way this was a bond between us." However, after the airing of the documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly", in January 2019, which detailed sexual abuse allegations against Kelly, Gaga issued an apology for working with him. She said that her thinking was "explicitly twisted" and that she had "poor judgement" at that time. The song was subsequently removed from all digital versions, and new vinyl and CD pressings of "Artpop".


title: Artpop

text: Critical commentary has noted "Artpop" as an EDM and synth-pop album. It was further described as "coherently channeling R&B, techno, disco, and rock music" by "Billboard". Its electronic landscape was initially tailored for "Born This Way" before Gaga and Fernando Garibay opted for a rock-influenced sound. Sal Cinquemani from "Slant Magazine" claimed Gaga "continues to be a student" of Madonna as she mirrors "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005) and "Holiday" (1983) with songs such as "Applause" and "Fashion!", and further saw "Artpop" as a pastiche of Gaga's previous efforts. Adam Markovitz, writing for "Entertainment Weekly", echoed this thought, writing that "most of the songs here would fit right in" with "The Fame" (2008) and "Born This Way". Mof Gimmers from "The Quietus" noticed a "tremendous juggernaut of pop" within the album's frame, while Helen Brown of "The Daily Telegraph" quipped "it's like wandering drunk around a vast, labyrinthine club, and peering into a disorienting series of darkened rooms in which she tries on various musical genres as if they were hats" in reference to the album's busy soundscape. Ben Kelly from "Attitude" described "Artpop" as a "relentless odyssey of electronic sounds" pierced by "strong melodic refrains". Aizlewood of the "London Evening Standard" said it was built to inspire "hair-waving, body-shaking routines at stadium shows", pinpointing "stentorian keyboards, clattering electro-percussion and thumping backbeats" as the bedrock of the album's production.


title: Artpop

text: The album begins with "Aura", a mariachi and EDM song, that has influences from dubstep and Middle Eastern music. It opens with Western-style guitars, Gaga's distorted vocals, and a "maniacal laugh". Throbbing beats lead to the chorus, in which Gaga asks: "Do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura, behind the aura?". She explained that in the song she expresses that just because she wears a lot of "visual fashion", "[it] doesn't mean that there is not sort of the same person underneath." These "veils" are protecting her creativity, and her "Aura" is the way that she deals with her "insanity". The album continues with "Venus", a track that shows "retro-futuristic themes", and presents Bowie-esque lyrics about a psychedelic journey. It mentions Venus, the Roman goddess of love, the eponymous planet, and sexual intercourse. It is a synth-pop and dance-pop song. Gaga said that the song is "about finding faith in other places, in the beyond", and also "about sex in the most mythological way."


title: Artpop

text: "G.U.Y." (an acronym for "Girl Under You") is an EDM song with industrial, R&B, and house elements, that was described as a "shuddering dance siren that makes the distinction between gender equality and willful sexual submission". The song involves the concept of new-wave feminism, it is "about being comfortable underneath, because you are strong enough to know that you don't have to be on top to know you're worth it". "Sexxx Dreams" is a synth-pop and R&B song, with inspiration from Prince/Vanity 6 in its production. Its lyrics propose a sexual encounter with a lover whose boyfriend is gone for the weekend. Throughout the song, Gaga alternates her vocal techniques between singing and speaking; the sung verses are addressed to her partner at her side and the spoken ones to the person in her fantasy. The fifth track on the album is "Jewels n' Drugs", a hip hop song with strong influences of trap music that tells a "tale of fame addiction". The lyrics are an "ode to the love of the drug trade" and they are of the "classic rap style".


title: Artpop

text: The next song, "Manicure" (stylized as "MANiCURE") includes handclapping, Gaga shouting "Man! Cure!" and funk guitar arrangements. Its ambiguous lyrics are an "ode to superficial perks”, and talk about physically and spiritually renewing oneself before "getting ready to go out and catch a man or catch a girl". The song is "a lot more rock based than the songs before it on the album" and has "a real pop vibe". "Do What U Want" is an electropop and R&B track, drawing influence from 1980s-inspired throbbing synths and an electronic beat. It has a "somewhat raunchy hook", with Gaga and Kelly alternate singing the lines "Do what u want/ What u want with my body/ Do what u want/ What u want with my body/ Write what you want, say what you want about me/ If you're wondering, know that I'm not sorry". The song's lyrics represent themes of sexual submissiveness, with Gaga telling off detractors and the press that her thoughts, dreams, and feelings are her own, no matter what one does with her body.


title: Artpop

text: The album's title track is a techno song, which has a beat similar to Selena Gomez's 2011 single "Love You like a Love Song" with its electronic composition, and a groove comparable to singer Kylie Minogue's 2001 hit single "Can't Get You Out of My Head". "Artpop" lyrics have been deduced to be a statement about "the subjectivity of art", and Gaga's virtual manifesto with the line "My artpop could mean anything”, telling the audience that she is "an artist that creates for the sake of creation". Gaga explained that the lyrics were a metaphor about love with the chorus line "We could belong together, Artpop". She believed that if her fans and herself could be together, that would probably mean a bonding for art and pop too. "Swine" is a dubstep and industrial song with slight rock and roll influences. It presents "synth washes, a ground-churning bass line, jittery keyboards, hiccuping vocal samples and crescendos leading to drops", with Gaga "screaming and squealing throughout the track." Gaga called "Swine" "very personal", as it is about "some of the more troubling and challenging sexual experiences" she had earlier in her life, alluding to her being raped at age 19 by a producer twenty years older than her.


title: Artpop

text: The tenth song is "Donatella", an "anthem for the outcasts" and an "ode to the head of the Versace fashion house", Gaga's friend, Donatella Versace. Gaga described it as "an incredible crazy fun pop song with really raising electronic beats" about being a fearless woman who is proud of herself. "Fashion!" is a dance song with Daft Punk-influenced instrumentals that portrays Gaga's love for haute couture clothing. Accompanied by a funky beat, the lyrics talk about "being able to get dressed up and feeling like you own the world". Gaga's vocal delivery in the song has been compared to David Bowie's. "Mary Jane Holland" is a dance and synth-pop song with "whirring beats" that talks about using marijuana and "having a great time". Gaga used the name Mary Jane Holland as an alter ego for herself when she got "stoned" in Amsterdam with her friends, who explained how smoking weed helped her putting away the pressure of being famous, and just being able to do whatever she wanted. "Dope" is an electronic rock lament, where Gaga's singing is the focal point of the song, with only piano sounds and distant synths accompanying her "intoxicated", "slur"-like vocals. In order to give the production an intimate feeling and make it emotional, no pitch correction was used to Gaga's voice. According to Gaga, the track is the "sad part" of the story of "Mary Jane Holland". It is about how she developed an addiction to marijuana, using it as a coping mechanism for anxiety, which eventually led to her feeling more "paranoid" and not being "so articulate anymore". Gaga intended the song to be an apology to everybody who dealt with her during this period.


title: Artpop

text: "Gypsy" is a Europop and electropop song with classic rock and house influences, that contains "barroom ivory-tickling" and a "swooping hook". The composition is in a sing-along style, with Gaga belting out "I don't wanna be alone forever, but I can be tonight" during the chorus, talking about navigating an unknown road based only on her instincts. Gaga described the song as being about travelling the world and the loneliness associated with it. The song showcases Gaga's fans as being the people with whom she feels at home, therefore not feeling alone whenever she is in a different country. The lyrics also talk about falling in love while being true to oneself, which was the initial inspiration for the track. "Artpop" last song is "Applause", which spans genres such as electropop and Eurodance. It features "pulsating synths" and "stuttering synthesizers", which return Gaga to her career roots by mirroring the sounds of her debut album, "The Fame". Gaga's vocal acrobatics during the song's verses have been compared to those of Annie Lennox and Grace Jones. According to Gaga, the song's lyrics highlight the difference between an artist and a celebrity. She elaborated, "I live for the applause but I don't live for the attention in the way that people just love you because you're famous. I live for actually performing for people and then them applauding because they've been entertained." Gaga also take shots at those who attempt to analyze her work, with the line: "I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong/ To crash the critic saying 'Is it right or is it wrong?".


title: Artpop

text: In August 2012, after getting a matching tattoo, Gaga announced on her social media that the record would be titled "Artpop", stating that she would prefer it capitalized for stylization. The album was originally expected to be released in early 2013, but was indefinitely postponed after Gaga developed synovitis and a labral tear to her hip that required surgical correction. This resulted in the cancellation of the remainder of her Born This Way Ball. In July 2013, Gaga confirmed that "Artpop" would be released on November 11, 2013 in the United States. The pre-order of the album was initially supposed to begin on September 1, 2013, but was moved up to August 19, 2013 "due to public anticipation". This was later changed to August 12 to coincide with the early release of "Applause".


title: Artpop

text: In addition to the traditional CD and digital mediums, Gaga announced plans for a multimedia application software which "combines music, art, fashion, and technology with a new interactive worldwide community". She expressed her goal to "bring ARTculture into POP in a reverse Warholian expedition." It was developed by the Haus of Gaga technology division, TechHaus. The app was made compatible with both Android and iOS-running mobile devices, and featured bonus content. It was the third album-app to be released in mainstream commercial markets after Björk's "Biophilia" (2011) and Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" (2013). Relative Wave, the architects behind Björk's app, took nearly a year to develop the "Artpop" app. Some dismissed the project as an elaborate ploy to inflate album sales, under the assumption "Billboard" would count a downloaded track as a complete unit. Editorial director Bill Werde later addressed these concerns on in July 2013, "As we understand, Gaga fans will get [the] "Artpop" app for free and can buy the album [through the] app. Albums purchased this way would count on "Billboard" charts, however, [speculation that the purchase of a single track through the app would count as an album sold is not true]... [also], concerns about self-reported data by Gaga's [team] seem unfounded – sales will be fulfilled and reported by existing digital retailers... [and], for those who may ask: This is obviously different from Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" / Samsung [deal] which—via an app—gave [his album] for free [and] had no option for fans to buy." Gaga had also planned to release some of the songs that did not make the final album cut via the app, including a track called "Brooklyn Nights", as she "wanted to spend more time" on them, though this plan remained unfulfilled.


title: Artpop

text: On October 7, 2013, Gaga unveiled the album cover for "Artpop" on Clear Channel billboards around the world. Created by Jeff Koons, the image features a nude sculpture of Gaga with a blue gazing ball in front of her. The background consists of art works including "The Birth of Venus", which inspired the music video for "Applause" and the VMA performance of the song. Koons explained the meaning of the cover to MTV:


title: Artpop

text: Will Gompertz from "NME" wrote that "this is a classic cover. When you're listing the 100 best covers of the 21st century, this will be right up there. Typographically it's an AA+, visually it's AAA". Later, Gaga also revealed on her Facebook page that "the first 500,000 physical copies of "Artpop" are crafted with LADY GAGA + ARTPOP cut out of hot pink metallic foil plus silver foil. The foiling represents the true design of the cover as imagined by Koons, who hand collaged the typography himself." Koons asked Japanese Psychology professor and artist Akiyoshi Kitaoka to provide visual illusions for the CD interior, including a version of his "Hatpin urchin" illusion that was also printed on the CD itself. The track listing was unveiled in a series of fan posts retweeted by Gaga with pictures of a painted mural made by fans outside of a recording studio in Los Angeles where "Artpop" was being completed on October 9, 2013. Originally, the track listing was scheduled to be unveiled on September 29, 2013. In a Twitter post, Gaga said it was late due to two songs fighting for the twelfth place on the album. In January 2014, China's Ministry of Culture approved the uncensored release of "Artpop" in the country, making the album her first to be released in the country after she was blacklisted by the government for inappropriate music in 2011. However, to avoid further controversy with the release, the cover art for the Chinese release was altered to feature Gaga's legs covered in fishnet stockings, with the blue gazing ball enlarged to cover her exposed breasts.


title: Artpop

text: "Applause" was released as the first single from the album. Due to multiple leaks, it was released ahead of schedule, on August 12, 2013. The single went on to impact mainstream radio stations in the United States on August 19, 2013. It received favorable reviews from music critics, who found it "a return to Gaga's club-friendly "Fame" era". It charted in the top ten in a number of nations, with a number 4 peak position in the United States. An accompanying music video to "Applause" was premiered and broadcast on jumbotrons across Times Square after her interview on "Good Morning America" on August 19, 2013. It was shot in Los Angeles by Dutch photographer duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. It features Gaga in scenes such as being in a birdcage, transforming into a black swan/human hybrid, and dancing in a black-glove bra. The video received positive reviews from critics, saying that it was in "typical Gaga fashion", and noted references to German Expressionist cinema and Andy Warhol.


title: Artpop

text: On September 3, 2013, Gaga started polls on Twitter asking fans to help her choose the second single from "Artpop", listing "Manicure", "Sexxx Dreams", "Aura" and "Swine" as options. Gaga revealed the next month that "Venus" had been chosen as the second single, though the popularity of the planned promotional single "Do What U Want" led to its single release instead. It received generally positive response from reviewers, who complimented its chorus and found it a potential radio hit. The song peaked within the top 10 in some countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, and South Korea,


title: Artpop

text: "G.U.Y.", the third and final single release impacted mainstream radio stations in the United States on April 8, 2014. It had a mixed reception from music critics; some found it catchy and one of the standout tracks from "Artpop", while others criticized its production and the lyrics. The song debuted on the record charts of a few countries, but failed to enter the top ten in most of them. It was accompanied by a music video, shot at Hearst Castle and directed by Gaga, which also incorporated parts of the tracks "Artpop", "Venus", and "Manicure" besides "G.U.Y.". The video shows Gaga as a wounded fallen angel who takes revenge on the men who hunted her after being revived by her followers in a pool. Critics noted the video's "heavy dose of camp and pop culture" and references to Greek mythology.


title: Artpop

text: On December 25, 2012, Gaga announced a documentary celebrating "life, the creation of Artpop + you", which she described as a gift to her fans. The documentary was directed by Terry Richardson, a previous collaborator on the photography book "Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson", but remained unreleased. Gaga opened the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of "Applause", dissecting her career through a series of colorful costumes and wigs. She then headlined the iTunes Festival on September 1, 2013 and performed new material for a crowd of 5,000 people. Gaga dubbed her gig "SwineFest" after one of the songs, "Swine", that she debuted during the event. For the song "Jewels n' Drugs" Gaga was joined onstage by Too Short and Twista – T.I., initially a part of the show, was unable to participate in the festival after his entry in the United Kingdom was denied. While dismissing some of the performed songs, journalists had a mostly positive response to Gaga's set. The show was recorded and later included on a second disc with the deluxe edition of "Artpop". On September 9, Gaga performed "Applause" on "Good Morning America" and appeared dressed as multiple characters from "The Wizard of Oz".


title: Artpop

text: A trailer for "Machete Kills", in which Gaga played La Chameleón, was released on October 4 and previewed an alternative studio version of "Aura". The song's lyric video, directed by Robert Rodriguez, was uploaded onto Gaga's Vevo account five days later, featuring scenes and dialogue from the film. Excerpts of "G.U.Y.", "Artpop", and "Mary Jane Holland" were released periodically over the course of two weeks from October 14 to 28. On October 24, promotional listening sessions of "Artpop" were organized in Berlin, with Gaga providing a live rendition of "Gypsy". She then made an unannounced appearance at London's G-A-Y nightclub two days later and performed "Venus", generating controversy when stripped naked during the show. On October 27, Gaga also played "Venus" alongside "Do What U Want" on the tenth series of "The X Factor" in the United Kingdom. The performance prompted a barrage of complaints to ITV and industry regulator Ofcom, although dismissed by the company. Gaga returned to the United States the following week for a performance of "Dope" at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards, and continued to play material from "Artpop" on "The Howard Stern Show", "Saturday Night Live", and at the American Music Awards.


title: Artpop

text: The night before the release of "Artpop", Gaga hosted an album release party, dubbed "ArtRave". It took place in a large warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, and included a press conference and a live performance. During the press conference, Gaga unveiled "the world's first flying dress", and new works by Inez and Vinoodh, avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson, performance artist Marina Abramović and artist Jeff Koons. Gaga performed a concert consisting of nine songs from "Artpop", which was streamed live on Vevo and later rebroadcast through the website's syndication partners. It received positive reviews from critics, who complimented Gaga's performance and enthusiasm.


title: Artpop

text: Gaga's second Thanksgiving Day television special, "Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular", aired on November 28, and included performances of "Artpop" with Elton John, "Fashion!" with RuPaul, and "Gypsy" with Kermit the Frog. It had a mixed reception, with some critics praising Gaga for being relatable in the show, while others were highly critical of her for using the holiday special as a mere promotional vehicle for the album. Performances continued in December with an appearance at the British chat show, "", a headlining concert at the Jingle Bell Ball, and a performance in the fifth-season finale of "The Voice". On February 18, 2014, Gaga performed the title track on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", and on March 13, she headlined the SXSW festival and performed further songs from the album. The performance of "Swine" received backlash for its inclusion of performance artist Millie Brown, who vomited different colored goo on Gaga as a metaphor for rape.


title: Artpop

text: From March 28 to April 7, 2014, Gaga played the final shows at New York's famed Roseland Ballroom before its closure. Her residency, titled Lady Gaga Live at Roseland Ballroom, was originally announced with four shows, with three additional dates later added due to popular demand. As an homage to the venue, the stage was decorated with roses, and Gaga's wardrobe was also rose themed. The residency received positive reviews from music critics, who found it a better representation of Gaga's abilities as an entertainer than her previous campaigns for "Artpop". The shows were sold out with ticket prices being above the average costs of tickets at the venue, and the seven dates had sold a total of 24,532 tickets while grossing a total of $1.5 million.


title: Artpop

text: On May 4, 2014, Gaga embarked on the tour in support of the album, which had 79 dates overall, with the last show, in Paris, France, being livestreamed online. The show's costume designers and choreographers aspired to make a single, coherent show, and the lighting fixtures were designed and programmed to create "an immersive rave" experience. The tour garnered praise for its entertainment value and Gaga's vocal skills, although the setlist was criticized. It grossed $83 million from 920,088 sold tickets at the 74 reported performances to "Billboard" Boxscore.


title: Artpop

text: "Artpop" received generally mixed response from music critics. Metacritic calculated an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 30 reviews from reviewers. Adam Markovitz from "Entertainment Weekly" stated that many of the album's songs were "enjoyable but well-worn", further commending the execution of the album and the "melodic lines" of the songs. However, he noted that "Artpop" generally failed to make an overall impression. Jerry Shriver, writing for "USA Today", opined that the record was not "consistently entertaining", though admitted that the album was mostly intended for Gaga's fans and not for general listeners. "Slant Magazine"' Sal Cinquemani provided a favorable review, praising its sounds and structures, while Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" commended Gaga's effort to make "absolutely certain that every inch of her craft evolves and innovates". In a positive review, an editor of "The Daily Beast" declared that "there were moments of expected genius on it worthy of Grammy consideration."


title: Artpop

text: Robert Copsey from Digital Spy felt that several songs sounded "half-finished", though suggesting that the album had more good songs than bad tracks. Helen Brown, writing in "The Daily Telegraph", criticized Gaga's choice to do another album "themed around her own stardom" (after "The Fame" and "The Fame Monster"), and commented that although Gaga approached different genres of music, "she doesn't do anything wildly original with them, but she has fun". Brown however praised the album as "great for dancing". Alexis Petridis from "The Guardian" suggested there was "some decent pop" on "Artpop" but thought the art was "rather harder to discern". "The Independent" Andy Gill commented, "It's hard not to feel underwhelmed by "Artpop"", while Caryn Ganz from "Rolling Stone" called it "a bizarre album of squelchy disco" and "sexual but not sexy".


title: Artpop

text: Some journalists felt that the more mixed response from critics in comparison to Gaga's previous work was unfair and stemmed from a focus on Gaga and not the album. Nick Messitte of "Forbes" criticized music critics, denouncing their reviews as being "incoherent" and focusing on the "artist over the art itself," accusing them of "bend[ing] over backwards to mention everything else before the music". He summarized that "Artpop" "delivers a welcome departure from standardized verse-chorus structures" and is ultimately a "bold" effort. Ed Potton of "The Times" concurred, stating that "It's a wonder you can hear Lady Gaga's third studio album over the sound of knives being sharpened" following her previous album "Born This Way", a work he felt "Artpop" was far superior to. Robert Christgau, writing for "The Barnes & Noble Review", claimed that the record's "critical reaction [was] clueless", ultimately naming "Artpop" "2013's most underrated album". In a positive retrospective review, Claire Lobenfeld of "Pitchfork" called it Gaga's "most divisive and conceptually ambitious album".


title: Artpop

text: "Artpop" was included in several year-end lists by music critics and publications. In their list of the "15 Best Albums of 2013", "Billboard" ranked it at 14th place, stating that it is the statement of a singer-songwriter who wants to be more than a pop artist" who "hasn't lost her touch for creating otherworldly hooks." Digital Spy similarly included "Artpop" in their "30 Best Albums of 2013" list at the 21st place. Popjustice ranked the album at sixth place on their "Top 33 Albums of 2013" list, claiming that it was "amazing", while Entertainmentwise included it in their unranked round-up of the top ten albums of the year, calling "Artpop" "original and innovative". Robert Christgau named "Artpop" the sixth best album of 2013 in his year-end list, writing in an accompanying essay for "The Barnes & Noble Review", "since unlike the young I'm never bombarded by EDM synths at medically inadvisable volumes, this was not only the rawk album of the year for me, it sounded fresh. Really, who needs guitars?"


title: Artpop

text: "Artpop" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with 258,000 copies sold in its first week, earning Gaga her second consecutive number one album and becoming the fourth-largest sales week for a female artist in 2013, behind Beyoncé's self-titled album, Katy Perry's "Prism", and Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz", respectively. The following week, the record dropped to number eight on the "Billboard" 200 with sales of under 46,000 copies for an 82% sales decrease, making Gaga the first artist to have two albums in the top five list of all-time biggest second-week percentage drops in the Nielsen SoundScan era. On its third week, as part of promotions for Black Friday, "Artpop" was discounted at retailers such as Amazon MP3, Walmart, and Target, rising to number seven with 116,000 units sold. The album has sold 775,000 copies in the United States as of February 2018 (including 477,000 from physical CD and vinyl sales), and was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for reaching over a million stream-equivalent units. Following Gaga's Super Bowl LI halftime show performance in 2017, "Artpop" re-entered the "Billboard" 200 at number 174, selling 5,000 total album-equivalent units


title: Artpop

text: In Canada, the record entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number three with 25,000 copies sold, earning a Platinum certification from Music Canada in its first week of sales for shipment of 80,000 copies. On the first day of its availability in Japan, charts provider Oricon reported that "Artpop" sold 18,109 physical albums, reaching the number two position. This was 5,000 copies underneath Jin Akanishi's "#Justjin", while outperforming Avril Lavigne's self-titled album by 4,000 copies. It went on to sell 58,493 copies to debut atop the Oricon Albums Chart.


title: Artpop

text: "Artpop" also entered the UK Albums Chart at number one with first-week sales of 65,608 copies, making Gaga the third female solo artist in chart history to top the chart with each of her first three studio albums, following Lavigne and Susan Boyle. It fell to number nine in its second week, selling 15,948 copies. The album has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for registered units of 256,000. In Australia, "Artpop" opened at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 15,685 copies. In France, "Artpop" has sold 65,000 copies.


title: Artpop

text: In 2013, the album brought worldwide sales of 2.3 million units according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), making it the ninth best-selling effort of the year. It went on to sell 2.5 million copies as of July 2014. The album's commercial performance has led numerous publications to suggest that it had fallen short of its sales expectations, while some called it as a commercial failure compared to Gaga's previous albums. Due to claims of "Artpop" alleged underperformance, Gaga publicly addressed rumors that the album's sales had lost her label $25 million and had led to staff layoffs, calling them fake.


title: Artpop

text: In October 2012, Gaga considered "Artpop" "a bit more modern" and mentioned the possibility of splitting the project into a two-volume record; the first would contain the "commercial songs", while the second would feature the "experimental material". In October 2013, Gaga teased that she had "lots of songs for Act 2". The following month, she mentioned an "Act 2" again, commenting that it might be released before her tour as "it'll be nice to play both acts on the tour", and dismissed her previous ideas of splitting the album into two halves because "this was during the inception of the record and I wasn't even quite sure what "Artpop" meant yet". In her keynote interview at SXSW, Gaga confirmed that "Artpop" could potentially have more than two acts, further stating that the second act of "Artpop" was complete but not ready for release. In April 2014, Gaga stated that "there's a strong possibility" that she will release another volume of "Artpop"; however, this plan never materialized.


title: Artpop

text: In April 2021, after DJ White Shadow posted an April Fool's joke about the release of "Artpop" throw-away track "Tea", fans made a petition for Gaga to release the second volume of the album. Following the success of the initiative, he proposed getting the petition to 10,000 signatures and then he would send it to her. After getting over 20,000 signatures in just over a day, White Shadow posted on his Instagram talking about his experience during the era and how he has in fact shared it with Gaga, claiming "she has feelings (like any other normal person) and this 'era' was a hard time for her too. I am sure she will be okay with revisiting it one day and building on it when the time is right". He added, "continue to get your message to the people in charge. You have the power, don't give up". Gaga responded to the fan campaign on Twitter, saying the album's creation "was like heart surgery" and made during a time when she felt desperation as well as pain, and expressed gratitude for how fans celebrated "something that once felt like destruction".


title: Artpop

text: After Gaga's acknowledgment of the campaign and the #BuyARTPOPoniTunes trend, the petition reached 40,000 signatures on change.org. "Artpop" began climbing up the iTunes charts worldwide, reaching number one in 18 countries including France and Italy, number two in the US, and number three in the UK.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After the group's 2003 release of their debut album, "Beg for Mercy", Banks released his first solo album, "The Hunger for More", in 2004, featuring the top ten hit single "On Fire". His second studio album, "Rotten Apple", was released in 2006.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Banks left Interscope Records in 2009 and, along with the rest of G-Unit, signed with EMI the following year to distribute Banks third studio album "The Hunger for More 2", which was released in 2010.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Christopher Lloyd was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in the South Jamaica section of the Queens borough in New York City; he is of mixed Puerto Rican and African-American descent. His father spent most of Lloyd's childhood in prison, leaving his mother to raise him and his two siblings. Lloyd attended August Martin High School but dropped out at the age of 16. For his stage name, he took his great, great-grandfather's name Banks, which was passed on by his uncles who also shared it.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: G-Unit was founded when childhood friends Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, and Tony Yayo decided to form a group. They met Young Buck when UTP group came to New York and 50 Cent heard Young Buck rapping. After 50 Cent signed his contract with Aftermath Entertainment they took Young Buck in the group and signed him.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Tony Yayo, being an older and more experienced rapper, joined 50 Cent on the Nas Promo Tour, the Cash Money Tour and the Ruff Ryders Tour. As Banks remained at home waiting for 50 and Yayo to return, he started rapping around the neighborhood to further increase his buzz on the streets. He then hooked up with neighborhood producers and recorded tracks for local mixtapes, becoming renowned on the mixtape scene. While Banks was recording Mixtapes, 50 Cent was soon granted his own record label by Dr. Dre and released the album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"; Lloyd Banks was featured on the song "Don't Push Me", and the remixed version of "P.I.M.P". Soon after the group had established their own record label, G-Unit Records, G-Unit released their first official group album "Beg for Mercy" in November 2003, which went on to be certified double platinum.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: On September 10, 2001, Banks was shot twice while leaving a nightclub in Southside Jamaica, Queens. He was hit in the back and stomach, and ran to the nearest hospital after suffering the injuries. He woke up the next morning to news of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and watched from his hospital bed as the Twin Towers fell to the ground.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: During August 2005, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and their entourage were traveling in a van, when the vehicle was pulled over after passing through a red light in midtown Manhattan. Officers said they discovered a loaded handgun and another weapon in the van. Prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the charges after an investigation determined that neither Lloyd Banks nor Young Buck were in possession of the weapons. Felony gun charges against Lloyd Banks and Young Buck were dropped on November 8, 2006.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: In the early morning hours of January 9, 2010, in a Kitchener, Ontario hotel, an alleged altercation took place between Banks and a concert promoter over performance fees. Banks, and three of his associates, were later charged with forcible confinement, aggravated assault and robbery, and released on $50,000 bail.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: The most well known feud involving Lloyd Banks is the feud between himself and The Game, which became public after The Game left G-Unit. Banks speculates that The Game was jealous about the attention Banks received after the success of his debut album "The Hunger for More" as well as Banks winning a lyricist title.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Lloyd Banks released his solo debut album "The Hunger for More" in June 2004. The first single was the summer smash hit "On Fire" which featured 50 Cent, however he was uncredited.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: The album was a commercial success, receiving positive reviews. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard charts with over 433,000 copies sold in the first week. The album has since sold over 1.5 million copies and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Two other singles were also released from "The Hunger For More", "I'm So Fly" and "Karma", the latter was a hit reaching number 17 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, number 9 on the R&B charts and number 6 on the rap charts.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: "The Big Withdrawal" was originally intended to be Lloyd Banks' second album. The album was leaked to the internet after Banks had a ménage à trois encounter with two women and left the CD album behind. The leaked version of the album contained 23 tracks.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Due to the leak, Lloyd Banks began work on "Rotten Apple". "Rotten Apple" is a play on New York City's nickname "The Big Apple". It was released on October 10, 2006. The album debuted at #3, selling 143,000 copies in its first week. "Rotten Apple" was not considered as a commercial success because his debut album sold a significantly higher number of copies in its first week. He has released three singles from "Rotten Apple": "Hands Up", "The Cake", and "Help".


title: Lloyd Banks

text: In 2010, a year later, Interscope Records reached back out to try to re-sign Lloyd Banks. Banks did not go for it and put his third album out under G-Unit Records.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: In late January 2010, it was announced that Banks would release a new song, "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" featuring Juelz Santana, from his upcoming third studio album. "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" charted at #49 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In early June, Banks released the second single off the album, "Any Girl" featuring R&B singer Lloyd. Later on November 2, 2010, he released the third single Start It Up featuring Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie and Fabolous. Lloyd released the fourth single off the album, "I Don't Deserve You", featuring R&B singer Jeremih.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Banks release info via his Twitter announcing that the title for his third album has tentatively been called 'The Hunger for More 2' and will attempt to take him back to his best work. However, the G-Unit label later stated that the title is not set in concrete and still may be altered. The title of the album was confirmed by 50 Cent as "The Hunger for More 2" in an interview with MTV News. According to Banks, Interscope is trying to get him back due to the success of the single "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley", but failed when Lloyd Banks revealed that he had signed a deal with EMI.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: After being dropped by Interscope Records in 2009, Lloyd Banks announced on Friday, August 13, 2010, on MTV News that EMI Label Services has signed a deal with 50 Cent's label, G-Unit Records, in which EMI will distribute and promote releases on the G-Unit roster in North America including Lloyd Banks third album "H.F.M. 2 (Hunger for More 2)". On October 18, 2011, Banks was featured on the remix of Queen's Rapper Trav's single "Ride The Wave" alongside Juelz Santana.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: During a performance at BB King's in New York City on August 2, 2015, Banks addressed his long-awaited "Cold Corner 3" mixtape and expressed disappointment at the current state of hip-hop. He explained that the project would be released commercially, and available for pre-order. However, if he's not satisfied with the pre-order numbers, it will not be released.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: Lloyd banks left G-Unit Records in June 2018 announced in an Instagram post by 50 Cent at the time it seemed as if the two were still friends as 50 would tell fans to check out Banks's new mixtape however it seems their relationship is no longer amicable. 50 Cent in an interview with Big Boy spoke about the different members of G-Unit and said "Banks, he just... I don't even know he couldn't even tell you like at any point when you speak to him where the problem is. I put him like where I put Marquise like they just have something internal going on with them that gives them some sort of resentment towards me and I just don't even care about whats going on". However Trav a former associate of G-Unit went on Instagram live and spoke on the matter "Banks father died bro and Banks was sad bro all Banks wanted to do was him to pull up like yo bro I'm sorry for your condolences because the ni**a 50 don't come from no family he tried to play like this fake role like man you ain't even know your father". 50 cent went on to call Lloyd banks Lazy in his book Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter which Lloyd banks would seemingly respond to in his song Stranger Things. Lloyd banks hasn't spoke on the matter publicly however he has sent words that seem to be aimed at 50 cent on numerous songs including cold summer freestyle and Stranger Things. In-between Lloyd banks departure from G-Unit and June 2021 Lloyd banks remained relatively quiet other than introducing a clothing line and touring places such as Australia, Lloyd banks wasn't doing interviews or releasing any new projects other than some freestyles in fact Lloyd banks hadn't released a new project since his mixtape Halloween Havoc 3 in 2016. He would also go on to twitter to tweet things such as "Let's be real..ain't nobody checking for banks anymore" leaving fans wondering if Lloyd banks was done with music. However fans would be surprised as in April 2021 he would release a post on Instagram that teased possible new music which continued on to May 25 were a video was released with a brief spoken-word monologue from poet Rashan Brown and on May 25 a tracklist and cover art was revealed. The album was released on June 4, 2021, as his 4th album and first album in 11 years named "The Course of the Inevitable" which sold 12,000 copies in its first week. The album received very positive reviews and Lloyd banks seemed happy with the reception as he spoke about more upcoming music at a concert he held in Sony Hall.


title: Lloyd Banks

text: In 2004, Banks was awarded 2004's Mixtape artist of the Year at the Mixtape Awards. Lloyd Banks commented on this award in an interview with AOL Sessions:


title: Lloyd Banks

text: In 2005, "On Fire" was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance. In 2006, "Touch It [Remix]" was nominated for Hip-Hop Video of the Year, and won for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards. The award was shared by Banks and his collaborators, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Papoose, and DMX. In 2010 with the excitement surrounding the release of "H.F.M. 2 (Hunger for More 2)" and his return to Hip-Hop's spotlight Hip-Hop news website HipHopDX wrote that Banks had the "Comeback of the Year".


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Our Lady of Lourdes () is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, of which Bernadette Soubirous (age 14) told her mother that a "Lady" spoke to her in the cave of Massabielle ( from the town) while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar apparitions of the "Lady" were reported on 18 occasions that year, until the climax revelation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception took place. On 18 January 1862, the local Bishop of Tarbes Bertrand-Sévère Laurence endorsed the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: On 1 February 1876, Pope Pius IX officially granted a decree of canonical coronation to the image as "Notre-Dame du Saint Rosaire". The coronation was performed by Cardinal Pier Francesco Meglia at the courtyard of what is now part of the Rosary Basilica on 3 July 1876.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The image of Our Lady of Lourdes has been widely copied and reproduced in shrines and homes, often in garden landscapes. Bernadette Soubirous was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Marian devotion has since steadiliy increased as ecclesiastical investigations sanctioned her visions. In later years, a large church was built at the site that has since become a major site of religious pilgrimage.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: On 11 February 1858, Soubirous went with her sister Toinette and neighbor Jeanne Abadie to collect some firewood. While taking off her shoes and stockings to wade through the water near the Grotto of Massabielle, she said she heard the sound of two gusts of wind () but the trees and bushes nearby did not move. A wild rose in a natural niche in the grotto, however, did move.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous tried to make the sign of the cross but could not, as her hands were trembling. The lady smiled, and invited Soubirous to pray the rosary with her. Soubirous tried to keep this a secret, but Toinette told her mother. After parental cross-examination, she and her sister received corporal punishment for their story.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Three days later, 14 February, Soubirous returned to the grotto. She had brought holy water as a test that the apparition was not of evil origin/provenance: "The second time was the following Sunday … Then I started to throw holy water in her direction, and at the same time I said that if she came from God she was to stay, but if not, she must go. She started to smile, and bowed ... This was the second time."


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous' companions are said to have become afraid when they saw her in ecstasy. She remained ecstatic even as they returned to the village. On 18 February, she spoke of being told by the Lady to return to the Grotto over a period of two weeks. She quoted the apparition: "The Lady only spoke to me the third time … She told me also that she did not promise to make me happy in this world, but in the next."


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous was ordered by her parents to never go there again. She went anyway, and on 24 February, Soubirous related that the apparition asked for prayer and penitence for the conversion of sinners.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The next day, she said the apparition asked her to dig in the ground and drink from the spring she found there. This made her dishevelled and some of her supporters were dismayed, but this act revealed the stream that soon became a focal point for pilgrimages. Although it was muddy at first, the stream became increasingly clean. As word spread, this water was given to medical patients of all kinds, and many reports of miraculous cures followed. Seven of these cures were confirmed as lacking any medical explanations by Professor Verges in 1860. The first person with a "certified miracle" was a woman whose right hand had been deformed as a consequence of an accident. Several miracles turned out to be short-term improvement or even hoaxes, and Catholic Church and government officials became increasingly concerned. The government fenced off the grotto and issued stiff penalties for anybody trying to get near the off-limits area. In the process, Lourdes became a national issue in France, resulting in the intervention of Emperor Napoleon III with an order to reopen the grotto on 4 October 1858. The church had decided to stay away from the controversy altogether.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous, knowing the local area well, managed to visit the barricaded grotto under cover of darkness. There, on 25 March, she said she was told: "I am the Immaculate Conception" (). On Easter Sunday, 7 April, her examining doctor stated that Soubirous, in ecstasy, was observed to have held her hands over a lit candle without sustaining harm. On 16 July, Soubirous went for the last time to the grotto. "I have never seen her so beautiful before," she reported.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The Catholic Church, faced with nationwide questions, decided to institute an investigative commission on 17 November 1858. On 18 January 1860, the local bishop finally declared that: "The Virgin Mary did appear indeed to Bernadette Soubirous." These events established the Marian veneration in Lourdes, which together with Fátima and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most frequented Marian shrines in the world, and to which between 4 and 6 million pilgrims travel annually.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: In 1863, Joseph-Hugues Fabisch was charged to create a statue of the Virgin according to Soubirous's description. The work was placed in the grotto and solemnly dedicated on 4 April 1864 in presence of 20,000 pilgrims.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The veracity of the apparitions of Lourdes is not an article of faith for Catholics. Nevertheless, all recent popes have visited the Marian shrine at some time. Benedict XV, Pius XI, and John XXIII went there as bishops, Pius XII as papal delegate. He also issued an encyclical, , on the one-hundredth anniversary of the apparitions in 1958. John Paul II visited Lourdes three times during his pontificate, and twice before as a bishop.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous described the apparition as a ("young girl") of about 14-15 years old; Soubirous insisted that the apparition was no taller than herself. At tall, Soubirous was diminutive even by the standards of other poorly-nourished children.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Soubirous described the apparition as dressed in a flowing white robe, with a blue sash around her waist. This was the uniform of a religious group called the Children of Mary, which, on account of her poverty, Soubirous was not permitted to join (although she was admitted after the apparitions). Her aunt Bernarde was a long-time member.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The statue that currently stands in the niche within the grotto of Massabielle was created by the Lyonnais sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in 1864. Although it has become an iconographic symbol of Our Lady of Lourdes, it depicts a figure which is not only older and taller than Soubirous' description, but also more in keeping with orthodox and traditional representations of the Virgin Mary. On seeing the statue, Soubirous was profoundly disappointed with this representation of her vision.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: In nearby Lestelle-Bétharram, only a few kilometres from Lourdes, some shepherds guarding their flocks in the mountains observed a vision of a ray of light that guided them to the discovery of a statue of the Virgin Mary. Two attempts were made to remove the statue to a more prominent position; each time it disappeared and returned to its original location, at which a small chapel was built for it.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: In the early 16th century, a 12-year-old shepherdess called Anglèze de Sagazan received a vision of the Virgin Mary near the spring at Garaison (part of the commune of Monléon-Magnoac), somewhat further away. Anglèze's story is strikingly similar to that of Soubirous: she was a pious but illiterate and poorly educated girl, extremely impoverished, who spoke only in the local language, Gascon Occitan, but successfully convinced authorities that her vision was genuine and persuaded them to obey the instructions of her apparitions. Like Soubirous, she was the only one who could see the apparition (others could apparently hear it); however, the apparition at Garaison's supernatural powers tended toward the miraculous provision of abundant food, rather than healing the sick and injured. Mid-nineteenth century commentators noted the parallels between the events at Massabielle and Garaison, and interpreted the similarities as proof of the divine nature of Soubirous' claims. At the time of Soubirous, Garaison was a noted center of pilgrimage and Marian devotion.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: There are also several similarities between the apparition at La Salette, near Grenoble, and Lourdes. La Salette is many hundreds of kilometres from Lourdes, and the events at La Salette predate those in Lourdes by 12 years. However, the Marian apparition at La Salette was tall and maternal (not petite and gentle like her Lourdes apparition) and had a darker, more threatening series of messages. It is not certain if Soubirous was aware of the events at La Salette.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: On 18 January 1862, the Bishop of Tarbes Betrand Severt Laurence declared the following regarding the Marian apparitions:


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The location of the spring was described to Soubirous by an apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes on 25 February 1858. Since that time many thousands of pilgrims to Lourdes have followed the instruction of Our Lady of Lourdes to "drink at the spring and wash in it".


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: Lourdes water has become a focus of devotion to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. The Catholic Church has formally endorsed, although not dogmatic, for sick people to bathe and visit Lourdes for healing. Since the apparitions, many people have claimed to have been cured by drinking or bathing in it, and the Lourdes authorities provide it free of charge to any who ask for it.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: An analysis of the water was commissioned by then mayor of Lourdes, Monsieur Anselme Lacadé in 1858. It was conducted by a professor in Toulouse, who determined that the water was potable and that it contained the following: oxygen, nitrogen, carbonic acid, carbonates of lime and magnesia, a trace of carbonate of iron, an alkaline carbonate or silicate, chlorides of potassium and sodium, traces of sulphates of potassium and soda, traces of ammonia, and traces of iodine. Essentially, the water is pure and inert. Lacadé had hoped that Lourdes water might have special mineral properties which would allow him to develop Lourdes into a spa town, to compete with neighbouring Cauterets and Bagnères-de-Bigorre.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: To ensure claims of cures were examined properly and to protect the town from fraudulent claims of miracles, the Lourdes Medical Bureau (Bureau Medical) was established at the request of Pope Pius X. It is completely under medical rather than ecclesiastical supervision. Approximately 7,500 people have sought to have their case confirmed as a miracle, of which 70 have been declared scientifically inexplicable by the bureau.


title: Our Lady of Lourdes

text: The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a group of churches, religious buildings and places of worship on the site where the Lourdes apparitions occurred in 1858, in the town of Lourdes, in France. The area is owned and administered by the Roman Catholic Church and is a destination for millions of pilgrims coming to venerate Our Lady of Lourdes. The sanctuary holds devotional activities, offices, and ensures accommodation for sick pilgrims and their helpers. The 52 hectares area of the sanctuary includes the grotto of Massabielle where Bernadette Soubirous is said to have seen the Virgin Mary and three basilicas, known as the Upper Basilica, the Lower Basilica and the Underground Basilica. It also includes a church, several chapels, a calvary on a hill, an area of ground for gatherings, a square and alleys for processions, fountains providing Lourdes water to pilgrims, baths for immersion in Lourdes water, residences for sick and disabled pilgrims and the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau. The sanctuary is visited by millions each year, and Lourdes has become one of the prominent pilgrimage sites of the world. Large numbers of sick pilgrims travel to Lourdes each year in the hope of physical healing or spiritual renewal.


title: Joe Morton

text: Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American stage, television and film actor. He has worked with film director John Sayles in "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984), "City of Hope" (1991) and "Lone Star" (1996). Other films he has appeared in include "" (1991), "Of Mice and Men" (1992), "Speed" (1994), "Apt Pupil" (1998), "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998), "What Lies Beneath" (2000), "Ali" (2001), "Paycheck" (2003), "Stealth" (2005), "American Gangster" (2007), "" (2016), "Justice League" (2017), and "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021).


title: Joe Morton

text: In 2014, Morton won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Eli Pope, Olivia Pope's father, in "Scandal", and is known for playing the role of Henry Deacon on the popular TV series "Eureka".


title: Joe Morton

text: Morton was born in Harlem, the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton Sr., a U.S. Army intelligence officer. Because of his father's military service, he spent parts of his childhood in West Germany and Okinawa. When Morton was 10 years old, his father died.


title: Joe Morton

text: Morton made his Broadway debut in "Hair", appeared in "Salvation", and was nominated for a Tony Award for "Raisin". He has appeared in over 70 movies, including John Sayles' "The Brother from Another Planet" (as The Brother), "" (as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson) and "Blues Brothers 2000" (as Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain, based upon the late Cab Calloway). He also played Police Lieutenant Herb "Mac" McMahon, in "Speed". On daytime, Morton has had roles on "Search for Tomorrow" (Dr. James Foster, 1973–74), "Another World" (Dr. Abel Marsh and Leo Mars, 1983–84), and "All My Children" (Dr. Zeke McMillan, 2002). In 2002, he appeared on the London stage in the play "Art".


title: Joe Morton

text: Morton has made many notable TV guest appearances, including his appearances as Dr. Steven Hamilton in the first two seasons of "Smallville". He starred in the "Sanford and Son" spin-off "Grady" (1975–76), "M*A*S*H*" (battalion aid surgeon Capt. Nick Saunders, 1976), "Under One Roof" (1995) and "E-Ring" (2005). He portrayed the jack-of-all-trades scientist Henry Deacon as a regular on Syfy Channel's "Eureka" (2006–12). Morton played the role of Eli Pope on the hit drama "Scandal", a role for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.


title: Joe Morton

text: In 2016, Morton portrayed the activist and comedian Dick Gregory in the play "Turn Me Loose" at the Westside Theatre in Manhattan. Morton portrayed Dr. Silas Stone, father of Victor Stone/Cyborg, in a cameo role in the 2016 film "", part of the DC Extended Universe. He reprised the character in the film "Justice League" (2017) and more extensively in its director's cut.


title: Joe Morton

text: From 2018 to 2020, Morton co-starred as Reverend Arthur Finer in the CBS series "God Friended Me". Morton directed three episodes of "God Friended Me", and has directing credits for four other TV series.


title: Taxidermy

text: Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word "taxidermy" describes the process of preserving the animal, but the word is also used to describe the end product, which are called taxidermy mounts or referred to simply as "taxidermy". The word "taxidermy" is derived from the Greek words "taxis" and "derma". "Taxis" means "arrangement", and "derma" means "skin" (the dermis). The word "taxidermy" translates to "arrangement of skin".


title: Taxidermy

text: Taxidermy is practiced primarily on vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and less commonly on amphibians) but can also be done to larger insects and arachnids under some circumstances. Taxidermy takes on a number of forms and purposes including hunting trophies and natural history museum displays. Museums use taxidermy as a method to record species, including those that are extinct and threatened, in the form of study skins and life-size mounts. Taxidermy is sometimes also used as a means to memorialize pets.


title: Taxidermy

text: A person who practices taxidermy is called a taxidermist. They may practice professionally, catering to museums and sportspeople (hunters and fishermen), or as amateurs (hobbyists). A taxidermist is aided by familiarity with anatomy, sculpture, painting, and tanning.


title: Taxidermy

text: Preserving animal skins has been practiced for a long time. Embalmed animals have been found with Egyptian mummies.


title: Taxidermy

text: Although embalming incorporates the use of lifelike poses, it is not considered taxidermy. In the Middle Ages, crude examples of taxidermy were displayed by astrologers and apothecaries. The earliest methods of preservation of birds for natural history cabinets were published in 1748 by Reaumur in France. Techniques for mounting were described in 1752 by M. B. Stollas. There were several pioneers of taxidermy in France, Germany, Denmark and England around this time. For a while, clay was used to shape some of the soft parts, but this made specimens heavy.


title: Taxidermy

text: By the 19th century, almost every town had a tannery business. In the 19th century, hunters began bringing their trophies to upholstery shops, where the upholsterers would actually sew up the animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton. The term "stuffing" or a "stuffed animal" evolved from this crude form of taxidermy. Professional taxidermists prefer the term "mounting" to "stuffing". More sophisticated cotton-wrapped wire bodies supporting sewn-on cured skins soon followed. In France, Louis Dufresne, taxidermist at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle from 1793, popularized arsenical soap in an article in "Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle" (1803–1804). This technique enabled the museum to build the greatest collection of birds in the world.


title: Taxidermy

text: Dufresne's methods spread to England in the early 19th century, where updated and non-toxic methods of preservation were developed by some of the leading naturalists of the day, including Rowland Ward and Montague Brown. Ward established one of the earliest taxidermy firms, Rowland Ward Ltd. of Piccadilly. However, the art of taxidermy remained relatively undeveloped, and the specimens that were created remained stiff and unconvincing.


title: Taxidermy

text: The golden age of taxidermy was during the Victorian era, when mounted animals became a popular part of interior design and decor. English ornithologist John Hancock is considered to be the father of modern taxidermy. An avid collector of birds, which he would shoot himself, he began modelling them with clay and casting in plaster.