Lady Gaga’s Applause was released on Monday, August 19th in video form before its official release. While you may think that there’s no comparison because one is an iTunes download, and the other’s a music video for now, that’s not the case: both were leaked online.
The winner? Katy Perry’s Roar.
According to 
target=”_blank”>Billboard, Katy Perry’s Roar will be downloaded 525,000 times by Sunday, compared to a projected 225,000 for Lady Gaga’s Applause.
Why?
I think it’s because Katy Perry’s Roar doesn’t stray away from the sound that worked for Ms. Perry, as made famous in “Teenage Dream.” But Roar goes a step further and ads a kind of anthem lyrical approach. It’s a sound of triumph that just can’t get out of your head.
By contrast, Lady Gaga’s Applause takes time to get in my head. It was a kind of ramp-up for the first minute, and then it really got into a nice, danceable phase. But even then I could not understand what Lady Gaga was saying, even as I liked the music enough to replay the whole thing.
But then, when I relaxed, the first song to come into my head and not leave was Katy Perry’s Roar.
Judge for yourself:
Stay tuned.