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Apple Music 100 Best Albums

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The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)

Lady Gaga

89

Before there was paparazzi, there was “Paparazzi”.

With the arrival of 2008’s The Fame, a star was (forgive us) born. But before Lady Gaga was living the lifestyle of the rich and famous, Stefani Germanotta was getting ready in the New York club scene. That’s what makes The Fame such a self-manifesting statement—it chronicles the glamorous A-list culture Gaga had yet to actually experience.

When she sings about having “a little bit too much” on “Just Dance”, the album’s defining first single, she’s that free-spirited party girl we’ve all wanted to be. Meanwhile, pop bops such as “Poker Face”—which followed “Just Dance” to the top of the charts—and “Paparazzi” reveal the lyrical and melodic beast behind the beat.

The Fame was already a sensation when it was reissued as The Fame Monster in 2009. This piled on even more hits, including “Bad Romance”, “Alejandro” and “Telephone”. The presence of none other than Beyoncé on the latter only confirmed Gaga’s lightning-fast ascent from diva-in-training to the real deal.

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I Put a Spell on You

Nina Simone

88

A singular interpreter at the peak of her powers, shape-shifting across styles.

I Put a Spell on You became one of Nina Simone’s most successful albums, and its title track—a string-laden, melodramatic cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ campy rock classic—would turn out to be her biggest single since her debut. But it was “Feeling Good” that ultimately became the album’s best-known track—the scale of the horn section and orchestra are no match for Simone’s vocal force on the completely reimagined show tune. It’s the rare minor-key celebratory anthem.

“She can do everything as if she means it.”

Brittany Howard

By putting her stamp on so many different types of songs, Simone fought against the somewhat limiting designation of “jazz singer”. “Pop singer” hardly was the best replacement, as evidenced by the way Simone’s musical edge never dulls, no matter how many layers of orchestration get added atop it. She was simply a singular interpreter, never hampered by the ways other artists might sing a song before or after her. Whether reimagining musical numbers (“Beautiful Land”), temporarily transforming into a chanteuse (“Ne Me Quitte Pas”, one of three tracks originally written in French) or casually tossing up familiar-sounding R&B songs like “Gimme Some”, Simone sounds equally comfortable—and equally, indelibly herself.