“We will move on from Lady Gaga as soon as the next shiny object catches our attention.” This is where we left off at the end of the last investigation of Stefani Germanotta, better known to the world as Lady Gaga, back in 2011. Gaga has maintained relative radio silence up until recently, when she released the admittedly catchy “Applause.”

“Applause” itself is undeniably a well-polished ear worm, but hampered by Gaga’s annoying roar in certain parts and lyrical content that once again shows how shallow the message actually is. Whereas previous Gaga singles at least attempted to divorce themselves from her overwhelming public persona (simple songs about girls in clubs who get drunk), this new song is unmistakably about the Lady herself. Lyrics like “I live for the applause/Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me” draw Gaga’s narcissistic obsession to center stage, as...