"Venus" is a song recorded and produced by American singer

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

for her third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Artpop ''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 ...

'' (2013). It was written by Gaga, Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair,

Madeon Hugo Pierre Leclercq (; born 30 May 1994), better known by his stage name Madeon (), is a French DJ and music producer from Nantes, currently based in Los Angeles. He initially came to widespread public attention at 17 through a YouTube video, " ...

, Dino Zisis, Nick Monson, and

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

. The recording includes a sample from the French

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

duo

Zombie Zombie ''Zombie Zombie'' is a ZX Spectrum computer game developed by Spaceman Ltd (Sandy White and Angela Sutherland), published in 1984 by Quicksilva. It is a development of Spaceman's previous '' Ant Attack'', and uses an updated "Softsolid 3D" isom ...

's cover of Sun Ra's song "Rocket Number 9", from his studio album, ''

Interstellar Low Ways ''Interstellar Low Ways'' is an album recorded by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, mostly recorded in Chicago, 1960, and released in 1967 on his own El Saturn Records, El Saturn label. Originally titled ''Rocket Num ...

'' (1966); Sun Ra received a co-writing credit on the track. Originally intended to be the second single from the album, it was released as the first promotional single from ''Artpop'' on October 27, 2013, to the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

, following the positive reception of "

Do What U Want "Do What U Want" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, featuring guest vocals from R. Kelly. The song was released on October 21, 2013, as the second single from Gaga's third studio album ''Artpop'' (2013). The singers wrote the song with DJ ...

", which was planned to be a promotional single only. "Venus" is an '80s-inspired

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

and

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

song with four hooks, and references

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...

's painting ''

The Birth of Venus ''The Birth of Venus'' ( it, Nascita di Venere ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea ...

''. Gaga worked on the song with Madeon and was inspired by a number of things, chief among them were:

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, the

Roman goddess Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

of love, the eponymous planet, and sexual intercourse. Lyrically it also name-checks the planets in the solar system. Three accompanying artworks were designed for the single by Steven Klein, including one with a scorpion attached to Gaga's head, a picture of a dead bat, and a third showing her standing naked with an open clam shell superimposed above her shoulder and covering her lower face. A music video was initially conceived for the song, but never materialized. The track was later used during a sequence in the music video for ''Artpop''s third single, "

G.U.Y. "G.U.Y." (a backronym for "Girl Under You") is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third studio album, '' Artpop'' (2013). She co-wrote and co-produced the song with Zedd. It debuted on Italian radio as the album's third and final sing ...

" instead. Upon its release, "Venus" received mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. They called the song catchy, but had mixed feelings towards the lyrics, and preferred the previously released "Do What U Want". It achieved moderate success on charts around the world, reaching the top of the charts in Hungary and Spain, and the top ten in seven additional countries. The song debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Gaga performed the track on the tenth series of British ''The X Factor'', along with a suggestive performance of "Do What U Want", which prompted complaints to the broadcaster and British media regulator,

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

. Other notable performances occurred at ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

'', Gaga's

ArtRave ArtRave (stylized as artRAVE) was a two-day event hosted by Lady Gaga from November 10–11, 2013, as part of the promotional campaign for her third studio album, ''Artpop'' (2013). The event, held in a large warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yar ...

promotional event, and the ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour in 2014.

Background and development

Madeon (17089901832) (cropped) (cropped)

Development of Gaga's third studio album, ''

'', began shortly after the release of her second record, '' Born This Way'' (2011), and by the following year, the album's concepts were "beginning to flourish" as Gaga collaborated with producers

Fernando Garibay Fernando Garibay (;) is an American record producer, songwriter, DJ, academic and entrepreneur. Artistic career He was the official musical director of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball and the producer of her '' Born This Way'' album. Fernando ...

and

DJ White Shadow Paul Edward Blair (born September 20, 1978), known by his stage name DJ White Shadow, sometimes written as DJWS, is an American music producer, musician, songwriter and DJ. Based in Chicago, Illinois, he is best known as the producer for Lady Ga ...

. In the meantime, the singer also worked with French disc jockey

. This was his first experience collaborating with a vocalist face-to-face. On

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

he clarified that he had "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." Having mutual respect for each other's work, 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 was associated with co-writing and co-producing three songs on ''Artpop''—"Venus", "Mary Jane Holland" and "

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

". During her interview with

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...

radio, Gaga confirmed that "Venus" was the first song developed for ''Artpop'' and it set the mood and tone for the rest of the album to follow. Gaga produced the track entirely by herself with some co-producing contributions from Madeon. Among the inspirations behind the track were:

, the

of love, the eponymous planet, and sexual intercourse. A further explanation was provided by the singer:

"So, this song is about faith, but it's also about finding faith in other places, in the beyond, and my experience with love being something that took me up a really long time to find. So it's really psychedelic and it really takes you on a journey ..I kinda got this lot of different inspiration from this sort of futuristic
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
meets late 70's and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and this really really kinda gooey deep groove ..This song is really about sex, but it's about sex on the most mythological way."

Recording and composition

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. Madeon noted, "She would still give everything – even on the demo take! She's really impressive." Madeon's production on ''Artpop'' was different from his usual endeavours, and he helped take the mood of the track from being a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

to being an anthem, but still retaining the sentimental and inspirational aspects of it. "Venus" was written and produced by Gaga, with additional songwriting from DJ White Shadow, Nick Monson and Dino Zisis. The song also includes a sample from the French

duo

's cover of jazz musician

's song "Rocket Number 9", from his studio album, ''

'' (1966). Sun Ra was thus given a co-writing credit on the track. The chorus' build-up, bridge and drums are heavily influenced by Madeon's unreleased track titled 'Ubelkeit'. The song was recorded by Dave Russell, Bill Malina and Ghazi Hourani at the

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Studios, with additional recording carried out by Benjamin 'Ben' Rice at CRC Studios. Andrew Robertson and Daniel Zaidenstadt assisted Rice in the recording sessions, while Steve Faye assisted Malina. Gaga did the bass

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

s with Monson, who also worked on the synth arrangement with Madeon and on additional production. Tim Stewart was responsible for the guitars played on "Venus". It was mixed by Manny Marroquin at Larrabee North Studios; further mixing was done by Chris Galland and Delhert Bowers. Gene Grimaldi

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

the track at Oasis Mastering Studios, in Burbank, California. "Venus" is a

and

song consisting of four hooks, which "swings like a pendulum from one emotional extreme to another, from its deadpan hashtag rap ..to its glittering

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

balladry". Gaga's vocal delivery is similar to that of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

in his persona Ziggy Stardust, while the song's structure is reminiscent of

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...

's 1986 single of the same name. Along with the Bowie-esque verses, there's one hook where the beat drops, then another hook where it starts building up, and finally the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is reached. When Bradley Stern from ''MuuMuse'' reviewed the single, he described the chorus as "total pop euphoria" with Gaga belting the lyrics, "When you touch me I die just a little inside / I wonder if this could be love!" The song is written in the key of

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

and composed in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, with a tempo of 122 beats per minute. Gaga's vocals range from F₃ to E₅, and the track follows a basic sequence of Fm–D#–Fm–D# in the first verse, G#–D#–Fm–D# in the second hook, Fm–A#–Fm–A# in the third verse, and finally Fm–G#–D#–C# in the chorus. According to

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', it is a "mutating, episodic dance-floor track,

n which N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

the singer presents herself as the goddess of love in the 'seashell bikini' painted by

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered ...

[in ''

'']". The lyrics of "Venus" are space-themed, name-checking the planets in the Solar System, with references to the planet's mythical counterpart, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. The extraterrestrial themes drew comparisons to

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

's "

E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...

" (2011) in the ''Entertainment Weekly'' review of the track. John Walker from MTV News noted that "During Gaga's futuristic ballroom emcee moment, where she channels something straight out of '' Paris Is Burning'' she utters the line 'Uranus!/ Don't you know my ass is famous!?' That's like, the greatest version of 'Don't You Know Who I Am!?' that we've ever heard."

Release and artwork

Sandro Botticelli - La nascita di Venere - Google Art Project - edited

Gaga announced that "Venus" would be the second single from ''Artpop'' through her

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account. However, on October 22, 2013, Gaga announced that she would release "

" featuring

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

as the second single instead of "Venus", due to the former's overwhelming success on the iTunes Store. "Venus" was released as the first

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

, with Gaga tweeting, "Don't worry monsters! We are still scheduled to release #Venus this Monday with a snippet on Friday! AND it will STILL have its own video." After two successive previews, the full track was made available for streaming on October 27, 2013, through

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

and was released for purchase the next day. Prior to the release, Gaga unveiled three cover artworks, which were photographed by Steven Klein. The first one shows Gaga naked with a scorpion balanced on her head inspired by Serbian performance artist

Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audienc ...

's ''Portrait with Scorpion (Closed Eyes)''. In the second image, the singer stands naked with a

kebab Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...

in her mouth, while the third shows a dead bat laying flat on its back. A writer for ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' called the artworks "striking", while ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

'' commented that the covers were only more "photo of Lady Gaga doing something weird." John Walker from MTV News found it difficult to understand the meaning behind the artworks, but nevertheless found them compelling. When the song debuted on YouTube, yet another picture was used to accompany the audio showing Gaga in metallic paint with a scorpion attached to her head. Gaga had announced that the music video for "Venus" would be directed by filmmaker Ruth Hogben, who previously collaborated with the singer on interludes for

The Monster Ball Tour The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her first EP, ''The Fame Monster'' (2009) and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008 ...

, and photographed her for the October 2013 issue of ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' magazine. However, the music video was never released. A shortened version of the song was later included in the full-length music video for ''Artpop''s third single, "

". It is played as Gaga enters

Hearst Castle Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada (Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill"), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his archit ...

and is lowered into the Neptune Pool. This is followed by a shot of ''

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment in ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has ...

'' playing musical instruments while lip-synching the lyrics to "Venus" in matching pink dresses.

Critical reception

Upon its release, "Venus" received mixed reviews from

. Shirley Li of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' was positive in her assessment of the song, describing it as "catchy". Lars Brandle of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' gave a positive review, noting its "catchy, radio-friendly chorus." Philip Sherburne wrote in ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine that ''Artpop'' gets "a lot artier" with "Venus". Mikael Wood of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' expressed that its "throbbing disco-glam" groove "feels like a throwback to her ' Just Dance' days", calling it "fun, kind of, but hardly extraordinary." Spencer Kornhaber commented in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' that with the song packing four separate choruses, it makes the music sound "enormous". Christina Lee of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

gave a positive review, saying that "'Venus' doesn't waste a single moment dealing with subtlety or nuances of any kind. 'Venus' swings like a pendulum from one emotional extreme to another, from its deadpan hashtag rap to its glittering dance balladry." John Walker of MTV Buzzworthy called the song "crazy, , barely intelligible sense, but still — sense!" Bradley Stern of ''MuuMuse'' described "Venus" as "a track just weird and stupid and messy and catchy enough to work." He compared the chorus to that of "

Bad Romance "Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), ''The Fame Monster'' (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. Following an illegal ...

" adding that "no matter how weird Gaga gets with her music ..she'll always bring it back to that undeniably massive pop chorus." Reviewing ''Artpop'' for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', Jerry Shriver recommended "Venus" as one of the tracks audiences should download.

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' gave the song a rating of 3 stars out of 5, and wrote that Gaga's "space-disco ode to the planet of sex sounds even more like

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

than you'd expect, especially '

Papa Don't Preach "Papa Don't Preach" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her third studio album '' True Blue'' (1986). The song was written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna, who produced it alongside Stephen Bray. Fur ...

'". Philip Matusavage of

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

called the song an attempt to be "self-consciously epic", but it is a "disjointed mess" instead. Sal Cinquemani wrote in ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' that the song confirms that the singer knows how to write catchy hooks, but she does not know what to do with them." In a separate review, Alexa Camp of the same magazine, called the song a "tongue-in-cheek album filler" with non-sense lyrics, feeling that "it was a solar system away from smashes" like the singer's previous releases "

Telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

" and "Bad Romance". Michael Cragg of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' expressed that "Venus" was not "good enough to support the weight of the clanging metaphors" of the album, describing it as "almost parodical."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Venus" debuted at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with 108,000 digital downloads sold, enabling it to enter the

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

chart at number 12. The song also entered the

Hot Dance/Electronic Songs The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...

at number 13 on the week of ''Artpop''s release, and was present on the chart for a total of 10 weeks. "Venus" also debuted and peaked at number 19 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

, and was present for one week only. "Venus" performed moderately in Oceania, debuting and peaking at numbers 31 and 20 in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. In South Korea, "Venus" debuted at number four on the Gaon International Downloads Chart with sales of 11,985 copies, and sold 21,016 digital downloads by November 2013. In the United Kingdom, "Venus" was not allowed to chart when it was first released, since the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

only allows independent song releases. Tracks released as part of the album's pre-order are considered to be free downloads by the company and hence barred from charting. Following the official release of ''Artpop'', "Venus" sold 3,174 digital downloads independent of the album, to debut at number 76 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. As of March 2020, the song has gone on to sell 11,200 copies and has been streamed 3.37 million times. In Ireland it debuted and peaked at number 13, while in Scotland it reached number 74. Across Europe, the song reached the top of the charts in Hungary and Spain, top 10 of the download charts in Finland, Greece and Sweden, and top 10 of the main charts in France and Italy. This enabled the track to debut and peak at number seven on the

Euro Digital Songs The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart.

Live performances

Gaga performed "Venus" for the first time at London's

G-A-Y G-A-Y is a long-running gay nightclub, based at Heaven in Charing Cross, London. It started in 1976, and for many years was based at the London Astoria. History G-A-Y started in 1976 in the Sundown club in the basement of the London Astoria (l ...

nightclub on the October 26, 2013, stripping naked in the process and provoking a media frenzy. The next day, she performed the song as well as "Do What U Want" on the tenth series of ''The X Factor'' (UK), along with a flurry of backup dancers and seashells covering her breasts. At the end of the performance, the singer removed the blond wig she wore and started singing "Do What U Want".

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

, which aired the performance, and the

Office of Communications The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

(Offcom), the British media regulator, received roughly 260 complaints regarding the performance because of Gaga's costume and the suggestive lyrics of the track. The show was broadcast before the 9pm watershed. A spokesperson from the channel released a statement saying that they did not believe the performance to be inappropriate. Ofcom said they would assess the complaints and investigate based on their results. Two weeks later, Gaga performed "Venus" and "Do What U Want" on ''

'', which was aired on November 8, 2013. The singer went barefoot for the performance wearing a blond wig and seashell bikini similar to those in her performance on ''The X Factor''. Kirsty McCormack of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' noted Gaga's look was comparable to the painting ''The Birth of Venus''. "Venus" was next performed at Gaga's

one-off concert on November 10, 2013, at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

, on the main stage adjacent to a

Jeff Koons Jeffrey Lynn Koons (; born January 21, 1955) is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror- finish su ...

sculpture of the singer. Before starting the performance, Gaga announced to the audience that they were "blasting off to a new dimension" and then stepped onto a rotating three-tiered stage. During the opening of the ''

Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular ''Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular'' is a Thanksgiving television special with American singer Lady Gaga and the Muppets. The 90-minute program aired on ABC on November 28, 2013, with guest stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elton John an ...

'', Gaga performed the track with

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

as backup singers. The singer was dressed in nude colored seashell and rhinestone bra and underwear, with her hair coiffed high, and wearing a septum piercing. Gaga also sang the track on the Japanese variety show ''

SMAP×SMAP ''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...

'' on November 28, 2013. "Venus" was included on the setlist for the ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour in 2014. She performed it wearing a mop-top wig and clam-shell bikini, while playing a

Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...

guitar. During the performance, 15 large, inflatable flowers rose up from below on stage. The flowers were inflated using an air hose to create a garden on the stage. According to Rob Sheffield of ''Rolling Stone'', "Gaga did 'Venus' in a clamshell bikini and a wig evoking

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer ...

in ''

One Million Years B.C. ''One Million Years B.C.'' is a 1966 British adventure fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts, and is a remake of the 1940 American fantasy film ''One Million B.C.''. The film star ...

'', while her dancers wore sad little white costumes that made them look like

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is an American-British screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed, and starred in ...

playing sperm cells in '' Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)''." In 2017, Gaga performed the song at the

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''Artpop''.

Management

*Recorded at The

Record Plant Studios The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

and CRC Studios,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

*Mixed at Larrabee North Studios, North Hollywood, California and Popcultur Studios, Paris, France *Mastered at Oasis Mastering Studios,

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

*Stefani Germanotta P/K/A Lady Gaga (BMI) Sony ATV Songs LLC/House of Gaga Publishing, LLC/GloJoe Music Inc. (BMI), Maxwell and Carter Publishing, LLC (ASCAP).

Personnel

*Lady Gaga –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, producer,

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

*Madeon – songwriter, mixing *Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair – songwriter *Dave Russell –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

*Benjamin Rice – recording *Bill Malina – recording *Ghazi Hourani – recording *Daniel Zaidenstadt – recording assistant *Andrew Robertson – recording assistant *Steve Faye – recording assistant *Manny Marroquin – mixing *Chris Gallant – mixing assistant *Delhert Bowers – mixing assistant *Tim Stewart – guitar *Ivy Skoff – union contract administrator *Gene Grimaldi – mastering

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2013 singles Classical mythology in music Interscope Records singles Lady Gaga songs Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Spain Songs about planets Song recordings produced by Lady Gaga Songs about fictional female characters Songs written by DJ White Shadow Songs written by Lady Gaga Songs written by Madeon Songs written by Nick Monson Venus (mythology)