Lady Gaga's "Applause" Single Cover Art: Talk About Scary Monsters

I'll admit it, I'm very excited to hear what Lady Gaga comes up with when she reaches up her Monster snatch and yanks out new single "Applause" on August 19. But, Jesus — does this broad always have to be so derivative?

The "Applause" single artwork premiered last night via WWD, and she had this to say about it:

"It’s the end of the night after the show. When I look at it I see that there is a longing for the applause. I see that there is a void that is leaking onstage, that the performer is leaking, that the art is sort of becoming something else in front of your eyes. Something more human, something more honest."

All I really see is Bowie.

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UK Chart Roundup: Nicole Scherzinger Flops Again

Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" remains atop the UK chart for a third week in a row, while professional stripper Nicole Scherzinger flops into the Top 10 at #6 with "Boomerang."

What I'll never understand is how this Pussycat tuna bag has a career, while Holly Valance and Dannii Minogue haven't been heard from in years. "Boomerang" is truly abominable.



Over on the album chart, David Bowie's excellent LP The Next Day debuts at #1 after selling 94,000 copies. It's the first time the 66-year-old has had a chart-topping album since 1993's Black Tie White Noise. Strangely enough, here in the States, Bowie has never had a #1 album.

The UK Top 10:

1. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake *3 weeks*
2. "One Way Or Another" - One Direction
3. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
4. "When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars
5. "Pompeii" - Bastille
6. "Boomerang" - Nicole Scherzinger *new*
7. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
8. "Ready Or Not" - Bridgit Mendler
9. "I Could Be The One" - Avicii vs. Nicky Romero
10. "Disclosure" - White Noise feat. AlunaGeorge

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Morrissey & Rick Astley Grace Reissued "Last Of The Famous International Playboys" Single

This is pretty sexy. Morrissey and Rick Astley met in the late '80s backstage at BBC music staple Top Of The Pops and posed for the above photo. And with Moz reissuing his fantastic 1989 "The Last Of The Famous International Playboys" single (out April 8, along with a reissue of his 1991 Kill Uncle album), the pic is gracing the cover.

Pitchfork reports that a never-before-seen photo of Morrissey with David Bowie was the singer's first choice for the cover art, but Bowie, whose first album in 10 years, The Next Day, is out tomorrow, wouldn't grant permission.

The next best thing, if you ask me.

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UK Chart Roundup: David Bowie "Where Are We Now?" Finds A Top 10 Destination

David Bowie's surprise return single "Where Are We Now?", off the upcoming The Next Day (out March 12), makes a significant dent in the UK chart this week by debuting at #6 — his first Top 10 single since "Jump They Say" reached #9 exactly 20 years ago.

The UK Top 10:

1. "Scream And Shout" - will.i.am feat. Britney Spears *1 week*
2. "I Knew You Were Trouble" - Taylor Swift
3. "Impossible" - James Arthur
4. "Stay" - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
5. "Drinking From The Bottle" - Calvin Harris feat. Tinie Tempah
6. "Where Are We Now" - David Bowie *new*
7. "Don't Stop The Party" - Pitbull feat. TJR
8. "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars
9. "Gangnam Style" - PSY
10. "Troublemaker" - Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida

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David Bowie's "Where Are We Now?" & 'The Next Day': The Return Of The Thin White Duke

Changesonebowie was an instrumental album in my upbringing, thanks to my dearly departed dad, and I was thrilled/shocked to learn that David Bowie is back with a new single and video, the wistful "Where Are We Now?" (a nostalgic look back at his time in the latter part of the '70s recording his Berlin Trilogy in Germany's capital city).



The song is up for grabs on iTunes as part of a pre-order for Bowie's upcoming 24th studio album The Next Day (out March 12). The cover of the LP is basically the cover of his 1977 album "Heroes" with a white block over Bowie's face brandishing the title.

Longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti produced The Next Day, which has 14 tracks on the regular version and 17 on the deluxe:

1. “The Next Day”
2. “Dirty Boys”
3. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
4. “Love Is Lost”
5. “Where Are We Now?”
6. “Valentine’s Day”
7. “If You Can See Me”
8. “I’d Rather Be High”
9. “Boss of Me”
10. “Dancing Out in Space”
11. “How Does the Grass Grow”
12. “(You Will) Set the World on Fire”
13. “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”
14. “Heat”
15. “So She” (bonus)
16. “I’ll Take You There” (bonus)
17. “Plan” (bonus)

By the way, three David Bowie albums that will save your life at some point, if you choose to let them: Young Americans, Station To Station and "Heroes". No lie.

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