A Post on Lady Gaga – Lord, Forgive Me
March 15th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
It’s true and I freely admit it: I am one of those people who love Lady Gaga despite the fact that I can barely get through any songs that aren’t “Bad Romance” or”Speechless.” “Poker face?” “Just Dance?” Frankly I could do without. But put her in a latex body suit and have her climb out of a futuristic pod while making claw-like hand motions, and I’m in love. So it’s no surprise that when I heard another Lady Gaga video was in the works (one that Lady Gaga herself had touted as better than “Bad Romance”), I was counting down the days along with everyone else.
Perhaps the fact that there was so much hype surrounding the release of the “Telephone” music video is why I feel so very cheated and underwhelmed. Where is the Lady Gaga that I came to love in “Bad Romance?” Slightly creepy and original and throwing things at me that I’ve never seen before (kind of – let’s not overplay Gaga’s originality here). But honestly! The video for “Telephone” struck me as a conglomeration of 1,000 things I’ve seen before – coming from Lady Gaga and elsewhere. Riding around in the Pussywagon looking fabulous and on an emotionless killing spree? Ever seen Kill Bill, Gaga? Tarantino-esque or not, the video for “Telephone” just didn’t wow me. Plain and simple.
Although the opening has it’s merits, addressing internet rumors about Gaga liking women and having a penis (“I told you she didn’t have a dick”), it is entirely too long and slow and I really had to work at staying interested less than a minute in. Lady Gaga in a sexy prison with a bunch of slutty prisoners just isn’t that enthralling. Watching her and her scantily clad back up dancers/fellow inmates dance around the jail cell singing lines about dancing in the club was just too much for me. Let’s all get in a triangle formation and saunter about in bikinis! But we’re in jail so it’s different and artistic! I thought Beyonce’s appearance might redeem the video but alas, to no avail. Beyonce just seems out of place in Lady Gaga’s crazy world where dance sequences center around making poisonous sandwiches. Not to mention, the fast, jumpy cuts don’t particularly do Beyonce justice. It seems wrong to edit the beauty that is Beyonce in such a way! Let me stare at her beautiful caramel skin in peace, Gaga!
It’s no surprise that the best parts of the video are what Gaga is wearing. Oh, and a brief cameo by Jay from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” fame (I think that’s him!). But overall, I could complain about the tiniest, most insignificant aspects of this video for four more paragraphs (Why did you kill everyone in the restaurant?! And who puts honey on their eggs anyway!?!?).But I suppose I should wrap it up by simply saying, “Telephone” is no “Bad Romance.” And no amount of bootylicious Beyonce, Quentin Tarantino references, sexy jailbirds or cameos by former reality stars could change that fact.
