Lady Gaga could potentially be a second impression artist for me, because the first impression has not been a very good one. More likely she’ll remain one of those acts, like Lil Wayne, that critics and fans alike fawn over while I scratch my head, not getting it.
Let me clarify. I get the GaGa-ness of Lady GaGa — her outlandish style, the Marilyn Manson meets Madonna thing she has going on. It’s her music that I don’t get.
And I wouldn’t necessarily expect to get her music, except that I’ve heard it praised so effusively by so many different sorts of people. Critics, other artists, fans whose tastes generally line up with mine. I’ve read a lot of comments along the lines of “Forget the flash… Lady GaGa is the real deal as a writer and performer. She’s doing something new and wonderful.”
Recently, after reading that sort of thing again and again, I sought out all of GaGa’s hits on YouTube and determined to figure out exactly where I stand. And where I stand is… meh. It struck me as generic dance pop, not much better or worse than other music of its kind that’s been released over the past 5-10 years.
So is GaGa just an excellent saleswoman, or am I missing something? Or is it just the old standby, that matters of taste are subjective?
‘Bad Romance’ is one exception… I like this song a lot. It has an epic, gothic quality and a killer chorus. The video is pretty cool, too. Or perhaps I’m drawn to the lyrical ingenuity of the opening lines: “Rad-rah-ah-ah-ah! Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah! GaGa-oo-la-la!”
Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah!
GaGa-oo-la-la!
Want your bad romance
I want your ugly
I want your disease
I want your everything
As long as it’s free
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
I want your drama
The touch of your hand
I want you leather studded kiss in the sand
I want your love
love-love-love
I want your love
You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want it bad
Bad romance
I want your loving
And I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
I want your loving
All your love is revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!
Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!
Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah!
GaGa-oo-la-la!
Want your bad romance
I want your horror
I want your design
‘Cause you’re a criminal
As long as your mine
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
I want your psycho
Your vertigo stick
Want you in my rear window
Baby you’re sick
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want it bad
Bad romance
I want your loving
And I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
I want your loving
All your love is revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!
Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!
Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah!
GaGa-oo-la-la!
Want your bad romance
Walk-walk fashion baby
Work it
move that bitch c-crazy
walk-walk fashion baby
Work it
move that bitch crazy
walk-walk fashion baby
Work it
I’m a free bitch baby
I want your love
And I want your revenge
I want your love
I don’t wanna be friends
J’veux ton amour
et j’veux ton revenge
J’veux ton amour
I don’t wanna be friends
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!
Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
I want your loving
And I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
I want your loving
All your love is revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!
Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!
Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah!
GaGa-oo-la-la!
Want your bad romance
Meet Me In Montauk 
I really have nothing to say except victoria secret received no credit for costumes.
I’m not buying Lady Gaga—she is clearly being groomed as the next Madonna, and I was never that wild about Madonna, so I’m certainly not enthused about a lesser second hand version of Madonna. Does she have talent? I would say yes–she plays piano and I presume has a hand in writing her songs. But she doesn’t do a style of music that holds interest to me, but might to those who like Madonna, Rihana, Beyonce, etc…
Oh, by the way, in the video, has she really killed her lover by shooting fire from her breasts? Now THAT is original!
So she’s a cross between Marilyn Manson, Madonna and a Femme-bot. Wow! The music may not be original, but the persona certainly is! 🙂
But seriously, I like Lady Gaga’s songs because they are easy to move around to – in the car, at my desk, at the gym – but I find her personally off-putting. I get what she’s doing, but I have no real interest in it. Of course, she’s making her millions off of the people who think she’s the greatest thing since Madonna’s cone bra and are willing to pay a lot for tickets to her concerts (which are, by all accounts, truly spectacular). I happen to know someone who bought tickets to her Denver concert and paid $200 a ticket! I am not impressed enough to do the same. 🙂
And, for the record, I’m pretty sure that lyric is “vertigo stick” since she has a whole Hitchcock reference going on in the lines before and after it. I could be wrong, but that’s what I’ve always thought I was hearing. 🙂
Good catch on the lyrics… I will bow to your expertise. I have to admit I didn’t really read them through, but that Hitchcock wordplay is actually kinda neat.
I just saw this through a friend’s post on Facebook. Thought I’d share an interesting take on the song. 🙂
I truly love Lady Gaga and her extraordinary costumes although she really let herself down now being seen out in see through undergarments.