I need to admit something: I have watched Lady Gaga’s video for “Bad Romance” five times in a row now and I have no intention of stopping. That felt good. Thanks for being there for me, Music Mix-ers. I really feel your support.
But honestly this video is AHHHHHMAZING. There are more wardrobe changes than a Mariah Carey-episode of Cribs. The choreography incorporates elements of “Thriller” and the Twist(!). And I don’t think Gaga has ever looked prettier than in the close-ups where she’s more stripped down. On the flip side, I love those crazy dilated pupils she sports for much of the video.
“Paparazzi” used to be my favorite Lady Gaga video, but I think “Bad Romance” now takes the title.
What do you think, Music Mix-ers? Is this another masterpiece from Gaga? Or do you (blasphemy!) prefer the word “mess”?
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
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Aerosmith 2.0: Who should replace Steven Tyler?
The Killers’ Brandon Flowers on live albums, vampires, and Sinatra: A Music Mix Q&A
Monday CMA rehearsal Not-Quite-Liveblog: Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, and more!






Comments (1-30) of 407 Add your comment
Agreed.
This is what is needed to entertain this generation ,gimics and lots of shock value. So sad! Where is the talent? Nice voice, meaningful lyrics, great musician? No, not here!
You’re right; her lyrics aren’t necessarily meaningful. As to her voice and musicianship, you really should check out her unplugged performances. Her command of vocals and the piano is actually quite incredible.
Um, this is living talent. Musicianship and vocal prowess.
Shut up and learn what your talking about.
If you strip down the lyrics and the music video and have some artistic background/knowledge wouldn’t say that. I really enjoyed this video. Very artistic, fashion forward, beautiful…..I must have watched it about 20 times by now!
wow..great..was not a fan till i heard the latest song watch the video…..i,m sold
if you’re that serious you’re just too old
While I respect your comment, I would like to know what do you call talent, if Gaga is giving us creativity.
Think it twice, art is always made for reflexion, that is what Gaga expects not that everybody loves her (wich i certainly do).
For me is the best video the Lady has done
THIS IS TERRIFYING. AND BEAUTIFUL.
Very. I like the close ups of her with barely any make up on. That’s the most normal I’ve ever seen her. I don’t know which I like better.
Agreed! I was surprised how pretty she looked in the closeups with minimal make-up.
I agree, the close-ups were amazing~!
You know I always thought she was kind of odd looking but in those “stripped” down close ups she looked so pretty.
This was garbage.
Shut up, it takes garbage to know garbage.
I’m not much of a fan, but I was blown away. This video is one of the best in a long time.
Lady Gaga rules the world…
Anyway, been waiting on this long postponed vid for some time I am blown away! Sorry, but my fave is still “Paparazzi,” if only for the technical quality: also for the opening shots that reference “Cries and Whispers” (seriously) and depth of the meaning. Still love this one though. (BEST PART: when she is on the burnt bed in the end!)
Why is she dressed like Max from Where the Wild Things Are?
that’s what i thought too!
me too! you know what they say about great minds . . .
Completely agree. She looks so pretty and soft without all of the outrageous outfits and hair. But that chameleon-like public persona is part of her appeal, I think. Still love the “Paparazzi” video, but most of that has to do with Alexander Skarsgard.
Ummm…i love this woman’s music, but this video was a random mishmash of nonsense. Absolutely, garishly, freakishly beautiful nonsense…but, nonsense nonetheless. What happened to videos that actually were not only gorgeous, but intelligent? And, yes she looked absolutely beautiful by letting her real face come through. Very pretty girl.
There was a point to this underneath the extremes. It looked to me like Lady GaGa was a sex slave, being sold to the highest bidder, whom she later killed giving him his just deserts
You might not have seen the different symbolisms in the video. The creepy scenes, the outfits, the randomness… They all symbolize something. The vodka thing may be her love for the guy that is poison at the same time. She spits it out but it’s too late, her soul (the closed up scenes) is already affected and now she’s addicted to the bad romance. There’s a reason why she had big eyes. It symbolizes innocence and the love ruined it and from water (purity), the bathtub, the end shows her with the fire(ruin of the soul). I don’t know… Everything for me in the video has a meaning. Why does it open in a bath house? Why the mirror scene? WHY THE BALD CAT? Think. Everything is symbolism. The weird dark scene with her spine showing can mean her being trapped in the dark corners of her lover’s mind. It may mean her obsession. I dunno. I think I think too much…
didnt even like the song till now
she so crazy! i LOVE IT! who’s the guy in the video?
…is soooooo overrated.
…. is such an ignorant moron.
…needs to wake up.
The first guy that referenced the one above him was creative and funny, your attempt lacks originality and makes you look like an ass. Good job!
….needs to mind her own business.
Stop talking, or in this case typing.
Your not funny, your just mildly retarded.
Thank you, I totally agree. I have never seen a performer that has to try so hard for attention. There is nothing genuine about it! It’s more than alittle unnerving and beyond embarrassing!
You don’t get it then, her message or what it means.
How does she try hard for attention?
She does what she loves, and she’s good at.
How would you know anything about being “genuine” when your hunched over a keyboard typing condescending garbage.
I adore the fact that she is COMFORTABLE being extreme. She also incorporates a lot of fantastic, surrealist elements that are very artistic and beautiful. As oppose to not being “genuine” I think this is a lot more genuine than the typical pre-packaged cliche tripe.
this is one of the best music vids ever. really great…almost as good as NIN’s vid for Closer. love how dark and disturbing this is!
I love love love love this video but NIN Closer will always be #1 one for me
)
I think this video is AWESOME! She takes her work so far beyond the ‘POP’ genre everyone has come to expect and, in my opinion, creates TRUE ART.
Like a real artist, she doesn’t seem to care about being pretty, accepted, or normal. In her work, she seems to continually challenge herself and her fans to re-define accepted notions of art = beauty. She pushes the boundaries of what we hear, see, and experience and, while she may be considered avant-garde now, I am betting she will be remembered and written about in the history books, being credited with ushering a new art aesthetic that will change how we view and represent our lives in the 21st century.
agree 10000000%!
lady gaga is the future of music and art.
…UGH.
Lady WHO?
The “best” lady gaga video is the equivalent of the least painful torture weapon
…that so many people are “entertained” by such mediocrity.
SO true, She is so much more than anyone else in pop music, this video is getting great reviews even from haters, and i thnk the world is starting to see how talented she really is. Finally!
Clearly you have very low standards if that’s what you think. Sad.
you’re starting to see talent??
…PLEASE, girlfiend she had more talent than any one you know…
The music’s crappy. I’ll say the visuals have talent but she doesn’t deserve the props for it.
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING!!! GAGA IS A GENIUS. SHE HAS WON ME OVER. I USED TO DISLIKE HER BUT NOW I CAN SEE SHE’S A REAL ARTIST.
A+++++++++++++++++
You probably need to give the props to the music director.
I doubt she has an ounce of creativity in her to pull off a video like this.
A video.
Ha Ha Ha.
A video.
Lady G is amazing, beautiful and so funny! Possibly my favourite video ever! And she makes a very good point (several actually) all women can identify with and all men can be entertained and enlightened by. She makes Madonna’s breakout moment look like
a warmup. Lady G has megatalent and deserves her mega-success. She’s also freeing modern women from ancient shackles. Lady G – freedom fighter extraordinaire.
Oh please, why the need to slight Madonna in the quest to heighten Lady GaGa’s importance? There would be no Lady GaGa had Madonna not pushed the envelope as far as she did. Whatever Lady GaGa does, it will always be compared against Madonna’s accomplishments – whatever Lady GaGa does, Madonna has already done. I like GaGa, but I don’t pretend to think we were all living under some rock until she came along. She’s just another artist trying to make her mark.
couldnt have said it better alexis
Bravo Alexis… HUGE Madonna and Lady GaGa fan, but clearly Madonna is the Queen of Pop with Lady GaGa the current (and most realistic of the pop princesses left) as her HEIR APPARENT…
I agree that comparing Lady Gaga to Madonna is a moot point and that Madonna did a lot of trailblazing for Gaga to do what she does, but we should also be mindful of the fact that Madonna creatively flamed out a while ago (when’s the last time she creatively pushed an envelope rather than ham-fistedly pushed an agenda?), so, in the here and now, Lady Gaga is on top. Circle of life!
Hi Vanity Feral, no doubt in the here and now, GaGa reigns supreme -though I’m a little hesitant to count Madonna completely out, if I’ve learned anything over the last 25+ years that Madonna’s career has been proclaimed “over” is to never underestimate her. I certainly hope she has at least one more creative burst now that she’s left WB but we’ll see. The reason I responded initially was to the pompous statement that GaGa is making Madonna’s breakout moment seem like a warmup – abd freeing women from ancient shackles…. that’s bit insulting considering Madonna was way ahead of her time when she first burst into the scene. What the hell did Madonna do, teach us all how to bake cookies?! No, she taught women to like their bodies, that you can be sexy AND be smart at the same time. After 25+ years in the music business, still managing to stage THE best selling concert tour for a female performer is no small undertaking and shouldn’t be undermined.
…to keep her blogging to her own site that nobody visits.
yawn…
I suspect creativity and originality may not be the only departments in which you’re lacking. Your agression towards women hints at what one of those departments might be. oh dear!
Video is interesting but the song is HORRIBLE.
I agree. The song is fair but the video is a cerebral delight.
this is genius. gaga = queen of music
I love this video so hard it’s ridiculous.
I liked the song before, but with the video, I think I might absolutely LOVE it.
WOW WOW LOVE
pop stars take note this is amazing
I love it all. I’ve had the song on repeat for a few weeks and the video is just completely awesome! I’ve watched it like 4 times now.
Tim, I have to agree. I didn’t think she could possibly top the mini-movie madness of “Paparazzi”, esp. since she nabbed Alexander Skarsgard for that, but this video is truly FIERCE. Even down to the last 5 seconds….when this video is released to iTunes, sales will help the song rocket to #1 & convert many a disbeliever.
cool video but I get a feeling that I’ve seen this before… back in the day when Mark Romanek was making great artistic videos like NIN’s Closer / Perfect Drug & Madonna’s Bedtime Story… Either way, albeit pretentous, its still a good video at a time when nobody makes videos anymore…
The music video as an art-form has finally returned. Thank you Lady Gaga…. You dare your audience to be not just watch you dancing and singing and happy to be performing, but to be disturbed by and haunted by your beauty and complexity and the range of emotions which are explained in the visuals and the vocals is incredible. Pop elevated to an artform!
Please! Lady Gaga couldn’t buy a hit until she started dressing weirdly. If she was doing her material without the odd outfits, she’d be a average performer doing very average material.
Well, a true artist is evaluated by the entire package he/she presents. Though she may not have the strongest voice, nor the best writing abilities, but ALTOGETHER with her odd style, committed passion, and artistic viewpoint it adds up to genius!!! There are tons of great singers out there who can’t surpass being background singers because they don’t have star quality.
ARE YOU SERIOUS? You call her voice and writing skills weak compared to what?! The trite that is known as Rihanna-Britney-Pussycat Dolls??? For real?!
I completely disagree, and you’re obviously oblivious to true art when you see it. When people first heard “Just Dance”, they had no idea who Lady Gaga was, but they loved it anyway. Suck it.
She didn’t “buy” any hits.
SHE wrote “Just Dance” and every other song she’s sings and they’re ALL her hits.
So you can kiss her curved yellow rump.
This is like TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL! Reminds me of great videos like THRILLER. Gaga is turning into an icon. She just blew away the competition.
Those strange costumes reminded me of something out of Pan’s Labyrinth or Sauron from Lord of the Rings. awesome.
She wears a bunch of Alexander Mcqueen shoes, and Pan’s Labyrinth is exactly what I thought of when I saw the show. http://www.fashionmefabulous.com/2009/10/alexander-mcqueen-spring-summer-2010.html
Not sure I’m sold on the song yet, but the video is great. So many fantastic looks.
Amazing. She is the savior of pop music, elevating it from teeny bopper schlock to something artistic and worth watching. I keep trying to find a reason to dislike her and I can’t. I love her songs, I love her videos, I love that she treats every public appearance like a fashion event.
Whatever. Its a good video, but she tries waaayy to hard to be “artsy”. And if this is the prettiest she’s looked in her videos thats really saying something, cuz she’s incredibly homely. The songs good, i”l say that- even if it just a re-creation of Poker Face. I hate when people act like she’s original and so amazing. She’s a pop star. She’s Britney, Christina, and Madonna in stupid outfits.
THANK YOU. her “art” is nothing more the a mish mash of avant garde looks from the past ten years, and recycled beats and lyrics of all the pop tarts that came before her.
i can’t believe so many people buy into it.
amen! she’s all style and no substance. and you can see her straining to be creative/weird/avant-garde. it’s completely calculated. plus her songs are lyrically simplistic. just dance, poker face, love game? anyone could’ve written/sing those songs!
Well, if that’s all it is, then why aren’t others doing it… and making the boatload of cash? The reason: it’s not. It takes a particular genius to do what Gaga has done. If she’s not your thing – fine. But to suggest something isn’t valid because someone, somewhere did something different but similar is pretty naieve. There are people that say there are only ten real stories in the world, and everything is merely a retread; those people only understand half the equation.
stop degrading the word “genius”. Einstein was a genius, Gaga is not. what is genius about creating an over-the-top macabre music video?
Its okay to be jealous of someone really talented. I understand. Go on youtube and watch her SNL performance song medley where sings with an amazing voice, dances, plays the piano and improvises. Than please be quiet.
yes jeremy, becuase we don’t like her and see right through her we MUST be jealous. god. have you been to a concert lately? plenty of artists do all that you mentioned above, with out resorting to weird gimmicks. expand your horizons a bit and you will realize that gaga is nothing new and not a bit original. then please be quiet.
Coco, shut up please.
You don’t get her, and you don’t see right through her.
Plenty of artists don’t do it like she does, show me Miley Cyrus on an instrument singing like Gaga does.
Just cause she dresses differently doesn’t mean its all some sort of master mind ploy.
nia when did i mention miley cyrus?? i think of her as i think of gaga- people who rely on too much gimmicks and not enough talent. you do know there is music outside of top 40 right?
and when did i say she has a master mind ploy? i’m sure she doesn’t. i only stated that she is not the genius, avant garde artist that everyone is so eager to paint her as.
i think some one needs a reading comprehension lesson.
I see people turning into her fans left and right. I’m one of those people actually. She’s definitely the most entertaining popstar right now, you sort of cant help but pay attention.
AMAZING video, btw.
In those close ups, she looks a lot like Annie Lennox. In fact, she’s a great candidate for inheriting the avant garde video title from Annie & the Eurythmics. AWESOME VID!
exactly what i was thinking!!
thank you, I couldnt for the love of God figure out who it was she reminded me of! Annie! Of course!
It’s got high production value which is nice. Is also nice to see her face for once, not as butter as before. Having said that the close up of when doing bug eye pose looks like Carol Kane, other close-ups she often looks like gay porn director Chi Chi Larue! The real question remains can she do a video without any gimmicks/ outfits? I also agree with those who are irritated with the constant variation wordplay mention of her disco stick, so odd how she places that claiming she is BISEXUAL!!!
Her first video was fairly good and gimmick free, if though just a rehash of the classic Fiona Apple “Criminal” video from late 90s…