Watch Out Bad Romans

Lady GaGa debuted her new video for “Bad Romance” on her Web site today. So far her new music has been pretty impressive. I heard “Bad Romance” before it was officially available for purchase and a couple of other songs — “Alejandro” and “Dance in the Dark” — from the new “The Fame Monster” album have “leaked” to youtube. I’m still convinced it’s a publicity stunt, but then, when has GaGa or her label ever been above such tactics?

When I heard from a friend that the “Bad Romance” video would have human trafficking as its subject, I said, “That’s…sexy?” I’ve always walked a fine line between thinking Lady GaGa is brilliant and thinking she’s pretentious. But, honestly, I think that’s kind of her thing and maybe I dig it, maybe it’s just silly.

I’m no artist, nor do I make any claims to be. I do want to give the video some consideration, however, I’ll approach it with my journalistic background. That means I’m skeptical. I’ve watched the video several times now and I’m still walking that line between thinking it’s awesome and thinking it’s just really processed and an extended product placement. I may get in trouble with my gay brethren for question the GaGa, but I suppose someone has to. It seems that people either love her unconditionally or hate her with a passion. I’d like to be the voice of reason in between.

The video itself has a much slicker feel than her previous videos. It’s befitting of a second album and of a song with more meaningful lyrics than offerings such as “Just Dance” and “Boys Boys Boys.” First of all, there is a wonderful juxtaposition between dark and light in the video. I’m not one-hundred percent sure I know the “plot line,” if you will, but it seems that a doey-eyed GaGa is playing in a bath tub in a processing facility for a reverse-mail-order bride scenario. She has several distinct looks in the video — what’s new, right? — and they all seem to be representations of different kinds of women. The doey-eyed innocent (made even more doey-eyed by computer generated big ol’ eyes), the world-weary woman lamenting the loss of her innocence, the widow, dressed in black and wearing an asymmetrical crown, the Madonna-esque, Marilyn-Monroe throwback in red to signify her sexuality and passion and the caked-on, made-up caricature of a young woman made to look “grown up” to impress the men who want to purchase her.

The sequences are startlingly beautiful and the video looks very slick with the exception of a couple of instances where the lip syncing appears to be an after thought (though I wouldn’t put it past the GaGa to have done that intentionally as well). There is a notable lack of fabulous dancing, even if the scenes are well-choreographed; none of her signature male dancers appear in the video and she is surrounded by women. In fact, the only men who DO appear in the video are futuristic, Russian-esque men in metal chin straps and head, er, masks(?) who swill vodka on the rocks and bid money to purchase the overly made-up GaGa.

GaGa has said that she worked well with director Francis Lawrence because he was willing to surrender the creative control to her. She says the video was conceived by the nebulous “Haus of GaGa,” which seems to be equal parts ostentatiousness and whatever you think it’s not-itude. So, I have to wonder if the fame monster hasn’t gone to her head a little bit? I wouldn’t expect GaGa to do anything low-key or without some sort of strange and wonderful twist to it, but is she really making much of a statement about human trafficking and woman power when she wears next to nothing and sets a bed on fire with her bra- and panty-clad body to burn her oppressor? There are some pretty powerful shots of her in the shower that are digitally edited to make her look emaciated and malnourished. Of all of the images in this video, these haunt me the most.

It is extremely interesting, though, how GaGa is not only mirroring Madonna’s rise to fame, but her look, her sound (check out the “Vogue”-inspired chant in “Dance in the Dark”) and her ability to charm the socks (and pants and g-strings) off of gay fans. GaGa is certainly her own person and to say that she’s simply copying Madonna would be missing the point entirely, but to fully consider her career and this video especially, I would be remiss in not mentioning the connection.

So, I guess I’ve simply come to the realization that GaGa is not simply spouting drivel with the new video, but I honestly don’t think it’s a piéce de resistance either. It’s beautiful and stylish and also not really a scathing rebuke of the human trafficking industry. But, perhaps it really doesn’t need to be. It IS pop music, after all.

Also, if you’re wondering about the title of this post, it’s one of the things I’ve heard people misunderstanding GaGa as saying when she sings “Want your bad romance.” That, Want Your Bar Omens and Watch Out for Romance are probably my favorites.

Until next time.