Bad Romance

Song: Bad Romance

Artist: Lady Gaga

Album: The Fame Monster

When I first heard her, I thought Lady Gaga was a fly-by-night pop fluke. And that "Just Dance" was a hip-pop dance cross-over piece of fluff. But as that song gained traction, and I succumbed to it's hook and charm, I finally got the record and was thrown. "Who is this woman?" A year later, you'd be hard pressed not to hear "Poker Face" or "Paparazzi" coming from SOMEWHERE while walking anywhere, and "The Fame," her debut album became one of my favorite records of the year.

And as Gaga became the Gaga she had in her head, becoming famous on the strength of an album that's ABOUT becoming famous... it became clear to me that Lady Gaga was no fly-by-night one hit wonder. I have a deep feeling that we're going to be listening to Gaga for some time in the future. And, she's about the most interesting pop star that's come along in more than a decade. Viva La House of Gaga!

This girl has come to the opening of every envelope as she's developed her name, working her shit while the pop hooks to her songs work their way under your skin. I find it very charming when I think back to her early appearances on even Logo's New Now Next Pop Lab, with an outrageous... but cheap outfit just doing Gaga. The persona was there before the cash, and now the cash is there... and I feel there is no stopping Gaga. Madonna has even said, "I see myself in Gaga" and "She has the IT factor."

It's not a total odd move that she's re-releasing her debut just before the holidays, but what is odd is that it's not just a new single with a bunch of leftover tracks. She's added the already leaked bonus tracks and b-sides that have gone with "The Fame," AND written just shy of a full albums of NEW stuff. And like Rihanna's pretty excellent "tacked-on" single "Disturbia" from her last album, Lady Gaga will soon be releasing "Bad Romance," a new track that I think holds it's own with the best on "The Fame." I've been listening to the demo for a couple weeks now, and think it has huge hit potential. I am so in love with the chorus... it's really just drop dead amazing.

What do you think? There is already a Gaga back-lash in the works, but I think this girl is the real deal. And I'll see you on the dancefloor when "Bad Romance" gets thrown down.

The Fame Monster

Confirmed by MTV, Billboard, and Interscope Records, a deluxe two-disc reissue of The Fame, entitled The Fame Monster, is to be released on November 24, 2009. During the collaborative launch of her similarly titled headphones with Dr. Dre, Gaga commented about the re-release,

"I think re-releases are unfair, [...] It’s artists sneaking singles onto an already finished piece of work in an effort to keep the album afloat. Originally [my label] only wanted me to put out three songs and now it’s much more than that. It’s a new album’s worth of material."

Regarding the title The Fame Monster, Gaga said that it was a coincidence that the name was similar to the headphones she launched. She had already written a song titled "Monster" in March, before she met with Dr. Dre and the Noel Lee, the head of BSM Monster, to discuss the collaboration. Gaga further explained that she was obsessed with monster movies then and "I’m kind of obsessing over the decay of the celebrity and the way that fame is a monster in society! That’s what my new record is about, so it was kind of a perfect fit." The first single from the re-issue is titled "Bad Romance". A brief portion of the song was performed onSaturday Night Live on October 3, 2009, alongwith other songs like "Poker Face" and "LoveGame". "Bad Romance" premiered during the show finale of fashion designer Alexander McQueen's Spring/Summer 2010 Paris Fashion Week show on October 6, 2009. Gaga later revealed that the re-release will contain eight new songs, along with her whole original debut album. The Fame Monster deals with the seamier side of fame, as experienced by Gaga over the course of the year 2008–2009. She explained,

"On my re-release The Fame Monster, I wrote about everything I didn't write on The Fame. While traveling the world for two years, I've encountered several monsters, each represented by a different song on the new record: my 'Fear of Sex Monster,' my 'Fear of Alcohol Monster,' my 'Fear of Love Monster,' my 'Fear of Death Monster,' my 'Fear of Loneliness Monster,' etc."
"I spent a lot of nights in Eastern Europe, and this album is a pop experimentation with industrial/Goth beats, 90's dance melodies, an obsession with the lyrical genius of 80's melancholic pop, and the runway. I wrote while watching muted fashion shows and I am compelled to say my music was scored for them."

Among other songs, Gaga confirmed a ballad titled "Speechless", which she dedicated to her father. She also commented that the new songs don't deal with money or fame, rather its about everything in-between and it was for her fans. Two cover arts for the re-release was shot by designer and photographer Hedi Slimane. One shows Gaga in blond wig and wearing a black jacket while the other portrays her with a long dark wig and heavy eyeliner running down her face.

Enjoy.

Alejandro