Thursday, March 11, 2010

Lady Gaga and Beyonce make a typically understated video for "Telephone"


Well knock me over with a diamond encrusted feather, I've just had my first viewing of the video for Lady Gaga's Telephone featuring Beyonce.

Initial reactions:

- Brilliantly shot, with Jonas Akerlund riffing on Kill Bill, the Paparazzi video (the story is obviously intended as a continuation) and his other videos particularly for Madonna (I was getting both American Life and Nothing Really Matters at times), hip hop videos (the Hype Williams style split screen and booty dance at the end) and I'm sure ten billion more cultural touchstones I'm not smart enough to catch up

-Outfits are suitably impressive but particularly love the use of costumes from the current Monster Ball tour esp the Rachel Barrett latex (I'm guessing) dress and the leopard print catsuit. For someone who has done so
many looks, Gaga knows how to re-use certain costumes to great effect.

- Some of the new looks are particularly those smoke covered glasses in the prison sequences

- The chick with a dick joke is actually hilarious

- The obligatory mobile phone plugs are as painful as you'd expect

- The choreography is the most "pop" we've seen from Gaga in awhile in particular the underwear dance sequence amidst the prison cells which is like Britney doing the Cell Block Tango from Chicago.

- The "to be continued" bit is interesting. If Alejandaro is really the next single as is been mentioned around the place recently, it should lead to an excellent follow up

- The humour is off the wall and all the better for it. "Let's Make A Sandwich" indeed.



I'd be here all day ranting about this really. I will say that compared to the Paparazzi video this is much more of a short film/musical piece. At times the ins and outs of the music don't work as well as they should. It'll be interesting to see what kind of edit they do of this for TV play etc. Still it's hard to fault a story as bonkers, enjoyable and brilliantly visual as this.

Nicely played Lady Gaga and assorted creative types/Beyonce.

Credit to iLeaks for sending out the video early to Gaga heads everywhere!

UPDATE: Now on Vevo/YouTube

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