Lady Gaga is one of my favorite artists. In honor of the debut of her new video, “Born This Way,” I will discuss the top five Lady Gaga songs.
The first song on the list is, “Bad Romance.” In my inner circle, “Bad Romance” is the clear frontrunner for favorite Gaga song. The allure of this tale of a toxic pre-relationship doesn’t lie solely in the song. The video and its strong images add a story, and every great song has a story.
My favorite scene in the video is when Gaga is sitting in a room by herself, crying. There is no outrageous makeup, no fireworks and no army of dancers behind her. At this moment, Lady Gaga doesn’t exist. There is only Stefani Germanotta, a New Yorker in love.
It is too real for anyone not to relate to her. That is why “Bad Romance” is number one.
Number two on the list, “Speechless,” wasn’t released as a single, but perhaps it should have been. It chronicles Gaga and her troubled relationship with both her boyfriend and her father. The lyrics offer a portrait of an insecure and troubled girl, a far cry from the over-the-top confidence of Gaga.
“Monster” discusses a situation that many college-aged women, including and perhaps especially at Duke, have faced. The song focuses on a woman leaving the club with a charismatic guy who turns out to be a disappointment. Gaga is initially put off by the man’s bravado but eventually falls into his trap where he “eats her heart” and, subsequently, her brain.
Though the literal implications of this are shocking, the metaphorical meaning epitomizes many D-floor make outs. Gaga tries to redeem herself in “Paper Gangsta” where she discusses her unwillingness to compromise the qualities she wants in a man because he has lots of cash.
She states, “I’m looking for love/not an empty page/full of stuff that means nothing/but ‘you’ve been played.’” The casual lyrics plus the intoxicating beats make this song a strong case for number four.
Finally, my fifth pick for the best Lady Gaga song is her collaboration with Beyoncé, “Telephone.” Besides the fact that the video features Gaga and B serving vengeance Kill Bill style, the song is catchy and features a harp in a non-ironic way (though I’m not too sure how you would use a harp ironically).
It expresses the way that I have felt many nights when I just want to party but some bugaboo just wont let me be (Destiny’s Child reference, oh yeah). It's fun, whimsical, but still pretty boss.
Hopefully my countdown encouraged you expand your Gaga horizon, but please don’t listen to “Born This Way.” Please.
Ariel Smallwood is a Trinity sophomore. Her online column runs every Tuesday.
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