PHOTOS10 Best Lady Gaga Music Videos: 'Bad Romance,' 'Marry The Night' and More
Alejandro
Lady Gaga dropped the intriguing music video for "Alejandro" in 2009 as part of her The Fame Monster release.
In the clip, Lady Gaga portrays the roles of a queen and a nun as her backup dancers deliver an exhilarating performance while donning fishnets and high heels.
"I was not thinking in terms [of influences.] I saw it more as a combination of cinema and theater," director Steven Klein explained about the music video in an email to MTV News. "[It is] about a woman's desire to resurrect a dead love and who cannot face the brutality of her present situation. The pain of living without your true love."
Applause
Inspired by Andy Warhol and German Expressionism, Lady Gaga pays homage to artists and pop culture icons through the "Applause" music video. With her stage design and eye-catching outfits, she highlights her emergence as an artist while taking her fans to different eras of the art industry.
The video begins with the singer standing inside a massive hat that seemingly pays tribute to the works of John Galliano and Marcel Duchamp. She also references Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal's Metropolis and Janet Jackson's iconic Rolling Stone pose.
Overall, Lady Gaga explores the stunning beauty of art while also highlighting her life as an artist.
Bad Romance
The Francis Lawrence-directed music video for "Bad Romance" catches viewers' attention with Lady Gaga's unmatched fashion sense and jaw-dropping choreography. Its plot follows the songstress being sold to masked men, whom she confronts in the latter part of the video to seek freedom.
"She's not really playing a character," Lawrence tells CBS News. "I think she really is Gaga. She's always dressed in a unique way, whether you're having a meeting with her in the recording studio or she's on set in this video. She's a very unique person. She's very creative, a great musician and a little bit of a performance artist. She's very much into fashion, photography and art, and so that comes out."
Born This Way
Lady Gaga drops a powerful and influential message in her avant-grade clip for "Born This Way."
As an LGBTQ+ icon, Lady Gaga shares the track and music video — which she tags the "most epic" clip she has ever done — to promote self-acceptance and diversity. The material's scenes notably depict love and acceptance while practicing freedom of expression and inclusivity, showing her love for the members of the community.
Marry the Night
Lady Gaga's "Marry The Night" music video is an autobiographical short film that looks back at the time her label let her go in 2006 and how she rose to fame afterward.
In the material, she recounts her journey toward resilience after suffering from rejection.
In just 14 minutes, Lady Gaga highlights her struggles as she chases fame and embraces the darkest moments in her life.
Million Reasons
The "Million Reasons" music video picks up from the events in her "Perfect Illusion" material's ending, showing Lady Gaga in the middle of a desert before an SUV arrives. It changes from black-and-white to colorful scenes where Lady Gaga prepares before performing on stage, a symbol of her renewal and empowerment after going through pain.
Paparazzi
Lady Gaga reveals the ugly side of being a celebrity in the music video for "Paparazzi." Playing a fictionalized version of herself, she faces a betrayal when her lover pushes her off a balcony.
After surviving the incident, she plots her revenge and decides to kill her former lover by poisoning him.
In the end, "Paparazzi" divulges the dark aspects of fame and how it impacts one's relationship and life.
Poker Face
Lady Gaga's iconic sophomore single, "Poker Face," comes with a notable video.
She dons her signature platinum blonde hair and bangs as she dances inside a massive mansion. Throughout the material, she sports different head-turning outfits that add thrill to her character's journey.
Rain on Me
Together with Ariana Grande, they promote liberation in the Robert Rodriguez-directed music video for "Rain on Me." The pair show their power and resilience by performing despite the storm, showing off their energetic choreography that perfectly fits the lyrics.
"She was so open to trying things that she hasn't done before," Lady Gaga told Apple Music's Zane Lowe of her and Grande's collaboration. "It was this beautiful, I think, very healing process for me, not necessarily having a female artist that mentored me as I came up."
She added, "This is about an analog of tears being the rain. And you know what it's also a metaphor for, is the amount of drinking that I was doing to numb myself. I'd rather be dry. I'd rather not be drinking, but I haven't died yet. I'm still alive. Rain on me. OK, I'm going to keep on drinking. This song has many layers."
Shallow
The "Shallow" music video features scenes from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's hit movie A Star Is Born.
Directed by the Silver Linings Playbook star, the emotional visual narrative starts with his character, Jackson Maine, inviting Lady Gaga's Ally to perform the song on stage.
