Lady Gaga released “Stupid Love,” the first single off of her upcoming album “Chromatica,” on Feb. 28, which has fans rejoicing over the start of a brand new era and a much-anticipated return to pop.
Success with award show wins, Super Bowl performances and Vegas residencies aside, Lady Gaga has had a whirlwind couple of years in music.
In 2014, she embarked on a jazz project with the legendary Tony Bennett titled “Cheek to Cheek”—her first step out of the pop bubble, which would continue in the years to come.
Shortly after, the “Joanne” era traded the “Aphrodite lady seashell bikini” she fashioned in the dawn of the “ARTPOP” era for a pink cowboy hat paired with a country-pop twang. This stripped-down side of Gaga continued to reign in the “A Star Is Born” soundtrack as seen through last year’s Best Original Song Oscar winning duet, “Shallow.”
Although we’re happy for Gaga’s willingness to successfully embark on new sounds over the years, a part of us missed that “Rah Rah B*tch” and the exhilarating, carefree pop music we first fell in love with.
That’s not to say she hasn’t released a pop song since “ARTPOP.” We were blessed with the often-overlooked 2017 Coachella promotional single “The Cure.” We also had the glorious Ally Maine-becomes-a-pop-star tracks in “A Star Is Born.” But, those are different because either they were a one-off single, or they were designed for a character in a movie. So, they don’t really count as a complete Gaga pop era.
Thankfully, the time has come. Finally, we have “Stupid Love,” which we may or may not have heard in January when it was first leaked—but we’re still grateful nonetheless.
Produced by Max Martin, Blood Pop and Tchami, the song strikes a similar feeling to certain tracks off the “Born This Way” album—particularly the electro-pop liveliness of “Fashion of His Love.” Gaga’s heartfelt and powerful voice shines through the simplistic lyrics, which is a perfect formula for an anthemic pop song like this.
The music video, shot on an iPhone 11 Pro, is set on an intergalactic desert and begins with the statement, “The world rots in conflict. Many tribes battle for dominance. While the Spiritual ones pray and sleep for peace, the Kindness punks fight for Chromatica.”
Gaga, embodying a fierce video game heroine as she sports the pink ponytail and metallic face armour of our dreams, breaks up a battle through the power of levitation alongside her dancers—each group representing a color on the chromatic scale. The costume design is spectacular, the makeup is ever-so bold and the choreography by longtime collaborator Richy Jackson is full of joy. What more can you ask for?
However, the only downside to the video is its short length. It would’ve been cool to see Gaga make a triumphant return to long form videos in the same vein as “Marry The Night” and “Telephone,” which is a major aspect of the pop music puzzle piece that’s missing in this current crop of artists.
But, never say never. This is only the beginning.
Who knows what else “Chromatica” will bring to pop music lovers and Little Monsters alike when it releases on April 10. There’s a lot to take in until then, so all we can do is get excited and embrace everything that’s about to unfold.
Rylee Jackson can be reached at ryleejackson@sagebrush.unr.edu, or on Twitter @rybyjackson.
