Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance is by far the densest and most symbolic video I’ve ever analyzed. It is a metaphorical yet accurate description of the steps which must be taken in order to become part of the “mega-pop-star machine”. Submission, control, business negotiations, initiation, secrecy and the embrace of dark forces are all represented in the video. Once decoded, the song describes indeed the Bad Romance of the music industry. The machine uses artists, it pimps them, it cheats on them with new, hotter artists and it finally dumps them when the initial appeal is lost.
Gaga, the “Fame Monster” wants to be treated that way, knowing that there is not other way to obtain world-wide fame. One might be extremely creative and talented, however fame can only be achieved through the exposure provided by the media corporations. They are owned by a secretive elite, represented by the masks on the faces of the bidders in the video. Bad Romance, more than simply serving the required dose of subversive symbolism to the MTV generation, offers a chilling description of a music industry ruled by the elite. And now comes the hardest part: getting this damn song out of my head.
