Semiotic analysis of ‘Bad Romance’ – Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga’s song ‘bad romance’ is the first single from her
hit album; fame monster. The whole concept of the album is that she is willing
to do anything for fame, even if it turns her into something that she is not.
The title of her song indicates that she wants to live a bad romance with the
music industry as she wants to be involved but knows it won’t be easy or
simple.
The song begins with gaga and other women dressed in white bodysuits and crowns that cover their eyes coming out
of white pods with a red crucifix on the top of them. This could be a metaphor for how her fans have ruined her as the pods also have 'monster' written on them and gaga refers to her fans as 'little monsters'. We see that as she opens the pod and begins to come out of it her body seems stiff and ragged. Although this could be a representation of what fame and her fans have done to her it could also show how not only has the music industry changed her as a person, but has changed the way her fans and society view her. The white bodysuits may also represent the innocence of gaga both before and after the fame had changed her however the writing on the pods are red which is colour that symbolizes hatred and often pain (as it associated with blood). This could also imply that there is a part of her that resents the people who have made her the way she is. At this point in the video, Gaga is dressed exactly the same as the others who are climbing out of the pods. This suggests that she is portrayed here to be on the same level on them, she is clearly no more important.
Another clip from the video shows gaga in the bath. During this clip, we see that she is fully clothed, her hair is ruffled and messy and her eyes are much larger than they appear to be in the rest of the video. She is also listening to what we presume to be music through earphones, the large eyes indicate that she is on some sort of drug, suggesting that the music that she is listening to may be her drug. The idea that she is listening to the music to herself rather than out loud may also show that she does not want to share this music with others as people may not approve, or it may not be what people 'want' her to listen to or produce. We also see that she is in the bath in this clip. This could symbolize needing to cleanse herself from the hatred from others or the oppression that is caused by both the music industry and men. Later on in the video, this clip is shown again with somebody forcing her to take pills. These pills could metaphorically be the thing that changes her and makes her into this 'fame monster' which symbolizes what the music industry has done to her, In this scene, the 'nurses' begin to strip her of her clothing. this again could be a visual metaphor of how the music industry is stripping her of her identity, and in turn she is having to create this image of 'Lady Gaga' who is a completely different person to who she appears to be on the media.
In another part of the video, we see gaga wearing a beige coat covered in black words that she is fighting to keep on while women around her attempt to pull it away from her. When they pull it off her, she is wearing a skimpy diamond bodysuit with white high heels and a diamond head piece, it appears instantly that she doesn't want to be seen by others this way. This seems like a cry for help that she does not want to have to 'bare all' in order to make money and please the music industry and her fans. We also see in this part of the video that she is surrounded by men who are watching while people strip gaga of her clothes, this represents how women (especially in the music industry) are degraded to be viewed as objects of sexual pleasure for men, rather than a woman of talent.
Another clip from the music video shows the men who are watching Gaga with a remote which controls how much they choose to bid on her. As the man presses a button on the remote, Gaga is sitting on his lap and dancing around him. This shows that men are willing to pay more money when a woman is either showing skin or showing him attention. This scene again shows how women are portrayed in society as objects rather then a human. We see that this particular man is willing to pay a lot of money for her: he could be being portrayed as a metaphorical 'music industry' as he only seems interested in her when she is feeding his sexual desires. This again seems to be a cry for help that this is how women in the music industry are treated; as objects of seduction and sexual desire.
Another clip from the video shows gaga in the bath. During this clip, we see that she is fully clothed, her hair is ruffled and messy and her eyes are much larger than they appear to be in the rest of the video. She is also listening to what we presume to be music through earphones, the large eyes indicate that she is on some sort of drug, suggesting that the music that she is listening to may be her drug. The idea that she is listening to the music to herself rather than out loud may also show that she does not want to share this music with others as people may not approve, or it may not be what people 'want' her to listen to or produce. We also see that she is in the bath in this clip. This could symbolize needing to cleanse herself from the hatred from others or the oppression that is caused by both the music industry and men. Later on in the video, this clip is shown again with somebody forcing her to take pills. These pills could metaphorically be the thing that changes her and makes her into this 'fame monster' which symbolizes what the music industry has done to her, In this scene, the 'nurses' begin to strip her of her clothing. this again could be a visual metaphor of how the music industry is stripping her of her identity, and in turn she is having to create this image of 'Lady Gaga' who is a completely different person to who she appears to be on the media.
In another part of the video, we see gaga wearing a beige coat covered in black words that she is fighting to keep on while women around her attempt to pull it away from her. When they pull it off her, she is wearing a skimpy diamond bodysuit with white high heels and a diamond head piece, it appears instantly that she doesn't want to be seen by others this way. This seems like a cry for help that she does not want to have to 'bare all' in order to make money and please the music industry and her fans. We also see in this part of the video that she is surrounded by men who are watching while people strip gaga of her clothes, this represents how women (especially in the music industry) are degraded to be viewed as objects of sexual pleasure for men, rather than a woman of talent.
Another clip from the music video shows the men who are watching Gaga with a remote which controls how much they choose to bid on her. As the man presses a button on the remote, Gaga is sitting on his lap and dancing around him. This shows that men are willing to pay more money when a woman is either showing skin or showing him attention. This scene again shows how women are portrayed in society as objects rather then a human. We see that this particular man is willing to pay a lot of money for her: he could be being portrayed as a metaphorical 'music industry' as he only seems interested in her when she is feeding his sexual desires. This again seems to be a cry for help that this is how women in the music industry are treated; as objects of seduction and sexual desire.
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