Lady Gaga Explains The Deeper Meaning Behind “Telephone”

Becky Bain | March 12, 2010 12:30 pm

We know how Lady Gaga makes a sandwich—lots of mayo, lots of poison—but how did she create her outrageous, off-the-walls mini-movie “Telephone”? Gaga revealed some of the inspirations and deeper meanings behind the colorful mega-vid after its on-air premiere on E! News last night, and the haberdasher’s dream divulged that, much like she did with her “Paparazzi” vid, she wanted to “take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper.” Find out just how deep it gets—and what Quentin Tarantino’s involvement was in the 9-minute shebang—by watching Gaga’s interview clip after the jump.  

“There’s certainly always a hidden message in my music videos,” says Gaga. “But I would say most predominately, I’m always trying to convolute everyone’s idea of what a pop music video should be.”

Gaga and director Jonas Akerlund were directly inspired by Tarantino’s pop-art aesthetic—and his choice of ride. “I mostly love the way he uses different forms to create something new. His direct involvement in the video came from him lending me the Pussy Wagon [from Kill Bill]. We were having lunch one day in Los Angeles and I was telling him about my concept for the video and he loved it so much he said, ‘You gotta use the Pussy Wagon.'” We’d love if QT directed one of Gaga’s music videos—how about “Alejandro,” her next single off The Fame Monster? (Or he should give her a killer cameo as a bad-ass Nazi in the rumored Inglourious Basterds prequel.)

Overall, Ms. Germanotta’s main intent with “Telephone” was to express “the idea that America is full of young people that are inundated with information and technology and turn it into something that was more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are.”

So… spending too much time on the phone will eventually lead to mass homicide, paired with a hoedown? Sure, Gaga, because we love you, we’ll buy it (along with Diet Coke and Wonder Bread).

As for her on-camera chemistry with Beyoncé in both this vid and B’s “Video Phone” clip, Gaga explains why their collaborations sizzle on-screen: “It just sort of works out because we both like women.”

And we can already hear all the gossip rags running to the presses with that delicious quote.

[Photo via Autostraddle]

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