Celebrating 10 Years Of Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro”
For me, The Fame Monster remains peak Lady Gaga. Bolder, darker and more interesting than The Fame and leaner and less prone to theatrics than Born This Way, Mother Monster’s 2009 EP/album (depending on how you classify it) is all killer, no filler. And I mean that quite literally. From “Bad Romance” to “Teeth,” this 8-song set is absolutely impeccable. In fact, if you want a snapshot of everything that was good about late ’00s electro-pop just give The Fame Monster a spin.
The project was so good that it made picking singles tricky. While “Bad Romance” set an impossibly high standard, “Telephone” was a no-brainer as the followup (it’s not every day that the two biggest stars on the planet unite). But what about the third single? Back in the dark days of message boards and MySpace, fans championed “Dance In The Dark,” “So Happy I Could Die” and “Alejandro” with equal fervor. The latter finally won out and was officially rolled out as a single on April 20, 2010. Yes, a whole decade ago.
Remarkably, “Alejandro” still sounds as audacious and addictive as it did back then. From the iconic introduction (“I know that we are young and I know that you may love me, but I just can’t be with you like this anymore”) to RedOne’s Ace of Base-channeling Euro-Pop production, every element of “Alejandro” comes together perfectly to create dance-pop bliss. Essentially a farewell to ex-boyfriends, Gaga charmed the entire world with the chorus. “Don’t call my name, don’t call my name, Alejandro,” she belted. “I’m not your babe, I’m not your babe, Fernando.”
When you thrown in one of the last great videos of the 2010s (before labels started slashing budgets and pop stars began filming visuals on iPhones), it’s hardly surprising that “Alejandro” became Lady Gaga’s seventh consecutive top 10 hit when it peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Revisit the pure-pop majesty of “Alejandro” and its outrageous, Steven Klein-directed visual (the rubber nun ensemble with inverted crucifix still kills me) below. They sure don’t make bangers like this anymore.
Where does this rank in Gaga’s discography for you? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!
