Lady Gaga and Steven Klein offer up 'Alejandro' [Video]

Gone are the days, little monsters, of the bubble-gum girl-on-girl action we got in Lady Gaga's video for "Telephone" featuring Beyonce.

The Lady unleashes a video today for her track "Alejandro" -- and while the ditty is a Spanish-style salute to intense suitors everywhere, the visuals are more on par with a band of methadone patients traveling the Eastern Bloc with a production of "Cabaret."

Directed by longtime Madonna collaborator Steven Klein, Gaga takes us to a deconstructed world of androgyny, where perfect male specimens dance their love out in glossy black pumps, and upside-down crosses adorn lady parts.

Speaking of which, there are several controversial uses of religious imagery, including the aforementioned cross decoration and the swallowing of a rosary necklace. And then there's her machine-gun-barreled pointy bra. And a funeral procession with a barbed-wire-laced heart on platter. And ...

Oh, just watch Gaga's "Alejandro" already -- it's definitely sexually suggestive, so be aware of that before you click "play" -- and tell us your thoughts in comments.

-- Matt Donnelly 

Photo: 'Alejandro' is the third single from Gagaloo's 'The Fame Monster.' Credit: Associated Press

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Comments

[vmarks]

boring , not shocking enough. more is not more......
yanomamo warriors or hot gays you decide

[theogrl]

are u kidding me the ending creeped the crap out of me!!! But i still love u Gaga!!!!

[maria villasmil]

What a boring video. Nothing innovative. At times I thought I was listening to Madonna, then I thought, this is ABBA.

[NIKE FOLASAGE]

Creepy, Chilling, and Breath-taking... enough said... She totally owned Christina Aguilera and probably ruined Christina's day. Lady Gaga proved who owns that throne now girl! That video actually I think was the best one she has made so far. I thought it was going to be a remake of "Vogue" but it reminds me more of a Bjork video.

[Mae-sa]

Tired of hearing the Madonna references. Its been 30 years. If I were a main stream artist, I wouldn't base my career on what others *might've* *kinda* done 30 years ago.

Just when I thought the "Satan worshipping" comments and "Illuminati" gossip was fading, she had to go and feed the trolls! Grr.

I was disappointed with the fashion and styling choices. I love the song to death, not-so-much a fan of the vid.

[Journey]

Yet another brilliant video by Lady Gaga.

[rydensky]

I understand how some videos don't explain things, it is just art, but what exactly is the purpose of gay soldiers in stiletto heels simulating sex? And then throwing in catholic symbols?? Hello Maddonna circa 1991. Was boring.

[fabian]

i wante more from her, she just is not her in this video, or maybe we dont know her too well. i liked it and all but there was some "gaga" missing.

[Chandler]

Very visually interesting. I think she makes strong statements about how the Catholic church treats homosexuality.

[♥]

I think some of you need to remember the definition of symbolism. It's not that difficult. Watch the video again.

[Little Monster]

Lady Gaga is the fiercest bitch ever. I love her, and I love this.

[ellea]

Dull. I can appreciate artists taking from other artists, but what about this video is gaga? What about the song is gaga? It just seems like a madonna/abba/ace of base rip off with topics that inherently cause controversy. Homosexuality? Check. Military symbolism? Check. Catholic imagery? Check. Sexuality?Check. Her videos are visually interesting, but I'm beginning to lose the faith in gaga. I feel like to a certain extent it's just insulting the viewers intelligence.

[meow]

If anything, lady gaga is a fashion icon and a shock-glam entertainer. Everything else about her--the costumes, her "bold" viewpoints on homosexuality, religion, and sex, her self-indulgent references to Madonna, Queen, etc., and the visuals she portrays in her music videos---are all just so calculated and forced that it is beyond me how anybody can really look at her as some kind of icon or innovator. It is all just too forced to me, and frankly, is it truthfully really that "shocking" to see that in this video she is sporting the latex nun's outfit, sucking on rosary beads, and wearing next to nothing? C'mon, anybody could have seen that coming. On top of that, she tries to knock down the Catholic church, gasp, shocking. Oh yeah, and let's not forget, she supports the gays, so she says that she dedicates this video to her love for them. For goodness sake, it is one thing to support a group of people but is it necessary to constantly push the point that you LOVE the gays and LOVE your fans? It is all just too self-indulgent. If this woman is as talented as she makes herself out to be, why does she feel the need to be this over the top? Though I admire what she does Gaga is coming to the point where she is really just trying way too hard, and is sorta insulting our intelligence along the way.

[VL]

I agree with Chandler. Some of you need to go back and rewatch the video.

Okay, so she pulls from Madonna and others, but she takes those ideas that are meaningful to her and makes it her own. Madonna took tips from Mariyln Monroe and virtually every artist draws inspiration from others. It's how artists grow.) Yes, she comments on the Church and the military's anti-gay stances, but remember, she once said that she isn't there to shock people for the sake of shocking people. She does what she does because she has a message. She simply portrays her message across in a way that is somewhat convoluted and "shocking" to people.

I think for her this video was a celebration of art and her fear of men. If you look at the different items that are used in the video, you can see right away that she's a master at subtlety. She's afraid of men because she has had her heart broken before (hence the mutiliated heart and all the icy snow and moody atmosphere). Gaga faces the predicament of enjoying the lust and attention of her partners (because she does like it) and also feeling regretful and used when she realizes that they only want the physical side of a relationship. (This is depicted in several scenes but the one the sticks out most in my mind is when she gets thrown from man to man.) Gaga uses the religious attire to show that she may have the best intentions of having a meaningful and deep relationships but her lover(s) don't. That's why in the end she gives in by tearing off her shirt to delight of her male suitors (lovers) but you can see she's not really happy. In fact she looks numb.

With this interpretation, it makes the entire song's lyrics make more sense. "Alejandro, Alejandro, don't call my name."

[Karbr1]

WOW............I am a huge fan and have been waiting for this video! I did and didn't like it?? It was somewhat similar to Madonna's "somewhat" only based off that it was a reference to Catholic religion; and duh it was by the same longtime Madonna director so of course there will be similarities!! I thought very unique, original and so GAGA!! I would have stayed away with some of the costume choices also, and I'm not even Catholic?!?! Whatever her reasons and whatever her choices it is defiantly working and getting all of you to love her or hate either way she's a well known name in EVERY house hold!!!!! LUV IT!! : }~

[donteven]

She makes blasphemy seem acceptable. Yuck.

[dramaman]

in san francisco playwright larry myers took his new theatrical experiment to the streets
using those who have bona fide curb life...
he wrote "lady gaga's guidebook for living"
which is about runaways

myers knew the pre-gaga GaGA

when she was downtown burlesque performance artist

dr myers was in louisianna at the leak & wrote
'edgar cayce's autograph"

in response

this is dramatist a go go not only gaga

[mhopkins52]

I had to watch it several times, but I realized it's entirely about the gay struggle with heteronormativity and coming out. Gaga IS really creating art out of the energy her fans provide, (as she maintains). I doubted at first, just like I did with gaga as an real artist but now I'm convinced!

[Lumi]

Great video. Many of you compare it to Madona's videos,but not even close. As far as I know Lady Gaga loved to study History in school. I think this video represents how Russia stood by and watch Hitler kill Jews, take over Europe and the Catholic church....either that or I don't know what the hell I'm talking about!

[fsdf]

This is disgusting and blantantly occultic with sexually suggestive intentions. Homosexuality is imminent. This video should be banned for teenagers

[Julia]

Lady Gaga is an inspiration to millions of people. Her artist fashion style and music videos may be wild but they hold true meaning. She is very unique and stands up for what she believes in. She is completely breath taking and always puts on a wonderful performance. I absolutely love this video and all her others. I cannot wait until her next one!

[jezdamayel]

i loved the video!!
it is so deep and sexy. i love a man in pumps.
why is it ok to have girl-on-girl but add a few guys and it becomes a recipe for going to hell? and just to make it clear.. she never swallowed that rosarie. she pulled it out of her mouth and they reversed it.

over all she can do what she wants. she might have made this video for herself. haters can talk all they want she is very talented.

[Misha]

I like gaga...and I loved "Bad Romance".....found "Telephone" provocative but fun....but this left me rather cold. It does indeed borrow heavily from previous Madonna videos and images....and FTR Mae-sa, it was not 30 years ago...the video for "Like a Prayer" was released 20 years ago...and Madonna remains a current and relevant artist today. Will Lady Gaga be the same? I wonder...she's amazingly talented...but I agree with some of the critique that there's just too much. Some of my favorite parts of this video is where she's dancing in the black jumpsuit. Both she and Christina A. are very talented and they don't have to reduce their music and art to dancing practically naked and simulating raunchy sex. What Adam Lambert did on the AMAs was nothing. There is indeed a double standard.

[KatyDudson]

"Directed by longtime Madonna collaborator Steven Klein"

It shows!

[Micah]

Lady Gaga's lover, Alejandro, was killed by bad-ass gay soldiers, so she becomes their queen, and tries to make them straight, and tries to make them love her, but it doesn't work out, and in the end, they kill her. Um...with a premise like that, I think it's kind of hard to not be creepy.