Lady Gaga returns with a brand new track that promises a new album and a new era. On Feb. 28, she released the song “Stupid Love” along with a music video; but for her fans, whom she likes to refer to as Little Monsters, the name “Stupid Love” has been around for a few months now. On Halloween of last year, Lady Gaga posted a picture of a pumpkin, and in the background, we could see an iPod touch playing a song called “Stupid Love.” Since then, Little Monsters have been predicting a new song from Gaga. On Jan. 21 of this year it was reported that the song had leaked, and fans were over the moon when they got a sneak peek of the new song.
Fans rejoiced to see Lady Gaga going back to creating dance-pop tracks. She dabbled with jazz, country and even an Oscar-winning film, but Little Monsters missed Lady Gaga, the pop star. This new track is a powerful upbeat dance song that makes great use of ‘80s synth-pop. The production of the song has a lot of depth, but is also catchy and full of high energy. With that said, the production is a bit busy and at times it distracts from the message in the lyrics. This is unfortunate as this marks the first time that Gaga has worked with iconic producer Max Martin, who produced hit songs such as “… Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears and “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. It is fun to see Gaga making odes to her previous work, in an upbeat dance format. The track has the right elements to be a commercial success, but it is not a highlight on Lady Gaga’s illustrious catalog. The song and music video lack the boundary-pushing aesthetic and themes that Lady Gaga’s career has been based on.
A music video was released at the same time. The music video starts as if it was going to have a strong plot, but we just see Lady Gaga and an army of dancers living it up in the desert, dancing in beautiful colorful costumes. Some people with good eyes for art literacy have claimed that the music video is a political statement. The video shows people arguing wearing the colors corresponding to U.S. political parties, blue and red, a sign of polarization. Regardless, “Stupid Love” is a colorful music video with crisp dancing that only adds to the upbeat nature of the song.
Lady Gaga’s appreciation of her fans has been apparent for her entire career, “Stupid Love” seems to be a song made with Lady Gaga’s fans in mind. It pays homage to the most successful and impactful work of her career while also providing another danceable track. Pop music has been going through a slow phase with lots of ballads, and it’s fun to see some of the main pop figures bring back some elements of disco. “Stupid Love” might not be the strongest move to bring Lady Gaga back to pop music, but it is a great dance track that will cheer up Little Monsters for many years to come.
