The Alejandro Music Video by Lady Gaga a Comprehensive Review

Lady Gaga's music video for her summer 2010 single "Alejandro" debuted on June 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm CST through Vevo music. Fans visiting Gaga's web-site at ladygaga.com were treated to an "Alejandro" inspired snowstorm flashing the words "Gaga", "Klein", "Alejandro", and the image of what was seemingly a jewel as the countdown began for the first play. Considering that Lady Gaga has over one billion music video plays online, there is no more appropriate venue than Vevo for launching what will surely be another pop video sensation.

The first teaser videos for Alejandro popped up online on June 1^st after Lady Gaga appeared on Larry King Live where a teaser was officially aired. Perez Hilton and Vevo also featured the teaser on their sites and on YouTube. A subsequent version named "Teaser 2" was also released. These two sneak-peek videos garnered a collective three million plus views before "Alejandro" was released. It would not be unlikely for "Alejandro" to pass the one-million views mark within its first 24 hours.

The video for "Alejandro" opens with several men lounging in military inspired garb coupled with fishnet stockings and swiftly cuts to the same men marching with a fashion friendly flare silhouetted against a a light-flooded military-esque backdrop (this scene or a similar one was featured in the teasers).

Gaga's first scene features her in a piece of headgear resembling the outline of a crown when show from behind with hers covered with a goggle type eyepiece more emblematic of a loupe than a traditional set of goggles. She occasionally pulls one portion back to create a monocle look. It is hear that the violin strokes that mark the beginning of the song "Alejandro" start. We shortly see that Gaga is part of a funeral procession and is carrying a heart speared with varying metallic objects. Traditional depictions of the "Sacred Heart" are called to mine.

The first verse and chorus are performed with her looking down through a large opening with close cameras pans of her face on certain phrases. Her face is extraordinary looking. The beautiful Lady Gaga as seen in "Bad Romance" is not here and neither is the pop culture machine from many of the music videos done for the album The Fame. This is gothic Gaga, and she is lovely in a completely new way.

Next, Lady Gaga looks quite like a nun and is seemingly praying with the "stop, please" that starts the second verse of the song. Her outfit appears to be a white mantle covering a red latex dress, possibly even the dress she work when performing for Queen Elizabeth.

The video then splices to the scenes of sexuality that were visible in the teaser videos. Several beds emblematic of barrack styles are laid out with a person per bed writhing as the second verse is performed. Every few moments a splice is inject that features Lady Gaga and one of the other persons simulating sex and other splices feature a choreographed dance with the same people performing in a sparse open space.

The next scenes feature Lady Gaga looking a bit more angelic in terms of make-up application. She is wearing a monk's habit with a flare decidedly reminiscent of crusade tunics. She performs the song with the hood up. Other portions show her with a slightly reduced version of the look being carried by a group of men in a seemingly mournful procession for her potentially dead body.

The video then features a variety of scenes cutting into one another featuring the various sets introduced in the beginning. The only completely new addition is of one particular soldier staring forward and of Lady Gaga performing at a microphone in a leather jacket and sunglasses. A lot more group sensuality is displayed before the end of the song where Lady Gaga is once again shown in her nun-inspired habit before the "celluloid" seemingly melts and ends the video.

All and all, the video is interesting in terms of seeing the various costumes and slight homages to religious symbolism. However, the simulated intercourse in the nearly nine minute video takes away from the beauty of the song "Alejandro". "Bad Romance", in my opinion, remains the Lady Gaga video that perfectly towed the borderline between being an expressive and provocative music video without losing the song in the process.

Sources:

Alejandro Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/LadyGagaVEVO. 8 June 2010.

Larry King Live transcript: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1006/01/lkl.01.html. 8 June 2010.