It’s that time of year again when excitement is in the air, the Internet is full of expectation, and children and adults are so excited they can barely sleep at night. No, not Christmas, it’s Lady Gaga Video Day! Pop the champagne!
Last night at 8pm in the States the video for “Marry The Night”, Gaga’s new single and directorial debut, exploded on to the scene. Literally. (A car bursts into flames. It's awesome.)
While we all sobbed with disappointment at the “Edge of Glory” video, which was meant to be directed by Joseph Khan and then got taken over by the Haus, it seems as though when Gaga is in Gaga’s own hands, she really does know what she’s doing. Thankfully. Because I’m not sure all of us could deal with another “Edge of Glory”. (It was really, really bad.)
While “Yoü and I” was visually stunning and made us all scratch our heads with confusion, "Marry The Night” is long enough (13:47) for Gaga to help set the scene with a prelude and voice-overs. Most film buffs would argue that introducing a film with a lengthy voice-over is cheating when telling a story, but as this is Gaga we’re talking about, I’m sure the explanation is most welcomed.
Autobiographical, beautiful, and with all of the makings of those classic “will they become a star?” movies, “Marry The Night” is different for Gaga.
Obviously, as it was directed, written, and the idea of Gaga’s, it feels intensely personal. The video tells the story of how she had to fight her own demons and even go a little crazy to become "Mother Monster", and it serves as a window into the mad, intensively creative mind of Gaga. Packed full of raw honesty and many different levels of exposure, (I'm sure most of the video she is naked) "Marry The Night" simply works.
Unlike so many others industry, Gaga lays it all out on the table - naked, shivering, and with smeared liquid eyeliner and bleach in its hair. This video shows the woman under the latex, the artist under the wigs, and the vulnerability under the lipstick. It’s pure art - not to mention a fantastic, inspiring tune.