Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)

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"Eh, Eh"
Song

"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is a song by American pop recording artist Lady Gaga, from her debut album, The Fame. It was released as the third single in Australia, New Zealand and selected European countries, and the fourth single in France. The song is a calypso-styled, mid-tempo ballad, and is about breaking up with one's old partner and finding someone new. The song received mostly negative reviews from critics; it was criticized for being "dry and lifeless," and halting the "bad-girl party atmosphere" of the album.

Failing to match the popularity of her previous singles, the song peaked at number fifteen on the Australian ARIA Charts and at number nine on the RIANZ charts of New Zealand. It proved to be successful in Sweden, where it managed to go as far as number two on the Sverigetopplistan chart. The accompanying Italian-American 1950s-themed music video portrayed Gaga and her friends roaming around the streets of an Italian neighborhood; Gaga riding a Vespa and also singing the song while at home with her boyfriend. She performed the song on her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour, wearing a black-and-white leotard, and The Monster Ball Tour, in a giant gyroscope.

Background

The single was first released in New Zealand on January 10, 2009[3] and later in Australia on January 30, 2009.[4] "Eh, Eh" was the second most added song on Australian radio on the week beginning December 15, 2008.[5] It first began to receive airplay on all Today Network stations. The song was confirmed as an Australian single on Lady Gaga's official website on January 15, 2009. An official remix was also posted on her website that day. Another official remix was released on March 3, 2009 featuring brand new cover art. On March 5, 2009, a Pet Shop Boys remix became available for free download on Gaga's Australian website.[6]

Composition

Lady Gaga "Eh, Eh"
An 18 second sample of Gaga's "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically "Eh, Eh" is credited as a ballad compared to the rest of the dance fueled tracks from The Fame.[7] The song has an eighties synth pop feeling in it[8] while incorporating the "Eh, Eh" hook from Rihanna's single "Umbrella".[9] Gaga stated that the lyrics of "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is about love and she explained that: "'Eh, Eh' is my simple pop song about finding someone new and breaking up with the old boyfriend.".[10] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time with a moderate tempo of 94 beats per minute.[11] Gaga's vocal range spans from B3 to C♯5 with the main key in which the song is set being E major.[11] The song follows in the chord progression of E–B–F♯m–E–B–F♯m.[11]

Reception

Critical response

A blond female singing in a microphone in her left hand. She wears white pants and a silvery sparkling top with large shoulder pads. Her golden yellow, blond curls fall on her shoulders. Surrounding her, a number of giant metallic rings are visible. Bluish smoke is visible behind her.
Gaga performing "Eh, Eh" on The Monster Ball Tour.

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian, noted that "Eh, Eh" bears the influence of early 90s Europop and "is the first song in a long time that warrants comparison to the œuvre of Ace of Base.[12] Matthew Chisling of Allmusic gave a negative review of the song saying "The Fame has it's [sic] 'ballad,' however the breezy 'Eh, Eh' doesn't hold water on this album; rather, it feels dry and lifeless, something which holds this album back".[7] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that "the breezy island vibe and soft demeanor of 'Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)' is hard to buy when sandwiched between songs like 'Poker Face' and 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich.'"[13] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that the song is the most embarrassing moment of the album and as a result makes the album come to an intermediate halt thus ruining the "bad-girl party atmosphere".[8] Joey Guerra of Houston Chronicle said that "Eh, Eh" is a bouncy standout with some vocal personality. He also added that "[It] would have made a killer Spice Girls single."[14]

Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called the track scaled-back and criticized Gaga's vocal abilities in the song.[15] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the song listless.[16] Catherine P. Lewis from The Washington Post called the song a chirpy ballad.[17] Christina Martin from The Meridian Star felt that the song, along with "Summerboy" from The Fame, is breezy and upbeat pop song."[18] Matt Busekroos from Quinnipiac Chronicle said that the song seemed like a filler to him.[19]

Chart performance

"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number thirty-eight due to strong digital sales for the issue of January 18, 2009.[20] The following week it climbed to thirty-two[21] and has since peaked at fifteen for the issue of March 1, 2009 making it her third single to hit the top twenty there.[22] After thirteen weeks on the chart, "Eh, Eh" was certified gold for shipment of 35,000 copies by the Australian Recording Industry Association(ARIA).[23] In New Zealand, "Eh, Eh" debuted at number forty on the issue dated January 19, 2009,[24] The following weeks it continued its rise on the chart and ultimately peaked at number nine, spending three weeks there, and becoming her third consecutive top ten hit in New Zealand.[25] The song was certified gold on May 24, 2009, by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, for shipment of 7,500 copies.[26]

On the Billboard issue dated February 21, 2009, "Eh, Eh" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number sixty-eight, despite not being released as a single, but dropped off the chart the following week.[27] The song also debuted at number twenty on the Swedish Singles Chart for the issue dated April 2, 2009,[28] and peaked at two.[29] The song debuted on the Danish Singles Chart at number twenty-eight on May 15, 2009,[30] and peaked at fourteen.[31]

Music video

Picture of a white Vespa scooter standing in a street corner. A blonde woman is sitting on the scooter. She is wearing a white short dress and white-heeled shoes. Her bare right leg is put up on the handle of the Vespa. Behind her, on the left, the bonnet of a indigo colored car is visible, while the bowed down head of a man wearing a white hat is visible on her right
Lady Gaga on a Vespa in the 1950s Italian American themed music video of "Eh, Eh"

The Italian-American 1950s-inspired music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was shot back to back with the video for the song "LoveGame" on the weekend of January 9, 2009 in Los Angeles.[32] The video starts out showing Little Italy, an icon of the Madonna and Child, and then Gaga riding a Vespa.[33] The first twenty seconds are mainly full of camera shots of different men, Gaga and the city. The first main scene depicts her with some friends, laughing and joking in a restaurant, while she stands on the seat.[34] Gaga then comes from around the block walking with her friends in pace and singing in the camera. Next, she is shown sleeping in a bed, and waking up to reveal pink high-heeled shoes. Gaga sings and cooks for a man in a house while dancing.[34] She is also shown ironing clothes while the man is on the phone screaming at someone.[33] The two harlequin Great Danes who appear at the start of her "Poker Face" music video, also appear in this one. Finally she lies on a sofa with her legs up on the man. One of the last scene shows her in a yellow dress made of flowers and wearing a yellow watch while singing to the song with a unique hairstyle which shows her hair pulled up and folded over.[33] Then the camera quickly goes back to her in bed.[34] About the video, Gaga explained that "I wanted to show a different side of myself — perhaps a more domestic girly side. And I wanted to create beautiful, stunning '50s futuristic fashion imagery that would burn holes in everyone's brains."[34]

Live performances

A blond woman in a bob cut flanked by two black males. The woman is wearing a white leotard on which black, lightning shaped symbols are visible. The woman is also wearing black glasses. The woman is riding a Vespa scooter which is also painted with the same lightning shaped symbols.
Gaga wearing a lightning striped black and white leotard, performs "Eh, Eh" on a Vespa at The Fame Ball Tour.

"Eh, Eh" was performed in a human-beatbox version at the Cherrytree Studios and was released on Lady Gaga's first EP, The Cherrytree Sessions.[35] The song was also performed at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.[36] The song was majorly performed at Gaga's The Fame Ball Tour in the second segment. Gaga was dressed in a white body plate leotard with black lightning shaped stripes and wore a hat made of toppled dominoes.[37][38] It was accompanied by open toe shoe-boots and fishnet stockings on her leg.[39] As the performance of previous song "Money Honey" ended Gaga appeared on the stage beside Space Cowboy on a Vespa whence the music for "Eh, Eh" starts. The backdrops change to reveal lightning shapes in contrast to the sunny nature of the song.[40] Gaga sang the song in its actual form backed by vocals from DJ Space Cowboy who spun the music from a corner of the stage.[37] As the song reached the chorus Gaga asked the crowd to join her while singing and wave their arms.[40] The New York Times called the live performance as listless.[16] However, The Hollywood Reporter said of the performance that, "In an age of too much information, one of the most refreshing things about Gaga is her mystery. She often hid behind shades, and her mostly incomprehensible, coy and semi-robotic stage patter did little to tell us who's that Lady."[41] It was also performed on The Monster Ball Tour, where the song signified her rebirth as she descended from the top amidst white lights and mechanical fog.[42] She wore a giant human sized gyroscope around her, which was developed by the Haus of Gaga and was named "The Orbit".[43]

Track listing and formats

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Format
Australia December 13, 2008[5] Radio
January 30, 2009[4] CD single, Digital Download
New Zealand January 10, 2009[3] Digital Download
Denmark March 3, 2009[56]
Sweden March 16, 2009[57]
Italy March 16, 2009[58]
United Kingdom January 11, 2009[59]
France September 7, 2009[60] CD single

References

  1. ^ The Fame liner notes Interscope Records (2008)
  2. ^ ""Eh, Eh" Writing Credits". BMI. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  3. ^ a b "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". iTunes. 2009-01-10. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  4. ^ a b c d "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) – Lady Gaga". Big W. BIGWentertainment.com.au. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2008-12-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Eh Eh goes for add-ons to radio". MusicNetwork.com. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on March 07, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Eh, Eh remix (Pet Shop Boys)". LadyGaga.com. Australian official site. 2009-03-07. Retrieved 2009-03-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ a b Chisling, Matthew (2008-10-28). "allmusic ((( The Fame > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  8. ^ a b Sawdey, Evan (2009-01-12). "Lady GaGa: The Fame". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ du Lac, Freedom (2008-10-28). "'Fame' Isn't Worth Getting GaGa Over". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  10. ^ "Biography of Lady Gaga". Lady Gaga. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2009-02-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ a b c "Lady Gaga – Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) – Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  12. ^ Petridis, Alexis (2008-10-23). "Lady GaGa: The Fame: Review". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2008-10-25). "Lady Gaga: The Fame". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ Guerra, Joey (2008-11-07). "Bringing real dance music to the masses". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  15. ^ Koski, Genevieve (2008-11-10). "Lady GaGa – The Fame". The A. V. Club. The Onion, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  16. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (2009-05-03). "An Artist Whose Chief Work Is Herself". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  17. ^ Lewis, Catherine P. (2009-09-28). "Lady GaGa: Critic Review". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  18. ^ Martin, Christina (2009-02-02). "Lady Gaga Gets "The Fame"". The Meridian Star. Community Newspaper Holdings. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
  19. ^ Busekroos, Matt (2009-12-09). "'Bad Romance' highlights new GaGa album". Quinnipiac Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
  20. ^ "Australian Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. 2009-01-18. Retrieved 2009-03-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  21. ^ "Australian Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-03-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  22. ^ a b "Australian Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-03-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ a b "2009 Single Accreditatios". Australian Recording Industry Association. 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  24. ^ "New Zealand Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. acharts.us. 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2009-03-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  25. ^ a b "New Zealand Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. acharts.us. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  26. ^ a b "New Zealand Gold/Platinum Singles". Recording Industry Association of New ZealandRadioscope.net. 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  27. ^ a b "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. acharts.us. 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  28. ^ "Swedish Singles Top 100". Sverigetopplistan. acharts.us. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  29. ^ a b "Swedish Singles Top 100". Sverigetopplistan. acharts.sus. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  30. ^ "Danish Singles Chart". Tracklisten. acharts.us. 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-05-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  31. ^ a b "Danish Singles Chart". Tracklisten. acharts.us. 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-07-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  32. ^ "Joseph Kahn to direct Gaga's "Eh, Eh" and "Love Game"". Joseph Kahn. Jan Media Interactive. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-03-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  33. ^ a b c Reporter, Daily Mail (2009-02-03). "Italians do it better: Lady GaGa celebrates her roots in sexy new video". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  34. ^ a b c d Horne, Adam (2009-01-30). "Lady Gaga heads to little Italy". Popeater. AOL. Retrieved 2009-02-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  35. ^ "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". Interscope Records. LadyGaga.com. Retrieved 2009-05-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  36. ^ "Lady Gaga – Eh, Eh – The Wiltern". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2009-05-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  37. ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney (2009-03-14). "Lady GaGa live in L.A". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  38. ^ Saxberg, Lynn (2009-03-28). "Concert Review: Lady Gaga's Fame Ball". Ottawa Citizen. Canwest Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  39. ^ Abraham, Tamara (2009-03-04). "Madonna and Cyndi Lauper take style notes as Lady Gaga parades latest leotards in concert". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  40. ^ a b Downing, Andy (2009-03-26). "Lady Gaga delights". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  41. ^ Rosen, Craig (2009-03-15). "Concert Review: Lady GaGa". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  42. ^ Montogomery, James (2009-12-19). "Lady Gaga Brings San Diego A Feast For The Eyes And Ears‎". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-12-21. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  43. ^ Nestruck, Kelly (2009-11-30). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball, reviewed by a theatre critic". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  44. ^ "Lady Gaga – Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) – Single(Import)". Amazon.com. 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-09. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  45. ^ "Lady Gaga – Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". iTunes. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  46. ^ "Lady Gaga – Eh, Eh Remix EP". iTunes. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2009-06-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  47. ^ a b "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) on European charts". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2009-09-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  48. ^ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Czech Republic. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2009-05-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  49. ^ "Dutch Top 40". MegaCharts Radio 538. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  50. ^ "Billboard: European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2009-05-16. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  51. ^ "Dance Top 40 lista – 2009. 34. hét". Mahasz (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2010-04-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help) [dead link]
  52. ^ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Slovak Republic. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2009-05-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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  54. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  55. ^ "Bilan Economique 2009" (PDF). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  56. ^ "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [Random Soul Synthetic Mix]". iTunes. 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  57. ^ "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [Electric Piano and Human Beat Box Version]". iTunes. 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  58. ^ "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [Electric Piano and Human Beat Box Version]". iTunes. 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  59. ^ "Eh, Eh UK download". iTunes. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  60. ^ "Eh eh nothing else I can say : Lady Gaga en CD single". Musique.fnac.com. 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-12-29.

External links

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