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Alejandro (song)

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"Alejandro"
Song

"Alejandro" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It is the third single from her second studio album, The Fame Monster (2009). Co-written and produced by RedOne, it is composed as a mid-tempo Europop song with an uplifting melody, where Gaga sings in a non-English accent about bidding farewell to her lovers. It was inspired by Gaga's "Fear of Sex Monster". Critics noted it to be heavily influenced by ABBA and Ace of Base, and predominantly gave positive reviews for it.

"Alejandro" charted on the UK Singles Chart prior to its official release, and reached the top-five on the Hungarian Singles Chart due to download sales from the album. It has also charted in United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A music video has been planned for the single. Gaga performed the song on both the legs of The Monster Ball Tour, portraying a sexual innuendo scene with her dancers. The song was also performed on the ninth season of American Idol on May 5, 2010.

Background

Originally, "Dance in the Dark" was planned to follow the previous single, "Telephone", as a preference of Gaga's record label. The singer's own choice "Alejandro", initially saw poor reception radio-wise, thereby was not seen as a viable choice for a single. A quarrel then arose between Gaga and her label where "Alejandro" was ultimately chosen to be released. Through her account on Twitter, the singer remarked on the decision, "Alejandro is on the radio. Fuck it sounds so good, we did it little monsters."[2][3] The single was officially sent to radio on April 20, 2010 in the United States.[4] In an interview with Fuse TV, Gaga said that the inspiration behind "Alejandro" was her "Fear of Sex Monster".[5]

Composition

"Alejandro"
A 27 second sample of Lady Gaga's "Alejandro", where the chorus is played, backed by synth-beats.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

A mid-tempo song with heavy Europop and disco influences, "Alejandro" is influenced by ABBA and Ace of Base.[6] The Ace of Base influences are prominent in the beats of the song, the vocals and the melody and lastly, in Gaga's non-English accent while singing the song. The words are slurred in her mouth while consisting of an uplifting melody.[7] It incorporates the melody from the violin show piece "Csárdás" by Italian composer Vittorio Monti.[8] The song opens with the weeping violin, as a distressed Gaga sings: "I know that we are young, and I know that you may love me/But I just can't be with you like this anymore, Alejandro." The track then changes to a stomping Europop beat. Gaga bids her ex-lovers farewell with a bitter-heart pre-chorus where she sings: "You know that I love you, boy/Hot like Mexico, rejoice!/At this point I've got to choose/Nothing to lose." By the end of the song, the three protagonists – Alejandro, Fernando and Roberto – are bid farewell by Gaga.[9]

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 80 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B minor with Gaga's vocal range spanning from F♯3 to G5. The song verse has a basic sequence of Bm–D–F♯m–Bm–D–F♯m as its chord progression.[8] The lyrics talk about Gaga defending herself against a "harem" of Latin men and has a number of ABBA allusions, including a reference to their 1976 song "Fernando", which Gaga cited as one of her influences.[6][10]

Critical reception

Chris Ryan from MTV described the song as a "lush paean to a love that's 'hot like Mexico'."[10] Bill Lamb from About.com compared it with Madonna's 1987 "classic" song "La Isla Bonita," though with a "contemporary edge."[11] In a separate review, Lamb added that "While 'Alejandro' would be unlikely to be identified as Lady Gaga's best, it is one more solid jewel in her crown of seven consecutive major pop hit singles."[12] Chava Thomas from The Argonaut gave a negative review, saying that it is "the one low point on The Fame Monster," adding that "[t]he song feels forced, and its Latin beat does not mesh well with Lady Gaga's style."[13] Evan Sawdey from PopMatters said that Gaga's vocals sounded like those of Shakira's, in the chorus of the song.[14] Ben Patashnik from NME called the song light-hearted.[15] Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH complimented the song as "brilliantly catchy, deceptively simple and wonderfully melancholy,"[7] while Sarah Hajibagheri from The Times dismissed it for being a "painful Latino warble [and] a would-be Eurovision reject."[16] The Boston Globe's James Reed also gave a negative review of the song, who wrote that it is "a tepid dance track where she trills the song title over and over as if she had nothing better to say."[17]

Comparisons with Swedish pop music groups ABBA and Ace of Bace's work were constant in reviews. Paul Lester from BBC felt that "Alejandro" "moves at an Ace of Base pace."[18] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine also made an Ace of Base connection calling the song an homage to them.[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic denoted the song as an "updated ABBA revision".[19] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times called it bubbly and also went to compare with ABBA's style.[20] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a "loving ABBA spoof".[21] Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media noted that although "Alejandro" is a ABBA morph, "it comes off very modern, in part because U.S. pop and hip-hop is currently drawing heavily from Europop, hi-NRG, and dance music."[22] Lindsey Fortier from Billboard gave the single a positive review and compared it to Ace of Base's "Don't Turn Around", adding that: "By the song's end, Alejandro, Fernando and Roberto aren't the only ones sent packing--the listener is dancing out right behind them".[9] Brian R. Fitzgerland from the Wall Street Journal compared the song with Madonna's 1987 single "Who's That Girl".[23]

Chart performance

Gaga performing "Alejandro" on the European venues of The Monster Ball Tour.

In the United States, "Alejandro" debuted at seventy-two on the Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dated April 17, 2010.[24] It has reached a peak of eleven on the chart.[25] The song also debuted on the Mainstream Top 40 chart at thirty-five, and the Hot Digital Songs chart at seventy-one, after selling 24,000 paid digital downloads according to Nielsen Soundscan.[24] "Alejandro" has reached ten on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.[25] It also debuted on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart at 40.[26] In Canada, "Alejandro" debuted at seventy-eight on the Canadian Hot 100 issue dated April 4, 2010,[27] and moved twenty-eight places, to number fifty the next week.[28] The song has reached a peak of four, on the issue dated May 8, 2010.[29]

On April 5, 2010, the song debuted at number forty-nine in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart,[30] and moved to twenty-eight the next week, becoming the greatest gainer on the chart.[31] It has since reached the top five there, peaking at number two, thus becoming Gaga's seventh top five hit in the country.[32] "Alejandro" was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single.[33] The song debuted at thirty-five on the New Zealand Top 40 on April 21, 2010.[34] It has since peaked at number seventeen.[35] With the release of The Fame Monster, "Alejandro" charted on the UK Singles Chart at number seventy-five, on November 29, 2009 due to digital sales.[36] On the May 16, 2010, the song re-entered at number ninety five.[36] On the Mahasz issue dated December 6, 2009, the song debuted at number five on the Hungarian Singles Chart.[37] Across Europe, the song charted on Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia.[38]

Music video

In January 2010, it was reported that Gaga was holding casting calls for the music video of "Alejandro" and was eager for David Walliams to appear in the video alongside his fiancé Lara Stone.[39][40] On March 23, 2010, Women's Wear Daily reported that photographer Steven Klein will be directing the music video, which Gaga confirmed herself on May 6, 2010.[41][42][43] While touring Australia with The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga was interviewed by Australian radio station, Melbourne's Nova 100, where she talked about the music video. She said,

"I’m so excited about the ‘Alejandro’ video, [...] Actually, we’re shooting it very soon and I don’t want to say who the director is yet because it’s going to give a lot away. [...] Are you absolutely mad? I would never, ever tell you! [about the concept of the video] I would be more likely to lie through my teeth to you [regarding] what the video’s about so that you could all be surprised. But I will tell you it’s not the sequel to the ‘Telephone’ video."[44]

The video will be released on Friday, June 4th, 2010

Live performances

A man faces upwards with his feet on the ground and his knees bent at around 90 degrees, his arms supporting his upper body. A blond woman, wearing a shiny leotard lies on top of him. She has her lower legs kicked up in the air. She looks out with an expression of enjoying the situation. A spotlight highlights the man and women in the foreground. The background is dimly lit with red lights.
Gaga during a sexual innuendo scene from the "Alejandro" performance on The Monster Ball Tour.

Gaga performed "Alejandro" on her 2009-2010 world tour The Monster Ball. It was the fourth song of the set list. The live performance saw her wearing a silver bodysuit and then being carried by her crotch by one of her male dancers and lowered onto another male dancer, engaging in a threesome with them.[45] During the performance at San Diego, California, Gaga incorporated the city's name in the song, later commenting "I am so lucky that San Diego rhymes with 'Fernando' and 'Alejandro'."[46] Ted Shaw of Windsor Star commented that "Songs like 'Alejandro', 'Teeth' and 'Monster' shoved the sex act in your face."[47] T'Cha Dunlevy from The Gazette said that "the song followed in fast order, with not quite enough to set [it] apart. It was one choreographed dance number after the next."[48] Jeremy Adams from Rolling Stone commented that the performance was "[one] of several moments [...] that gave parents in the audience consternation."[49] Jim Harrington from San Jose Mercury News compared Gaga's performance of the song with that of an erotic dancer.[50]

On April 20, 2010, the song was performed by Gaga at the MAC AIDS Fund Pan-Asia Viva Glam launch in Tokyo where she wore a doily lace dress. She entered the stage in a procession inspired by a Japanese wedding, and as the lights dimmed, she sat at her piano on the rotating stage and belted out "Speechless", which was followed by the performance of "Alejandro", where she was picked up by one of her dancers, who appeared to be covered in talcum powder.[51][52] Gaga taped a medley of "Bad Romance" and "Alejandro" for the ninth season of American Idol on April 28, 2010.[53][54] Her performance aired on the show's May 5, 2010 episode.[55] The performance started with Gaga playing the piano for a slowed-down snippet of "Bad Romance". She was dressed in a revealing-but-veiled black outfit, weilding a cape and was surrounded by shirtless dancers. Halfway through the performance, she shed her cape and began writhing on the floor. Over in one corner of the stage, a statue of the Virgin Mary had flames pouring out of the top of it, as Gaga sang the chorus. Fog filled the stage, as Gaga and her dancers performed an energetic dance routine.[56] Larry Carroll from MTV called the performance "entergetic".[56] Brian R. Fitzgerland from the Wall Street Journal said that Gaga was a "damned talented" performer.[23] Luchina Fisher from ABC News called it a "thinly-veiled performance dripping with sex and violins" and "Gaga from doing her best Madonna impression."[57]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Source: [60]

Charts and certifications

Radio and release history

Region Date Format
Sweden February 15, 2010[58] Digital download
United States April 20, 2010[4] Mainstream radio
May 18, 2010[59] The Remixes EP – Digital download
United Kingdom June 28, 2010[64] CD Single

References

  1. ^ ""Alejandro" writing credits". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  2. ^ "Lady Gaga – Gaga Still Releasing Alejandro In U.S." Contactmusic.com. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  3. ^ Reporter, MTV (2010-04-06). "Lady GaGa Will Release Alejandro As Next Single". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-04-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Future Releases". FMQB. Retrieved 2010-03-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ "Loaded: Lady Gaga". Season 1. 2010-02-15. Fuse TV. "Alejandro" is my 'Fear of Sex' - Monster. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |began= ignored (|date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |ended= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c Cinquemani, Sal (2009-11-18). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  7. ^ a b Hubbard, Michael (2009-11-23). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster, track-by-track". MusicOMH. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  8. ^ a b "Digital Sheet Music – Lady Gaga – Alejandro". 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)
  9. ^ a b "New Releases: Lady Gaga "Alejandro"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  10. ^ a b Ryan, Chris (2009-10-11). "Song You Need To Know Now: Lady Gaga, 'Alejandro'". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-02-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ Lamb, Bill (2009-11-29). "Lady Gaga - 'The Fame Monster'". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-02-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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  13. ^ Thomas, Chava (2010-02-03). "You go, Gaga". The Argonaut. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  14. ^ Sawdey, Evan (2009-11-23). "Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster < Reviews". PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
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  19. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2009-11-29). "allmusic ((( The Fame Monster > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-09. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  20. ^ Wood, Mikael (2009-11-23). "Album review: Lady Gaga's 'The Fame Monster'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  21. ^ Dolan, Jon (2009-11-23). "The Fame Monster : Lady Gaga : Review". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
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  37. ^ a b "Hungarian Singles Chart – Top 10 lista". Mahasz (in Hungarian). Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2010-02-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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  39. ^ Balls, David (2010-01-08). "GaGa 'wants David Walliams for video'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  40. ^ Reporter, Sun (2010-01-08). "Lady GaGa to team up with Boy George". The Sun. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  41. ^ Odell, Amy (2010-03-23). "Can Steven Klein Do Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' Video Justice?". New York. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  42. ^ Axelrod, Nick (2010-03-23). "Steven Klein Said Shooting Lady Gaga Video". Women's Wear Daily. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
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  47. ^ Shaw, Ted (2010-01-13). "Gaga show attracts the curious, the bizarre and the fun-seekers". Windsor Star. Canwest. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
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  52. ^ Little John, Georgina (2010-04-21). "Lady Gaga shows off doily-inspired outfit at Tokyo concert". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
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  54. ^ B. Vary, Adam (2010-04-29). "American Idol Top 6 Results On The Scene". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
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  56. ^ a b Carroll, Larry (2010-05-06). "Lady Gaga Brings 'Alejandro' To 'American Idol'". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-05-06. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  57. ^ Fisher, Luchina (2010-05-05). "'Idol' Final Four: Aaron Kelly Gets the Boot". ABC News. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2010-05-06. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  58. ^ a b "Swedish download single – "Alejandro"". iTunes Sweden. 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
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  61. ^ http://www.futuremusiccharts.nl/futuremusiccharts/2010/05/nederlandse-t-2.html
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  64. ^ "Forthcoming UK Singles". Radio One. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
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