Telephone (song)

"Telephone"
Song

"Telephone" is a song by American pop singer Lady Gaga and R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It is the second single from her second studio album, The Fame Monster (2009). Before it was officially released as a single, the song charted in late 2009 due to strong digital sales.

Background

GaGa orginally wrote the song for Britney Spears for her 2008 album Circus, however, after recording the track, Spears' label rejected the song, with GaGa later recording it as a collaboration with Beyoncé Knowles for The Fame Monster. GaGa told E! Online: "I wrote it for her a long time ago and she just didn't use it for her album - it's fine because I love the song and I get to perform it now".. Additionally, the guest vocalist was originally going to be Spears, but when Spears wanted to put the song on her own greatest hits album, Gaga made alternative arrangements.

Critical Reception

Pop Justice gave the song a positive review: " It's a little bit like Gwen's 'What You Waiting For?' meets Timbaland's 'The Way I Are' meets about fifty other things....The structure's quite exciting......It's funny when you think about it, this song which was offered to Britney for her last album and would have been one of the best songs on it, but was knocked back, and then almost had Britney singing on it for this version but then it all went wrong. Funny how things end up sometimes, isn't it. Of course while it would have been quite good with Britney singing it there is something tumultuously brilliant about Beyonce's contribution that makes everything seem fine and as if it was the plan all along".. PopMatters said that "The much talked-about Beyoncé collaboration “Telephone”, which—with its double-time beat and rapid-fire verses—proves to be one of the most adrenaline-pumped songs that Gaga has yet crafted, the whole thing feeling like it’s about to veer of the tracks at any moment simply due to the giddy excitement shared between the two divas, easily turning it into the unquestioned highlight of The Fame Monster (and that other Beyoncé/Gaga collaboration that appears on the new Deluxe Edition of I Am ... Sasha Fierce? Well, let’s just say that Gaga definitely got the better track of the two ...).. Bill Lamb from About.com listed it among the top tracks on the album and said: "The Beyonce assisted "Telephone" is a club stomper that will draw in R&B and Hip Hop fans as well on the radio".

Chart performance

In November 2009 due to strong digital sales, the song charted in Ireland, Australia and the UK, debuting at 26, 29 and 30 respectively.

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	29
Ireland Singles Chart	26
UK Singles Chart	30