In Defense Of Lady Gaga's "Applause": Watch The Music Video

Over on Idolator last week, I made a case for why Lady Gaga's lead ARTPOP single "Applause" doesn't suck, a bulk of critics seem to think.

In it, I wrote the following:

Art and pop references aside, “Applause” finds Gaga sending the biggest musical love letter to a fanbase since Backstreet Boys‘ 1999 single “Larger Than Life.” Personally, I’ve found myself more drawn to the sound of the track itself, which plays like a return to Gaga’s days of The Fame. The opening, pulsating synths are a straight-up throwback to the “Poker Face” intro — albeit slightly sped up — while the handclap-laden chorus swells and soars with the same pop frenzy that made “Paparazzi” such a delight.

Of course, as far as critical opinion goes, I've never been aligned with the majority, especially when it comes to Gaga.

And so now we get the "Applause" video, which I also find to be miles ahead of what any other low rent, z-grade pop hag is doing these days. Sorry, but Gaga's head on a swan's neck — not to mention her in David Bowie drag — just appeals to my own twisted sensibilities

I don't think there's been a more debated and deconstructed pop single this year. And that, in the end, is what makes "Applause" so exciting. In that sense, job well done, Gaga.