My Favorite Lady Gaga Performances

WHAT!?!? Can someone like me even like Lady Gaga? Yes. Of course - it isn't easy for modern music to catch my attention, between oldies music and talk radio I often don't pay attention to pop music. In fact - when I first heard Lady Gaga (on you tube maybe? or SNL?) I asked Meghan if she knew who she was and of course found out that she had been a star for a while before I had heard of her. Though, I guess she really only hit it big in the past year or so.

So why would I like Lady Gaga. No - it's not because people think she is attractive or a sex symbol - and no, not because she is shocking in performances or costumes. I think I first found a special place for Lady Gaga when I saw her sitting on a piano playing a song that was so captivating for her musical talent as well as her singing. Some of those videos are below. I also love how she was just a girl in college just a few years ago playing in a talent show (video below as well) - and now she is a global star. I also like how she was signed and then dropped by her first record label but continued to sing and do her thing and now she's "made it".

I also like that her songs have stories and her music videos are complicated in telling a story. I don't care that she is shocking or polarizing - I think she will be around for a while because she is musically talented and writes her own songs. I think the lip syncing Britney Spears types are flashes in the pan compared to someone who is really connected to and writing what they are singing.

I guess I am writing this blog because more and more I talk to people who like Lady Gaga or at least find her songs hard to get out of their head - but don't realize just how talented she is. OK - on with the videos.

This is one that demonstrates her talent on a piano. (Paparrazzi)


Here she is on the Ellen show. I like again how she starts with an intimate piano sitting but then goes "music video" on you. (Bad Romance)


This is just a great song to show off her singing ability. It is again from Ellen - what a musical guest! (Speechless)


By now you probably get her weird costume theme - so this is a funny skit from SNL where she is wearing a costume she has performed in before. The SNL writers are pretty funny.


Here's Lady Gaga before she became "Lady Gaga". This is a talent show when she was at NYU - apparently she came in 3rd - but became a star! Her second song is the best.


Here she is again playing for that radio station on the piano. (Poker Face)

Love This Guy and Many More Creative People

This guy combines like 5 of my favorite things:

1) Playing a duet or trio all by yourself
2) Split screen video
3) The comedic value of his appearance and the fact that he seems to specialize in Lady Gaga and Britney Spears songs!
4) Juxtaposing the violin with modern pop music
5) Musical humor!

This video was also featured in a commercial for the Grammy Awards



The only way this could be better is if someone played Lady Gaga on a Ukulele



Who could Lady Gaga possibly inspire next?



Meghan tells me that no one likes to watch videos I paste in my blog (especially long TED.com ones) - so if you've made it this far I am going to reward you with blog humor and bring this entry back full circle!

Where could I go after the A Capella version of poker face? how about a one man A Capella group!



(I'm taking a bow for this blog performance - even if no one is applauding!)

My Encore will be this one - since Dave and I played the Trumpet and Trombone - this is a riot: