It is 28 February 2020 and I am 18 again, waiting impatiently for pop star Lady Gaga to drop her latest collection of bops in the form of ARTPOP; a collection of fizzy, erratic, ambitious chart music that had been dragged backwards through a blender and spat out again. We, the Little Monsters of the time, loved it, but the reaction from the wider public was so divisive that it literally forced the world’s greatest pop star to shove on a stetson, mount a horse and make country music instead.
Over the past seven (!) years, we’ve given her the space she needed. She went off to make Joanne, became an Oscar-nominated film star, followed in RiRi‘s footsteps and become a make-up mogul, and kickstarted a Vegas residency (“WHAT THE FUUUUUU!!!!”) that alluded to the direction her sixth album would take her in.
And now here we are. Lady Gaga the pop star is back. I don’t know what to do. Do you know what to do? Honestly I know many of us heard her comeback track, “Stupid Love”, like a month ago, but I can’t believe we actually have a whole year-to-18 months of new visuals, pop music (apparently produced by Bloodpop, Max Martin and SOPHIE!) and live performances to look forward to.
Stupid Love is a bop. The video, shot on iPhone and set in a desert, is like a Power Rangers throwback. The internet (read: gays) have duly taken it upon themselves to memeify the video and her return, and for that we are truly blessed. Here are 13 of our favourites.
Why is this me?
In the video, Gaga makes two quarrelling men levitate then throws them to the ground. It looks a bit like this.
A classic.
We don’t deserve!
I feel seen.
What was that?
Bernie has TASTÉ
Guys, she’s coming!
I’m so happy rn
Wendy? She stans.
MCU found rotting.
An intersection of all of my interests.
And finally, pop music is saved.