About Bad Romance

"Bad Romance" is a song and lead single by American singer Lady Gaga from her third EP, The Fame Monster (2009). It was written and produced by Nadir "RedOne" Khayat and Lady Gaga. Lyrically, "Bad Romance" explores Gaga's attraction to individuals with whom romance never works, her preference for lonely relationships and the paranoia she experienced while on tour. Following an illegal demo leak, Gaga showcased the final product at Alexander McQueen's show at the Paris Fashion Week in October 2009, followed by the release of the single's cover art. Musically, "Bad Romance" features a spoken bridge, a full-throated chorus and sung lyrics about being in love with one's best friend. The song, which is imbued with elements of German-esque house and techno, as well as music from the 1980s and 1990s, was touted by Gaga as an experimental pop record. During the bridge Gaga sings a part of the chorus ("I want your love and I want your revenge") in French.

Most commentators praised "Bad Romance", calling it one of the highlights of the album. It was included in the 'best-of' lists in several media outlets such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, and won two Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video. In 2021, Rolling Stone included it at number 482 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the US, "Bad Romance" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and it has been certified 11-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold 5.9 million digital downloads as of February 2019. It topped the charts in more than 20 countries and sold 12 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. The accompanying music video of "Bad Romance" features Gaga inside a surreal white bathhouse. There, she gets kidnapped by a group of supermodels who drug her and sell her to the Russian mafia for sexual slavery. The video ends with Gaga burning alive the man who bought her. It garnered massive acclaim from critics, who complimented the risqué and symbolic nature of the plot, as well as its artistic direction and vivid imagery. It was chosen as the best music video of the 21st century by Billboard. At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, it was nominated for ten awards, where Gaga won seven, including Video of the Year. Gaga has performed "Bad Romance" on various television programs, such as Saturday Night Live and The Jay Leno Show, the 2009 American Music Awards, her concert tours and residency shows, and at the Super Bowl LI halftime show.