Lady Gaga is ready to pick up the telephone again . . . 15 years later.
In 2010, Lady Gaga teamed up with fellow pop icon Beyoncé to create the hit “Telephone” for the deluxe edition of her 2008 debut album, “The Fame.” Co-written by Gaga and directed by Swedish arthouse filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund, the song’s music video serves as a continuation of her “Paparazzi” video. Caught red-handed poisoning her abusive boyfriend, played by Alexander Skarsgård, Gaga embarks on a nine-minute, high-energy spectacle featuring a dramatic jailbreak, bold fashion, and more poisoning.
At the end of Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Thelma & Louise”-inspired escapade, a title card teases, To be continued…
Now, more than a decade later, Gaga is returning to her dark, avant-garde roots. With her seventh album, “Mayhem,” set for release on March 7, she is hinting at the long-awaited sequel to “Telephone” after years of speculation. Fans—both Little Monsters and the Beyhive—have kept the song’s cultural impact alive, celebrating its cinematic references, daring fashion and infectious 2010s pop sound.
The references
The music video opens with a bang as Gaga arrives at a rural prison, her platinum-blonde hair paired with a black-and-white striped bodycon dress featuring pointed sleeves sharp enough to take out an eye. In what appears to be a homage to Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” she strides into her cell with a commanding presence and a possibly suspicious agenda—despite her impeccable poker face. Inside, she and her fellow inmates strike dramatic poses reminiscent of “Chicago”’s “Cell Block Tango.”
In the next scene, Gaga sports another unforgettable look: sunglasses covered in lit cigarettes. Her street cred appears high as she distracts someone in the prison yard with a kiss—just long enough to pickpocket their phone. Her glamorous escape becomes inevitable when “Honey Bee,” a.k.a. Beyoncé, calls her while Gaga sits in curlers made of Coke cans, a nod to vintage pinup aesthetics.
Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Thelma & Louise”-style adventure kicks off when Beyoncé bails her out of jail. Waiting outside in a bright yellow pickup truck emblazoned with red flames—familiarly known as the “P***y Wagon”—Beyoncé sets the stage for their crime spree. If the truck looks familiar, that’s because it is: “Kill Bill” director Quentin Tarantino personally urged Gaga to use the iconic vehicle, which Uma Thurman drove in the 2003 action film.
In a 2010 interview, Gaga said, “[Tarantino’s] direct involvement in the video came from him lending me the P***y Wagon. We were having lunch one day in Los Angeles, and I was telling him about my concept for the video, and he loved it so much he said, ‘You gotta use the P***y Wagon!’”
The Tarantino callback isn’t the only surprise in the video—”Fast & Furious” star Tyrese Gibson also makes an appearance. As the scheming masterminds, Gaga and Beyoncé poison Gibson and every other inhabitant of the diner they’re in, all while breaking into song and dance amid a scene of seemingly lifeless bodies.
Explaining her vision at the time, Gaga said, “What I really wanted to do with this video is take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has quite a shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper. The idea that America is full of young people inundated with information and technology, and turn it into something that was more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are.”
The impact . . . 15 years later
Since the release of “Telephone,” Gaga has evolved through numerous artistic phases and albums, yet her impact has only expanded. She has successfully ventured into film, solidifying her influence not just in music but in pop culture as a whole.
“Telephone” has enjoyed a similar lasting legacy, whether through its continued presence in clubs or its humorous rendition on “Glee.” Originally intended for Britney Spears, the song became one of 2010’s best-selling tracks, selling 7.4 million digital copies worldwide and peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The enduring legacy of the song and video is evident in the endless speculation about when the long-awaited sequel will finally be released.
Fans can now rest easy—there’s no need to keep pressing Gaga for part two. During Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector interview, she confirmed that “Telephone”‘s long-promised continuation is on the way.
“The video for your song ‘Telephone’ said ‘To be continued…’ at the end. Will it ever be continued?” the host asked.
“Yes,” Gaga replied.
While she remained tight-lipped about the release date, she did hint at Beyoncé’s involvement.
“Will this person be in it?” the host asked, showing a photo of Queen Bey.
“Maybe,” Gaga answered with a smile.
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