"Bad Romance" (CD single)

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Gaga goes nuts for a dysfunctional guy.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this song is more of the same from Lady Gaga: she uses a celebratory tone to describe a dysfunctional relationship, making it seem more cool than wrong. The word "bitch" is repeated throughout, and there is one minor sexual euphemism.

  • Gaga glorifies bad relationships -- a bad message for kids.
  • With all her talk of sticking by bad guys, Gaga could hardly be considered a good role model.
  • Not applicable.
  • One sexual euphemism: “I want your vertigo stick.”

What's the story?

Dance diva Lady Gaga keeps churning out the singles, her latest being BAD ROMANCE -- the first track from her new album called The Fame: Monster, which is actually a reissue of her debut record titled simply The Fame. The song is a catalogue of all the things Gaga wants in a guy. Though a lot of girls might include traits like sweet, thoughtful, and smart in their romance wish-lists, Gaga’s contains characteristics such as “psycho” and “criminal:” “I want your drama…I want your revenge…I want your horror…’Cause I’m a freak bitch, baby!” The end result is a serially troubling tune from this young artist who seems to almost revel in bad relationships rather than shun them.


Is it any good?

 

Reminiscent of Madonna’s singular talent for reinventing herself, Lady Gaga has a way of tweaking her singles so that each has its own appeal. In Bad Romance, the hook is her deep-toned chant-singing that sounds a lot like seventies-era British superstar Siouxsie Sioux. The vocal approach is accompanied by a heavy synth-line that you can easily envision echoing through the clubs, where this song is sure to receive plenty of spins. 


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about relationships. Why are some people attracted to abusive relationships, while others don’t settle for less?

  • What are the warning signs that a relationship may not be working?


This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Teen, 15 years old
January 17, 2010
 
I Tunes Carries The Clean Version On The Album

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 3 and 12 year old
November 15, 2009
 
If anyone younger than 14 is listening to Lady Gaga, look at the parents!
The line is "Vertigo schtick", not "Vertical Stick". She is referencing the films, Psycho and Vertigo, as she describes the craziness within the relationship. She's not referencing sex at all with that line. I like the song. I listen to her regularly. No one under 14 should listen to her as she's really not geared toward them anyway. She's for older teens and adults.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
April 26, 2011
 
Decent song for young teens,no TWEENS!
The song is very good,about being in love with a horrible man and you can't help yourself.It is about sex,but it's more then that,it's about falling for the wrong people and not helping yourself.It's not a kids song under 13 for sure.Strong Language and suggestive sex references,but good song none the less!It's a good and bad message,it could be "good" love conquers all,bad,it's not a "good" love.

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Teen, 16 years old
November 20, 2011
 
Awful. Just awful.
This is one of the worst music videos I have ever seen. It is totally inappropriate and should be banned, and I speak as a teenager, not a reactionary parent. It's mostly just her stripping, being drugged, and using placed products over and over. Do. Not. Watch. This.

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Teen, 16 years old
April 21, 2010
 
aw yeah
awesome song weird music video :]

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Teen, 14 years old
December 31, 2009
 
perfect for girl tweens and boy teens
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( her real name ) is a goodish role model, I would consider her a role model as far as her songs, AWESOME singing voice, fashion choices, and stuff like that is good.

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Parent
March 29, 2011
 
What can I say? A person who isn't a teenager (she's supposed to be an adult), is talking about having a bad romance, wanting drama, and liking disturbance. She probably has some of her own issues to work over; like for example wanting attention so bad she'll traumatize herself with a bad relationship. I can say that yes teenagers tend to be pretty immature, but she is not one. Her immaturity arises out of her problems, not her age. Don't let her impose those problems onto impressionable kids. She should be held just as responsible for her words as any adult I know, especially when she is in the eye of every kid. Doesn't it mean teens need guidance if they act similarly to her? I think so. She's a bad role model, her messages are not what teens need to be hearing. It's not just that the songs are dirty, which is bad enough in itself, but it's the meaning behind them. Saying she's a freak means she's willing to do anything and everything to a guy who will probably end up messing her over, and wanting someones disease is wanting their issues.

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Kid, 13 years old
March 27, 2011
 
Bad Romance=Bad Song
Okay, let's go through the lyrics of this guy. "(gibberish) Bad romance". The gibberish isn't so bad, but the part about the bad romance sounds kind of dirty. Then she says at one point, "I'm a freak b----, baby!" OOH! LADY GAGA SAID A BAD WORD! Then she mentions I want your "disease". And we're not talking swine flu, chicken pox, or the common cold. She means HIV, a sexually transmitted diesease. Then she says "vertigo stick". This could possibly mean the male private parts. Please, I beg thee, don't listen to this dirty, stinky, filthy song at all!

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Teen, 17 years old
May 23, 2010
 
Common Sense is like a paraniod parent sometimes, I really dont get worked up over this stuff, as long as kids know the difference between what's right and whats wrong I think it's ok, btw you can barely hear b****

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Parent of 11, 12, and 14 year old
April 20, 2010
 
says the b word throuout and the video is grosd in a sex sort of way

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This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Artist:Lady Gaga
Release date:October 27, 2009
Label:Interscope Records
Genre:Pop
Parental advisory:No

This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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