Lady Gaga - Paparazzi (VMAs 2009)

We thought she'd bring it like this for her comeback...



Spyke

A month ago we saw Britney top more itunes charts than anyone else had ever managed to do simultaneously with the release of Hold It Against Me. With some incredible first week tallies (especially in the States) the feat seemed justified - it is one of the best tracks she's recorded in years (along with Shattered Glass). Now Lady Gaga has just gone and done one better: with Born This Way only taking 3 hours to top US itunes it could be looking at the biggest download sales week ever! However, I still feel very much underwhelmed by the track.

Before making it to my 9am lecture this morning I just had to log on and watch the highlights from the Grammy Awards last night. I thought Lady Gaga would be the one to steal the show after her eccentric entrance in a massive egg. Despite a well rehearsed dance routine the performance lacked the personality and flair we have become accustomed to seeing from the star. I was hoping for a live performance that would allow me to warm to the track just as Beyonce managed with her X Factor performance of If I Were A Boy, but this wasn't to be the case. Instead the highlight of the show for me was definitely the Love The Way You Lie/ I Need a Doctor combo, plus seeing the chemistry between Rihanna and Drake during What's My Name?

In contrast Lady Gaga's 2009 VMA performance of Paparazzi is just all sorts of amazing. Although I usually prefer listening to the Moto Blanc remix of the track, this live performance highlights the quality of the single. With her incredible vocals and effective choreography she really delivers here. Using the now familiar piano break down and plenty of fake blood to emphasise the drama of the track, it's like she's still trying to prove herself as she stages this theatrical performance into a well crafted beginning, middle and ending.

With all the hype surrounding the lead single, it all just seems very underwhelming. Where's the quirky Gaga who wouldn't just have settled for arriving on stage in an egg but would have gone all guns blazing to make it a performance we wouldn't forget? I'm still holding out for the second cut to rival Bad Romance...