Alejandro by Lady Gaga

Album: The Fame Monster (2009)

Charted: 7 5

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This is a track from Lady Gaga's EP, The Fame Monster. In this song Gaga fends off three Mexican lovers. Latin lovers often crop on records - other tracks featuring them include Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" and ABBA's "Fernando."
The video courts religious controversy in a Madonna-ish way by showing Gaga dressed in a red latex nun outfit eating a rosary. It also intermingles other Catholic imagery with provocative shots of a same-sex orgy. Not only Catholic groups objected - Katy Perry tweeted: "Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke."
Klein defended the use of religious imagery and symbolism in an email to MTV News: "The religious symbolism is not meant to denote anything negative, but represents the character's battle between the dark forces of this world and the spiritual salvation of the Soul," he wrote. "Thus at the end of the film, she chooses to be a nun, and the reason her mouth and eyes disappear is because she is withdrawing her senses from the world of evil and going inward towards prayer and contemplation."
He added that the scene in which Gaga eats the rosary beads is meant to represent "the desire to take in the holy."
Every track on The Fame Monster represents a "fear" of some "monster." GaGa has said this song was influenced by her "fear of sex" monster.
The song's music video was directed by the photographer Steven Klein. Gaga discussed with The London Times May 22, 2010 it's concept. She explained it is about the "purity of my friendships with my gay friends, and how I've been unable to find that with a straight man in my life. It's a celebration and an admiration of gay love - it confesses my envy of the courage and bravery they require to be together. In the video I'm pining for the love of my gay friends - but they just don't want me."
The song opens with a weeping violin, which incorporates the melody from "Csárdás" by Italian composer Vittorio Monti (1868-1922). "Csárdás" was composed in 1904 and Monti based the violin show-piece on a Hungarian folk dance.
Gaga has cited in interviews Abba's 1976 song "Fernando" as an influence on this tune.
Director Steven Klein said of his collaboration with Gaga on the music video to Rolling Stone: "She likes epics. It fits her personality. We combined dance, narrative and attributes of surrealism. The process was to express Lady Gaga's desire to reveal her heart and bear her soul."
Klein had never directed a proper music video before. However, after seeing Gaga perform live, he felt inspired. "I went to see her show in NYC, and it felt like performance art in the '90s. And I had not seen anything like that in a while," Klein told MTV News. "Lady Gaga approached me about doing this particular song, and in the past, I have passed on such offers, but this time I felt [a] narrative drive you could make interesting, and we both aligned on the vision for the film."
He added: "I had a vision and story for the film, she reacted to it, then we both collaborated ... We shot in Los Angeles on April 30, 2010. My schedule and hers are both complicated, so it took a lot to get the days that we both could work together."
Klein went on to explain the clip: "I was not thinking in terms [of influences.] I saw it more as a combination of cinema and theater," he said. "[It is] about a woman's desire to resurrect a dead love and who can not face the brutality of her present situation. The pain of living without your true love."

Comments: 32

John Harrison from New YorkEvery song tells a story and if the words are explicit you know the story but if the words are broad based it leaves the mind open for interpretation. If you read the various comments in this or any other song, you will understand...or will you?
Rod from New OrleansAnybody notice that Ally-Ally-Jandro sounds like child game chant Olly-Olly-In Free? From Hide and Seek?
Dave from Cardiff, WalesThe song is quite Abba-esque but it also sounds a bit like "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna.
Daniel from Winchester, OhSkrillex made an awesome remix of this song.. yeah. :D
Girolamo from Makati City, PhilippinesALEJANDRO --- man's defender and protector (God)

FERNANDO -- ardent of peace (Jesus)

ROBERTO -- bright or shining flame (Holy Spirit)

Babe -- Child

"Don't call my name, don't call my name
GOD, I'm not your CHILD
I'm not your CHILD, JESUS
Don't call my name, don't call my name, HOLY SPIRIT
GOD, just let me go
Ranna from Boondocks, IaTo Sam from Australia,
In Christianity an upside down cross actually represents humility and humbleness. St. Peter didn't feel worthy enough to be crucified the same way Jesus was so he requested to be crucified upside down.

It's a common misconception because Satanists tried to adopt the upside down cross, but it's really not inherently evil.
Sam from Warwick, AustraliaI would like to offer a suggestion. From the imagery I saw, it seems to me that Gaga is saying that the female anatomy is dangerous and evil. This comes in two forms:
1. The bra with the machine guns on it, or as Austin Powers would say 'machine gun jubblies'.
2. When Gaga is wearing the clear plastic habit, it has red upside-down crosses on it. An upside-down cross, in the Catholic Church anyway, is a sign of the devil or evil. There is an upside-down over her crotch.
Maybe it is inferring that men may fall in love with women based on the sex, but this can be a deceptive assumption the men make. ???
Also, did anyone else think that it looked like it was set in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union? I got that distinct vibe.
Violet from Indianapolis, InThe song is about how she sees love based on a man's wallet (she hides true love en su bolsillo [Bolsillo is pocket in Spanish, which plays a large part in the song]). She then wraps men around her finger with her innocent act (She's got a halo round her finger, around you).

According to her Wiki page, the song also represents GaGa's fear of commitment to the point where she cannot even remember the name of her lover (exemplified in the multiple changing of names; "Alejandro," "Fernando," "Roberto"). Additionally, the line "Mexico, rejoice!" ties into the whole "What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico" theme that is ever-popular among Spring-Breakers in Cancun.

So, basically, the song is about being promiscuous and garnering as much money as possible, then realizing how wrong it is: "I know that we are young, and I know that you may love me; but I just can't be with you like this anymore...Alejandro." By that time, however, "Alejandro" is already in love with the speaker as he calls her name and addresses her as "babe." Unfortunately for him, he has no idea that she never felt anything more for him than lust and financial assistance.

On a interview, she said it was about her ex-boyfriends.
Victor from Vienna, VaAnybody else notice that this song sounds really similar to Ace of Base's cover of "Don't Turn Around?"
Carly from Greenwod, ScI really like this song. But someting bothers me. Everyones upset about the Christian refrences, would you be just as upset if they were refrences to other religions; Islam or Hindu for example?
Lily from Los Angeles, Cahaha dude, it's not like sex is outlawed for all Christians..what are you talking about Jessica?
it's about her becoming a nun to get away from all her past love complications, or it could be about the majority of Christianity pressuring her to not have lovers, or anything..
so she goes crazy..
but she keeps stopping herself..
Kate from Tulsa, OkI agree with Mikki and Jessica
Si from Auckland, New ZealandThe only thing I can say about the video is that it's quite dark and heavy, more suited for a metal song than Lady Gaga, but I suppose it's a nice change
Jessica from Danville, WaI really love the song, but I agree with Mikki. Why did they have to make the video like that? They could have did something completely different and made it AMAZING, but instead they did this. I don't know about everyone else, but I personally don't think a video about sex should involve Christian references.
Mikki from Pine Bluff, ArI really do this video is satanic. I don't care what the director says it has a demonic feel to the video. This video means something way deeper than religious values or such.~ It'x That Kid Mikki~
Kate from Tulsa, Oki think its a good song but the video is sorta weird
Ivy from Springfield, Negood song, i have the cd, but its' starting to get kind of overplayed. 7.6/10
Matthew from Hawthorne, NjThis is Lady Gaga's "Like a Prayer."
Lily from Los Angeles, CaThen what was up with the whole Christianity reference in the video? That, to me, looked like her main message..but she wouldn't ruin her career by going right out and saying what it was truly about.
Brady from New Prague, MnI really don't understand why there are people who think the video is blasphemous. Steven Klein, the director, has explained it and it makes alot of sense. In the beginning, Lady Gaga plays a woman whose true love dies. The pain becomes so agonizing that she vows she "just can't be like this anymore," so she becomes this sex addicted monster who thinks she needs a man to survive. She soon realizes that the relationships she has with her lovers are toxic, and it ruins her life, so she becomes a nun so that she can be freed from all the darkness of the world, swallowing the rosary, which symbolizes her "wanting to ingest all that is Holy" (in Klein's words). At the end, it shows her in her nun outfit, while Alejandro is sitting at her bedside, away from her. So yeah, the meaning behind the whole thing is that you don't need a significant other to be happy, as long as you have yourself, and as Gaga says, "the purity of her friendships, particularly those with gay men."
Ivy from Springfield, NeI have this cd, and I like this song. 7/10
Tricia from Rockville Centre, NyI love this song..and yes Tanya..this song has hints of ABBA's Fernando in it! Between Gaga Gaga's voice and the latino background...its so pretty...another pat on the back ...keep those hits coming Lady!
Ariana from Hooper, Nei love this song and alejandero stands for alexander in spanish i love the begining to got to love her i deas!
Ciarna from Campbell River, BcThe tune at the beggining is the intro section to Vittorio Monti's Czardas( pronounced char-dash) a beautiful violin and piano arrangement.... i like how she used it
Jeana from Sterling Heights, MiLOL this song ODDLY reminds me of somebody...very smothering at the time...haha i think B**** as Alejandro...and the other ones coming around as Fernando and Roberto...
Lacey from Chicago, Ilhahaha @Mark Berger :D i loooovee this song. gotta love lady gaga!
Mark Berger from Broonsville, AfghanistanThis song reminds me of the 40-year-old virgin
Mark Berger from Broonsville, AfghanistanThis is a melodious, haunting tune that reminds me of the first time I made love under the palm trees in Mexico. His name was not Alejandro, Fernando nor Roberto. But the beat reminds me of our rhythm that night, as I called out his name. Then he returned to the deep fishing waters, never to be seen again.
Mark Berger from Melrose, BarbadosThis song reminds me of the first time I met a foreign man. My life has never been the same. I feel that the repetition of "Ale Alejandro Ale Alejandro" is a metaphor for GaGa's tenuous relationship with the light and the dark. When she is trapped in the dark (the netherworld), she calls out for Alejandro, who she wishes not to call back, but to take her by the hand and guide her to the light.
Ryan from London (y), United KingdomThis is a beautiful song by a beautiful woman.
'You know that I love you boy, Hot like Mexico'
To me the song tells how men from other Countries can use women visiting the countries. x
Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnIt reminds me of La Isla Bonita. Alejandro is a gorgeous pop song!
Tanya from La Verne, CaDoes this song remind anyone of ABBA? I hear it; but, I love the influence on this song.

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