Photos by PR Photos
The two leading ladies of pop music have combined forces to take over the world, and after listening to both "Video Phone (Extended Mix)" and "Telephone," it's clear that Lady Gaga and Beyonce are taking no prisoners.
The remix to Beyonce's "Video Phone" had a bit of a false start, with a ballyhooed music video premiere that was aborted, leaving many Gaga and Beyonce fans hotter than fish grease. But tempers have been soothed, since the audio was finally released.
Listen to Beyonce's "Video Phone" featuring Lady Gaga below.
The song is a foot-stomping, gritty ode to phone sex in the iPhone generation. Moaning and heavy breathing on the phone isn't enough to keep it hot these days. Beyonce is ready to send you pics and flicks of herself in compromising situations. (Just don't send 'em to TMZ.) Gaga jumps right into the steamy mix, panting "hubba, hubba" and boasting about her fashion sense. But the guest verse, which name checks Gene Kelly and Marlon Brando, clashes uncomfortably with Bey's verses, which are deeply rooted in urban slang with shout outs to "Gs" and "hustlers." The back and forth between the two that follows Gaga's verse is excellent, but Gaga would've fit in on this track so much better if she'd taken her cues lyrically from her song "Paper Gangsta." The video will likely make or break this pairing.
While "Video Phone" comes off as slightly uneven, "Telephone," produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, for Gaga's "The Fame Monster" unites Bey's and Gaga's talents masterfully.
Listen to Lady Gaga's "Telephone" featuring Beyonce below.
Did you hear that? That was the dance floor and the clubs spontaneously combusting into glittery smithereens. Rodney broke out the synths and Lady Gaga surfs on the electro-pop ride. But Beyonce brings the earthquake, getting her Incredible Hulk on in her guest verse full of quotable one-liners: "Calling like a collector, sorry I cannot answer." This is pretty much an updated version of "Bug-A-Boo" for Bey but with a whole lot more Sasha Fierce behind it. Jay, you better ease up on the phone stalking.
Of the two songs, "Telephone" smokes "Video Phone." It feels like a much more cohesive collaboration and the energy on the track bursts through like water from a broken levy. But the genius behind both collaborations is that they are targeted at essentially two different markets. "Video Phone" is for urban and "Telephone" is for pop. This allows Lady Gaga, who's had trouble getting much love on urban radio despite frequently collaborating with urban artists like Wale and Kid Cudi, to crossover with the seal of approval by Ambassador Beyonce. Beyonce needs Gaga's help less for reaching the pop market since she already does that well herself, but hitching herself to the phenomenon that is Lady Gaga only boosts her status.
The last superstar pairing that Beyonce tried was "Beautiful Liar" with Shakira, which produced a sizzling music video but a lukewarm song. However, with Lady Gaga, Beyonce has a match made in disco heaven. To quote a Destiny's Child song: Can you keep up?
Note: If the videos for either song go down, you can listen to them here at Concrete Loop.
