Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)

"Eh, Eh" was written by Gaga with Martin Kierszenbaum, who also produced the track. It was recorded at Cherrytree Recording Studios in Santa Monica, California. Other personnel working on the song included Tony Ugval, who did the audio engineering, Robert Orton for audio mixing and Gene Grimaldi, who mastered the song at Oasis Mastering Studios in Burbank, California. while incorporating the "Eh, Eh" hook from Rihanna's single "Umbrella", according to Freedom du Lac from The Washington Post. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time with a moderate tempo of 94 beats per minute. Gaga's vocal range spans from B3 to C5 with the main key in which the song is set being E major. Writer James E. Perone mentioned in his book ''The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations'' that with the lyrics, Gaga maintained a focus on transitory relationships. Although the lyrics explain to her former lover that she has found someone new and does not mean to hurt him with the news, the continuous repetition of the phrase "nothing else I can say" solidifies the transient nature of the relationship portrayed. ==Critical reception==

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian noted that "Eh, Eh" bears the influence of early 1990s Europop and "is the first song in a long time that warrants comparison to the œuvre of Ace of Base. Matthew Chisling of AllMusic gave a negative review of the song saying "The Fame has 'ballad,' however the breezy 'Eh, Eh' doesn't hold water on this album; rather, it feels dry and lifeless, something which holds this album back". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that "the breezy island vibe and soft demeanor of 'Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)' is hard to buy when sandwiched between songs like 'Poker Face' and 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich.'" In another article analyzing Gaga's music video releases, Oscar Moralde from Slant Magazine noted that "Eh, Eh" as a track "is an intriguing case: rather than the tech-assisted sexy-androgynous dance pop that dominates a good chunk of The Fame, it and its sister tracks 'Brown Eyes' and 'Again Again' are evidence of a stripped-down, simpler, sincere Gaga." Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that the song is the most embarrassing moment on The Fame, making the album come to an intermediate halt thus ruining the "bad-girl party atmosphere". Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle said that "Eh, Eh" is a bouncy standout with some vocal personality. He also added that "[It] would have made a killer Spice Girls single." Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called the track scaled-back and criticized Gaga's vocal abilities in the song. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found the song listless. Catherine P. Lewis from The Washington Post called the song a chirpy ballad. Christina Martin from The Meridian Star felt that the song, along with "Summerboy" from The Fame, is breezy and upbeat in nature. Matt Busekroos from Quinnipiac Chronicle said that the song seemed like filler. ==Release and chart performance==

"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was first released in New Zealand on January 10, 2009, "Eh, Eh" was the second most added song on Australian radio on the week beginning December 15, 2008. It first began to receive airplay on all Today Network stations. The song was confirmed as an Australian single on Lady Gaga's official website on January 15, 2009. An official remix was also posted on her website that day followed by another one featuring the official cover art. On March 5, 2009, a Pet Shop Boys remix—named as "Random Soul Synthetic Mix"—became available for free download on Gaga's Australian website. Synth-pop musician Frankmusik remixed the track for Gaga's 2010 album, The Remix, where he manipulated Gaga's vocals and created a dreamy quality with them, as noted by Nicki Escuedo from Phoenix New Times. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 38 on the issue of January 18, 2009. The following week it climbed to number 32 and ultimately peaked at number 15, on the issue of March 1, 2009, making it Gaga's third single to hit the top twenty there. On the Billboard issue dated February 21, 2009, "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 68, despite not being released as a single, but dropped off the chart the following week. It entered the chart again for two weeks in August 2010. The song debuted on the Danish Singles Chart at number 28 on May 15, 2009, and peaked at number 14. Due to the moderate chart performance in the European markets, "Eh, Eh" only reached a peak of number 40 on Billboards European Hot 100 Singles chart. ==Music video==

Background and synopsis File:LadyGaga-EhEhHousewife.png|right|thumb|alt=Refer to caption|Gaga as a housewife doing regular chores for her husband. Critic Oscar Moralde noted that the video "asserts the Lady Gaga of [her previous music videos] to be the real one, and the Gaga in 'Eh Eh' is a character that she is playing". About the video, Gaga explained: "I wanted to show a different side of myself — perhaps a more domestic girly side. And I wanted to create beautiful, stunning '50s futuristic fashion imagery that would burn holes in everyone's brains." She further clarified that for the fashion aspects in the video she wanted to go in an opposite direction to her usual image. She wanted a yellow based wardrobe believing the color to become a big hit in the fashion world in 2009. The video starts out showing Little Italy, an icon of the Madonna and Child, and then Gaga riding a Vespa. The first twenty seconds are mainly full of camera shots of different men, Gaga, and the city. The singer roams around with some friends, laughing and joking in a restaurant, while she stands on the seat. Like his review of the single, Moralde found the video to be complementing the simplistic composition of the song. He believed that with the videos for previous singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", Gaga's persona was established, but with the video for "Eh, Eh" she traversed her persona from the original Stefani Germanotta that she was born, to the character Lady Gaga. In The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media, author Carol Vernallis divided Gaga's persona into three categories. The personality portrayed in the "Eh, Eh" video was named as "Friendly Peer" archetype; someone with a girl-next-door image and approachable behavior. ==Live performances==

, in 2010|alt=Gaga wears white pants and a silvery sparkling top with large shoulder pads. Surrounding her, a number of giant metallic rings are visible. Bluish smoke is visible behind her. "Eh, Eh" was first performed in a beatbox version at the Cherrytree Studios and was released on Gaga's first EP, The Cherrytree Sessions. "Eh, Eh" was majorly performed at Gaga's The Fame Ball Tour in the second segment. Gaga was dressed in a white body plate leotard with black lightning shaped stripes and wore a hat made of toppled dominoes. As the performance of previous song "Money Honey" ended Gaga appeared on the stage beside Space Cowboy on a Vespa whence the music for "Eh, Eh" starts. The backdrops change to reveal lightning shapes in contrast to the sunny nature of the song. Gaga sang the song in its actual form backed by vocals from DJ Space Cowboy who spun the music from a corner of the stage. Gaga also performed the song at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival. Although the show was part of The Fame Ball Tour, many elements were different from usual tour dates. For "Eh Eh", Gaga wore a pyrotechnic bra that fired sparkle-flames from her breast area while singing the chorus. In September 2009, Gaga appeared in French television show Taratata, where she performed "Eh, Eh" on the piano, while wearing a red mask. "Eh, Eh" was also performed during the original version of The Monster Ball Tour, where the song signified the singer's rebirth as she descended from the top amidst white lights and mechanical fog. She wore a giant human sized gyroscope around her, which was developed by the Haus of Gaga and was named "The Orbit". The song was removed from the setlist in early 2010. ==Track listing and formats==

Australian CD Single (Extra Limited Edition) • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" – 2:56 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Pet Shop Boys Radio Mix] – 2:49 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Random Soul Synthetic Club Remix] – 5:27 iTunes Remix Single • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Electric Piano & Human Beatbox Version] – 3:03 iTunes Remix EP • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" – 2:57 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Pet Shop Boys Radio Mix] – 2:53 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Bollywood Remix] – 3:29 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [FrankMusik 'Cut Snare Edit' Remix] – 3:50 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Electric Piano & Human Beat Box Version] – 3:03 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Mattafix Remix] – 3:21 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Random Soul Synthetic Club Remix] – 5:29 • "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" [Pet Shop Boys Club Remix] – 6:31 ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Fame. • Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriting • Martin Kierszenbaum – songwriting, production • Tony Ugval – audio engineering • Robert Orton – audio mixing • Gene Grimaldi – audio mastering at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, California • Recorded at Cherrytree Recording Studios, Santa Monica, California ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==