Monster (Lady Gaga song)

"Monster" was written by Lady Gaga, RedOne and Space Cowboy, with RedOne producing the track. The song was recorded at the Record Plant Studio in Los Angeles. ==Composition==

A Europop and dance-pop song, "Monster" begins with Gaga's voice uttering the line, "Don't call me Gaga". The track uses heavy bass lines, descending keyboard lines and "massive" choruses, while a male voice sings about loving Gaga and expresses his wish of talking to her because she is "hot as hell". Gaga belts during the break down like segment in the middle, with incorporation of chiptune like music. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Monster" is set in the time signature of common time, and composed in the key of C major, "Monster" has a basic sequence of F–G–Am–Em as its chord progression. The song also features references to "Just Dance", Gaga's debut single, with the line "I wanna ‘Just Dance’/ But he took me home instead". Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH believed that the lines in the last verse "get a bit gruesome at the end" with the lines saying "He tore my clothes right off/ He ate my heart and then he ate my brain." ==Critical reception==

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH called "Monster" "a potential single", praising its musical composition, but criticizing the lyrics. Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork saw similarities between Gaga's voice on "Monster" and the work of Kylie Minogue. Brian Linder from IGN felt that the track was lighter compared to the other songs on The Fame Monster, and complimented the line "We French kissed on a subway train / He tore my clothes right off / He ate my heart and then he ate my brain", calling it a lyrical gem. He also added that "Monster" was a "dance floor riot". Jaime Gill from Yahoo! felt that "'Monster' is a squirmy little beast that wriggles into your brain slowly and is almost impossible to remove." Monica Herrera from Billboard called the song "80s adoring". A Vulture article considered "Monster" to be "among the best pop songs ever written about losing your innocence — how sex and intimacy can feel like you're being eaten alive." In 2022, NME Nick Levine wrote about "Monster" that "it says a lot about Gaga's rock-solid songwriting at the start of her career that a 12-year-old deep cut still sounds like it should have been a single." ==Chart performance==

In the United Kingdom, "Monster" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at 68, on December 12, 2009, but slipped off the chart the next week. before moving to its highest position of number 29 on October 9, 2010, where it remained for another week. It fell off the chart after eight weeks. and later peaked at number 22. "Monster" spent 14 weeks on the chart. ==Live performances==

. She is seen here doing the Michael Jackson inspired choreography. On January 15, 2010, Gaga performed "Monster" as part of a three-song medley on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The performance began with Gaga appearing on the stage wearing a dress, that looked both like a pantsuit and dress. Her hair was in spikes and she held a spiked ball and chain in her hand. "Monster" was the first song of the medley that she performed, others being "Bad Romance" and "Speechless". "Monster" began with Gaga emerging in a black feathered jacket and performing dance moves reminiscent of Michael Jackson. The backdrop featured the close-up of a black bird's wings. During the 2010–2011 shows of the tour, the performance of "Monster" was revamped with new outfits and a new ending, which sees Gaga portrayed as getting killed by a murderer in blood, after which she lies "dying" in a pool of blood. Her performance of that scene in Manchester, England, triggered protests from family groups and fans in the aftermath of the Cumbria shootings, in which 12 people were murdered by a taxi driver. "What happened in Bradford is very fresh in people's minds and given all the violence which happened in Cumbria just hours earlier, it was insensitive," said Lynn Costello of Mothers Against Violence. Chris Rock later defended her flamboyant, provocative behavior. "Well, she's Lady Gaga," he said. "She's not 'Lady Behave Yourself.' Do you want great behavior from a person named Gaga? Is this what you were expecting?" "Monster" was part of the setlist of Gaga's 2014 residency show, Lady Gaga Live at Roseland Ballroom. She performed the song while playing on a keytar decorated with red roses, wearing a crimson leather body suit. The intro of Gaga's Joanne World Tour (2017–2018) started with the line "Don't call me Gaga", taken from the song, before Gaga declaring that she instead wants to be called Joanne, and starting the show. In 2022, Gaga performed "Monster" at The Chromatica Ball stadium tour, retaining the choreography from the Monster Ball Tour. During the performance, Gaga put on an oversized red jacket which alluded to Michael Jackson's Thriller-era. ==Slayyyter cover==

American singer Slayyyter released a cover of "Monster" on October 17, 2023, as a Spotify exclusive, recorded at the streaming service's New York City studios. She described "Monster" as one of her favorite pop songs and credited Lady Gaga's music with having a significant personal impact, stating that certain songs "saved [her] life". ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Fame Monster. • Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriter, co-producer, vocal arrangement, background vocals • Nadir "RedOne" Khayat – songwriter, producer, vocal editing, vocal arrangement, background vocals, audio engineering, instrumentation, programming, recording at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California • Nicolas Jean-Pierre Patrick "Space Cowboy" Dresti – songwriter, recording, background vocals • Johnny Severin – vocal editing and audio engineering • Dave Russel – audio engineering • Robert Orton – audio mixing at Sarm Studios, London, England • Gene Grimaldi – audio mastering at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, California ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==