Analysis of Stupid Love

[Bebe 17,094]

Might be a reach but I was listening to Stupid Love recently and thinking about Gaga's Paper interview and it had me thinking differently about how I interpret the lyrics of Stupid Love.

Gaga in Paper described Chromatica as "dancing through her pain." and said "It's a smack across the face throughout the album. We don't stop being that happy. You will hear the pain in my voice and in some of the lyrics, but it always celebrates."  She later continued "I think Chromatica is the most honest thing I could've ever created, and I'll never forget making this record. It's been one of the most special and hard times in my life."

It made me think a lot more about the choices Gaga made while writing Stupid Love and a little bit about what she has gone through (that we know about publicly) since Joanne and I believe that Stupid Love may be about depression/anxiety and the pain that can be felt entering a new relationship after you have separated from who you thought was your true love:

"You're the one that I've been waiting for
Gotta quit this cryin', nobody's gonna
Heal me if I don't open the door
Kinda hard to believe, gotta have faith in me"

These lines are pretty self evident. Gaga has started a relationship with someone new as she is still getting over her old love, the love she thought was forever. She feels like she has lost faith in love but knows she needs to open up, break down her walls in order and believe in herself before she can be happy again. 

"I Freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out (Look at me)
I Get down, I get down, I get down,  I get down (Look at me)
I Freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out
Look at me now.
'Cause all I ever wanted was love.....
All I ever wanted was love....
I want your stupid love"

Honestly I didn't think much of the "I freak out" and "I get down" lines before and saw them as pretty throwaway. I basically just interpreted the lyrics as if she was suddenly busting it on the dance floor dancing her sadness away and feeling fabulous but, in the context of the song, If you read the lyrics without the repetition it sounds like this moment of extreme vulnerability, anxiety/depression and honesty. It's like she's saying "As everything starts to get real, I get anxiety, I feel down about everything... look at the state I'm in now... 'cause the ONLY thing I ever wanted, all this time, was love... I want your STUPID love!" 

 

"Now, it's time to free me from the shame
I gotta find that peace, is it too late or
Could this love protect me from the pain?
I would battle for you (Even if we break in two)"

I don't even know if I interpret this verse being about her new lover... It might be, but I think it's more so directed at herself and the love she hasn't "gotten over" yet. Questioning if she even will get over him. She wants to be freed from the shame and be at peace again but she doesn't know if this love will do that or whether it's even possible for her to feel peace - because she would still fight for her ex lover, even if she and him have separated.... All these anxieties cause her, once again, to spiral. To freak out and get down. 

"I don't need a reason (Oh)
Not sorry, I want your stupid love
I don't need a reason (Oh)
Not sorry, I want your stupid love
Hey yeah, hey yeah"

By the time we have reached this verse I think Gaga has gotten tired of overthinking everything, justifying herself, justifying her desire for love. She just wants to let go so she can finally find what she has wanted this whole time - "Your stupid love!" - whoever that is with.

I don't know that my interpretation is 100% "correct" but I wanted to share none the less. I just like the idea that the part of the song that seemingly contains the most "throw away", "call to the dance floor" type lyrics is actually the part that's the most brutally honest and vulnerable. Just as Gaga described the album to Paper. It's a smack in the face, it's honest, there's pain in the lyrics - but she doesn't stop being happy. 

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Reach? Plausible? 

What do you think?

[DC 25,164]

Wow, that's REALLY interesting! I never even thought about it as hardly as you did, and it seems like you got a very good solid theory about these lyrics 

[ANVEEROY 61,252]

I think SL was an experiment ..

 

[A Fried Egg 8,930]

I think Gaga wants to dance with somebody (with somebody who loves her) !