Alright, I know you guys are going to hate me for keeping this going, but I was home sick yesterday and did a little conceptual analysis of the new video... if you don't care, then don't read it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsthwTUTylQ
Opening Scene: Roll call of sorts. Notice she's in the throne. Razorblade sunglasses in the name of surrealism, slicing the viewers perspective and making us look at things like we never had before.
Sunlight shines in: makes sense, dawn of a new age, etc.
Bath Haus of GaGa: "Bauhaus" was an elite German fine-arts school, intent on training students in mixed media and symbolism. Clever reference. This is our first indication that this isn't your average pop video devoid of any intelligent thought.
So the bath haus is growing alien pop monsters in the basement. No eyes, representing blind faith consumers put in pop culture.
:46 - this is all subconcious desire emerging as she is moved from the basement to the first stage of the bath haus. The mirror and crown tell us it's her ego talking, dark light, dark clothing and "i want your ugly, i want your disease" tell us it's perhaps not the friendly side of her ego.
First scene on the 2nd floor of the bath haus. They've picked a baby monster, and she's in the bath now, innocent eyes, innocent colors, lots of white, perhaps being cleansed of sin in the bath. "I want your love" she sings, enforcing this stage of innocence pre-pop monster.
1:27 - Queue stage lights on dancers. The performance is nearing.
2nd bath scene: forced out of the tub. She struggles at first but succumbs eventually. "I want your love and I want your revenge..." She knows the industry can be two-sided. Fame has a price. She wants in anyway. Now we get some very intimate close-ups of her face pre-transformation, emphasizing purity.
Then she is drugged (vodka) in preparation for her transformation.
Second close-up she is crying, realization of loss of purity. Her eye movements (1:56) suggest coming to terms with whats about to happen. This is subtle but it's a great shot.
1:59 - The fame monster emerges. Enter Lady GaGa as we know her, androgynous make-up, outlandish costumes, completely over the top, she's being unveiled and paraded in front of people and forced to perform as the monster.
2:00 and 2:02 are important shots, we actually see the transformation in the tub from innocent girl to monster. she flails around, arms/fingers curl up...
2:07 - Some serious alien montage action reinforces the monster concept. "I want your horror" she now sings as men in black (evil record executives) circle around her .One guy has a golden mask, hiding behind it like those sleazebag execs often do.
2:38 - She picks that guy to dance for. this is her acknowledgment of her desire for the fame.
2:43 - The cat. The ****ing screaming skinless cat! I really don't know. I'd be willing to bet they just tossed it in there because it's a crazy hairless cat. Could be another symbol for the horror of the industry, or more likely for her gender being stripped away as she turns into the monster.
2:44 - now the execs are bidding on her. SOLD, queue chorus.
3:03 - showered in diamonds. this is self-explanatory. we get some dignity out of her eyes in this shot, although "caught in a bad romance" is timed perfectly to provide a counterpoint to the desire for wealth.
3:18 - now a possession of someone else, she blesses herself, knowing she is venturing into evil territory, perhaps "selling out" as she brings her art to the masses.
3:20 - more typical over the top stuff, surrounded in silver rings suggesting she is the center of the universe (or at least pop culture) next costume looks like a lizard or something, represents the monster she has become. "Fashion" she sings. Notice here we get another couple of shots of her innocent stage, her true self, indicating the fashion aspect of pop stardom is one of her natural desires.
3:45 - She heads into another room to obviously **** the guy that just bid on her. "I don't want to be friends" she sings. White switches to red at this point, flames creep in. next shots of the dancers they're all in red (end of innocence) they are also all lying on the floor representing her submission as a vehicle for this pop monster.
Once she fully submits to the requirements of being the monster, the whole place catches on fire. 4 #1 songs from a debut album. Fame monster wreaking havoc. Je veux t'amour et je veux ta revenche. I want your love and I want your revenge.
Last shot is the charred corpse of the record exec/icon of evil she has conquered.
The video isn't about a relationship with a person, it's about her conquering the music industry.