"Stupid Love" is a song written by Lady Gaga from her sixth studio album, Chromatica. The song was shown to be playing on her phone on October 29th, 2019 via Twitter. The song was released on February 28th, 2020. The track was written by Gaga, Max Martin, Ely Rise, Michael Tucker and Martin Bresso, and produced by BloodPop® and Tchami with co-production by Martin.
Gaga announced the single via Twitter and a billboard in Los Angeles, California.
Background
"Stupid Love" is a high-spirited electro-pop track where Lady Gaga can be heard singing about falling for someone and irrefutably wanting their love.
According to an article in Rolling Stone magazine, published on May 30th, 2020, BloodPop® said that ideas of creating new songs for the future Chromatica refer to "around the same time [when] Gaga was working on A Star Is Born." BloodPop® and Lady Gaga would write ideas at her home. While none of those songs made the soundtrack, working together on "Stupid Love" was fruitful and it convinced BloodPop® into committing to co-produce Lady Gaga's whole album. "I worked on that demo for a while but it was missing something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. When I played it for Max Martin, he had some fantastic ideas that really elevated it," BloodPop® explained. When Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour arrived in Kansas City, his hometown, in November 2017, Tucker flew out to play her the new version of what would become the lead single from Chromatica "Stupid Love". "I played it on her bluetooth speaker in her dressing room with my family and friends present. I would definitely consider that the moment Chromatica was started."
In an interview New Music Daily with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, which was released on the day of release of "Stupid Love" (February 28th, 2020), Lady Gaga talked about creating this song and working on it with Max Martin for the first time, as well as with BloodPop® and Tchami:
| “ | This was me, Bloodpop® and Tchami, I worked with Max on this a little bit, I mean, he is an amazing producer, I’ve never worked with him, I’ve always sort of gone, I write my own music, I produce myself, I don’t need to work with Max, right? And I decided to stop being asshole, meet him at least – You know? And he has sent over, basically, I sang over a track that BloodPop® made, who were in the studio, we sent over what I sang to Max, Max picked some parts out, sent it back to me, and then I wrote lyrics and used some of the melody that he chose, that he sent back to me and I kind of spliced it all together and then I went to his studio, and sat down at a piano and I played Stupid Love on a piano with chords. And I looked at him and I said, that’s what I’ve got for you, and to me, this song can only stand on it’s two feet, even with a great track, if you can play it on a piano and it still sounds like a hit. And he was-he was like, I love it, get in the booth. I warmed up my voice, got in the booth, I sang it, and what you’re hearing on Stupid Love is what we did that day. But I have to hand it to BloodPop® and Tchami also for, you know, just incredible production on the record and the amount of love that they wrapped around me every single day. | ” |
—Lady Gaga on Apple Music | ||
Also in this interview, when asked how it was to work on "Stupid Love" compared to "Joanne", Lady Gaga responded:
| “ | This was much more like, 'You know what, guys? It turns out, I just sobbed for three minutes and this is what came out, and this is what should be there'. And it was so real and it was so, like, like, all my gears, all my musical bells, all my artistic thoughts, the way that I see music and experience music like a wall of sound, everything was just firing on all cylinders and it made me feel so happy because I thought to myself, wow, even when you feel six feet under, you can still fire on all cylinders. | ” |
—Lady Gaga on Apple Music | ||
Lady Gaga talked about "Stupid Love" on Kiss FM:
| “ | "Stupid Love" is a really special song to me. I worked on it with a few different people, BloodPop® and Tchami Being some of them as well as Max Martin. I wrote this song with a lot of love in my heart and a lot of belief that the world operates because of kindness and love.I think that for some of us, it’s easier to love and for others it’s harder to love and the more vulnerable we are, the more brave we are to open ourselves up, to really, really love each other. I think that love heals the world, I think it keeps us together. It’s how we survive as a planet and I wanted to make a song that really celebrated love and reminded us all how important it is. | ” |
—Lady Gaga on Kiss FM | ||
On August 30th, 2020, Lady Gaga performed "Stupid Love" as the final song of a medley of songs from Chromatica at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. She started the performance with a stripped-down rendition of the song, playing on a brain-shaped piano. She also gave a short speech about the importance of being kind and wearing a face mask due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After being joined by her dancers on stage, she continued with a live band version of "Stupid Love".
Release and promotion
A mysterious snippet of the song surfaced on August 20th, 2019, on Twitter, which was seemingly confirmed when the user who posted the snippet received a copyright claim from Universal Music Group three days later[1], confirming the song’s title. On October 29th, 2019, Lady Gaga posted on her Twitter and Instagram accounts a picture of a Halloween pumpkin she painted. In the corner of the photo iPod Touch was seen; when zoomed in it appeared to show "Stupid Love" being played on the device.
Adding fuel to the fire, The Sun published an article claiming Lady Gaga’s lead single will be released on February 7th, 2020, which was quickly refuted by her team on January 16th, 2020. Two days later, an extended snippet leaked via Snapchat, resulting in “Stupid Love” trending on Twitter[2], which led to the entire song leaking in high quality on January 22nd, 2020. The song went viral on Twitter. Gaga responded to the leak by tweeting "can y'all stop" with a stock photo of a young girl wearing a balaclava while listening to music on a cassette player.
In an interview for Paper, it was said that Lady Gaga was well aware that "Stupid Love" leaked on January 22nd, 2020, long before she'd planned for anyone to hear it. She jokes that when hackers typically find her material, they'll leak their favorite, which validated her decision to make the track open the Chromatica era. Many fans figured she'd rush it out, but Lady Gaga wasn't interested in releasing anything half-baked. She said:
| “ | There was a minute where me and my manager, Bobby, were talking, 'Do we change the single?' We'd just spent months and months developing this video and choreography. And I said, 'Nope!' You know why? Because the song, when it's mixed, mastered and finished with the visuals, and everything I have to say about it — when all those things come together at once, that will be the art piece I'm making. Not a leak. | ” |
During Lady Gaga's AT&T TV Super Saturday Night concert on Ferbuary 1st, 2020 at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami many fans in attendance shouted out "Stupid Love" in hopes she’d play it. But she did not perform this song, despite requests from audience members. Gaga's reaction to one fan screaming "Stupid Love" went viral, and another meme of 2020 was born.
Promotional billboard in 8240 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
Gaga announced the song's release via social media on February 25th, 2020. The announcement was accompanied with a photograph of a billboard in Los Angeles that had "an image of the song’s title splashed across an image of bright pink lips." The billboard also features stills from the music video embedded to the right of the center text, as well as a silhouette of characters in the video ingrained in the text. The word "Chromatica" is written twice on the billboard: one vertically adjacent to the music video stills, and again as the last line of the copyright message in the lower left corner. The prominence of this word led news outlets to speculate the title of Gaga's sixth studio album.
After much speculation regarding the track’s official release, Lady Gaga finally confirmed it would be released on February 28th, 2020 at 12:00 AM EST.
On May 18th, 2020, a lip sync video was released for the song, promoting Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories eyeshadow palette named after "Stupid Love". The video features influencers from the world of makeup Aaliyah Jay, Manny, Patrick Star, and Sadaf, including drag queens Alaska and Aquaria.
Digital Release
|
Label: Interscope, Streamline Format: Digital download, streaming Released: February 28, 2020 Design: Studio Pending |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stupid Love" | 3:13 |
Physical releases
Picture Disc Vinyl
|
Label: Interscope, Streamline Format: 7" vinyl in a transparent plastic Released: February 28, 2020 Catalog #: B0032053-21 Barcode: 0602508876165 Design: Studio Pending  |
|---|
| Side A | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Time | |||||||
| 1. | "Stupid Love" | 3:13 | |||||||
| Side B | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Time | |||||||
| 1. | "Stupid Love" (Instrumental) | 3:13 | |||||||
CD Single
|
Label: Interscope, Streamline Format: Cardboard Released: February 28, 2020 Catalog #: B0032052-32 Barcode: 0602508881138 Design: Studio Pending  |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stupid Love" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Stupid Love" (Instrumental) | 3:13 |
Cassette
|
Label: Interscope, Streamline Format: Cassette Released: February 28, 2020 Catalog #: B0032054-24 Barcode: 0602508881145 Design: Studio Pending  |
|---|
| Side A | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Time | |||||||
| 1. | "Stupid Love" | 3:13 | |||||||
| Side B | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Time | |||||||
| 1. | "Stupid Love" (Instrumental) | 3:13 | |||||||
Vitaclub Mix
On May 15, 2020, Gaga released the official remix titled "Vitaclub Warehouse Mix", the track was produced by BloodPop® and Burns. The remix is also featured as a bonus track on the international deluxe edition of Chromatica.
|
Label: Interscope, Streamline Format: Digital download, streaming Released: May 15, 2020 Design: Studio Pending |
|---|
| # | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stupid Love" (Vitaclub Warehouse Mix feat. Vitaclub) | 3:40 |
Remixes
| Remix | Length | Releases | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitaclub Warehouse Mix feat. Vitaclub | 3:40 | Chromatica deluxe edition | 2020 |
| Ellis Remix | 3:38 | ||
| MASTERIA Remix | 2:31 | Gaga Radio | |
| MNNR Remix | 3:04 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalog # | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Feb 28, 2020 | Digital download • streaming | Interscope Streamline |
N/A | |
|
Vinyl | B0032053-21 | 0602508876165 | ||
| CD single | B0032052-32 | 0602508881138 | |||
| Cassette | B0032054-24 | 0602508881145 | |||
|
Contemporary hit radio | Universal | N/A | ||
|
Feb 29, 2020 | ||||
|
Mar 2, 2020 | ||||
|
|
Hot adult contemporary radio | Interscope Streamline | |||
| Mar 3, 2020 | Contemporary hit radio | ||||
|
|
Mar 7, 2020 | Hot adult contemporary radio | Universal | ||
|
|
May 15, 2020 | Vitaclub Mix (Digital download, streaming) |
Interscope Streamline | ||
Spotify
Performances
Dates
Channel
| Tour | Dates | Performances |
|---|
| The Chromatica Ball | 2022 (All Dates, Except finale show) | 19 |
| Jazz & Piano Engagement | 2023-2024 | 20 |
| Total of performances | 39 |
Lyrics
You're the one that I've been waiting for
Gotta quit this crying
Nobody's gonna heal me if I don't open the door
Kinda hard to believe (gotta have faith in me)
I freak out, freak out, freak out, freak out (look at me)
I get down, get down, get down, get down (look at me)
I freak out, I freak out, freak out, freak out
Look at me now
'Cause all I ever wanted was love
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah
All I ever wanted was love
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah, hey yeah yeah (hey yeah, hey yeah)
I want your stupid love, love
I want your stupid love, love
(Oh...)
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 I break in two)
I freak out, freak out, freak out, freak out (look at me)
I get down, get down, get down, get down (look at me)
I freak out, I freak out, freak out, freak out
Look at me now
'Cause all I ever wanted was love
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah
All I ever wanted was love
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah yeah (Ooh ooh)
Hey yeah, hey yeah yeah (hey yeah, hey yeah)
I want your stupid love, love
I want your stupid love, love
(Oh...)
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! oh!
I want your stupid love, love (oh, oh, woo)
We got a stupid love, love
(Oh)
I want your stupid love, love
(Oh)
I want your stupid love, love
Music video
|
|
Background
The video was filmed on January 24, 2020. In an interview for Paper it was said about “Stupid Love” music video and Lady Gaga talked about hard work of filming it: "Stupid Love" is wildly ambitious, with an iPhone-shot music video that saw 50 dancers film for two days straight in the hot, dry California desert. In it, her "Kindness Punks" — dressed in that same bubblegum-pink shade Gaga wears in her studio — rush to break up a fight between different tribes segmented by colors. Gaga presents as a warrior leader, with the Chromatica symbol on her forehead like a third eye and accessories that resemble armor, from a massively spiked belt to a full-face shield. In addition to the "Kindness Punks," of which Gaga is a member, there are the "Freedom Fighters" in blue, "Junkyard Scavengers" in black, "Government Officials" in red, "Eco Warriors" in green and "Cyber Kids" in yellow. By the end, they all ultimately find mutual peace and dance together as a full spectrum.
This experience, Gaga says, further proved her newfound appreciation for the power of nature over technology. Prior to filming, Gaga rehearsed for three days and her dancers immediately followed with five of their own. Her longtime choreographer, Richard Jackson, who's responsible for movement in everything from "Telephone" to "Applause," had the challenge of creating and teaching dances that would last the duration of "Stupid Love" without stopping. Gaga gushes:
| “ | I want you to imagine people dancing for eight to 10 hours straight. I watched them work so hard — the blood and sweat. Scrapes from dancing in the desert or getting poked in the eye from a stud that knocked them in the face. They're breathing in sand, they can't see. The conditions alone were ridiculous. | ” |
After extensive rehearsal, a drone was finally used to film the scene on-site, though it didn't have nearly the same drive as Gaga and her dancers. "The damn thing lasts three-and-a-half minutes" before dying, Gaga laughs.
| “ | I was like, 'Oh, are you tired? Was that choreography too hard for you?' And I had another epiphany: I said, 'I can't even rely on this drone to capture this shot for me. But these dancers behind me? Their bodies are killing them, they all feel like fainting. That is more powerful than anything. The human spirit is remarkable.' I told the dancers before we left for the desert, 'This might be the hardest thing you've ever done, and if it's not, I did it wrong. But you can do it, and when you look back on this time, you'll remember how strong you are.' | ” |
In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, published on their official website on March 5th, 2020, Richard Jackson talked about his inspiration for the "Stupid Love" music video choreography, working with Lady Gaga on set, and how they're preparing for the Chromatica Ball world tour.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You said in the new Gagavision episode [no. 47] that you initially thought you had the vibe when Gaga first played you the song, but then she said some things that made you change direction. Can you walk me through that process?
Richard Jackson: She played me the song about a month and a half ago. Initially, I was happy because it’s a feel-good, party, celebratory record. We talked through the movement, what it should feel like, and felt out some dances. She was like, “Do your thing!” She also spoke to me about what she saw, like, us in the desert on Chromatica with the different tribes and how they were at conflict, but they were all brought together through music and dance. With that initial idea, I got together some movement and held a big audition to cast a variety of dancers in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, heights, and weights because I wanted it to be a mixture of what society is today. We had one more conference call during rehearsals, and she started to say key things about how she saw the video and some of the fashion ideas, and it changed my idea of how we should be moving.
EW: How did the song leaking in January affect you during that process?
RJ: It wasn’t like we could actually talk about it. People would ask me, but I kept it pushing. We’re in such a visual world, so, no matter what, it was going to come down to the video.
EW: What was the initial concept and how did it change?
RJ: At first, it was more about diversity coming together and how to bring everyone together, but it was the in-between stuff, like the idea of their conflict and the story of each tribe, that gave me the seasoning in the sauce. I understood the background of the tribes, where they came from, and where they were trying to go, so they needed to move like [you see in the video].
EW: Can you explain why each tribe moves the way they do?
RJ: The black-leather tribe’s movement and the way they looked, from a styling perspective, inspired a hip-hop vibe. Our yellow tribe is into techy skills, so I thought they should move more abstract and awkward. I call our green tribe the House of Climate Change, because they look like a mini house within the [bigger] house, so in that [vein], they needed a voguing style! The red and blue tribes…. were the strongest, so, no matter what, they’ll never break or back down, so the movement had to represent that feeling.
EW: Voguing is a specific style. Why did you include that?
RJ: When it comes to pop music and pop-style dance, it encompasses all genres, from hip-hop to awkward movements and voguing. There are also very modern and jazz-inspired movement in pop music, so the style represented there is a style that makes pop music what it is. The pink tribe was very modern, but they encompass all the movements that are in pop music and pop-dance culture. The pink tribe was freestyles at the top, and I took a modern approach, very married to the words with their hands wrapping around their heads.
EW: The move that unifies them in a shot near the end is the move from the chorus, where they lift their arms above their heads and shake side to side. Why was that move the unifier?
RJ: After all the separation of the tribes and all the conflict, them coming together and having a good time and celebrating together is what inspired that. It also reminded me of being in a club. I also wanted [viewers] to be able to grab this from the video and do it and perform it wherever they are around the world, and that’s what’s been happening. [I see on social media] people doing the choreography from top to bottom, but, in particular, those moves you just described!
EW: Was it always the idea to include sign language in the pink tribe’s section?
RJ: The one line that [struck me] was “All I ever wanted was love!” and I was like, “We need to do sign language!” Gaga was like, “That’s genius!” Now, for those that can’t hear us and can’t hear the music, they can still be with us, and she loved it. Something with that line required more than just a dance.
EW: In terms of the visual, did shooting this whole thing on an iPhone pose any new challenges?
RJ: I was actually gagging that we were shooting this whole video on an iPhone. I thought it might be just like, one scene, but they literally had iPhones mounted on drones and Steadicams. But, there were no limitations to anything.
EW: Because of Gaga’s hip injury and chronic pain, were there things you had to be conscious of or ways you had to approach the choreography to not aggravate her body?
RJ: For this choreography, I didn’t [change my approach]. I’m always thinking about it, but this is her new record, I had to give it all I’ve got…. if she can get it, great. She came in and I showed her the entire piece and she was like, “Yeah! Let’s go!” She was so excited.
EW: Do you feel more in your element with Gaga again now that she’s back to doing dance music versus what she did on Joanne?
RJ: The reason I love working with her is you don’t know where you’re going next. Nobody knows what genre we’re going to take…. I like that, because it’s challenging me and I can stay inspired and figure out new ideas for her to move and put together a show. It was time for this. I don’t think we’ve had pure pop in a long time. We’ve had urban pop and even hip-hop is now pop, but we haven’t had pop like this. It was time for this right now, point-blank, period.
EW: Gaga said in her Zane Lowe interview that Chromatica is high-energy and danceable. What does that mean for you? Can we can expect a lot of hardcore choreography on some future bops?
RJ: We’ve always had that element attached somewhere. Of course we’re going to dance down! But, how are we going to dance this time around? Those ideas are going to come with the more records I hear, and I’ll know where to go. Now that we’ve done this music video, whatever comes next, I’ll go from this point and say “We did this, now let’s go to this area for the movement.”
EW: But, the fans are going to be living for what’s in store?
RJ: Oh yes, God. Trust, I’m a club kid first, I know what we need!
EW: Are you working on the Chromatica tour as well? Will there be new choreography or are you replicating the “Stupid Love” video?
RJ: I usually change a lot of things but keep some things based on old material, but this song just came out, and everyone knows it from top to bottom, so this might be one I can’t touch or the fans will kill me because they spent all this time learning it! I don’t know yet, but, today, I’m going to keep most of it because this is a dream. If she performs the song and everyone is out there hitting those steps, wouldn’t you just die?
Tribes
CGI Renderings
Concept behind the music video was Gaga's, while Jonathan Zawada is the artist who did the rendering for it.
Images
- Main articles: Mason Poole, Adrienne Raquel
![[1] Promo photo](/wiki/File:2-11-20_Norbert_Schoerner_001.jpg "2-11-20 Norbert Schoerner 001.jpg (5.1 MB)")
- Lady Gaga wears a custom outfit by Laurel DeWitt, and an articulated fingers by Gary Fay.
- Lady Gaga wears a custom latex outfit by Vex Clothing, and a choker by Funk Plus.
- Lady Gaga wears a custom outfit by Kaimin, a custom bra and panties by Ezgi Cinar, and a custom visor by Rinaldy Yunardi.
Synopsis and fashion credits
At the beginning of the music video, the situation on Chromatica is described with the following text: "The world rots in conflict. Many tribes battle for dominance. While the Spiritual ones pray and sleep for peace, the Kindness Punks fight for Chromatica". In the opening scene, Freedom Fighters and Government Officials are seen fighting with each while Eco Warriors, Cyber Kids and Junkyard Scavengers are cheering them on. Kindness Punks, with Gaga as their leader, run towards the epicentre of the conflict to eradicate discord among the other tribes.
Kindness Punks start dancing and all the other tribes, one by one, unite with them. Finally, every single one of them is seen dancing simultaneously; and the peace is restored.
![[1]](/wiki/File:Lady_Gaga_-_%27%27Stupid_Love%27%27_Music_video_012.jpg "Lady Gaga - ''Stupid Love'' Music video 012.jpg (1.08 MB)")
![[2]](/wiki/File:Lady_Gaga_-_%27%27Stupid_Love%27%27_Music_video_014.jpg "Lady Gaga - ''Stupid Love'' Music video 014.jpg (982 KB)")
![[3]](/wiki/File:Lady_Gaga_-_%27%27Stupid_Love%27%27_Music_video_016.jpg "Lady Gaga - ''Stupid Love'' Music video 016.jpg (1,007 KB)")
![[4]](/wiki/File:Lady_Gaga_-_%27%27Stupid_Love%27%27_Music_video_019.jpg "Lady Gaga - ''Stupid Love'' Music video 019.jpg (681 KB)")
- Lady Gaga wears a custom bra and knickers by Vex Clothing, boots by Demonia customized by Marta del Rio, a custom belt by Bitchfist, a choker by Funk Plus, and vintage unsigned shield sunglasses.
- Lady Gaga wears a corset and a bodysuit by Wiederhoeft, a customized jacket by Dust & Beau, boots by Buffalo customized by Marina Hoermanseder, and a custom helmet-visor by Philip Treacy.
- Lady Gaga wears a custom bolero and a corset by Kaimin, a custom bra and briefs by Ezgi Cinar, boots by Demonia customized by Conrad Muscarella, and a custom visor by Rinaldy Yunardi.
- Lady Gaga wears a custom bikini by Candice Cuoco, customized boots by Cape Robbin, and a fishnet glove by Leg Avenue.
Behind the scenes
Stills
Merchandise
- Main article: Official Merchandise
Credits
| Written by | Lady Gaga, Max Martin, Ely Rise, Michael Tucker & Martin Bresso |
| Produced by | BloodPop® and Tchami |
| Co-Produced by | Max Martin |
| Vocal Produced by | Benjamin Rice and Max Martin |
| Recorded by | Benjamin Rice at MXM Studios, Conway Recording Studios and EastWest Studios, Los Angeles
|
| Mixed by | Tchami, Benjamin Rice and Tom Norris at Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles Assisted by E. Scott Kelly |
| Mastered by | Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
|
| Track Participants | Drums by Tchami and John "JR" Robinson Bass, Keyboards, Guitar(s), Percussion and Programming by BloodPop® and Tchami |
| Published by |
|
Video credits
| Date | January 23-25, 2020 |
| Camera | iPhone 11 Pro by Apple |
| Location | Trona Pinnacles, Trona, CA
|
| Director | Daniel Askill |
| Editor | Lorina Askill |
| Director of Photography | Sebastian Wintero |
| Photography | Mason Poole and Adrienne Raquel |
| Production | Serial Pictures |
| Post-Production | Heckler |
| Color Grading | Greg Constantaras at Heckler |
| Creative Producer | Catherine Terracini |
| Styling | Nicola Formichetti at Haus of Gaga |
| Make-up | Sarah Nicole Tanno at Haus of Gaga |
| Hair | Frederic Aspiras at Haus of Gaga |
|