Lady Gaga 'Alejandro' Video Premieres, Channels Vintage Madonna

Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video premiered today (June 8) on her website, and just like its teasers indicated, the clip channels classic videos by Madonna ("Vogue") and Janet Jackson ("Rhythm Nation"). It also courts religious controversy in much the same way that Madonna's "Like a "Prayer" video once did, intermingling Catholic imagery like rosary beads and nun's robes with sexual cues like S&M and androgyny.

Video: Lady Gaga, "Alejandro"

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Helmed by fashion photographer Steven Klein, Gaga's "Alejandro" video starts out with men sporting bowl haircuts (much like those worn by monks) and marching "Rhythm Nation"-style through an industrial space. Gaga is draped in a black veil and carrying a human heart -- presumably belonging to her dead lover -- while walking through a funeral procession. The gothic eye candy transitions into a scene where Gaga dons latex versions of the robes worn by nuns and monks and clutches rosary beads, which she later uses to satisfy her oral fixation. For the dance sequences, Gaga wears a nude two-piece and performs sexually-charged choreography with her male dancers, both on the floor and in the bed.

Also, there's a really catchy synth-pop song about breaking up with a Latin lover playing in the background, but we can't figure out for the life of us why.

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What do you think of Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video? Do you think she went too far, or is she pushing boundaries the way a pop star should?

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