Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" | ||||
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Single by Lady Gaga | ||||
from the album The Fame | ||||
Released | January 10, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
Studio | Cherrytree (Santa Monica, California) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 2:57 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Martin Kierszenbaum | |||
Lady Gaga singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" on YouTube |
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, from her debut album, The Fame (2008). It was released as the third single from the album in Australia, New Zealand and selected European countries, and the fourth single in France. The song is a calypso-styled, mid-tempo ballad, and is about breaking up with one's old partner and finding someone new. The song peaked at number fifteen on the Australian
The accompanying
Background and composition
"Eh, Eh" was written by Gaga with
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is credited as a ballad compared to the rest of the dance-fuelled tracks from The Fame.
Critical reception
Alexis Petridis from The Guardian noted that "Eh, Eh" bears the influence of early 1990s Europop and "is the first song in a long time that warrants comparison to the œuvre of Ace of Base.[12] Matthew Chisling of AllMusic gave a negative review of the song saying "The Fame has it's [sic] 'ballad,' however the breezy 'Eh, Eh' doesn't hold water on this album; rather, it feels dry and lifeless, something which holds this album back".[5] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that "the breezy island vibe and soft demeanor of 'Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)' is hard to buy when sandwiched between songs like 'Poker Face' and 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich.'"[13] In another article analyzing Gaga's music video releases, Oscar Moralde from Slant Magazine noted that "Eh, Eh" as a track "is an intriguing case: rather than the tech-assisted sexy-androgynous dance pop that dominates a good chunk of The Fame, it and its sister tracks 'Brown Eyes' and 'Again Again' are evidence of a stripped-down, simpler, sincere Gaga."[14]
Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that the song is the most embarrassing moment of the album and as a result makes the album come to an intermediate halt thus ruining the "bad-girl party atmosphere".[6] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle said that "Eh, Eh" is a bouncy standout with some vocal personality. He also added that "[It] would have made a killer Spice Girls single."[15] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called the track scaled-back and criticized Gaga's vocal abilities in the song.[16] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the song listless.[17] Catherine P. Lewis from The Washington Post called the song a chirpy ballad.[18] Christina Martin from The Meridian Star felt that the song, along with "Summerboy" from The Fame, is breezy and upbeat in nature.[19] Matt Busekroos from Quinnipiac Chronicle said that the song seemed like filler.[20]
Release and chart performance
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was first released in New Zealand on January 10, 2009,
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" debuted on the
On the
Music video
Background and synopsis
The Italian-American 1950s-inspired music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was shot back to back with the video for the song "LoveGame" on the weekend of January 9–10, 2009, in Los Angeles.[37] About the video, Gaga explained: "I wanted to show a different side of myself — perhaps a more domestic girly side. And I wanted to create beautiful, stunning '50s futuristic fashion imagery that would burn holes in everyone's brains."[38] She further clarified that for the fashion aspects in the video she wanted to go in an opposite direction to her usual image. She wanted a yellow based wardrobe believing the color to become a big hit in the fashion world in 2009.[39]
The video starts out showing Little Italy, an icon of the Madonna and Child, and then Gaga riding a Vespa. The first twenty seconds are mainly full of camera shots of different men, Gaga, and the city. The singer roams around with some friends, laughing and joking in a restaurant, while she stands on the seat.[38] Gaga then comes from around the block walking with her friends in pace and singing in the camera. Next, she is shown sleeping in a bed, and waking up to reveal pink high-heeled shoes. She sings and cooks for a man in a house while dancing.[38] She irons clothes while the man is on the phone screaming at someone. The two harlequin Great Danes who appear at the start of her "Poker Face" music video, also appear in this one. Finally she lies on a sofa with her legs up on the man. One of the last scenes shows her in a yellow dress made of flowers and wearing a yellow watch while singing to the song with a unique hairstyle which shows her hair pulled up and folded over. Then the camera quickly goes back to her in bed.[38]
Reception
David Balls from Digital Spy noted Gaga's homage to her Italian-American roots in the video, but wondered if Gaga would "overexpose herself" with the video.[40] Like his review of the single, Moralde found the video to be complementing the simplistic composition of the song. He believed that with the videos for previous singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", Gaga's persona was established, but with the video for "Eh, Eh" she traversed her persona from the original Stefani Germanotta that she was born, to the character Lady Gaga.[14] He explained: "What's striking about it is how much it feels like Lady Gaga is playacting: the video has a nostalgic, dreamlike tone. Set in a stylized pastel 1950s Little Italy, the video plays heavily with stereotypical and historical shorthand as it displays moustached chefs, macho men in wife beaters, cute Vespas, and spaghetti and meatballs." He noted that with all of these activities, Gaga created an essential fashion dollhouse, by playing feminine characters.[14]
But Gaga addressed the viewer directly in the video while singing the song, which led Moralde to deduce that "She's not in the moment, but is instead playing a feminized role in a dreamlike space; this quality is accentuated by the bright and blown-out color palette, and the numerous shots of Gaga in bed or sleeping. The cumulative effect is that it asserts the Lady Gaga of the previous videos to be the real one, and the Gaga in 'Eh, Eh' is a character that she is playing."[14] His view was shared by Chris Kingston from The Harvard Crimson who noted during the release of the music video for Gaga's 2010 single "Telephone", that the video shows "the crazy party girl we know [...] actually has a weirdly girlish, domestic side."[41] In The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media, author Carol Vernallis divided Gaga's persona into three categories. The personality portrayed in the "Eh, Eh" video was named as "Friendly Peer" archetype; someone with a girl-next-door image and approachable behavior.[42]
Live performances
"Eh, Eh" was first performed in a
Gaga also performed the song at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival. Although the show was part of The Fame Ball Tour, many elements were different from usual tour dates. For "Eh Eh", Gaga wore a pyrotechnic bra that fired sparkle-flames from her breast area while singing the chorus.[48] In September 2009, Gaga appeared in French television show Taratata, where she performed "Eh, Eh" on the piano, while wearing a red mask.[49] "Eh, Eh" was also performed during the original version of The Monster Ball Tour, where the song signified the singer's rebirth as she descended from the top amidst white lights and mechanical fog.[50] She wore a giant human sized gyroscope around her, which was developed by the Haus of Gaga and was named "The Orbit". The song was removed from the setlist in early 2010.[51]
Track listing and formats
Australian CD Single (Extra Limited Edition)[22]
French CD Single (Limited Edition)[52]
iTunes Remix Single[22]
Italian iTunes download[53]
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iTunes Remix EP[1]
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Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Fame.[3]
- Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriting
- Martin Kierszenbaum – songwriting, production
- Tony Ugval – audio engineering
- Robert Orton – audio mixing
- Gene Grimaldi – audio mastering at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, California
- Recorded at Cherrytree Recording Studios, Santa Monica, California
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[27] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[70] | Gold | 7,500^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] | Gold | 7,500* |
Sweden (GLF)[71] | Gold | 10,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[32] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | January 10, 2009 | Digital download | Original | Interscope | [72] |
New Zealand | [21] | ||||
Denmark | February 20, 2009 | Random Soul Synthetic mix | [73] | ||
Various | March 16, 2009 | Electric piano and human beat box version | [74] | ||
June 15, 2009 | Remixes EP | [1] | |||
France | September 7, 2009 | CD | Original | Polydor | [75] |
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