"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady
Gaga from her debut album,
The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the
album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in
early 2009 for the rest of the world. The song is an uptempo
dance song following in the footsteps of her previous single
"Just Dance" but has a darker musical tone. The main idea
behind the song is bisexuality and was a tribute by Gaga to her
rock 'n' roll boyfriends. Lyrically "Poker Face" is about sex
and gambling.
"Poker Face" has been well-received by the critics most of
whom have praised the robotic hook and the chorus. The song has
attained worldwide success, topping the charts in more than
seventeen countries including the United States, United
Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many European
countries. "Poker Face" is also the most downloaded song in the
British chart history. The accompanying music video for the
song portrays Gaga singing it in various costumes and playing
strip poker in a mansion.
Gaga performed the song for the eighth season of the
television show
American Idolas well as the Fame Ball and Monster Ball
tours. The live performances included an electronic version and
an acoustic version, which she played on the piano. It was
nominated in a number of categories at the 52nd Grammy Awards
and won the award for Best Dance Recording.
Rolling Stoneranked it number ninety-six on their list
of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade.
"Poker Face" was written by RedOne and Gaga while the music
has been produced by RedOne. Gaga stated in an interview that
"Poker Face" was written by her as a pop song and was a tribute
to her rock 'n' roll boyfriends. She also stated that the main
idea behind the song was sex and gambling. In an interview with
UK's
Daily Star, Gaga noted of the song, "It's about a lot of
different things. I gamble but I’ve also dated a lot of guys
who are really into sex and booze and gambling, so I wanted to
write a record my boyfriends would like too." In an interview
with
Rolling Stonemagazine, when asked about the meaning of
the line "bluffin' with my muffin", Gaga explained that it
really was a metaphor for her vulva. She explained,
"Obviously, it's my pussy's poker face! I took that line
from another song I wrote but never released, called 'Blueberry
Kisses.' It was about a girl singing to her boyfriend about how
she wants him to go down on her, and I used the lyric. [Gaga
sings] 'Blueberry kisses, the muffin man misses them
kisses'."
During her Fame Ball Tour performance at Palm Springs,
California, on April 11, 2009, Gaga explained to the crowd the
true meaning behind the term "Poker Face" used in the song. She
suggested that the song dealt with her personal experience with
bisexuality. The idea behind the song was to be with a man but
fantasizing about a woman, hence the man in the song needs to
read her "Poker Face" to understand what is going through her
mind.
"Poker Face" is an uptempo dance-pop song, and follows the
footsteps of the previous single "Just Dance". Whereas "Just
Dance" was predominately electropop, "Poker Face" carries a
dark sound with clear vocals on the chorus and a pop hook while
combining the synths from "Just Dance" and the more
dance-oriented beat of the next single "LoveGame". According to
Kerri Mason of
Billboard, the composition "carr[ies] the
pleather-and-sequins vibe of the downtown New York scene out of
the underground and onto the FM dial without losing its smut
and sass." According to the sheet music published in
Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is set in
the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 120
beats per minute. It is written in the key of G-sharp minor
with Gaga's vocal range spanning from the high-note of F
♯
3to the low-note of B
4. It begins with a medium tempo followed by
electronic chord arrangement and the "Mum-mum-mum-mah" hook.
The chords follow in this order: G
♯
m–G
♯
m–E–F
♯
, and then for the chorus G
♯
m–E–B–F
♯
. This is followed by the sound of dance music, produced by
a powerful beat from the instruments and a stuttering hook
following the chorus.
Lyrically, "Poker Face" is all about sexual innuendo and
teasing. According to
Daily Star, the chorus repeats two alternating lyrics.
After the hook "Can't read my Poker Face" the backup singer
says "He's got me like nobody" and then in the next line says
"She's got me like nobody". Gaga explained in an interview with
them that the line carries a bit of an undertone of confusion
about love and sex. However, the liner notes from the album
booklet indicate both these lines only repeat "she's got me
like nobody". According to BBC, the "Mum-mum-mum-mah" hook used
in the song is sampled from Boney M's 1977 hit "Ma Baker."
Priya Elan from
The Times,in a review for
The Fame,said that "Poker Face" was one of the finest
moments of the album with its "love-as-card-game cheek."
BBCreviewed the "strut-tastic" single as "expressing her
overwhelming desire for celebrity and fortune." Bill Lamb of
About.com said, "'Poker Face' works well on pop radio, but with
slight mixing alterations it would be equally at home in a
dark, sweaty, late night party atmosphere. She has refreshed
the pop world in the US and UK at one of the slowest times of
the year. 'Poker Face' keeps the motors humming as everyone
waits for the next step forward from Lady Gaga." Chris Williams
of
Billboardalso gave a positive review of the song saying,
"Once again, hooks are aplenty, with '80s-inspired
synthesizers, robotic verses and a warm, sunny hook in the
chorus, which is even more addictive than the previous single
('Just Dance')...With a focused artistic vision, a swagger in
her interview style and above all, a fantastic collection of
diverse pop nuggets, Gaga is playing her cards right—and
"Poker" is another obvious ace."
Slant Magazinemusic reviewer Sal Cinquemani included
"Poker Face" among the songs that work in
The Fame, namely tracks like "Starstruck," "Paper
Gangsta" and "Summerboy". Matthew Chisling from Allmusic called
the song "infectious" and along with the title track "The
Fame", complimented them for "rejuvenating the vibe on the
album for its second half." Andy Downing from
The Chicago Tribunecalled the song "jaunty" while
reviewing Gaga's Fame Ball tour. Evan Sawdey from
PopMatters.com felt that "Poker Face" along with the track
"Paparazzi", duplicate much of the same "glitzy territory that
previous single 'Just Dance' had covered, but never once does
it feel like Gaga is deliberately repeating herself."
Rolling Stonein a review for The Fame Ball Tour compared
the live acoustic "bluesy" version of "Poker Face" with the
music of singer Amy Winehouse. Erika Hobert from the
New Times Broward-Palm Beachnewspaper called the song
"trashtastic Europop." The song was nominated for Grammy Awards
in the categories for Song of The Year, Record of The Year, and
Best Dance Recording, ultimately winning the last of these.
In the United States, the song entered the Hot 100 at
ninety-two and reached number six on the issue dated March 7,
2009. The next week the song climbed another three places to
reach a peak of three and stayed there for two additional
weeks. On the
Billboardissue dated April 11, 2009, the song topped the
chart. "Poker Face" became Gaga's second consecutive number one
song on the Hot 100, marking the first time a new artist has
had their first two charting singles hit number one on the Hot
100 since Christina Aguilera did so with "Genie In a Bottle"
and "What a Girl Wants" in 1999-2000. The song also peaked on
both the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Club Play charts.
"Poker Face" became the first single since Madonna's 2006
single "Sorry", to top all the three dance charts in a single
week including the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart.
The song has sold five million paid digital downloads in the
United States according to Nielsen Soundscan, making Gaga the
first artist in digital history to top the five million mark in
paid downloads with two songs, the first being "Just Dance". In
Canada, the song debuted at number forty-one on the Canadian
Hot 100. On the chart dated December 13, 2008, "Poker Face"
ascended to the number one spot and then spent nine
non-consecutive weeks at the top. The song was certified six
times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA) for paid digital downloads of 240,000.
"Poker Face" entered the Australian charts at number
twenty-six, and in its seventh week peaked at number one.
"Poker Face" has shipped over 420,000 copies in Australia,
earning six-times platinum certification by the Australian
Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, the song
debuted on the official chart at number twenty-one. In its
sixth week, it peaked the chart spending ten consecutive weeks
at number one. "Poker Face" was certified two times platinum
after twenty-seven weeks on the chart, selling over 30,000
copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of New
Zealand (RIANZ).
"Poker Face" debuted at number thirty on the UK Singles
Chart. On the chart issue dated March 22, 2009, "Poker Face"
climbed to number one, thus giving Gaga her second consecutive
UK number one single. According to The Official Charts Company,
"Poker Face" is the most downloaded song in Britain, since the
download chart was introduced in 2004. As of December 2009 the
song has sold 900,000 downloads there. It became the biggest
selling digital single in the UK, followed by Gaga's debut
single "Just Dance". The song was awarded The Record of the
Year, 2009. In Italy the song debuted at number nineteen and
peaked at number two. The song has also reached the peak in a
number of European countries including Austria, Belgium
(Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The
single also peaked on the
BillboardEuropean Hot 100 Singles and was on the top for
sixteen weeks making it the longest running single in the
chart. Worldwide the song has sold 9.8 million digital
copies.
The music video for "Poker Face", directed by Ray Kay and
aided by Anthony Mandler, was filmed at the luxury villa on
bwin PokerIsland. bwin also provided the poker equipment and
obtained product placements in return. The video premiered on
October 22, 2008. It is set by a pool, as well as in a mansion.
It begins with Gaga emerging out of the pool wearing a shiny
masquerade mask and a black full-body leotard, with two Great
Danes beside her (Lava and her son Rumpus). She throws the mask
aside and the song begins with a facial shot of Gaga singing
it. Gaga wears a metallic sticker on her left cheek in this
shot. Featured in the video are scenes of Gaga in a mansion and
dancing poolside with her dancers in a turquoise leotard. Gaga
attends a wild party where every man and woman tries their luck
on a strip poker game. The party gets wilder when all the
party's guests strip down to their underwear, dance around, and
share kisses with each other. The video also features two
harlequin Great Danes and several white mannequins on her
swimming pool deck. During the musical interlude before the "I
won't tell you that I love you" hook, Gaga is shown in her
trademark "Pop Music Will Never Be Low Brow" sunglasses while
sitting beside the pool. The video ends with the head shot of
Gaga singing the Mum-mum-mum-ma hook.
Gaga explained in the nineteenth episode of her "Transmision
Gagavision" series, the main idea behind the music video of
"Poker Face". She said that "I knew I wanted it to be sexy, so
I thought no pants, because that's sexy, [...]And I knew I
wanted it to be futuristic, so I thought shoulder pads, because
that's my thing." The music video premiered on MTV UK on
February 17, 2009. In some versions of the song, the words
"muffin" (being a slang term for the woman's vagina), "Russian
Roulette" and "gun" are censored out (bleeped). On June 21,
2009, the video won the Best International Artist Video at the
2009 MuchMusic Video Awards. The video has received four
nominations at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, in the
categories of Video of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female
Video and Best Pop Video. Along with five other nominations for
"Paparazzi", Gaga is tied with Beyoncé for most nominations
each for that year.
"Poker Face" has been performed by Gaga at a number of shows
including the AOL Sessions, the
Cherrytree Houseof Interscope Records, and also the
MTVsessions. The song was performed by Gaga both in the
original version and the acoustic piano version in her
headlining The Fame Ball tour. She performed the piano version
wearing a dress made of plastic transparent bubbles and playing
the glass piano with her stilletoes with a glowing mannequin,
like the music video, standing in front of the stage. Gaga
claimed that the transparent bubble filled piano was
specifically made to match her dress. The actual version was
performed by Gaga as the final song of the encore, after "Boys,
Boys, Boys". She started the performance saying "Some say Lady
Gaga is a lie, and they’re right: I am a lie, and every day I
kill to make it true." Gaga wore a nude corseted leotard
embellished with crystals and an admiral's hat during the
performance. The hat as well as the fingerless gloves worn were
decorated with the word Gaga on it.
On April 1, 2009, both the acoustic and normal version of
"Poker Face" was performed live on Fox's
American Idol. The performance started with Gaga sitting
at a Plexiglass piano filled with bubbles and bathed in pink
light. She started singing the second verse of "Poker Face" in
a Bette Midler style accompanied by a violin player while
wearing a shiny aluminum shoulder pad and platinum bleached
blond wig. After the first chorus, the pace increased whence
the original intro for the song started. Gaga got up from her
seat and proceeded to perform the song in the middle of the
stage. She wore a silvery leotard with a giant star on her
shoulder and tassels. As the song progressed to the
intermediate verse, the violist played a hoe-down version of
the music and Gaga danced around frantically over the stage.
The performance ended with Gaga staring towards the audience
while revealing an open zipper, patched over her left eye. The
performance was described an "alien-disco performance art."
Cortney Harding of
Billboardwrote, "[it was] Gaga's crowning TV moment ...
show[ing] middle America that she was a bona fide pop
star."
The acoustic version was performed by Gaga at BBC Live &
In-Session on April 19, 2009. She also performed "Poker Face"
in the United Kingdom on the Paul O'Grady Show. First she
played an acoustic version first before going on to the normal
version, and a rock version on
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. On May 12, 2009, Gaga
performed "Poker Face" on
The Ellen DeGeneres Showwhile wearing a gyroscope on her
head, designed by theatrical hat designer Nasir Mazhar and
playing the piano while standing on the stool. Gaga referred to
the gyroscope as her "Gaga barrier". It prevented Ellen
DeGeneres from greeting her because of the size of the gear. A
remixed version of "Poker Face" and "LoveGame" was performed at
the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards, during the indoor-outdoor
streetside show. This performance, which included Gaga beging
trapped in a fake subway car surrounded by fake police
officers, was billed as a tribute to New York City. Snippet of
the song was performed by Gaga at the thirty-fifth season of
American comedy show
Saturday Night Live, while wearing a giant contraption
("The Orbit") of several metallic concentric rings that rotated
around her. It was also performed on Gaga's The Monster Ball
Tour. The piano version was played by Gaga while balancing on
the piano stool and holding one leg up in the air. Rapper Kid
Cudi joined her then to perform his song "Make Her Say" which
contains a sample of "Poker Face". The actual version was
performed at the last segment of the show. Gaga wore a dress
made of guns and during the performance she pumped her hands in
the air.
Rapper Kid Cudi's single "Make Her Say" contains a vocal
sample of the acoustic version of "Poker Face" from
The Cherrytree SessionsEP. The song was originally
entitled "I Poke Her Face" but was changed to make it more
acceptable for radio. It features Kanye West, who also produced
the track, and Common, as well as scratches from DJ A-Trak.
West expressed that he was a fan of Lady Gaga and was
interested in the song, after seeing Gaga perform a different
version of "Poker Face" on the internet. This led him to sample
"Poker Face" in "Make Her Say". According to West, they changed
the intermittent bisexual theme of the song while taking the
sample.
"When I saw that YouTube [video], that's what made me fall
in love with the song — when I saw her play the acoustic
version. I could hear all the melody lines. On the 'Poker Face'
single, she sings it straightforward, almost, like, ripping it
or chanting it. But this [acoustic version], you hear the
Broadway melodies run up and down. I was inspired by that. I
wanted to sample it. I thought it was really dope — just
on some hip-hop, 'Say when I p-p-poke her face.'"
Gaga herself voiced approval of the track, saying that West
"had so much insight into what the song was about."
Rock musician, Chris Daughtry performed an acoustic version
of the song while at a radio station in Germany. The song was
also featured in the South Park episode titled "Whale Whores",
sung by series character Eric Cartman. Actor Christopher Walken
performed a special a capella rendition of "Poker Face" on
BBC1's
Friday Night with Jonathan Rossfor Halloween 2009. The
song was also covered by British singer Mika during his visit
to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. The song was once again covered
by the American post-hardcore band, Of Mice & Men; it has
not yet been featured on a release but is featured as streaming
media online and has received much traffic since its
upload.