“To be continued . . .”
A cliché phrase that was painted across the screen at the end of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video. Now, a decade and a half later, there has yet to be a continuation of the music video’s storyline, which ended with Gaga and Beyoncé, nicknamed Honey Bee, becoming on-the-run fugitives.
But there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. In a recent lie detector test with Vanity Fair, Gaga was asked whether or not there would be a continuance of “Telephone.”
She replied with a simple “yes” and revealed she didn’t know when exactly it would happen.
While we anxiously await a sequel, I think it’s only appropriate to reminisce on the music video and the masterful artistry it showcases.
Gaga’s “Telephone” goes beyond the typical music video. A large portion of the video doesn’t contain any music, instead opting to add additional clips to enhance its plotline and aesthetic.
The song doesn’t even start until nearly three minutes into the video, as the beginning establishes the story of Gaga being thrown in jail.
Throughout the beginning of the song, Gaga dons three looks, each more spectacular than the last. Between sunglasses made of smoking cigarettes and a studded jacket complemented with soda-can hair rollers, Gaga sets a high bar early.
When Gaga does start singing, she and her ensemble soon break out into very intense, very high-energy choreography. This dance break makes the three minutes of waiting extremely worth it; it pumps up viewers and hooks them for the rest of the video.
As the dance break ends, Gaga is bailed out of jail by Honeybee, played by Beyoncé.
After being released, Gaga has short yellow hair and wears a very structurally interesting black-and-white dress. This look is one of my favorites from the video, as it beautifully blends Lady Gaga’s typical eccentric clothing style with a refined and sophisticated aesthetic.
After driving and conversing, Beyoncé begins her verse on “Telephone,” which perfectly complements the rest of the song. Her verse is not only amazing vocally but also in energy. She matches Gaga’s song tone, making it the ideal featured verse.
The storyline then continues as Honey Bee poisons what appears to be an ex-lover at a diner. However, Honey Bee’s ex-lover isn’t the only one to meet this fate, as Gaga poisons the rest of the customers’ food during a portion of the video titled “Let’s make a Sandwich”.
There are also cuts to Honey Bee in what appears to be a hotel room, with Beyonce wearing a magnificent blue rhinestone jacket.
The song continues during this portion of the video, as Gaga and Beyoncé sing along to “Telephone’s” catchy lyrics and upbeat rhythm.
This brings us to the song’s end, where Gaga and Beyoncé, along with the ensemble, dance while wearing patriotic-themed outfits. I will say this portion is relatively morbid since they all dance next to the bodies of those who they poisoned. However, I don’t think this detail takes away from the video, as it is hard not to fall in love with the beautifully eccentric looks.
The final dance break itself is also extremely impressive, as Gaga and Beyoncé dance along to the intense choreography, matching the energy and refinement of their professional background dancers.
However, the video doesn’t just end when the song ends, as we see Gaga and Honey Bee fleeing the scene in the iconic “Pussy Wagon” and vowing to never return. At this point, they are fugitives, as the video features a news broadcast that pins them to the diner murders.
I cannot capture the full artistic depth of the “Telephone” music video in writing, as its visual features are what makes it so phenomenal. I only hope the video’s sequel lives up to this incredibly high standard.
