After eight seasons of unparalleled ratings success, superlatives come easily to "American Idol:" 'most popular talent competition of all time' and 'emblem of the reality TV world' are just two examples that come to mind. Yet these noteworthy titles fail to encapsulate Lady Gaga's genre-bending guest performance of her song "Poker Face" on the April 1 episode of "Idol."
Due to Lady Gaga's "alien-disco vibe," MTV.com justifiably mused that "'Idol' may never be the same again."
Perhaps more importantly, though, the image of Lady Gaga herself has been irreperably altered.
Gaga opened her spot by playing minimalist chords on the piano, backed by a crooning violin arrangement. This start portended momentous things. Who knew that she could even play an instrument? Why tone down her futuristic image by incorporating the most classical of instruments, the violin?
About a minute into her performance, Gaga seamlessly transitioned to an up-beat, one-two feel while she sang, "I'll get them hot, show him what I got," before abruptly slowing into a pathos-endowed croon. "Can't read my / Can't read my poker face," Gaga sang, as if these lyrics, which most of us associate with drunken hazes and the trashiest of pop, were unprecedented proclamations of love. Then, just as unexpectedly, Gaga's rendition morphed into the electronically orchestrated, pulsating dance anthem with which we are all more familiar.
In short, her performance was virtuosic. As in Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," Lady Gaga fluidly shifted between styles and genres without creating a disjointed performance. This is no small feat -- on "American Idol," where some of the centuries' best songs are routinely butchered, this is nothing less than a miracle.
There are two ways to digest this shocking and impressive performance. One is to reevaluate the stigma surrounding the show and consider the possibility that "Idol" can bring high-quality, innovative performances to its audiences. However, the slick production and artificiality of the show suggests that such an appraisal is the equivalent of allowing Fox to pull the proverbial wool over one's eyes.
The other option is to reevaluate Lady Gaga's value as an artist. Previously, I had a simplistic view of Lady Gaga: she created irresistible pop tracks, but was merely an atypically well-marketed and eccentric exemplar of contemporary music. She was overproduced, but in an endearing way, and her space-age garb merely contributed to her aura of unreality.
Yet Gaga's soulful, impassioned vocals and sonic dexterity on "Idol" complicate my one-dimensional view. Her voice is impressive and her talent lies in more than the use of a complex computer algorithm. Plus, Gaga is a dancing machine, despite the questionable choreography in the dance sequence during the second half of her "Idol" performance.
It's difficult to say which is more surprising: this, or that fact that I came across it on "American Idol."
