10 years after Lady Gaga's highly controversial live VMA performance of "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi", MTV has finally released it to their YouTube channel, and fans are freaking out.
Getty Images | Christopher Polk
Lady Gaga’s VMAs Performance Was Released After 10 Years
Lady Gaga being controversial is literally he most common thing ever.
I mean, come on. It's Lady Gaga.
Most of the time, it's her elaborate outfits that get people talking.
Getty Images | Frederick M. Brown
There was the infamous meat dress that she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
There was the time she showed up to the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in an egg.
Getty Images | Jason Merritt/TERM
She later "hatched" out of the egg during her "Born This Way" performance.
And there was our personal favorite, the Kermit jacket.
YouTube | Clevver Music
We have no explanation for this one, and at this point, I'm too scared to ask.
As it happens, Gaga has also gotten a little controversial during her performances.
YouTube | Government Gaga
During her Saturday Night Live gig, it appeared that she was "giving birth" on stage.
In 2013, she sang "Venus" and "Do What U Want" live on " The X Factor".
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It caused so much controversy, that the TV station ended up receiving roughly 260 complaints because of it.
And any true Lady Gaga fan will tell you that there is one performance of her's in particular that is considered a staple in her career.
YouTube | MTV
And that performance was at The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
For the last 10 years, if you wanted to re-watch the performance online, it was quite difficult to track down.
YouTube | MTV
Sure — you could find shakey, low-fi quality versions of it filmed off of people's TV screens. But if you wanted to see the real deal, you'd have no such luck.
Until now, that is.
YouTube | MTV
For the first time in a decade, you can easily watch Lady Gaga's most iconic and controversial performance on MTV's YouTube channel.
For those of you that have never seen the performance before, let me tell you, it was basically the moment that Lady Gaga crossed over from pop-star to freaking legend.
It was a total game-changer, tbh.
Her performance included a aggressively theatrical medley of her two major hits at the time, "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi".
It was sung entirely live, along with elaborate costumes, a dramatic choreographed dance routine, props, and a piano solo.
You can even hear her having to catch her breath several times throughout the performance from all of the dancing.
Proof that no lip-syncing was involved — all the more reason this performance was legendary.
So, if the performance was iconic, why is it considered controversial?
YouTube | MTV
Well, close to the end of her set, things take a very dark turn.
She suddenly becomes covered in fake blood and simulates her own hanging.
At the time, her performance was harshly criticized for glamorizing violence.
YouTube | MTV
People thought that Lady Gaga had crossed a line.
But, here we are, 10 years later — older, wiser, and apparently, far more appreciative of creative expression since MTV used a clip of her controversial performance to promote the 2019 VMAs.
MTV also ranked the perfomance as number five in their top 10 "mic drop performances".
So, it's safe to assume that they have warmed up to it over the years.
Billboard's Stephen Daw explained in an article that in 2009 the world simply wasn't ready for Gaga's performance.
Getty Images | Jeff Kravitz
“Audiences may not have been prepared for it back in 2009, but one decade later, let’s call out Gaga’s twisted, strange performance for exactly what it was — an underappreciated performance art masterpiece," he wrote.
Gaga's "little monsters" are thrilled that they can finally relive her memorable 2009 VMA performance.
It's been a long time coming, but we finally made it.
This fan actually gave a shout out to Vimeo for making it possible to view a version of the performance all these years.
But now, thankfully, we have the high-quality version at our disposal on YouTube.
Others are still not over the fact that Gaga was only 23-years-old when she performed at the 2009 VMAs.
Yeah — take that in. 23-years-old.
It's some people's last wish that this performance be played at their funeral.
Honestly, same. That would be a truly ideal way to go out, if you ask me.
Watch the full performance here:
Getty Images | Jeff Kravitz
Let us know in the comments what you think of Lady Gaga's jaw-dropping show.
Do you still find it controversial?
If she redid the same performance today, would people still be grossed out? Let us know what you think!
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