After the release of the video for Yoü and I by Lady Gaga, I saw a lot of confusion regarding it. So many people were claiming that they didn’t “get it”, so after heavily analyzing the video for a few hours, I figured I’d write a nifty little guide in order to help people out. Because it really is a beautiful video, and I want to spread understanding so people take the time to appreciate it.

There are a ton of different storylines in motion during the video. Most of them are open to interpretation, but they all have a basic plot. They’re just a bit hard to follow because they’re very surreal, shown in snippets, and not shown in chronological order.

So if you don’t understand the video, take a look, maybe this will help. And if you’re a Little Monster who has a friend that doesn’t get it, don’t just call them stupid or ignorant, that’s just not cool and that’s not what Little Monsters are about. Just explain it to them or show them this post. Spread the word!

Remember, the whole video is open to interpretation. Just sit back and enjoy it!

(Note: There is only one man shown in the video (aside from Jo Calderone), and he’ll henceforth be referred to as The Scientist.)

This whole video is about love, love, and more love. It’s definitely the main theme of the video, especially the concept of loving yourself in addition to loving others. It also has a very surreal feel to it; It has mermaids, cyborgs, crazy fashion (as we’ve grown to expect from Gaga), and mad scientists. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and declare that you “don’t get it” right away, but it’s really just a matter of keeping track of all the different story arcs. Here’s a guide to understanding each event and storyline taking place in the video, and how each storyline relates to the others.

1. Jo Calderone and Gray-haired Lady Gaga

This storyline revolves around the concept of loving yourself. This is a callback to when Lady Gaga tweeted ”You will never find what you are looking for in love, if you don’t love yourself”. Jo Calderone (the man sitting on the piano smoking) is Lady Gaga’s male alter ego; The pair act like a couple, kissing and hugging, meaning that Gaga is literally loving herself. This storyline seems to be separate from the others, although it is equally as important.

2. Yuyi the Mermaid

Yuyi is the mythical mermaid lover of The Scientist. Lady Gaga described her as a“vision of surreal love”. She’s living in a tub of water with The Scientist in what seems to be a barn, and it’s clear that she returns The Scientist’s affections. She sings to him and lets him perform experiments on her in order to give her legs, while The Scientist takes care of her by giving her necessary amounts of water and cuddling with her.

3. Science Experiment Gaga

The Scientist is performing experiments on Yuyi. This may be another callback to when Gaga tweeted ”Beware of strange oddities. The more he tries to fix me, the more magical I become”. The Scientist is trying to “fix” Yuyi by giving her legs, but the experiments aren’t making her any more “normal”. She acquires a pair of legs, her hair lightens and darkens, and her outfit changes, but she still isn’t the image of conventional beauty. The experiments seem consensual at first, but Yuyi looks significantly less happy over time, especially when she’s in her dark-haired form.

4. Dancer Gaga

This is most likely just the choreographed dance portion of the video. It’s unclear whether it’s of any major significance. However, this could also serve as Yuyi’s fantasy of what she will be like when she has legs; Her blue hair is longer and she has legs that she can use to dance (and she dances quite well, if I may say so).

5. Travelling Cyborg

In this storyline, Lady Gaga is travelling through Nebraska to reunite herself with the man she loves. Her bloody and bruised feet illustrate how long she’s been walking along the road to find him. She may be the future version of Science Experiment Gaga/Yuyi, and she is coming back for The Scientist. Her robotic parts give her an aura of surrealism. This may be unrelated to the other events, or her robot parts are another side effect of The Scientist’s experiments.

6. Bride Gaga

This storyline is very straightforward. Gaga/Yuyi ends up marrying The Scientist, but the kiss takes place after The Scientist is shown cuddling with full-mermaid Yuyi. The Scientist learned to love Yuyi the way she is, and the blue shade of her face is a callback to the original form of Yuyi. This represents the final message of the video: You must love yourself, and your partner must love you for who you are before you truly love them back.

Here’s a chronological timeline for the video, if it makes it easier for you:

1- The Scientist discovers Yuyi and falls in love with her, taking her to live with him in Nebraska.

2- The Scientist performs experiments on Yuyi, in order to give her legs.

3- Yuyi becomes discontented with the experiments over time, even if they do give her legs.

4- The Scientist learns to love Yuyi the way she is, and marries her.

5- Yuyi and The Scientist are separated somehow (not shown), and Yuyi, now an android, comes back for him. (This is just my own theory.) ALTERNATIVELY: Cyborg Gaga is searching for her lover in Nebraska, and is walking along a long road just to find him.

I hope this helped make sense of the video. If they are any requests for it, I could make some sort of flow chart as well. If you have any feedback, questions about the video, or just want to point something out to me so I can add it to this guide, drop a message in my ask box! New information and other interpretations are welcome. I’m curious what you Little Monsters think of the video. Paws up!

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    perfect explanation

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