"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 in a mansion.
Gaga performed the song for the eighth season of American Idol and her first headlining Fame Ball Tour. The live performances included an electronic version performed as the last song of the tour, and an acoustic version she played on the piano.
"Poker Face" was written by Red One 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 Stone magazine, when asked about the meaning of the line "bluffin' with my muffin", Gaga explained that it really was a metaphor for her vagina. 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 fantasising 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." The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute and is written in the key of G-sharp minor. Gaga's vocal range spans from F♯3 to B4. 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—E—F♯—G♯m—E—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". 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." BBC reviewed 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 Billboard also 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 Magazine music 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 Tribune called 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 Stone in 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 Beach newspaper called the song "trashtastic Europop."
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 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
Lady Gaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it)
And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be (hey)
A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me (I love it, woo)
Russian roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough, it isn't fun (fun)
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
(Mum-mum-mum-mah)
I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lyin', I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (she's got me like nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Lady Gaga's hit song "Poker Face" is a seductive pop song that deals with disguising one's true emotions in a game of love - like the bluffing that goes on in a game of poker. Gaga sings about wanting to play a game of love like they do in Texas, using gambling metaphors to describe the process of falling in and out of love. She is confident in her love game intuition and doesn't want to reveal her true feelings too soon. She repeats the phrase "can't read my, can't read my poker face" to highlight her ability to keep her emotions hidden.
The song's chorus features Gaga's iconic "mum-mum-mum-mah" hook, adding to the playful, upbeat energy of the song. Gaga's lyrics also reference Russian roulette, comparing her risky behavior in love to the game of chance. She playfully sings, "I'm not lying, I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'" to further emphasize her seductive and alluring nature.
Overall, the song is an ode to the art of flirting and the thrill of the chase in a game of love. It also showcases Gaga's unique ability to intertwine pop culture references and metaphors into her music.
Line by Line Meaning
Mum-mum-mum-mah
Background sound effect
I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please
I want to hold my cards like poker players in Texas do.
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it)
I want to play the game, fold when I have weak cards, and raise the bet when I have a strong hand. I love the thrill of it and want my partner to stay with me while I play.
Love game intuition, play the cards with spades to start
I rely on my intuition in the game of love and I want to initiate the game by using the suit of spades in my first move.
And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart
Once I have my partner interested in me in the game of love, I will exploit his emotions to get what I want.
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
Oh, oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
I will use my seduction skills to arouse him and show him my capabilities.
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
My partner cannot tell what I am truly feeling or thinking, just like the game of poker. Nobody can read me like he can.
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be
I want to partner with him and be a powerful team.
A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me (I love it)
I enjoy taking risks in love and I want my partner to enjoy them too.
Russian roulette is not the same without a gun
Russian Roulette is a game that involves a gun and a bullet. Gambling without taking risks is not as fun or exciting as actually taking those risks.
And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough, it isn't fun (fun)
Love should be challenging and it should involve struggles, otherwise it isn't exciting or interesting.
I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I will not confess my love, kiss or hug him, as it may be a deceptive tactic to win the game of love.
I'm not lyin', I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'
I am not lying about my feelings, I am just using my charm to attract and stick to my partner.
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
Just like a female gambler, I will take what is his before he leaves.
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous
I promise to give my best in this game of love and to be the best partner he ever had.
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (she's got me like nobody)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
P-p-p-poker face, f-f-fuck her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)
Repeating the chorus of the song, emphasizing the concept of a poker face.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Nadir Khayat, Stefani Germanotta
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walacia Zimute
L LIKE THIS SONG
Walacia Zimute
wow its a hit
Philip Kassabian
This song never gets old.
Play Pretend Ava Max
I Do Not Care How Old These Songs Get I’m Still Going To Frickin Love It
Play Pretend Ava Max
Ok Gaga Best Pop Artist Ever Including Ava Max
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Not
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You’re Music Videos Are Nit Weird They Incredible
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No You Do Not Lady Gaga I Think They Are Amazing Go Gaga
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Yes Go Dance Queen
Descendants Girls
We Love The Song ❤️❤️❤️❤️