[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw&w=600&h=390%5D

Underwater gunfire, some Mac PhotoBooth mirror effects, weird introductory narration from Gaga and a Wagneresque orchestral overture are some of the highlights of “Born This Way,” the video for Lady Gaga’s first single from the album of the same name. The spell is broken when the song actually starts and Gaga declares, “Just put your paws up.” But then we’re under another spell: that of the skinnier, more maniacal dancer and seeming perfume ad model that is Gaga in 2011. Yes, Madonna, but I liked Jon Caramanica’s argument in the Times that perhaps this similarity is “a provocation, a dare” from the younger artist. How much of a dare, and how much fun, only time will tell. The album drops in May.