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Hive Five: Indie Lady Gaga Covers

Lady Gaga seems to have a "Little Monster" follower in nearly everyone, from your mom to your neighbor to Sir Paul McCartney. This week, Gaga continues her reign over everything by serving as the guest mentor on American Idol -- but while those pop-stars-to-be take face to face advice, Hive's noticed that the indie rock community can’t resist the power of a Gaga spectacle either as evidenced by the number of cover songs cropping up across the web. While we hold out for our ultimate fantasy of Morrissey in a meat dress (covering Best Song Ever “Judas,” of course) check out these five indie rock covers that get the Gaga stamp of approval.

1. Weezer: “Poker Face”

This rendition of “Poker Face” begins as a cover of MGMT’s “Kids” before segueing into Gaga territory. Weezer gives the tune a warped and freaky twist, turning it into something not unlike the soundtrack to a pop music haunted house. The chorus gets reprised over MGMT’s backing track for a one-two dance-floor punch before closing back out on a “Kids” note. Not recommended if on an acid trip.

2. Two Door Cinema Club: “Poker Face”

Weezer's not the only one willing to show their cards on this song. This acoustic jam session finds Irishmen Two Door Cinema Club stripping down Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to its melodic core. It’s an unexpectedly endearing take on such a highly sexualized song, though the lower-register “mum mum mum mah” offers a nice comedic touch.

3. Lissie: “Bad Romance”

Illinois singer-songwriter Lissie tackles Lady Gaga’s gargantuan pop tune “Bad Romance” in her own unique style, giving the song a darker, more stripped-down edge that’s still every bit as powerful as the original. While the performance starts out subdued, the build up to the chorus will ultimately leave you with goose bumps, in a non-robot-exploding kind of way.

4. Passion Pit: “Telephone” (remix)

Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s “Telephone” is probably best known for its Kill Bill-styled, product placement-overloaded video, but the song itself is still killer. On this remix, Passion Pit cranks the knobs up to 10 with its signature chipmunk-voiced, beat-heavy treatment, bringing it from the front seat of the Pussy Wagon straight to the club floor.

5. Weird Al Yankovic: “Perform This Way”

Weird Al takes on Gaga in all her egg-hatching glory in this parody of “Born This Way.” No words can properly do this song justice: It’s brilliant. Listen.

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